May 1, 2011 (Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Death of Osama bin Laden:
- President of the United States Barack Obama announces in a special TV broadcast that Osama bin Laden, the founder and leader of the militant Islamist group Al-Qaeda and the most-wanted fugitive on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, was killed on May 2 (Pakistan Standard Time) during an American military operation in Abbottabad, near Islamabad, Pakistan and that his body is in U.S. custody. (CNN)[permanent dead link] (SBS Television) (The Guardian) (BBC) (ABC News)
- At least 3 other people were killed in the fatal U.S. attack on Osama bin Laden, officials later disclose. (Reuters)
- Former president George W. Bush congratulates president Barack Obama on his "momentous achievement". (Boston Herald) (Reuters)
- Bill Clinton also expresses his delight at developments. (ABC News)
- American televisions interrupt their scheduled programming to broadcast the news to viewers of shows such as The Apprentice. (InsideTV)
- Crowds gather outside the White House in Washington D.C. and the World Trade Center site in New York City to celebrate bin Laden's death after the announcement by President Obama. (News Limited), (CBS News)
- In the wake of the American defeat of Osama bin Laden, the United States Department of State issues a global travel alert to all U.S. citizens, warning of the "enhanced potential for anti-American violence". (Inquirer)
- Syrian civil war:
- Citizens of the city of Daraa, a focal point of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, report being fired on by government soldiers and tanks. (BBC) (The Jerusalem Post)
- Activists vow to begin a "week of breaking the siege" protests in Daraa, with Damascus to join in tomorrow. (Al Jazeera)
- UK Prime Minister David Cameron condemns Syria's crackdown on anti-regime protesters and calls for more pressure to be put on the government after Syrian troops continue to kill civilians in the city of Daraa. (AFP via Google News) (Voice of America News)
- Syrian forces arrest a prominent human rights lawyer, Abdallah Khalil, in the city of Raqqa after he criticised the authorities' reaction to anti-government protests. (The Jerusalem Post)
- Libyan Civil War:
- Witnesses report that Gaddafi's forces in Misrata are preparing to use chemical weapons against the civilian and rebel population. (Times of Malta)
- The United Nations is withdrawing all its international staff from Tripoli after "angry" crowds protest outside US, UK and Italian embassies against NATO airstrikes. (BBC)
- Following an attack on the British embassy in Tripoli, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague says that Britain will expel the Libyan ambassador to the UK; smoke is also seen rising from the Italian embassy in Libya.(The Jerusalem Post)
- 2011 Saudi Arabian protests:
- Saudi Arabia increases media restrictions, threatening fines and closure of publications that "threaten" the country's stability. (Al Jazeera) (AFP)
- 2011 Yemeni revolution:
- Ali Abdullah Saleh refuses to sign a Gulf Arab states-brokered agreement intended to resolve the situation, and the deal has collapsed. The opposition in Yemen promises to escalate the protests. (BBC)
- As a result of Saleh's refusal, Yemeni opposition cancels its trip to meet Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) foreign ministers in Riyadh. (Al Jazeera)
- The Taliban stages offensives in two provinces of Afghanistan, killing six people. (AP via MSNBC)
- Police use tear gas and batons on people protesting against their government in Maldives. (BBC)
- A crowd of hundreds of people attack a Christian seminary, a church and houses of local Christians in Gujranwala, Pakistan, after finding out that two Christians who had been accused of blasphemy have been released from protective custody by the police. (The Express Tribune)
Arts and culture
- At memorial services on Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day in Israel, thousands of Holocaust survivors and Israelis commemorate the Jews who died during the Holocaust. (UPI) (The Jerusalem Post)
- Pope John Paul II is beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in Saint Peter's Square, Rome. (The Guardian) (Al Jazeera)
- Pope Benedict XVI also removes William Martin Morris as the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba in Australia for allegedly advocating the ordination of women and married priests. (National Catholic Reporter)
- Australian television personality Karl Stefanovic wins the Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television at the Logie Awards of 2011. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
Business and economy
- British head teachers vote 99.6 per cent in favour of staging a ballot on a strike over pension cuts in what would be a first national strike by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT). (BBC)
- Hong Kong introduces a minimum wage after public pressure to resolve a wealth gap, though business leaders complain about the cost. (BBC)
- Hundreds of thousands of people attend May Day parades in Cuba. (BBC)
Disasters
- The International Atomic Energy Agency is sending a team to Japan this month to inspect the crippled Fukushima nuclear plants and will present its preliminary evaluation of the crisis in June.(The Japan Times)
- The Memory Unit of the Flight Data Recorder from Air France 447 is recovered from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, nearly two years after the jet crashed. (The Wall Street Journal)
- The Indian Air Force searches unsuccessfully for a helicopter containing Dorjee Khandu, the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh state and four others. (CNN)
- Police investigate a blogger Teacher Wang for fraud after he predicts a magnitude-14 earthquake and 170m (560ft) high tsunami is to strike Taiwan on 11 May, toppling the Taipei 101 skyscraper and Presidential Office building. The prediction is removed from the internet. (BBC)
International relations
- Israel withholds 300 million NIS ($89 million) in tax and customs revenue collected on behalf of the Palestinians to the Palestinian Authority after Fatah and Hamas agree a unity deal intended to lead to a transitional government and fresh elections. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expresses his disregard for the agreement. (Al Jazeera) (The Jerusalem Post)
- Israel opposes Egypt's plan to open the Rafah Border Crossing with Gaza to two-way traffic due to its fears of "terror operatives". (Xinhua) (The Jerusalem Post)
Law and crime
- It is reported that the United States has denied the United Nations access to imprisoned serviceman Bradley Manning whom the U.S. accuses of disclosing government information to the general public. (GLW)
- German officials say they have foiled a terror plot with the arrest of three suspected al-Qaeda bomb-makers. (The Denver Post)(The Times of India)
- China outlaws smoking in public places, affecting one third of smokers internationally. (BBC)
Politics and elections
- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is to end a boycott of official duties, amid an apparent rift with the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (The Straits Times) (Al Jazeera)