Top News Stories –

British General Election results in a surprise Conservative majority and the resignation of three opposition leaders –
Summary of the major stories [BBC]:

• David Cameron remains in No 10 as Prime Minister after the Conservatives win an outright majority of 12
• He is in the process of appointing his new, all-Tory cabinet, with George Osborne already named chancellor
• Labour leader Ed Miliband stood down after his party returned 232 MPs, down 26
• Heavy losses left the Liberal Democrats with only eight MPs – down from 57 in 2010 – and saw Nick Clegg resign as leader
• There was a landslide victory for the SNP in Scotland, where it won 56 out of 59 seats
• UKIP’s Nigel Farage resigned after failing to win Thanet South – the party has just one MP
• The Greens held their one seat of Brighton Pavillion

[BBC]

Microsoft to stop producing Windows versions –
Jerry Nixon, a Microsoft development executive, said in a conference speech this week that Windows 10 would be the “last version” of the dominant desktop software. His comments were echoed by Microsoft which said it would update Windows in future in an “ongoing manner”. Instead of new stand-alone versions, Windows 10 would be improved in regular instalments, the firm said. [BBC]

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Full election results for parties that won a seat in Parliament –

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Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Saudi-led intervention in Yemen (2015–present)
  • Saudi Arabia announces a five day ceasefire in Yemen starting Tuesday next week. (New York Times)

Arts and culture

• Bill Simmons will leave American broadcaster ESPN in fall 2015 when his contract expires. (The New York Times)

Business and economy

• Syngenta AG, the world’s largest maker of agrochemicals, rejected a 41.7 billion Swiss franc takeover offer from Monsanto Co. (Bloomberg)
• The economy of the United States adds 223,000 jobs in April with unemployment falling to 5.4%. (New York Times)

Disasters and accidents

• At least six people including diplomats are killed when a helicopter crashes into a school in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of northern Pakistan. (Dawn)
• A Piper PA-32 plane crashes onto the motorway near DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, Atlanta, Georgia killing all four passengers. Interstate 285 is closed in both directions. (BBC)

International relations

• Russia and China agree to a $2 billion fund for agricultural investments in both countries. (CNBC)
• Burkina Faso and Niger agree to exchange 18 towns in order to resolve a long-running border dispute with Burkina Faso receiving 14 and Niger 4. (AFP via The Guardian)

Law and crime

• Death of Freddie Gray
  • The United States Department of Justice announces an inquiry into the Baltimore Police Department following the death of Freddie Gray.(BBC)
  • The officers accused in the case file a motion for Marilyn Mosby, the State’s Attorney for the city of Baltimore, to recuse herself from the case.(WBAL)
• A mistrial is declared in a murder case of a man in relation to the 1979 disappearance of Etan Patz in New York City. (AP via Yahoo! News)

Politics and elections

• United Kingdom general election, 2015
  • The Conservative Party has won a majority in the 2015 general election, enabling them to lead without requiring a coalition government. TheScottish National Party claims all but three seats in Scotland. (BBC)
  • Prime Minister David Cameron meets with Queen Elizabeth II while Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage, respectively the leaders ofLabour, the Liberal Democrats and UKIP, resign their positions. (BBC)
• Roxana Baldetti, the Vice President of Guatemala, resigns over a corruption scandal. (AP via ABC News America]
• 2015 Burundian protests
  • The President of Burundi Pierre Nkurunziza officially registers to run for a third time sparking violent protests in the Nyakabiga district ofBujumbura. (Reuters)

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