Portal:Current events/2021 May 7

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis
  • At least 178 Palestinians are injured in clashes with Israeli police at the al-Aqsa Mosque and elsewhere in East Jerusalem. (Al Jazeera)
• 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war
  • Armenia says that it has returned all prisoners of war to Azerbaijan under Article 8 of the November 9 agreement. (Asbarez)
• Insurgency in Southeastern Nigeria
  • At least seven police officers are killed in a shooting spree in Rivers State, Nigeria. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• A tower block at New Providence Wharf, London, United Kingdom, catches fire. The block is clad in the same material as that which was on Grenfell Tower, which caught fire in 2017. More than 100 firefighters and 20 fire engines were sent to the scene. (Metro)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India
      • India reports a world record of 414,188 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 21.49 million. (Al Jazeera)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
      • Japan extends the state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo, and Kyoto until May 31. It also declares a state of emergency for Aichi and Fukuoka Prefectures. (The Japan Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • Malaysia reports 4,498 new cases in the past 24 hours, which is the first time the country has reported 4,000 new cases since February. It subsequently brings the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 432,425. (Malay Mail)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
    • The United Kingdom adds Turkey, the Maldives and Nepal to its "red list" of countries, where travellers will be required to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days upon their return to the UK at their own expense. Twelve countries are also added to the government's "green list", including Portugal and Israel. This new "traffic light system" will take effect on May 17, when international travel is no longer illegal. (BBC News)

International relations

• France–Lebanon relations, Lebanese liquidity crisis
  • French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian threatens to step up pressure against Lebanese politicians he accuses of committing "collective suicide" by failing to pull the country out of its economic meltdown. During his visit to Beirut, Le Drian said that punitive actions could be taken by France and the European Union. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Colonial Pipeline cyberattack
  • Colonial Pipeline, which supplies 45% of the U.S. East Coast's fuel supply, suffers a malware attack that causes a shutdown of their system. (CNBC)

Politics and elections

• Elections in the United Kingdom
  • 2021 Senedd election
    • The Welsh Labour Party wins a record sixth term in office. With 52 out of 60 seats declared, Labour has won 30 seats in the Senedd, reaching a working majority and equalling their best performance. (BBC News)

Science and technology

• A whole-genome study confirms the existence of four distinct species of giraffes, corroborating the conclusions of a 2016 DNA study; previously, it was believed that all giraffes were members of a single species. The study also supports the existence of seven subspecies of giraffes. (Sci-News)

Sports

• UEFA reveals that nine of the 12 association football clubs that planned to participate in the suspended European Super League proposal agree, through a "club commitment declaration", to financial sanctions imposed by the governing body. This includes a five percent cut in their revenue for one season. Only Barcelona, Juventus, and Real Madrid did not sign the declaration, although UEFA has committed to "take appropriate action" against clubs still committed to the Super League. (IOL)