May 17, 2020 (Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- War in Afghanistan; May 2020 Afghanistan attacks
- Taliban militants attack a checkpoint in Logar, Afghanistan, killing eight security personnel and wounding five others. (Xinhua)
- Libyan Civil War
- 2019–20 Western Libya offensive
- The Government of National Accord reports that seven civilians are killed, including a child, after Khalifa Haftar's forces fire heavy artillery on a shelter in Tripoli. (Al Jazeera)
- 2019–20 Western Libya offensive
- Somali Civil War
- The Governor of Somalia's Mudug region, Ahmed Muse Nur, and three of his bodyguards are killed in a suicide car bombing. Al-Shabaab claims responsibility for the assassination. (Reuters)
- Ituri conflict
- A militia kills 20 villagers in an overnight attack in Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Reuters)
Business and economy
- Coronavirus recession, Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
- Chair of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell says U.S. economic recovery from the recession could take until the end of 2021. (The New York Times) (Financial Times)
Disasters and accidents
- A jet from the Royal Canadian Air Force's Snowbirds crashes into a house in Kamloops, British Columbia, killing one pilot and injuring another. (CTV News)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Madagascar
- Madagascar reports its first death from COVID-19; that of a 57-year-old medical worker who suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in India
- India extends its lockdown, which was set to expire today, until May 31. (Al Jazeera)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Madagascar
International relations
- China–United States relations
- United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warns China that the expulsion of 13 U.S. journalists could affect the U.S. assessment of Hong Kong’s status. (Reuters)
- Chinese ambassador to Israel Du Wei is found dead in his home in Tel Aviv, aged 57. (Haaretz)
Law and crime
- Investigators launch a criminal probe into yesterday's fire and subsequent explosion at a hash oil manufacturing building in downtown Los Angeles, which injured a dozen responding firefighters. (The Associated Press)
Politics and elections
- Thirty-fifth government of Israel
- Israel's new unity government is sworn in, after 18 months of rule by a caretaker government. (The Jerusalem Post)
- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah sign a power-sharing deal to end a months long political turmoil that hampered the peace process. (Reuters)
Science and technology
- The United States Space Force successfully launches its X-37B robotic spacecraft on a classified mission from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station via an Atlas V rocket. Though little is known about the classified program, the spacecraft is expected to deploy a satellite into orbit, and test the "power-beaming technology". (BBC News)
Sports
- 2020 NASCAR Cup Series
- NASCAR becomes the first major American sports league to resume its season since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. (The Washington Post)
- Stewart-Haas Racing's Kevin Harvick wins The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway, his 50th career Cup series victory. The race took place behind closed doors. (NBC Sports)