Portal:Current events/2015 May 8

May 8, 2015 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2015 Al Khalis prison break
- a prison break occurred in the Iraqi town of Al Khalis. More than fifty prisoners escaped in the break, including nine who had been facing terrorism charges. An estimated fifty other prisoners and twelve police officers died in the prison break. (BBC)
Saudi-led intervention in Yemen
- Saudi Arabia announces a five day ceasefire in Yemen starting Tuesday next week. (The New York Times)

Arts and culture

Bill Simmons will leave American broadcaster ESPN in fall 2015 when his contract expires. (The New York Times)

Business and economy

Syngenta AG, the world's largest maker of agrochemicals, rejected a 41.7 billion Swiss franc takeover offer from Monsanto Co. (Bloomberg)
The economy of the United States adds 223,000 jobs in April with unemployment falling to 5.4%. (The New York Times)

Disasters and accidents

At least six people including diplomats are killed when a Mil Mi-17 helicopter crashes into a school in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of northern Pakistan. (Dawn)
A Piper PA-32 plane crashes onto the motorway near DeKalb–Peachtree Airport, Atlanta, killing all four passengers. Interstate 285 is closed in both directions. (BBC)

International relations

Russia and China agree to a US$2 billion fund for agricultural investments in both countries. (CNBC)
Burkina Faso and Niger agree to exchange 18 towns in order to resolve a long-running border dispute with Burkina Faso receiving 14 and Niger 4. (AFP via The Guardian)

Law and crime

Death of Freddie Gray
- The United States Department of Justice announces an inquiry into the Baltimore Police Department following the death of Freddie Gray. (BBC)
- The officers accused in the case file a motion for Marilyn Mosby, the State's Attorney for the city of Baltimore, to recuse herself from the case. (WBAL)
A mistrial is declared in a murder case of a man in relation to the 1979 disappearance of Etan Patz in New York City. (AP via Yahoo! News)
According to the Centre Daily Times, a Pennsylvania State University undergraduate student, Jon S. Steindorf, 23, goes missing, vanishing without a trace, the day his parents had expected him to graduate from the University, only to find when they arrived at 4 PM that he had dropped out in the fall 2014 semester. He was last seen by his roommate at 11 AM; he is brown-haired and blue-eyed, and he may be toting a red backpack and riding a black bicycle. State College, Pennsylvania police have put out a missing persons alert for him. (New York Daily News via MSN)

Politics and elections

United Kingdom general election, 2015
- The Conservative Party has won a majority in the 2015 general election, enabling them to lead without requiring a coalition government. The Scottish National Party claims all but three seats in Scotland. (BBC)
- Prime Minister David Cameron meets with Queen Elizabeth II to get permission to form a new administration of government, while Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage, respectively the leaders of Labour, the Liberal Democrats and UKIP, resign their positions. (BBC)
Roxana Baldetti, the Vice President of Guatemala, resigns over a corruption scandal. (AP via ABC News America)
2015 Burundian protests
- The President of Burundi Pierre Nkurunziza officially registers to run for a third time sparking violent protests in the Nyakabiga district of Bujumbura. (Reuters)