Portal:Current events/May 2024
May 2024 is the fifth month of the current leap year. The month, which began on a Wednesday, will end on a Friday after 31 days. It is the current month.
Portal:Current events[edit]
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Odesa strikes
- Two Russian ballistic missiles strike the port city of Odesa, killing three people and injuring sixteen others. (Reuters) (Reuters 2) (Kyiv Post)
- Russia displays captured NATO military vehicles and equipment at an open-air exhibition in Victory Park on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow. Among the captured vehicles are a German Leopard 2 tank and an American M1 Abrams tank. (BBC News) (Fox News)
- Odesa strikes
- Israel–Hamas war
- Israeli invasion of Gaza, Humanitarian aid during the Israel–Hamas war
- Amid pressure from the United States, Israel reopens the Erez-Beit Hanoun Crossing and allows aid trucks into the northern part of the Gaza Strip. (Reuters)
- Israeli invasion of Gaza, Humanitarian aid during the Israel–Hamas war
Disasters and accidents
- 2024 Guangdong floods
- 2024 Kenya floods
- 2024 Rio Grande do Sul floods
- Ten people are killed by heavy rain in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. (ABC News)
- At least nine people are killed in an ongoing heatwave in eastern India. (Reuters)
International relations
- International reactions to the Israel–Hamas war
- Colombia–Israel relations
- President Gustavo Petro announces that Colombia will suspend diplomatic relations with Israel over its actions in Gaza. (Reuters)
- Colombia–Israel relations
Law and crime
- Rwanda asylum plan
- British authorities begin detaining migrants ahead of deportation flights to Rwanda. (Reuters)
- Irish Taoiseach Simon Harris announces the deployment of 100 police officers to the border with Northern Ireland amid fears that thousands of migrants might flee the UK in order to avoid deportation to Rwanda. Ireland also declares the United Kingdom a "safe country" so that asylum seekers can be deported back to the UK. (The Telegraph) (BBC News)
- Abortion in North Carolina
- U.S. federal judge Catherine Eagles blocks several of North Carolina's restrictions on the abortion pill mifepristone, striking down a requirement that the drug can only be prescribed by doctors in-person, as well as a requirement for patients to have an in-person follow-up appointment. (Reuters)
- A student is fatally shot by police officers outside Mount Horeb Middle School in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, United States, after the police received reports of someone carrying a weapon. (AP)
- At least 217 people are detained by Turkish police during May Day rallies in Istanbul, after police fire tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowds. (Reuters)
- At least 45 people are arrested and 12 police officers are injured at May Day protests in Paris. French police use tear gas and batons to disperse several protests. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- Israel–Hamas war protests
- 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses
- 2024 University of California, Los Angeles pro-Palestinian campus occupation
- Pro-Israel counter-protestors attack the pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles, throwing objects and attempting to destroy barricades. (Reuters)
- The administration of Shiraz University in Southern Iran offers free tuition to college students in the United States who have been expelled for participating in anti-Israel campus protests. (Arutz Shiva)
- 2024 University of California, Los Angeles pro-Palestinian campus occupation
- 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses
- 2024 Scottish government crisis
- The Scottish National Party administration survives the vote of no confidence earlier this week, prompting the party to seek a replacement for outgoing First Minister Humza Yousaf. (Al Jazeera)
- Homosexuality and Methodism
- The United Methodist Church votes 692–51 to repeal a longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy while additionally prohibiting superintendents from forbidding a same-sex wedding. (AP)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian civil war
- Iran–Israel conflict during the Syrian civil war
- Several people are injured in alleged Israeli airstrikes on Damascus, Syria, the first since the attack on the Iranian consulate in April. (The Jerusalem Post)
- Iran–Israel conflict during the Syrian civil war
- Alliance of Sahel States
- Nigerien crisis
- Russian military personnel enter the United States–operated Niger Air Base 101 near Diori Hamani International Airport in Niger. (Reuters)
- Nigerien crisis
- Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russian forces take control of the village of Berdychi in Donetsk Oblast. (Al-Arabiya News)
- At least nine people, including eight children, are injured in a Russian guided airstrike in Derhachi, Kharkiv Oblast. (AFP via Barron's) (Reuters)
- A Palestinian National Security Forces patrol kills a Palestinian Islamic Jihad gunman in Tulkarm in the West Bank. (Reuters)
Business and economy
- Economic impact of the Israel–Hamas war, Israel–Turkey relations
- Turkey suspends all trade with Israel in response to their conduct in the war in Gaza and demands that humanitarian aid be allowed to enter the Gaza Strip uninterrupted, after previously suspending some exports to Israel in April. (The Guardian) (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- 2024 Rio Grande do Sul floods
- The death toll from ongoing flooding in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, increases to 13. (The New York Times)
