May 1 – East Asia: AUSTRALIA
The joint Australian and British study features remote, uninhabited Henderson Island (part of Pitcairn Islands) in the South Pacific, as the world’s largest reservoir of beach-washed waste, especially plastic, due to its location and favorable direction of oceanic currents. According to the study, the annual production of plastic worldwide has increased from 1.7 million tons in 1954 to 311 million tons in 2014. Because it is buoyant and durable and most is not recycled, disposed plastic items eventually enter our waterways and cause a major global environmental issue. An estimated17.6 tons of debris is currently present on Henderson Island, and keeps growing daily. The authors of the study report that the world’s oceans now contains more than five trillion items, mostly microplastics, which poses a major threat to the wildlife in these waters and the islands.[1]
Watch BBC video (3:48 min): Could plastic roads help to save the planet?
May 6 – Europe: FRANCE
In France’s second round of presidential voting, centrist Emmanuel Macron soundly defeats far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, winning 60.1 percent of the vote to her 33.9 percent.[2] One of his first challenges in office is to have candidates from his newly formed centrist En Marche Party elected to the parliament in the June election who could then support his governing policies. At the moment, his party does not have any representation in parliament. His campaign pledges include cutting public spending and tens of thousands of public sector jobs, and reducing unemployment. (May 15): President Macron appoints the center-right Republican Edouard Philippe as France’s new prime minister.
May 10 – East Asia: SOUTH KOREA
Following the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye, the centre-left candidate Moon Jae-in, representing the Democratic Party, is elected South Korea’s president with 41 percent of the vote.[3] During the campaign, he faced four other major party candidates. During this presidential campaign, some of the biggest priorities for South Koreans were the economy and corruption. Moon Jae-in is a human rights lawyer and a former activist. As the son of North Korean refugees, Moon promised a change in policy towards North Korea by increasing contact with the hermit country.
May 12 – GLOBAL ISSUES
An estimated 200,000 computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system in at least 150 countries are hacked by the WannaCry ransomware in a major cyber attack.[4] This ransomware cryptoworm encrypted data on these computers and demanded ransom payments in the Bitcoin cryptocurrency. This cyber attack locked up computers of private users, businesses, hospitals, and schools. Most victims are those who ran older, unsupported versions of Microsoft Windows, such as Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. A web security researcher stops the virus by registering a domain name he found in the code of the ransomware. This effectively becomes a kill switch. The investigators say the malware was developed by U.S. intelligence as a cyber weapon to target terrorist groups and was stolen. It is unknown who is behind the attack.[5]
May 15 – Latin America: MEXICO
A well-known Mexican journalist, Javier Valdez Cárdenas, is murdered in broad daylight in Culiacan city, Sinaloa, just blocks away from the Ríodoce newspaper offices where he worked. Mexico’s northwestern state of Sinaloa is known for Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s powerful drug cartel. Valdez Cárdenas was a recipient of several international awards for his writings on drug trafficking and organized crime in Mexico. He had written several books, the latest of which, was “Narcoperiodismo” (Narco-Journalism) published last year. He often spoke of the risks facing reporters in Mexico. Mexico is one of the deadliest countries for the media, with journalists threatened and often executed when they cover organized crime or political corruption. The broadcast media in Mexico is highly concentrated, with two media groups owning almost all the TV channels.[6] Mexico is ranked 147 out of 180 countries in the 2017 World Press Freedom Index. It measures the media freedom based on pluralism, independence of the media, quality of legislative framework, and safety of journalists in each country.[7]
Check freedom of press in other countries.
May 22 – Latin America: VENEZUELA
Venezuela enters an eight week of mass anti-government, often violent, demonstrations. Within that time, 48 people have been killed in clashes with security forces.[8] These include pro- and anti-government protesters, as well as bystanders. Protesters demand President Nicolas Maduro’s resignation and new elections. The opposition blames the government for a severe economic crisis with shortages of food, basic goods and medicine. The country remains in recession with its economic growth at negative 7.4 and unemployment at over 25 percent. Inflation jumped from 255 percent in 2016 to 720 percent in 2017.[9]
May 22 – Europe: UNITED KINGDOM
A 22-year old Salman Ramadan Abedi, a British citizen with Libyan roots, carries out a suicide attack at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, during a concert by U.S. singer Ariana Grande. By detonating an improvised explosive device, he kills 23 people and injures 116, many of them critically. Many of the victims are children and teenagers. This is the deadliest terrorist attack in the UK since the bombing at the London subway in 2005. Salman Abedi was known to authorities and was banned from attending the local mosque for his extremist views.[10] The UK authorities arrest several people who are suspected of cooperating with the bomber. Terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) takes responsibility for the incident.
May 26 – Africa: EGYPT
Several gunmen wearing military uniforms and carrying automatic weapons attack a bus with Coptic Christians who are travelling on a pilgrimage to a monastery in central Egypt. The attackers execute at least 28 passengers and wound 25, including children.[11] According to Human Rights Watch, religious intolerance and sectarian violence against Coptic Christians has been on the rise in recent years, with many Egyptian Copts killed or driven out of their homes and businesses. The Egyptian government does not investigate properly and prosecute those responsible.[12] Christians, mainly Copts, are the largest minority in Egypt, making up 10 percent of the population of Egypt.[13] They have lived in this area before the Arabs conquered it in the 7th century. The Copts have maintained their autonomy, separate beliefs and traditions ever since they broke with the Eastern Church in the 5th century.[14]
Watch this BBC video (1:07 min): Coptic Christians: The essential facts in one minute.
May 29 – Middle East / International Organizations:
YEMEN / INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE of the RED CROSS (ICRC)
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announces that since Yemen’s Ministry of Health has declared the state of emergency on May 5 to cope with an outbreak of cholera, the number of cases reached more than 55,000 and 500 people have died. Yemen’s health care professionals have hard time dealing with the outbreak because after two years of war the health care industry has been decimated and there are shortages of medicines and medical supplies.[15]
More about cholera, including “Cholera: Q&A” video (2:05 min) from World Health Organization (WHO)
May 30 – Europe / Russia and Former Soviet Republics:
MOLDOVA / RUSSIA
Moldova’s pro-EU government expels five Russian diplomats. Among them is a military aid diplomat who earlier this year had received government classified information from a former Moldovan member of parliament, Yuri Bolbochan, who was later arrested and accused of treason. Russia condemns the expulsion and threatens retaliation. Russia considers Moldova, a former Soviet republic, within its sphere of influence. After Moldova signed a broad association agreement with the European Union in 2014, Russia imposed restrictions on agricultural imports from the country.[16]
May 31 – Africa / East Asia:
KENYA / CHINA
Kenya opens the Madaraka Express, a major new express railway between the port city of Mombasa and the capital Nairobi. The railway is economically important to Kenya as it cuts the travel time between these two cities by half. This line will be later extended by another 155 miles from the central town of Naivasha to Kisumu in the west. The railway is planned eventually to connect South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Ethiopia on the Indian Ocean, opening the region’s markets for trade. This huge $3.2-billion infrastructure project has been funded with long-term loans from China. It is part of China’s ambitious massive global infrastructure project, Belt and Road Initiative.[17] This $4-trillion initiative, also referred to as the new Silk Road, plans to encompass around 60 countries and is seen by China as a way of extending its commercial influence around the globe.[18]
Watch a video (1:10 min): What is the One Belt One Road initiative?