Portal:Current events/2021 May 28

May 28, 2021 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Israeli–Palestinian conflict, 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis
- Israeli forces shoot Zakaria Hamayel, a 28-year-old Palestinian man during a protest near Nablus. (The Palestine Chronicle) (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan inaugurates the Taksim Mosque in Istanbul. Its construction was considered controversial as its location was considered to be secular space, with earlier plans to build it near Gezi Park contributing to protests in 2013. (BBC News)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Delhi, COVID-19 lockdown in India
      - The Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi announces a "very, very slow" easing of its lockdown as the number of COVID-19 cases decreases in major cities. Beginning Monday, construction work and operation of factories will be resumed. (CTV News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia reports a record for the fourth consecutive day of 8,290 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 549,514. (CNA)
    - In response to a record number of COVID-19 cases in Malaysia, the Prime Minister's Office announces a two-week nationwide "total lockdown" from June 1 to 14, which will ban all social and economic activities with the exception of essential economic and service sectors. (Malay Mail)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - Indonesia surpasses 50,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Beritasatu)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announces the extension of the state of emergency in nine prefectures for three weeks until June 20, the last day of emergency in Okinawa Prefecture, as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to remain high. (The Japan Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan
    - Pakistan reports its first case of the Lineage B.1.617 variant, which was first discovered in India. (Arab News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan
    - Taiwan reports a record 19 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 78. (Taiwan News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary
    - Hungary reports its first two cases of the Lineage B.1.617 variant, which was first discovered in India. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Kosovo
    - Kosovo signs an agreement with Pfizer to buy 1.2 million doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine, with the vaccine rollout expected to begin on June 15. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland
    - Taoiseach Micheál Martin announces the further easing of the COVID-19 restrictions. Hotels in Ireland can reopen from June 2, followed by cinemas, gyms, outdoor service at restaurants and pubs from June 7. Meanwhile, indoor services of two establishments will be reopened on July 5, and international travel will be resumed on July 17 through EU Digital COVID Certificate. (BBC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom
    - The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approves the use of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the fourth vaccine to be approved in the United Kingdom. (The Guardian)
  - European Union response to the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 vaccine
    - The European Medicines Agency authorizes the usage of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people aged 12 to 15 years old, becoming the first vaccine to be approved for children in the European Union. (France 24)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    - Victoria enters a seven-day circuit breaker lockdown until June 3 at 11:59 p.m. AEST in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19 after the outbreak reaches 26 cases. During the lockdown, all public and private gatherings are banned, schools are closed, restaurants and cafés are only allowed to offer takeout or delivery services, and masks must be worn outside homes. (ABC Australia)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji
    - Fiji reports a record 46 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the national total to 360. (RNZ)

International relations

Germany–Namibia relations
- The Federal Government of Germany officially recognizes the country's perpetration of the Herero and Namaqua genocide during its colonial rule of Namibia. German foreign minister Heiko Maas pledges reparations worth €1.1 billion (US$1.34 billion) for the descendants of the Herero and Nama people to be paid within 30 years. (France 24)
Russia–European Union relations, Belarus–European Union relations
- Russia denies entry to European airlines for a second consecutive day. Air France and Austrian Airlines flights were rejected by Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency amid the continuing fallout over Ryanair Flight 4978 and the subsequent flight ban in Belarusian airspace. (BBC News)
The United Nations Security Council approves a resolution drafted by the United States to extend the arms embargo imposed on South Sudan since 2018 until May 31, 2022, due to the increasing violence and repeated human rights abuses in the country. (Barron's)

Law and crime

Aftermath of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol, January 6 commission
- Republicans in the United States Senate block a bill to form a commission to investigate the storming of the United States Capitol as the bill failed to pass by a vote of 54–35, making it the first filibuster used in the 117th United States Congress. However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says that the Democratic Party will still "proceed to find the truth". (Forbes) (Bloomberg.com)
2021 Colombian protests
- President Iván Duque Márquez deploys military forces to Cali following the deaths of at least three people in the protests. (The Independent)
Kamloops Indian Residential School
- A mass grave containing the remains of 215 indigenous children is discovered on the site of the former residential school in British Columbia, Canada. (The Globe and Mail)
- Archbishop J. Michael Miller of Vancouver said he was “filled with deep sadness” after learning of the discovery of the children's remains that were found buried on the site. (CRUX)
The Ireland Health Service Executive confirms that private medical data for approximately 520 patients was published online after the recent cyberattack. (The Irish Times)

Politics and elections

2019–2021 Israeli political crisis
- Yamina leader Naftali Bennett and Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid announces that they have agreed to form a coalition government, which would make Bennett the next Prime Minister of Israel until September 2023, and for Lapid to serve until November 2025. The agreement is expected to be announced by Bennett on Saturday night, and the government will be sworn-in on June 8. (The Jerusalem Post) (The Times of Israel)
2021 Malian coup d'état
- The Malian constitutional court declares Colonel Assimi Goïta as the country's interim president, following the arrest of President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane by the military on May 24. (The Hindu)