Current events: 2025-05-02

[Wikipedia Current Events]

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Gaza war
  • Humanitarian aid during the Gaza war
    • Gaza Freedom Flotilla incident
      • A Gaza-bound activist humanitarian aid ship, part of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, catches fire and issues an SOS after what its organizers claimed was an Israeli drone attack off the coast of Malta in international waters. (CNN)

Arts and culture

• Rust is released theatrically in the United States, three and a half years after a fatal on-set shooting accident occurred involving members of the cast and crew, including cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, director Joel Souza, and lead actor Alec Baldwin. (The New York Times)

Business and economy

• Tariffs in the second Trump administration
  • China–United States trade war
    • The Trump administration terminates the de minimis rule, maintaining 145% tariff on imports from China. Online shops such as Shein and Temu adjust prices, while Temu also announces a shipping pause to the United States. (The New York Times) (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

• Seven people, including six foreign nationals, are killed and at least sixteen others are injured, some severely, when a truck and a van collide and catch fire on U.S. Route 20 near Yellowstone National Park in Idaho, United States. (NBC News) (ABC News)

Health and environment

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 216 children have died this flu season in the United States, making it the deadliest since the 2009 swine flu pandemic 15 years ago. (CNN)

Law and crime

• The United States Department of Defense designates a second area on the Mexico–United States border, attached to the Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso, Texas, as a military zone to enforce immigration laws. (AP News)

Politics and elections

• The German Constitution protection office designates the Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party as a right-wing extremist organization. The AfD came second in the 2025 German federal election after winning 20.8% of the vote for a record 152 seats in the Bundestag. (BBC News)

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