Iraq

According to the Interior Ministry, 1,949 civilians were killed this month. (CNN.com)

Lebanon

Late in the month security forces moved against the Fatah al-Islam militant group in the Tripoli area, surrounding the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp. (CNN.com)

1 MAY 2007

Iraq

Sheikh Abdul Sattar Abu Reesha, leader of the Anbar Salvation Council, said his fighters, with help from tribes in the Niba'ie area, had killed Abu Ayyub al-Masri, leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq. The next day the US military said al-Masri's status was unclear. (CNN.com)

Venezuela, economic affairs

Foreign oil companies were ordered by the government to turn over operational control of projects in the Orinoco Belt. (Reuters)

United States

In Chicago, about 150,000 demonstrated for legislation giving illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. (CNN.com)

3 MAY 2007

Iraq

The US military said Muharib Abdul Latif al-Jubouri, a senior member of al Qaeda in Iraq, was killed in a firefight about six kilometers west of Taji airbase north of Baghdad.

In Baghdad, a car bomb attack in Sadr City killed at least 10 people and wounded 35. (CNN.com)

Sub-Saharan Africa, diplomatic affairs

In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir and Chad's President Idriss Deby signed an agreement to work together to stop rebel groups from staging cross-border attacks and to support the efforts of the African Union mission in Darfur. (AP)

Israel

In Tel Aviv, a demonstration of probably about 100,000 people called for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to resign. (AP)

6 MAY 2007

Iraq

Two car bombs in Baghdad killed at least 38 people and wounded 84. (CNN.com)

France, politics

In the presidential runoff, Nicolas Sarkozy won 53.1% of the vote and Segolene Royal won 46.9%; turnout was 84%. (www.rulers.org) On the 17th Sarkozy named Francois Fillon prime minister. (AP) On the 18th Sarkozy named Bernard Kouchner foreign minister and Herve Morin defense minister. (Reuters)

Turkey

Over 10,000 demonstrated in Canakkale and Manisa against the government. (CNN.com)

8 MAY 2007

Britain, Northern Ireland

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Fein formed a power sharing government with DUP leader Ian Paisley as the Northern Ireland assembly's first minister and Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness as deputy first minister; ministries were divided between the two parties. It appeared that while the power-sharing government would attend to day-to-day affairs, decisions on issues of policing would still be made by the British government.1

The same day, the outlawed Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) announced it "will assume a non-military, civilianized role.... All recruitment has ceased. Military training has ceased. Targeting has ceased, and all intelligence rendered obsolete...” It said it had placed its weapons “beyond reach” of rank-and-file members. (CNN.com)

Iraq

A car bomb in Kufa killed 16 people and wounded at least 64. (CNN.com)

9 MAY 2007

East Timor, politics

In a presidential election, Jose Ramos-Horta easily defeated Francisco "Lu-Olo" Guterres. Ramos-Horta promised to work to unite the country. (AP)

Iraq

A truck bomb in Irbil killed at least 12 people and wounded 50. (CNN.com)

10 MAY 2007

Iraq

Two bomb attacks in southeast Baghdad killed 22 people and wounded 60. (CNN.com)

Turkey

By a 376-1 vote, parliament passed a constitutional amendment which, among other things, provided for the President to be directly elected by the people, decreased the presidential term of office from seven years to five and allowed the President to run for a second term. (AP)

United States

A Santa Ana court convicted Chi Mak of several offenses including conspiring to export US defense technology to China. (AP)

12-13 MAY 2007

Pakistan

There were deadly clashes in Karachi between government and opposition supporters. (CNN.com)

13 MAY 2007

Afghanistan

NATO's International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) announced that Mullah Dadullah Lang, who it said was in charge of day-to-day military operations for the Taliban, had recently been killed in southern Afghanistan by Afghan and NATO forces. (CNN.com)

Iraq

A suicide truck bomb attack in Makhmoor killed 50 people and wounded 115.

