Portal:Current events/2018 May 1

• Syrian Civil War
  • Human rights violations during the Syrian Civil War
    • ISIL releases an execution video showing a prisoner being killed by explosives in Yarmouk Camp, Damascus. (Metro)
  • At least 23 civilians die in an airstrike near Shadadi, Al-Hasakah Governorate. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has stated it is not clear who carried out the attack, listing Iraq and US-led coalition as two possibilities. The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency claims the US-led coalition is responsible. (BT) (Middle East Monitor)
• Boko Haram insurgency
  • A suicide bombing kills at least 24 people at a mosque in Mubi, Nigeria. Boko Haram are suspected of being behind the attack. (BBC)
• Yemeni Crisis (2011–present)
  • Pro-Hadi forces capture the Al Bareh Triangle and seize Houthi arms. (Gulf News)
  • Several independent MPs urge Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir to withdraw troops from Yemen where they are supporting a Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels. (AllAfrica)
• 2018 Gaza border protests
  • Palestinian Islamic Jihad releases video of Israeli general Yoav Mordechai meeting with United Kingdom ambassador David Quarrey and observing the protests last week. Quarrey's visit came amid concerns of the Israeli Defence Forces using live ammunition and was intended to be kept secret. (The Telegraph)
• Persecution of Muslims in Myanmar
  • Myanmar's military pledges to a U.N. delegation visiting Rakhine State that they will take "harsh" action against perpetrators of sexual violence in the region. The U.N. previously accused Myanmar's military of committing an ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State. (Reuters)
• Iraqi police and al-Hashd al-Shaabi troops raid ISIL locations in Hawija, Kirkuk, and seize tunnels and arms caches. (Iraqi News)
• A bomb in Mosul, Iraq, kills and injures seven policemen. (Iraqi News)

• Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations
  • American actress Ashley Judd sues Harvey Weinstein for defamation and sexual harassment, claiming he "torpedoed" her chance to be cast in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. (Herald Courier)
• Publisher Bloomsbury acquires Middle East and political publishing specialist I.B. Tauris. (The Bookseller)
• The Supreme Court of India orders the government to seek international help after examining photos submitted by environmentalists showing a change in colour of the Taj Mahal. (BBC)

• Economy of the United Kingdom
  • Following the cancellation of the Williams & Glyn bank formation, the Royal Bank of Scotland announces the closure of 162 RBS and subsidiary NatWest branches across the United Kingdom. (BBC)
  • Minimum alcohol pricing comes into effect in Scotland, mandating prices of at least 50p per unit. Scotland becomes the first country to introduce such a scheme. (The Independent)
• United States guitar manufacturer Gibson files for bankruptcy protection. (The Guardian)

• Incidents at Universal parks
  • At Universal Studios Japan, the Flying Dinosaur roller coaster gets stuck 100 feet in the air, stranding about 64 people for nearly 2 hours. (NDTV)
• Edifício Wilton Paes de Almeida, a 26-story tower block in São Paulo, Brazil, is destroyed by a fire and consequent collapse. Neighbouring buildings are also damaged by fire. Authorities warn the casualty toll is "likely to be high". (Metro)
• An avalanche in the Alps kills three skiers and injures two in Valais, Switzerland. (Gulf News)

• Dominican Republic–Taiwan relations, China–Dominican Republic relations
  • The Dominican Republic severs ties with Taiwan and establishes diplomatic relations with China. (CNN)
• Russia–United States relations
  • A Russian Su-27 fighter jet intercepts a United States P-8 Poseidon surveillance plane in international airspace over the Baltic Sea, with the US claiming the procedure was unprofessional and the aircraft came within 20 feet of each other. (KFDI)
• Iran–Morocco relations
  • Morocco cuts diplomatic ties with Iran over its support for the Polisario Front, a Western Saharan independence movement. (Al Jazeera)
• The African Land Forces Summit opens in Abuja, Nigeria. Present are military delegations from 30 African nations plus representatives from Europe and the United States. (AllAfrica)
• Poland takes over the rotating Presidency of the United Nations Security Council. (Radio Poland)

• Terrorism in England
  • ISIL suspect Lewis Ludlow makes an initial appearance before Westminster Magistrates' Court accused of plotting a terror attack in London. He denies the offences and the case is transferred to the Old Bailey. (BBC)
• May Day
  • Far-left anarchists clash with riot police in central Paris, France. Several businesses are looted and set on fire, including a McDonald's restaurant and Renault garage. Hundreds are arrested. (Reuters)
• Far-right terrorism in the United Kingdom
  • West Midlands Police arrest five men and a woman suspected of membership of National Action, a neo-Nazi group banned as a terror group. (The Oxford Mail)
• Iran bans the Telegram messenger app, citing national security concerns. (BBC)
• Catherine De Bolle from Belgium becomes the first woman to lead Europol. (Politico)

• Iraqi parliamentary election, 2018
  • Muntadhar al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at George W. Bush in 2008, will run for Iraqi parliament. (BuzzFeed News)
• 2017–18 United States political sexual scandals
  • Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler announces that he will resign in one week, after being accused of sexual harassment. (The Times-Picayune)

• Kenyan boxer Brian Agina goes missing as his team prepares to return from the Commonwealth Games in Australia. (AllAfrica)
• Former Green Bay Packers and NC State player Carlos Gray is found dead after being shot at his home. (News Observer)