May 29, 2014 (Thursday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine:
- Rebels in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slovyansk say they are holding four missing Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe monitors and the observers may be released soon. (BBC News) (AP via Yahoo! News)
- A Ukrainian military helicopter is shot down over Sloviansk, with 12 casualties reported, including major-general Serhij Kultschyzkyj. (BBC News)
- Pro-Russian group Vostok Battalion seize control of the headquarters of the Donetsk Peoples Republic in a coup d'état, plunging the rebels into chaos. (Telegraph)
Arts and culture
- 87th Scripps National Spelling Bee
- Two Indian-American teenagers Sriram Hathwar of Painted Post, New York, and Ansun Sujoe of Fort Worth, Texas, share the title after tying in the final round. (AP)
Business and economy
- Economy Minister Axel Kicillof of Argentina reaches an agreement with the Paris Club of creditor nations on debt repayment totaling $9.7 billion including interest, over the next five years. (Reuters)
- The heads of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus sign a treaty forming the Eurasian Economic Union. (TIME)
Disasters and accidents
- Malaysia Airlines Flight 370:
- The Australian Transport Safety Bureau reports that they have finished searching an area where pings were heard in April and have discounted it as the final resting place for the plane. (Reuters)
- An oil tanker is listing off the coast of Japan's Hyogo prefecture after an explosion and subsequent fire. Seven of the eight crew on board have been rescued while the captain is missing. (AFP via Global Post)
Health and environment
- A report sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and published online by the Lancet finds that 30% of the world's population is overweight or obese. (AP via Times of India)
- Medical teams from the World Health Organisation and Doctors Without Borders arrive in Sierra Leone to deal with an outbreak of Ebola virus. (BBC News)
Law and Crime
- A court in Ecuador sentences former president Jamil Mahuad to 12 years in jail on embezzlement charges. (IANS via Biharprabha)