Portal:Current events/2015 May 5
< Portal:Current events
May 5, 2015 (Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Curtis Culwell Center attack: ISIS claims responsibility for the attack on an exhibition of drawings of the Prophet Muhammad in the American city of Garland, Texas. One of the suspects was previously interrogated and surveilled by the FBI having visited Somalia, and both suspects praised ISIS in social media. (Washington Post)
Business and economy
- Indonesia permanently bans domestic workers from employment in the Middle East citing "many problems" regarding "labor norms and human rights violations". (The Guardian)
Disasters and accidents
- A local tsunami warning is issued after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake occurs in the Pacific Ocean near the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea. There is a small tsunami and some property damage. (National Nine News) (AP via ABC News America)
Health
- Catriona Finlayson-Wilkins, 41, of England, becomes the first diabetic (she has Type I diabetes) to give birth naturally after using an artificial pancreas throughout her pregnancy. (MSN)
- According to University of Toronto researchers Donald Branch and Stephen McCarthy, a combination of three HIV drugs—lamivudine, AZT, and tenofovir—shows some promise fighting at least a lab-modified version (which could not infect humans) of Ebola. (CNN)
International relations
- South Korea and Vietnam sign a bilateral Free Trade Agreement. (Yonhap)
- John Kerry becomes the first United States Secretary of State to visit Somalia after making an unannounced visit. (NBC News)
Politics and elections
- The President of the United States Barack Obama nominates Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., the Commandant of the United States Marine Corps as the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (AP) (New York Times)
- 2016 United States presidential election: Former Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee announces that he is seeking the Republican Party nomination. (New York Times)
- Alberta general election, 2015: Voters in the Canadian province of Alberta go to the polls with the New Democratic Party, led by Rachel Notley, winning a majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly for the first time ever. The Progressive Conservative Party, which had ruled for more than 40 years, not only loses its majority, but also finishes behind the Wildrose Party. (The Globe and Mail)
Science and technology
- Scientists announce the discovery of EGS-zs8-1, the oldest and most distant galaxy ever observed. (NY Times)
- Archaeornithura meemannae, a new species of prehistoric bird that represents the oldest known member of the modern bird lineage, is discovered. (Science)