Portal:Current events/2018 May 9
May 9, 2018 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Terrorism in Indonesia
- Prisoners at a detention centre for terrorists in Jakarta revolt, killing five officers and taking a sixth hostage. Negotiators accept a demand for an audience between the rioters and Aman Abdurrahman, an inmate who is the head of ISIL in the country. (The Wall Street Journal)
- May 2018 Israel–Syria clashes
- Syrian and Iranian forces fire 20 missiles at the Israel Defense Forces positioned in the disputed territory of the Golan Heights, prompting air raid sirens in northern Israel. The IDF reports the Iron Dome missile defence system has intercepted a number of missiles and reports no injuries. Israeli forces respond with artillery into Syria. (The Times of Israel)
- Strikes from both Israel and Syria continue repeatedly throughout the night, reportedly on a far larger scale than in previous incidents. (Reuters)
- Syrian Civil War
- A car bomb and shellfire hit Marjeh Square in Damascus, Syria, killing two people and injure 14 others. (The National)
- Eight suicide bombers attack two police stations in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing five people and injuring 16. ISIL claim one attack and the Taliban claim the other. (Al Jazeera)
Business and economy
- Economy of the United States
- Fox buys seven TV stations from Sinclair Broadcast Group for US$910 million. (Deadline)
- US retailer Walmart acquires a 77% controlling stake in Flipkart, India's largest online shop, for US$16 billion. (City A.M.)
- Vodafone acquires Liberty Global's European operations, including German cable operator Unitymedia, for €18.4 billion. (Computing.co.uk)
- Chinese retailer Alibaba acquires Pakistani online marketplace Daraz for an estimated US$150–200 million. (The News)
Disasters and accidents
- The Patel Dam fails in Kenya, killing at least 47 and leaving at least 2000 homeless. (Reuters)
International relations
- North Korea–United States relations
- The three remaining American detainees in North Korea fly with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to the United States. (The New Zealand Herald)
- Iran–United States relations
- After the United States withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a group of conservative Iranian lawmakers burned American flags and chanted Death to America. (CNN)
Law and crime
- A Moroccan national is extradited from Bulgaria to Morocco to face trial for terrorism and ISIL membership. (Xinhua)
- Inn Din massacre § Arrest of journalists
- Myanmar police captain Moe Yan Naing testifies in court for the second time during the trial of Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, which has become a landmark case of press freedom in the country. Naing accused his superior, police brigadier general Tin Ko Ko, of orchestrating a plot to entrap the journalists and threatening Naing and his colleagues with arrest if they did not "get Wa Lone". Naing was arrested for violating Myanmar's Police Disciplinary Act and sentenced to a one-year prison term prior to his testimony. (Reuters) (Voice of America)
- Far-right terrorism in the United Kingdom
- Four neo-Nazis are convicted of attempting to incite racial hatred at Aston University in England by carrying out a sticker recruitment campaign for National Action. A fifth is acquitted and sentencing alongside two other convicts is set for June 1. National Action has since been banned as a terror group. (The Independent)
Politics and elections
- 2017–18 Australian parliamentary eligibility crisis
- The High Court of Australia disqualifies Senator Katy Gallagher because she held dual citizenship with the United Kingdom when elected, not renouncing it in time. Four MPs in similar situations have also resigned, setting up four by-elections. (The Sydney Morning Herald) (ABC)
- Malaysian general election, 2018
- The opposition Pakatan Harapan has obtained a majority in the Parliament, defeating the incumbent Barisan Nasional government led by Najib Razak. This marks the first ever change of government in Malaysia's 61-year history. (Channel NewsAsia)