Portal:Current events/2017 May 22

May 22, 2017 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Manchester Arena bombing
- Greater Manchester Police (GMP) report deadly explosions at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, at the end of Ariana Grande’s performance on her Dangerous Woman Tour. (BBC) (The Guardian)
- The GMP confirms at least 19 people have been killed and 50 others injured and is treating the incident as a terrorist attack. Nobody immediately claimed responsibility. (The Northern Echo) (NBC News) (The Washington Post)

Arts and culture

"My Family's Slave"
- A controversial piece written in The Atlantic magazine about the Filipino servant caste and the Filipino American family involved in it triggers a debate in both the Philippines and the United States. (The Atlantic)

Health and medicine

Because of a nationwide shortage of intravenous sodium bicarbonate (i.e., baking soda solution), United States hospitals are rationing its use in heart surgery, chemotherapy, for patients whose blood is too acidic, and as an antidote to certain poisons. The two primary producers, Amphastar and Pfizer, indicate that supplies will not increase until late June. (The New York Times) (FiercePharma.com)

International relations

North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
- North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency reports the country's leader, Kim Jong-un, has approved deployment of the Pukguksong-2 intermediate-range ballistic missile, and ordered mass production of the system. The United Nations Security Council will hold a closed-door session Tuesday to discuss the test. (The New York Times) (USA Today)
The Philippines clarifies a controversial remark about a potential "war" with China amid criticism from Filipinos. (Business Insider)
2017 clashes at the Turkish Embassy in Washington, D.C.
- Turkey summons United States Ambassador John R. Bass to protest alleged "aggressive and unprofessional actions" by American security personnel against Turkish bodyguards, calling for the United States to conduct a full investigation on the May 17 clashes. The American ambassador told Turkey's government that its guards violated U.S. laws. Last week, the U.S. summoned Turkish Ambassador Serdar Kılıç to discuss about Turkish security officers hitting and kicking peaceful protesters outside the Turkish ambassador's residence in Washington, D.C. (ABC News) (NPR)
Philippines–Russia relations
- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who later had to cut short his visit to Moscow because of terrorist attacks on the Philippine southern island of Mindanao, tells Russia President Vladimir Putin that the Philippines is looking to Russia for modern arms to fight ISIL. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Politics and elections

United Kingdom general election, 2017
- British Prime Minister Theresa May faces backlash after accusations emerge that the Conservatives allegedly planned on reducing social welfare spending. (The Guardian)
- Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will visit families of victims of the IRA bombings in Hyde Park and Regent's Park. (The Guardian)
Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections
- According to sources familiar with his decision, former U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Flynn invokes his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination and declines to comply with a subpoena from the Senate Intelligence Committee investigating possible Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. (Reuters) (The New York Times)
2017 Venezuelan protests
- The birthplace of late President Hugo Chávez is burned by protesters as violence and looting spreads through Barinas, Venezuela following the death of a protester. (AP via The Chicago Tribune)

Science and technology

Japanese scientists discover that mouse sperm held on the International Space Station for 9 months is able to produce healthy mice. (AP via The New York Times)