Portal:Current events/2013 May 7

May 7, 2013 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war:
- Four Filipino UN peacekeepers are kidnapped by armed men while patrolling the demilitarized area between Syria and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. (Al Jazeera), (BBC)
Nigerian Sharia conflict:
- An attack in Nigeria, suspected to be perpetrated by Islamic sect Boko Haram, kills 55 people. (The Independent)

Art and culture

American special effects innovator Ray Harryhausen dies at the age of 92. (Chicago Sun-Times)
American As I Lay Dying frontman and lead vocalist Tim Lambesis is arrested on charges of attempting to hire a hitman. (MTV)

Business and economy

2013 Korean crisis:
- The Bank of China halts business with a North Korean bank accused by the United States of financing Pyongyang's missile and nuclear programs. (AP)
Microsoft acknowledges and plans to address complaints with its Windows 8 operating system – changes will be available later this year. (AP)
The Reserve Bank of Australia cuts its benchmark interest rate to 2.75%, down from 3.00%. (BBC)
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above the 15,000 mark for the first time, setting a record. The S&P 500, up 0.5%, sets a record high as well. (USA Today)
China's April import and export figures beat expectations, potentially easing concerns that its economy is lagging. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Mayon Volcano erupts in the Philippines killing four mountain climbers and requiring four other climbers trapped near the summit to be rescued. (AP via New Zealand Stuff)
A gas tanker explodes in Ecatepec de Morelos, Mexico, killing at least 20 and injuring 36. (BBC), (Reuters)
A Nigerian warplane involved in operations within Mali crashes in Niger, killing two pilots. (BBC)
Bears attack villages in Orissa, India, killing eight people and injuring a dozen more. The bears are said to have become aggressive due to excessive consumption of the mahua flower. (BBC)
The Italian cargo ship Jolly Nero crashes into the port of Genoa, destroying the traffic control tower. Seven people die, four are injured and at least two are missing. (News.com.au)

Health and environment

India has the highest first day infant mortality rate in the world, according to a new study. (Times of India)
Alzheimer's drug Gammagard fails to produce results in a large-scale clinical trial. (USA Today)
A new strain of gonorrhea, HO41, is reported to be incurable and extremely virulent. (Times of India)

International relations

India agrees to demolish some bunkers near the Chinese border in order to end a three-week-long standoff in the Himalayas. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Politics and elections

Thousands of striking bus workers march through South Africa's biggest city, Johannesburg. (News 24)
Ireland's parliament, the Oireachtas, passes legislation pardoning thousands of soldiers who left the Irish Army to fight with the Allies during World War II. (BBC)
Governor Jack Markell signs a bill making Delaware the 11th U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage. (Delaware Online)
Former Governor of South Carolina Mark Sanford wins a special election for South Carolina's 1st congressional district defeating Elizabeth Colbert Busch. (MSNBC)
The United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth II announces she will miss a Commonwealth meeting for the first time in 40 years. Prince Charles will attend on her behalf. (Los Angeles Times)

Science and technology

A new study by the University of California, Davis suggests that all Europeans are related to small group of ancestors dating back only 1,000 years. (Nature World News)
Researchers discover statistical evidence for the proposed Eurasiatic language superfamily, dating back 15,000 years. (Los Angeles Times)
In a study published in Nature Communications, scientists unearth in Alberta, Canada and identify what may be the earliest known pachycephalosaur (bone-headed dinosaur), Acrotholus audeti. (Latinos Post)

Sports

In North American baseball, Toronto Blue Jays' pitcher J. A. Happ is carted off the field after getting hit in the head by a line drive. (ABC News)
In tennis, unseeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov pulls off a major upset over world number one Novak Djokovic at the Madrid Open. (Reuters)