Portal:Current events/2013 May 2

May 2, 2013 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

The Chad government announces that it foiled a coup attempt that "had been in preparation for several months." (Reuters)
Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal):
- At least 14 members of the Sons of Iraq are killed in two separate attacks within Fallujah. (BBC)
Syrian civil war:
- Up to 100 people are killed in a raid of al-Bayda, Baniyas by the Syrian Army. (The Daily Star)

Business and economy

Disasters and accidents

More than 60 miners die when a recently reopened gold mine collapses in Jebel Amir, North Darfur, Sudan. (Reuters)
Hundreds of homes in California, U.S. are evacuated due to wildfires in the region. (Reuters)

Health and environment

The last known rhinoceroses in Mozambique are revealed to have been killed by poachers. (The Telegraph)
The central northern United States experiences record snow fall. (USA Today)

International relations

North Korea sentences American Kenneth Bae to 15 years of prison labor for "hostile acts" against the regime. The United States calls for amnesty. (The Australian) (BBC)

Law and crime

A man fires two shots into the ceiling of Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, United States with a rifle before killing himself. (CNN)
The U.S. state of Maryland abolishes capital punishment for future offenders. (Reuters)
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit rules that five relatives of Osama bin Laden and a construction company started by his father cannot be held liable for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. (NBC)
English broadcaster Stuart Hall pleads guilty to 14 charges of sexual assault. (BBC)
British businessman James McCormick, who sold ADE 651 fake bomb detector to Iraq and other countries, is jailed for ten years at the Old Bailey. (BBC)
Convicted Indian spy Sarabjit Singh dies after being attacked by fellow inmates in a Pakistani prison. He is flown home to India where the government of Punjab has declared him a martyr. (NDTV)
The U.S. state of Rhode Island becomes the tenth state to legalize same-sex marriage. (AP via Fox News)
Two kindergarteners are poisoned to death by the owner of a rival school in northern China. (International Business Times)

Politics and government

The Egyptian government announces it will replace six cabinet ministers. (Reuters)
Voters in England and the Isle of Anglesey in Wales go to the polls for local elections. (BBC)
Voting also gets underway in the South Shields by-election to fill the parliamentary seat vacated by former Foreign Secretary David Miliband. (BBC)

Religion

Science and technology

Harvard scientists unveil RoboBee, a robot with the smallest ever man-made wings capable of flight. (Los Angeles Times)