This Week in War: 2nd Week, May 2018

An Iraqi student walks past a school wall covered with drawings showing how Islamic State militants executed their prisoners in Mosul, Iraq. REUTERS/Ari Jalal

2nd week, May 2018.

This Week in War:  A Friday round-up of what happened and what’s been written in the world of war and military/security affairs this week.  

It’s a mix of news reports, policy briefs, blog posts, and long-form journalism.

• Tunisia holds its first free municipal elections since 2011 revolution.

• Niger sends Sudanese refugees back to Libya.

• Trump's Iran nuclear deal exit may spark a sanctions battle with Europe.

• Europe moves to safeguard Iran interests after U.S. pullout, seeking to keep the nuclear deal with Tehran alive after Washington pulled out and said sanctions would follow.

• Tehran denies Israel's allegations that it launched rocket attacks in the occupied Golan Heights.

• Israel attacked nearly all of Iran’s military infrastructure in Syria after Iranian forces allegedly fired rockets at Israeli-held territory.

• A White House official said that US Senator John McCain's opposition to CIA director nominee Gina Haspel "doesn't matter" because "he's dying anyway.”

• The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush during a news conference a decade ago is standing for parliament.

• Dueterte's chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, one of his main critics, has been removed. This could trigger a constitutional crisis in the Philippines. 

• Catalan parliament to vote on new leader on Saturday. This is the fifth attempt to form a government since the last administration was fired by Madrid nearly seven months ago for declaring independence.

• Guatemala asks Sweden, Venezuela to remove ambassadors over ‘interference’, accusing the diplomats of interfering in domestic politics and calling the country corrupt.

• US faces European backlash against Iran sanctions.

• Trump confirms face-to-face talks with Kim Jong-un in Singapore in June.

• A Black activist spoke out against police brutality on Facebook. Now he is believed to be the first prosecuted under a secretive US effort to track so-called ‘black identity extremists’.

• India's PM Modi faces criticism for resorting to false claims and distorting history during his campaign speeches in Karnataka.

• 3 assailants on the run after killing an imam during midday prayers and critically wounding 2 other victims in South Africa.

• A legal campaign launched in London to initiate the prosecution of Myanmar officials behind alleged crimes against humanity.

• White House Chief of Staff John Kelly said immigrants ‘don’t integrate well, don’t have skills’.

• 17 deaths reported in Congo as Ebola outbreak confirmed.

• Russian lawmakers want to make it a criminal offense punishable by up to 4 years in jail to observe sanctions imposed by the United States or other foreign countries.