May 17, 2012 (Thursday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2012 East DR Congo conflict: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)'s military has been shelling positions it believes are held by rebels who have been fighting the army for weeks in the country's east. (AJE)
- Clashes between military troops and inmates at a prison in Caracas, Venezuela continue. (El Universal)
Arts and culture
- Pop singer Donna Summer dies of lung cancer at the age of 63. (Newsday) (CNN)
International relations
- Unidentified North Koreans seize three 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)
- The U.S. Senate confirmed two of the President's nominees to the Federal Reserve, bringing board membership up to the statutory complement of seven. This is the first time all seven seats have been filled in six years. (Reuters)