Portal:Current events/2012 May 17

Current events of May 17, 2012 (2012-05-17) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Clashes between military troops and inmates at a prison in Venezuelan capital Caracas continue. (El Universal)

Arts and culture

• Pop singer Donna Summer dies of cancer at the age of 63. (Newsday)

International relations

• Unidentified North Koreans seize 3 Chinese boats with 29 crew and demand payment for their release. (BBC)
• Daniel B. Shapiro, United States ambassador to Israel, says that the United States "is ready" to attack Iran to prevent the development of nuclear weapons within Iran. (CBS News)

Law and crime

• The trial of former Bosnian Serb Army Colonel General Ratko Mladić is deferred indefinitely due to errors by prosecutors in disclosing evidence to the defence. (AP via Yahoo! News)

Politics

• The leader of the Syrian National Council, Burhan Ghalioun, offers to resign after being accused of monopolizing power. (Al Jazeera)
• A group of Chinese Communist Party veterans call for the removal of security chief Zhou Yongkang. (Al Jazeera)