A bomb attack in central Baghdad killed 15. (CNN.com)

Armenia, politics

In parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Serzh Sarksyan's Republican Party of Armenia won 64 of 131 seats, up from the 31 it won in May 2003. This plus the seats won by allied parties secured a large majority for the government. (Reuters, IFES, www.rulers.org)

Iceland, politics

In parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Geir Haarde's ruling coalition hung on to a bare majority of seats. Turnout was 85.9%. (Reuters, www.rulers.org)

Turkey

About 1.5 million people demonstrated in Izmir against the government and in support of the country's secular political system. (AP)

13-26 MAY 2007

Israel, Gaza Strip

Beginning on the 13th and for the next few days there was fighting between supporters of Hamas and Fatah in the Gaza Strip. On the 14th Palestinian Authority (PA) interior minister Hani al-Qawasmi resigned. Along with the fighting came numerous rocket attacks on Israel proper; on the 17th Israel began conducting airstrikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. On the 24th and 26th Israel made arrests in the West Bank of Hamas members of the PA government. (CNN.com)

14 MAY 2007

Iraq

Two car bombs in Baghdad killed six. (CNN.com)

15 MAY 2007

Pakistan

A suicide bomb attack killed 25 people in Peshawar. (AP)

15-16 MAY 2007

Iraq

There was fighting between Iraqi security forces and Medhi Army fighters in Nasiriyah. (CNN.com)

16 MAY 2007

Iraq

In and around Mosul, a series of attacks by rebel fighters and vehicle-born bombs on security-related targets, including the al-Faisaliya prison, was repelled by government forces. (CNN.com)

18 MAY 2007

India

A bomb attack on the Mecca Masjid mosque in Hyderabad killed 11 people. This was followed by clashes in the city between angry Muslims and police. (AP)

22 MAY 2007

Iraq

A truck bomb in Baghdad's Amil neighborhood killed at least 25 people and wounded 60. (CNN.com)

Turkey

A bomb attack in Ankara killed at least five people and wounded at least 100. The next day authorities said it was a suicide bombing carried out by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and identified the attacker as Guven Akkus. (CNN.com)

23 MAY 2007

Serbia

Twelve men were convicted of assassinating Zoran Djindjic in March 2003. Milorad "Legija" Ulemek (a.k.a. Milorad Lukovic), former commander of the Jedinica za specijalne operacije (Special Operations Unit or JSO) and organizer of the attack, and Zvezdan Jovanovic, JSO's deputy commander and the one convicted of pulling the trigger, were sentenced to 40 years imprisonment – the maximum under Serbian law. The others received sentences between eight and 35 years.2

Iraq

US military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said, "We now have some very credible intelligence based on both debriefings of individuals who are captured and other sources that now confirms there are Sunni extremist elements that are, in fact, being funded by Iranian intelligence agents, and they are also providing some training for them, too." (CNN.com)

28 MAY 2007

Iraq

A car bomb attack in central Baghdad killed 21 people and wounded 66. (CNN.com)

29 MAY 2007

Iraq

In Baghdad, two car bombs killed at least 38 people and wounded 91. (CNN.com)

Diplomatic affairs

The US imposed some sanctions on Sudan, saying it continued to be complicit in atrocities in Darfur and to fail to live up to international agreements. Two Sudanese government officials and Khalil Ibrahim, leader of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement, as well as 30 companies owned or controlled by the Sudanese government, were barred from doing business in the US or with US companies. (CNN.com)

30 MAY 2007

Iraq

Security forces took over security responsibility for Duhuk, Irbil and Sulaimaniya provinces from US forces. (CNN.com)

Thailand, civil affairs

The Constitutional Tribunal found the Thai Rak Thai party guilty of electoral violations during last year's elections. It disbanded the party and barred former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and 110 others from participating in politics. (AP)

Diplomatic affairs, Lebanon

The UN Security Council voted to establish a court to prosecute the February 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri. (Reuters)

Notes

1. "Northern Ireland begins 'new era'", CNN.com, 8 May 2007.

2. "12 jailed for killing Serbian PM", AP, 23 May 2007; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milorad_Ulemek.