RationalWiki:What is going on in the world?/May 2018

May 2018
A populist coalition deal in Italy is set to end nearly three months of political stalemate. Support of key Basque party paves way for Spain’s PM to be voted out of office Denmark is banning the wearing of face veils in public spaces. Dinesh D'Souza gets pardoned by Trump for some reason The US will be imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada, Mexico, and the EU. Scientists have found the ancestor to lizards, snakes and amphisbaenians. Independents now outnumber Republicans in California. Allegedly murdered Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko turns up alive in a Ukrainian conference to expose the assassination plot against him. God chose Trump, and Liberty University is making a film about how Fuckface von Clownstick is the new King Cyrus. Spanish police briefly arrested a critic of Putin due to a politically motivated Russian arrest warrant. A Louisiana televangelist claims God told him he needs a $54 million private jet. A GOP congresswoman claims porn is "a big part" of the reason for the spike in school shootings. The official death count by Hurricane Maria, 74, may be off by 70-fold, or about 4,600. Missouri Governor Eric Greitens resigns amid scandals. ABC cancels popular situation comedy Roseanne after a series of racist, incendiary tweets by Roseanne Barr, the show's namesake. Gaza militants and the IDF exchange the heaviest fire in years. Trump claims the Mueller probe will meddle in the midterms. $50 billion in tariffs on China will be imposed next month, as well as investment curbs.

Poland offers to pay up to $2 billion for permanent US military presence to deter Russia. A pilot and his assistant have been arrested for allegedly attempting to vigilante deport a student to China. Publix halts donations to self-described ‘NRA sellout’ amid boycott, ‘die-in’ protests by David Hogg Thousands across France protest against Macron's economic policies. 48% of Republicans believe millions voted illegally in the 2016 election. After the Irish referendum of the 36th amendment, there is growing consensus about extending the British law about abortion to Northern Ireland, which still bans abortion. Already one MP is planning to add an amendment to the upcoming domestic abuse bill. British and EU politicians criticize Theresa May's plan to leave the European Arrest Warrant, which would make it far more difficult to extradite criminals. The Brazilian economy grinds to a halt due to massive truckers' strike. Colombia is becoming the first Latin American NATO partner. Leaders of the two Koreas hold a surprise meeting. English Defense League co-founder Tommy Robinson has been arrested for allegations of "breaching the peace". TÁ! Nearly two-thirds of the Irish population (66.4%) and nearly all the constituencies bar one, have voted to repeal the abortion clause (Article 40.3.3) in the country’s constitution. Sweden has passed a law stating sex without consent does not require the use of threats or force to be classified as rape. Malaysia sentenced an Australian woman to death for drug smuggling charges. An investigation says the missile that shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was owned by a Russian brigade. North Korea blows up its nuclear test site as Trump cancels the summit.

Trump barring people from viewing his Twitter feed has been ruled unconstitutional. The NFL will now be fining players who kneel during the national anthem. The Loch Ness Monster - a biological explanation might be found to explain some of the stories behind it. Three more Saudi women's rights activists have been detained. Monsanto is being sued for "cancer". Article from the Grauniad. Look closely at the bottom of the article, where they disclose who wrote it. A "public interest researcher" for the US Right to Know, a vehemently anti-GMO group. Propaganda much, Graun? The House voted to loosen banking regulations.

A prominent Southern Baptist leader encouraged a woman not to report an alleged rape to the police and forgive the assailant. An examination of Hitler's teeth confirms that he did indeed die in the bunker. Pruitt's actions as EPA chairman have created massive long-term uncertainty. Nine killed in clashes between police and an environmental protest that had turned violent. Terrorist attacks in Ghanzi killed at least 14.