International relations
- International recognition of the State of Palestine
- Trinidad and Tobago formally recognizes Palestine as an independent nation. (Middle East Eye)
- Korean conflict
- South Korea raises its terrorism alert level to the second-highest level, citing strong chances of an attack from North Korea on its overseas diplomatic offices. (Reuters) (The Korea Herald)
Politics and elections
- Israel–Hamas war protests
- 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses
- 2024 University of California, Los Angeles pro-Palestinian campus occupation
- Police storm the pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles, arresting protesters and dismantling the encampment. (Reuters)
- 2024 University of California, Los Angeles pro-Palestinian campus occupation
- 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses
- 2023–2024 Georgian protests
- Protests occur in Batumi, Georgia, against a law requiring foreign non-governmental organizations to register as foreign agents. (OC Media)
- 2024 Solomon Islands general election
- Jeremiah Manele is elected Prime Minister of Solomon Islands. (AP)
- 2024 United Kingdom local elections
- The United Kingdom holds local elections, as well as a parliamentary by-election in the Blackpool South constituency. The Labour Party wins most councils. (BBC News)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Kivu conflict
- M23 offensive
- The mining town of Rubaya, Democratic Republic of the Congo, is seized by the March 23 Movement. (AP)
- Twelve people are killed and more than 20 others are injured during explosions caused by bombs at two camps for displaced people in Lac Vert and Mugunga, in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (AP)
- M23 offensive
- Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Two people are killed and two others are injured by Russian shelling in the city of Kurakhove in the Donetsk oblast. (The Moscow Times)
- British Foreign Secretary David Cameron promises £3 billion of annual military aid to Ukraine for "as long as it takes." (Reuters)
- Israel–Hamas war
- The United States tells Qatar to evict Hamas if the latter obstructs an Israeli hostage deal. (The Washington Post)
Arts and culture
- US President Joe Biden gives Presidential Medals of Freedom to 19 people. (Reuters)
Business and economy
- The U.S. Federal Trade Commission gives ExxonMobil approval in the acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources for $60 billion. (CNBC)
- Panama bans First Quantum Minerals from extracting copper following the closure of its Cobre Panamá mine last year. (Reuters) (The Globe and Mail)
Disasters and accidents
- 2024 Rio Grande do Sul floods
- A bus plunges into a ravine in Diamer District, Pakistan, killing 15 people and seriously injuring more than 20 others. (AP)
- Thirteen people are killed and 2,000 homes are flooded during heavy rains in Haiti, mainly in the city of Cap-Haitien. Rains occurs also in Puerto Rico, where planes are landed in San Juan to reroute. (AP)
- Mexican authorities locate the bodies of three tourists, one American and two Australians, in Baja California, where they were reported missing in April. Three people have been arrested and are being questioned in relation to the case. (Reuters) (BBC News)
Law and crime
- Canada–India diplomatic row
- Three Indian men are arrested in Canada and charged with the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year. The Canadian government is investigating whether the men had ties to the Indian government. (Reuters) (Toronto Star)
- Capital punishment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- A military court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo sentences eight soldiers to death for cowardice and other crimes. (AP)
- U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar is indicted for accepting nearly $600,000 worth of bribes from an Azerbaijan-controlled company and a Mexican bank. (AP)
- The International Criminal Court warns against outside interference, saying that efforts to undermine the court's work must "cease immediately". (The Washington Post)
Politics and elections
- Israel–Hamas war protests
- 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses
- 2024 Sciences Po pro-Palestinian occupation protest
- French police evacuate Sciences Po University in Paris and close the university in response to pro-Palestine protests and building occupations by students. (Reuters) (Le Monde)
- The Houthis offer American students who have been suspended in pro-Palestine protests education at Sanaa University in Yemen. (Reuters)
- Students at the National Autonomous University of Mexico hold pro-Palestine solidarity encampments and protests. (France24)
- 2024 Sciences Po pro-Palestinian occupation protest
- 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses
Science and technology
- Chinese space program
- The China National Space Administration launches the Chang'e 6 spacecraft from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on a two-month mission to collect lunar rock and soil samples from the far side of the moon. (Reuters) (AP)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Terrorism in Germany
- German MEP Matthias Ecke is "seriously injured" in Dresden, Germany, in what is suspected to be a politically-motivated attack against the Social Democratic Party of Germany. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- 2024 Rio Grande do Sul floods
- The death toll from ongoing heavy rains in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, increases to 56, with 67 people still missing and nearly 25,000 displaced. The airport in Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, suspends all flights until further notice. (Reuters)
