Portal:Current events/2020 May 12

May 12, 2020 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan; May 2020 Afghanistan attacks
- In Kabul, gunmen wearing police uniforms open fire, killing at least 24 people, including two newborns, in the maternity ward of a hospital. Security forces kill the attackers. In Kuz Kunar, a suicide bomber kills at least 32 people at a funeral. (BBC News)
- In response, President Ashraf Ghani orders that the armed forces switch to the "offensive" and to "start operations against the enemy". (Reuters)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- An Israel Defense Forces soldier dies after being struck on the head by a thrown stone in the West Bank town of Ya'bad. The military is seeking a suspect. In a separate incident, Israeli police in Kalandia shoot and wound a Palestinian man attempting to stab officers. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

At least five COVID-19 patients in a hospital in Vyborgsky District, St. Petersburg, Russia, die after a ventilator caught fire in the intensive care ward they are treated in. (DW)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
  - Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov is hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19. (AP)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
  - Brazil's Ministry of Health reports 881 more deaths from COVID-19, the highest daily death toll in the country to date, bringing the country's death toll to 12,400 and 177,589 total cases. (BBC News)

International relations

China–Australia relations; Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics
- China suspends imports of beef from four Australian abattoirs, saying that its customs agency "continuously" found violations of inspection and quarantine requirements. Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian says the suspension comes to "ensure the safety and health of Chinese consumers". This comes after the Australian government last month called for an independent inquiry into the origins of the novel coronavirus. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Forest of Dean unidentified body
- A man and woman are arrested in the Forest of Dean in connection with the discovery of the remains of a woman found in two suitcases. (The Guardian)