Portal:Current events/2021 May 31

May 31, 2021 (2021-05-31) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Ituri conflict, Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
  • 2021 Democratic Republic of the Congo attacks
    • At least 50 people are killed as suspected Allied Democratic Forces on seven trucks attack the villages of Boga and Tchabi in Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Al Jazeera English)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      • China reimposes travel restrictions in Guangdong province that require anyone travelling by plane, train, bus, or private vehicle after 10:00 p.m. to present nucleic acid test results from within the past 72 hours amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (Voice of America)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
      • The government approves the use of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 12 and 15, becoming the first vaccine to be approved used for children in Japan. (Kyodo News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
      • Ho Chi Minh City implements social distancing measures for the next two weeks following an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the city. (VnExpress International)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in France, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
    • France begins implementing a seven-day quarantine and pre-departure testing for EU nationals, French residents, and anyone travelling to the United Kingdom for essential reasons in order to prevent the spread of the Lineage B.1.617 variant that originated in India as all non-essential travel to the UK is currently banned. (Evening Standard)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Palau
    • Palau announces their first recorded case of COVID-19 in a fully vaccinated person who travelled from Guam on May 9 and tested positive after 21 days in quarantine. (RNZ International)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Peru
    • Peru announces a sharp increase in the COVID-19 death toll from 69,342 to 180,764 following a government review that reflects the severity of the pandemic. (Associated Press)
  • Variants of SARS-CoV-2
    • The World Health Organization announces a new system of naming the COVID-19 variants using the Greek alphabet in order to avoid stigmatizing countries where variants are first detected. According to the new system, B.1.1.7 becomes Alpha, B.1.351 becomes Beta, and P.1 becomes Gamma. Meanwhile B.1.617, which split into sub-lineage B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2, is called Kappa and Delta respectively. (France 24)
• China announces that it will replace their existing two-child policy with a new three-child policy, allowing couples to have three children, in order to increase the country's declining birth rates. China's fertility rate is currently 1.3, which is below the level needed to maintain a stable population. (The Guardian)

International relations

• 2021 Malian coup d'état
  • The Economic Community of West African States suspends Mali in response to last week's coup d'état. (Al Jazeera English)
• United States–European Union relations, United States intelligence operations abroad
  • Denmark's public service broadcaster DR reveals that the Danish Defence Intelligence Service helped the American National Security Agency spy on European leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel from 2012 to 2014. Intelligence was also collected on other officials from Germany, France, Sweden and Norway. (BBC News)
• Israel–United States relations
  • U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem amidst speculation that a new government will be formed in Israel. During the meeting, both men discussed protecting Israel from future Hamas attacks. (The Hill) (The Jerusalem Post)

Law and crime

• Hong Kong national security law, 2021 arrests of Hong Kong pro-democracy primaries participants
  • The court proceedings against 47 pro-democracy activists accused of subversion will continue on July 8. After being presented with evidence, the defendants will be able to enter a plea before the case is moved to the High Court. Most of the activists have been denied bail recently, with the latest case being that of Claudia Mo, who was denied bail due to her WhatsApp messages with foreign journalists. (Reuters)
• Fabio and Nicola Riva, the former owners of the Ilva steelworks in Taranto, Italy, are sentenced to 22 and 20 years in jail respectively for allowing their company to discharge harmful pollution. The carcinogenic dioxins and mineral particles discharged by the steelworks caused an increase in cancers in the city of Taranto. Several other people are also sentenced, including former President of Apulia Nichi Vendola, who was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison. (Reuters)
• Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu Agency reports that the National Intelligence Organization arrested the nephew of exiled Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen in an overseas operation, for alleged membership in a terrorist organization. While the agency did not state where he was captured, he was believed to be residing in Kenya, where a local court on May 6 blocked Turkey's extradition request for him. (Al Jazeera English)
• Kyrgyzstan’s security service detains former Prime Minister Omurbek Babanov in a corruption investigation involving the Kumtor Gold Mine. Asylbek Jeenbekov, brother of former President Sooronbay Jeenbekov, is also detained. (The Times of Central Asia)
• Corleonesi Mafia hitman Giovanni Brusca is released from prison after serving his 25-year sentence. He was convicted for his role in the Capaci bombing, which killed anti-Mafia magistrate Giovanni Falcone alongside four other people. His release is condemned by the leaders of the ruling Italian Democratic Party and the right-wing Lega Nord. (Al Jazeera English)

Sports

• 2021 French Open
  • Tennis player Naomi Osaka, ranked Number 2 by the Women's Tennis Association, withdraws from the ongoing French Open, citing her mental health. (CNN International)

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May 2021

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