- At least 14 people are killed by floods and landslides in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. (Reuters)
International relations
- Greece–Israel relations
- Israeli police forcibly removes and arrests a guard of the Greek consulate inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in East Jerusalem, during Holy Saturday. (Al Jazeera) (Anadolu Ajansı)
- India–United States relations
- Indian Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar rejects comments made by US President Joe Biden saying that India's economic growth was being held back by "xenophobia". (Reuters)
- International reactions to the Israel–Hamas war
- Palestinian doctor and rector at the University of Glasgow Ghassan Abu-Sittah is denied entry into France after landing at Charles de Gaulle airport on his way to speak at the French Senate. Last month, he was denied entry into Germany. (Al Jazeera)
Law and crime
- Russian state media reports that a number of officials from Ukraine and NATO countries have been placed on Russia's wanted list, including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, former president Petro Poroshenko, Ukrainian Ground Forces commander Oleksandr Pavlyuk, and Estonian prime minister Kaja Kallas. The Ministry of Internal Affairs neither states what crimes the wanted individuals are being charged with, nor clarifies the allegations that are being brought against them. (AP)
Politics and elections
- 2024 London mayoral election
- Sadiq Khan wins re-election as mayor of London, England, with 43.8% of the vote, becoming the first London mayor to be elected to a third term. (BBC News)
Sports
- 2023–24 La Liga
- Real Madrid are crowned champions of La Liga after Barcelona's 4–2 defeat at Girona. (BBC News)
- 2023–24 Liga F
- Barcelona are crowned champions of Liga F after winning 1–4 at Granada. (Mundo Deportivo)
- 2024 Kentucky Derby
- The 150th edition of the Kentucky Derby is held, with American thoroughbred racehorse Mystik Dan winning in a photo finish. (AP)
- The International Olympics Committee (IOC) bans Kuwait's Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah from all positions within the committee for 15 years over ethics breaches. Sheik Ahmad was previously banned by the IOC for three years in 2023 over his alleged interference in the Olympic Council of Asia elections, as well as for forgery and a fake arbitration procedure. (Reuters)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Israel–Hamas war
- Israel–Hezbollah conflict
- Israeli air raids in Meiss Ej Jabal, Lebanon, cause "massive destruction" according to a Lebanese state-run agency, killing four civilians and injuring three others. In response, Hezbollah fires dozens of Katyusha and Falaq rockets towards Kiryat Shmona, Israel. (Reuters)
- Three Israeli soldiers are killed and ten civilians are injured when Hamas launches a rocket barrage at the Kerem Shalom border crossing. (Times of Israel) (Reuters) (Jerusalem Post)
- Hamas announces the end of ceasefire talks held in Cairo, Egypt, while Israel vows to continue its military operations. (AP)
- Israel–Hezbollah conflict
- Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Terrorism in Australia
Arts and culture
- With the closing performance of the Celebration Tour at Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, American singer Madonna attracts 1.6 million people in a free concert and breaks the record for the most attended stand-alone concert by any artist, and the all-time highest attended concert by a female artist. (Billboard)
Disasters and accidents
- 2024 Kenya floods
- 2024 Rio Grande do Sul floods
- The death toll from the ongoing heavy flooding in southern Brazil increases to 78, with more than 100 people still missing. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- Israel–Hamas war protests
- 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses
- Virginia State Police dismantle a pro-Palestine encampment on the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville, and arrest more than 15 students. (The Daily Progress)
- 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses
- 2024 Panamanian general election
- Panamanians elect their President and members of the National Assembly. (Reuters)
- José Raúl Mulino, the stand-in for former president Ricardo Martinelli, wins the presidential election with more than 35% of the vote, after his three nearest opponents conceded. He will assume office in July. (AP)
- 2024 Togolese parliamentary election
- The ruling Union for the Republic party wins 108 out of 113 seats in the National Assembly. (AP)
- Censorship in Israel
- Thousands of Hungarians protest in Debrecen, Hungary, against Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's rule and policies. (Reuters)
Sports
- 2024 Formula One World Championship
- 2024 Miami Grand Prix
- In auto racing, McLaren driver Lando Norris wins his first Formula One race at the Miami Grand Prix. (DW)
- 2024 Miami Grand Prix
- 2024 NASCAR Cup Series
- 2024 AdventHealth 400
- Kyle Larson edges out Chris Buescher in the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history, winning a photo finish by one-thousandth (0.001) of a second. (AP)
- 2024 AdventHealth 400
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Israel–Hamas war
- Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip
- Israel tells civilians to evacuate parts of eastern Rafah ahead of a planned ground invasion. (BBC News) (The Guardian)
