Portal:Current events/2018 May 3

May 3, 2018 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2018 Gaza border protests
- A Palestinian man was arrested by Israel Defence Forces (IDF) while attempting to damage the security fence around the northern Gaza Strip. He was shot and injured during the arrest, and is now receiving medical treatment at Soroka Medical Center. (The Times of Israel)
- Palestinian teenager Anas Abu Asr dies of wounds sustained when he was shot during protests near Gaza City last Friday, bringing the death toll to 40. (The Washington Post)
- The Israeli High Court rules the protests to be a state of war and that human rights are therefore not applicable. (Haaretz)
Yemeni Crisis (2011–present)
- United Arab Emirates takeover of Socotra
  - The United Arab Emirates deploys troops on the Yemeni island of Socotra in the Arabian Sea, taking over key installations such as Socotra Airport from Yemeni soldiers. Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr denounces the Emirati ground incursion and hundreds protest demanding their immediate withdrawal. Local media reports the UAE claims to have "leased" the island. (Al Jazeera)
Piracy in the 21st century
- The government of Guyana reports that pirates attacked fishermen off the coast of neighboring Suriname. (BBC)
Syrian Civil War
- The United States Department of State freezes funding to the White Helmets humanitarian group, which conducts urban search and rescue in rebel-held areas of Syria. The U.S. provides one-third of the group's total funding. (The Hill)

Arts and culture

Bill Cosby sexual assault cases, Roman Polanski sexual abuse case
- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences board votes to suspend actor Bill Cosby and director Roman Polanski in accordance with the organization's standards of conduct. (BBC)
Sovereign Military Order of Malta
- Fra' Giacomo dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto takes oath of office as 80th Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, after being elected yesterday. (Order of Malta)

Disasters and accidents

2018 Indian dust storms
- Around 110 people are killed in a dust storm in northwestern India, with Uttar Pradesh being the hardest hit. (CNN)
2018 lower Puna eruption
- After over 600 earthquakes, including a magnitude 5.0 at Kīlauea, parts of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park have struck, causing the nearby Puʻu ʻŌʻō, to close due to fears of an eruption. The volcano erupted and evacuations were issued. (Big Island Now) (ABC7)
A Russian Sukhoi-30SM crashes after leaving an airbase in Khmeimim, Latakia, Syria. Both crew die. (The Guardian)

International relations

2018 North Korea–United States summit
- Vice President of the United States Mike Pence postpones his trip to Brazil to focus foreign policy resources on Donald Trump's planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (Reuters)
Poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal
- The head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Ahmet Uzumcu says that up to 100 grams of liquid nerve agent were used in the chemical attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal – around half a cup of liquid, suggesting it was intended for use as a weapon and was not created for research purposes. (The Guardian)

Law and crime

Pan Am Flight 103
- The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission says it will review claims of a possible miscarriage of justice in the conviction of Abdelbasset Ali al-Megrahi for the Lockerbie bombing, in which over 200 people were murdered. (ABC News)
Presidency of Donald Trump
- Donald Trump signs an executive order to give greater freedoms to federally funded faith-based initiatives. (USA Today)
Presidency of Jimmy Morales
- Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales appoints María Consuelo Porras as Attorney General and Chief of the Public Ministry to replace Thelma Aldana. (InSight Crime)
Protestors riot in Lesbos, Greece in demonstrations against a European Union migration policy. Police fire tear gas. (The Guardian)
Terrorism in Australia
- Islamic State recruiter Hamdi Alqudsi's wife Moutia Elzahed becomes the first person convicted of an offence for refusing to stand for a judge in court, with a magistrate finding her guilty of nine counts of disrespectful behaviour in court. (News.com.au)
Eight inmates are acquitted of prison mutiny while one is convicted over a riot at HMP Birmingham in England described by the Prison Officers' Association as the worst violence they had seen for over 25 years. (BBC)

Science and technology

The fossilized remains of a rhinoceros are found in the Philippines, with cut marks suggesting it was butchered with stone tools. The remains, dated to 709,000 years old by electron spin resonance, suggest a human presence earlier than expected in Southeast Asia. (CNN)
Twitter urges all of its users to change their passwords after a glitch temporarily caused some passwords to be stored in readable text on its internal computer system. (Reuters)

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