Portal:Current events/2012 May 2

Current events of May 2, 2012 (2012-05-02) (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks Arab Spring: At least 20 people are killed in Cairo as unidentified attackers unleash rocks, clubs, firebombs and shotguns on a protest near the Egyptian Ministry of Defence. Police and the military intervene after six hours. (BBC) The New York-based Human Rights Watch accuses Syrian forces of continuing their killing sprees in opposition areas even after peace talks began. (Al Jazeera) 2012 South Sudan–Sudan border conflict: The United Nations Security Council passes a resolution threatening sanctions if hostilities do not end within 48 hours. (Al Jazeera) At least six people are killed in a suicide bombing attack on a Kabul suburb popular with westerners. (Reuters) Mexican Drug War: A gunfight between the Mexican Army and suspected gunmen of a drug cartel left 12 dead in the western state of Sinaloa, the homestate of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, Mexico's most-wanted drug lord. (BBC) Arts and culture Imprisoned journalist and blogger Eskinder Nega is awarded the PEN America's "Freedom to Write" annual prize for publishing articles critical of Ethiopia's human rights record. (BBC) Edvard Munch's The Scream sells for a record $US119,922,500 in an auction in New York City. (AP via Sydney Morning Herald) Business and economy A court in the German city of Mannheim rules that Microsoft has infringed Motorola Mobility's patents and bans Xbox 360 gaming consoles and Windows 7 operating system from sale in Germany. (Reuters via Yahoo News) The News Corporation board expresses its "full confidence" in Rupert Murdoch following a UK government media committee's conclusion yesterday that Murdoch is "not a fit person" to run a major international business. (BBC) International relations Visit to China by Hillary Clinton: United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives in Beijing for high-level talks with the government of China. She also contacts dissident Chen Guangcheng. (AP via MSNBC) Chen later leaves the U.S. embassy after a week spent there after fleeing house arrest in China, after alleged threats to his family. (BBC) (Xinhua) Chinese Vice-Premier Li Keqiang travels to Budapest and holds talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. (China Daily) The Japanese owner is found of a Harley-Davidson that drifted to Canada in a container that had been swept out to sea in the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. (BBC) Law and crime Coroner Fiona Wilcox states that Secret Intelligence Service officer Gareth Williams was "on the balance of probabilities" unlawfully killed and that it is unlikely he found his way all by himself into the padlocked red sports bag in which his body was found in the bath at his home. (BBC) A man, believed by the media (but not confirmed) to be J. T. Ready, a Neo-Nazi, and a member of the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps, is among five individuals in Gilbert, Arizona, found dead with gunshot wounds. It is unclear what role he may have played in the apparent shootings, and what precise type they were, but he is believed to have shot the others and then himself in a possible murder-suicide. (MSNBC) Politics and elections The Egyptian military expresses its willingness to hand over political power on May 24 if an outright winner emerges in the first round of the presidential elections. (RIA Novosti) Presidential candidates Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande go head-to-head in a televised debate in France. (BBC) The Australian Federal Police launches a formal investigation into allegations that Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives Peter Slipper misused Cabcharges. (Daily Telegraph) Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy, is sworn in as a member of the Pyithu Hluttaw, the lower house of the parliament of Burma. (AP via Washington Post) (Al Jazeera) United States presidential election, 2012: Newt Gingrich suspends his campaign for the Republican Party nomination. Mitt Romney is declared the presumptive nominee. (CBS News) Gujarat MP Prabha Taviad breaks down and weeps in parliament alleging assault by police as she tried to attend a government function. (BBC) Sport Lionel Messi breaks Gerd Müller's scoring record for a single European football season with a league hat-trick as Barcelona defeat Malaga. (GOAL) (National Post) (BBC) Papiss Cissé fires two goals past UEFA Champions League finalists Chelsea to keep Newcastle United firmly in contention for a place in the Premier League's top four which would require Chelsea to defeat Bayern Munich in the final to qualify for next season. (BBC) Fabrice Muamba makes an emotional return to the Reebok Stadium following his collapse on the pitch on 17 March 2012. (BBC) Former National Football League All-Pro and Pro Bowl linebacker Junior Seau is found dead in his home in Oceanside, California, of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. (ESPN)