- Hamas states that it has accepted a ceasefire proposal negotiated by Egypt and Qatar. Israel rejects the proposal, claiming that the deal does not meet its "core demands", but confirms that it will continue negotiations in Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters) (AP)
- Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip
- Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Six people are killed and 35 others are injured in Ukrainian drone attacks in Belgorod Oblast, Russia. (The Moscow Times)
- Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Kurdish–Turkish conflict
- Kurdistan Workers' Party insurgency
- The Turkish Air Force carries out airstrikes on Iraqi Kurdistan, reportedly killing 16 PKK insurgents. (Reuters)
- Kurdistan Workers' Party insurgency
Arts and culture
- The 2024 Met Gala takes place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City with the theme "The Garden of Time", celebrating the Met's exhibit Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion. (Vanity Fair)
- The 2024 Pulitzer Prize ceremony is held, with 16 awards in Journalism and 10 in Letters, Drama, & Music. (NPR)
Business and economy
- Steward Health Care, a for-profit hospital chain in the United States, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. (CBS News)
Disasters and accidents
- 2024 Rio Grande do Sul floods
- Five workers are killed and another is critically injured while carrying out maintenance work on a wastewater lifting tank in Palermo, Italy. (Palermo Today)
- The U.S. Storm Prediction Center issues a rare high risk convective outlook ahead of an expected significant tornado outbreak in parts of Oklahoma and Kansas. (Storm Prediction Center)
Law and crime
- An American soldier is arrested in Russia on charges of criminal misconduct. According to US officials, the soldier was based in South Korea and had been accused of stealing from a woman. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- Israel–Hamas war protests
- 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses
- Japanese students at the University of Tokyo, Sophia University, Tama Art University, International Christian University, and Hiroshima University hold solidarity encampments. (Arab News Japan)
- Belgian and Dutch students hold solidarity encampments and occupy parts of the Ghent University, the University of Amsterdam, and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. (Reuters)
- 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses
- 2024 Chadian presidential election
- Chad holds presidential elections under its junta, contested between incumbent Mahamat Déby and Prime Minister Succès Masra. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)
- 2024 Scottish National Party leadership election
- John Swinney is elected leader of the Scottish National Party following the resignation of First Minister Humza Yousaf. (The Guardian)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Assassination attempts on Volodymyr Zelenskyy
- The Security Service of Ukraine says that it detained two Ukrainian government protection unit colonels recruited by Russia's Federal Security Service who were planning an assassination of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top Ukrainian officials. (Reuters)
- Battle of Donbas
- Ukrainian forces launch a missile strike on an oil terminal in Luhansk, causing a large fire and injuring at least five workers. (Reuters)
- Assassination attempts on Volodymyr Zelenskyy
- Israel–Hamas war
- Rafah offensive
- Israeli forces enter Rafah in a "limited" operation, taking control of the Rafah Border Crossing on the Egypt–Gaza border. (Haaretz) (AP) (Reuters)
- At least 27 people are killed by Israeli airstrikes in Rafah. (Al Jazeera) (AP)
- Rafah offensive
- M23 offensive
- The death toll from rocket strikes on an IDP camp in the Democratic Republic of the Congo increases to 18. (Reuters)
Arts and culture
- The Boy Scouts of America announces the renaming of the organization to Scouting America on February 8, 2025, in an effort to make girls feel more welcome. (AP)
Disasters and accidents
- 2024 Rio Grande do Sul floods
- The death toll from ongoing heavy flooding in southern Brazil increases to 90, with more than 150,000 people left homeless. (Reuters) (Reuters 2)
- Tornadoes of 2024
- A FedEx warehouse in Portage, Michigan, United States, is destroyed by a tornado. (Detroit Free Press)
International relations
- International recognition of the State of Palestine
- The Bahamas formally recognizes Palestine as an independent nation. (Eyewitness News Bahamas)
Law and crime
- Russian undesirable organizations law
- Russia declares American nonprofit organization Freedom House an "undesirable organization", effectively outlawing the group, after accusing the group of "discrediting the Russian Army" and advocating sanctions against Russia. (Reuters)
- Two people are killed and 21 others are injured in a mass stabbing at a hospital in Zhenxiong County, Yunnan, China. A suspect has been detained. (AP)
- TikTok and its parent company ByteDance sue the United States government over the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, alleging that the law is unconstitutional. (AP)
Politics and elections
- Israel–Hamas war protests
- 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses
- Dutch police end a pro-Palestinian occupation at the University of Amsterdam. (Reuters)
- 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses
- Fifth inauguration of Vladimir Putin
- Russian President Vladimir Putin is inaugurated for a fifth six-year term. (Reuters)
- Premiership of John Swinney
- The Scottish Parliament votes to elect John Swinney as First Minister of Scotland with 64 votes in favour and seven abstentions from the Scottish Greens. (BBC News)