Actress gets China talking about periods, despite it being a taboo. The most senior Catholic official to be charged with concealing child sex abuse has been found guilty. The Supreme Court has ruled that clauses barring workers from class-action lawsuits are legitimate. Two US citizens were detained at a gas station for speaking Spanish. Trump intends to demand the Department of Justice look into his allegations that the Obama administration's FBI spied on his campaign. China put a bomber in the South China Sea. Evidence surfaces that Trump Jr. also met with Saudi and Emirati leaders during the 2016 election. Saudi Arabia has detained seven prominent women's rights activists. Sergey Skripal, ex-Russian spy who was "poisoned by deadly nerve agent," has been discharged from hospital. A major farm bill rewrite failed in the House due to a hardliner revolt in the Republican Party over immigration.

All 34 of Chile's bishops have offered to resign over a sexual abuse scandal. The White House is moving to bar clinics that refer patients to abortions from federal funding. At least eight were killed in a school shooting in Texas.

Cambridge Analytica has filed for bankruptcy. Neil Hamilton has been ousted from the leadership of UKIP in Wales. Gina Haspel, controversial for her interrogation tactics that have been considered torture, has been confirmed as the new CIA director. Human rights groups report dozens of beatings and killings in Burundi as the country prepares for a referendum which could greatly increase their president's powers and extend his rule into 2034. Trump claims the ‘animals’ comment referred to MS-13 gang members, not Latino immigrants.

Senate votes to save net neutrality. STIs reach an all-time high in California. The US and six Gulf states have sanctioned Hezbollah's leadership. A survey by the Department of Education reveals 94% of US teachers spend their own money on school supplies. Evidence forms that the first stars date back to as early as 250 million years after the Big Bang. Jailed Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has been released. Teacher protests in North Carolina. North Korea has suspended talks with South Korea, leading to fears it will cancel its summit with the US. Trump threatens to use US trade talks to force NHS to pay more for drugs The Soros-run pro-democracy Open Society Foundations is shutting down its office in Hungary due to "an increasingly repressive political and legal environment." Trump administration shuts down NASA's carbon monitoring system all while average carbon dioxide levels surpass 410 parts per million. Dozens of Palestinians protesting the US Jerusalem embassy have been killed. Coordinated suicide bombings on churches in Indonesia killed seven. Thousands have gathered at a far-right rally in southern Austria to commemorate Croatian fascists. One was killed and four injured in a Paris stabbing by an assailant shouting "Allah Akbar", which the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for. After decades of ‘gay panic defence’ in court, US states slowly begin to ban tactic North Korea will be dismantling its nuclear test site between 23 and 25 May.

Remember how Trump promised to do something about Big Pharma? Yeah, that's not happening. Seven were killed in Australia's worst mass shooting since 1996. Five senior DAESH officials have been captured. The Human Rights Watch director for Israel and Palestine has been ordered to leave by Israeli authorities. North Korea has released three American prisoners. Donald Trump has decided to scrap the Iran deal

More pesky transitional fossil evidence. God is doing a pretty good job providing evidence that evolution is real. Trump appointing Dr. Oz to his sport, fitness and nutrition council Boy Scouts Will Drop the ‘Boy’ in Its Namesake Program, as It Welcomes Girls Next Year

#Cuéntalo: Latin American women rally around sexual violence hashtag Palestinian president Abbas draws international criticism for claiming in a speech that the Jews brought the Holocaust upon themselves [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iowa-abortion/iowa-passes-fetal-heartbeat-abortion-ban-most-restrictive-in-u-s-idUSKBN1I3257 Not to be outdone by Mississippi, Iowa's legislature has passed a ban on abortion after fetal hearbeat. Whether the governor will sign it is unknown.] Basque Group ETA Says It Has ‘Completely Dissolved’ Anarchists and far-rightists clash in several countries worldwide. Seven states are suing the Trump administration to end DACA. The White House Correspondents' Dinner hires stand-up comic Michelle Wolf to deliver the opening monologue. Having apparently never seen any of Wolf's material, they were shocked, shocked, I tell you! when she promptly roasted the entire crowd (not unlike Stephen Colbert at the 2006 Correspondents' Dinner). Hundreds of UK Labour members are quitting the party in protest of its policy allowing trans women to apply for female-only candidate lists. Cardinal George Pell has been ordered to stand trial on sexual abuse charges. Israel alleges that Iran hid a nuclear weapons program.