May 15, 2021 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis
- The death toll in Gaza from the Israeli airstrikes rises to 145 people, including 41 children. A second refugee camp is also bombed, after another was bombed yesterday resulting in multiple deaths. At least 950 people are wounded, while two protesters are killed in the West Bank. The headquarters of many media organizations in Gaza, including Al Jazeera and the Associated Press, are destroyed by bombings. A man also dies in Ramat Gan, in Tel Aviv District, during a rocket attack; another person is also killed in another city, bringing the death toll there to 10. (Al Jazeera)
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that airstrikes on Gaza will continue "as long as needed". He also warns Hamas leaders not to hide and that nobody is immune. (VOA)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
- COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
- The General Administration of Sport of China announces that the summits of Mount Everest used by climbers in China will remain closed through the spring, citing COVID-19 concerns in both mainland China and neighboring Nepal. (Reuters via Yahoo!)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Kyrgyzstan
- Kyrgyzstan surpasses 100,000 cases of COVID-19. (Kabar)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
- Malaysia reports a record 44 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, including one foreign citizen. This subsequently brings the nationwide death toll to 1,866. (Malay Mail)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan
- The Taiwanese government raises the alert level for Taipei and New Taipei City to level 3 for the next two weeks, urging citizens to limit gatherings to five people indoors and 10 people outdoors, avoid non-essential travel, and continue wearing masks outside homes. This comes after a record 180 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the past 24 hours. (The Washington Post)
- COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
- COVID-19 pandemic in France, COVID-19 vaccination in France
- France reaches a milestone of administering 20 million first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. (France 24)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
- Poland reopens bars, restaurants, and other establishments for outdoor usage for the first time in seven months and relaxes its mask requirement as the number of COVID-19 cases declines and the number of vaccinations increases. (Daily Sabah)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Slovakia
- Slovakia lifts its national state of emergency that has been in force since October as the number of COVID-19 cases declines, ending the curfew and all nationwide restrictions on gatherings. (The Slovak Spectator)
- COVID-19 pandemic in France, COVID-19 vaccination in France
- COVID-19 pandemic in Trinidad and Tobago
- Prime Minister Keith Rowley declares a state of emergency in Trinidad and Tobago from midnight and imposes a curfew from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. due to a surging number of COVID-19 cases. (U.S. News and World Report)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela
- Venezuela approves the use of the single-dose Sputnik Light COVID-19 vaccine. (Azeri Press Agency)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
International relations
- Foreign relations of Austria, Foreign relations of Iran
- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif cancels a trip to Austria after Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz orders the Israeli flag to be raised at the Chancellery and Foreign Affairs buildings yesterday. (Politico.eu)
Law and crime
- Protests over the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis
- The Jammu and Kashmir Police arrest 21 people in Kashmir, India, for organizing protests in support of Palestine. (ThePrint)
- Police in Paris, France, use tear gas and water cannons against pro-Palestinian protesters. This comes a day after a French court banned protests in support of Palestine. (UrduPoint)
- Protesters gather in London and Madrid in solidarity with Palestine. In London, protesters gather at Hyde Park and the Israeli embassy. Former Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn also speaks at the London protest. (France 24) (Arab News) (The Independent)
- In the United States, protests are held in Atlanta, Boston, Louisville, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, and other cities to demand an end to Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. (ABC News) (The Courier-Journal)
- In Toronto, several pro-Israel protesters are injured in clashes with pro-Palestine protesters at the Nathan Phillips Square. (The Jerusalem Post)
Politics and elections
- 2021 Ethiopian general election
- The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia delays the national elections, already postponed from August 2020, from June 5 to an unknown date, citing logistic issues. Prior to this, several oppositional parties were planning to boycott the election over the Tigray War. (Al Jazeera)
Science and technology
- Chinese space program
- China National Space Administration rover Zhurong successfully lands at Utopia Planitia on Mars, making China the third nation on Earth to achieve a soft landing on the planet. (BBC News)
- The Spectrometer for Heavy Atoms and Nuclear Structure, at the Heavy Ion Research Facility, in Lanzhou, China, is reported to have created a new uranium isotope, uranium-214. (Sci-News)
Sports
- 2020–21 Bundesliga
- Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski scores his 40th goal of the season to equal the Bundesliga record set by Gerd Müller during the 1971–72 season of the highest number of goals scored by a player in a season. (France 24)
- 2021 FA Cup Final
- Leicester City beats Chelsea 1–0 at Wembley Stadium to win the 2020–21 FA Cup with Youri Tielemans scoring the winning goal. It is Leicester City's first ever FA Cup title. (BBC Sport)
- Five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant, 10-time WNBA All-Star and four-time Olympic gold medalist Tamika Catchings, three-time NBA Finals MVP Tim Duncan, and 15-time NBA All-Star Kevin Garnett are inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Bryant is inducted posthumously following his death in January 2020. (The Japan Times)