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Year in review: A look at news events in May 2021

A look at news events in May 2021: 1 - The final phase of ending America's so-called "forever war'' in Afghanistan after 20 years formally began.

A look at news events in May 2021:

1 - The final phase of ending America's so-called "forever war'' in Afghanistan after 20 years formally began. About 3,000 American soldiers and 7,000 NATO troops were due to leave the country by the end of the summer.

2 - Maj.-Gen. Peter Dawe was relieved as commander of Canada's special forces. Acting chief of the defence staff Lt.-Gen. Wayne Eyre had initially announced Dawe would be rotated out of his post for writing a character reference four years ago for a soldier convicted of sexually assaulting a comrade's wife.

3 - Brights Grove, Ont., native Mike Weir won his first PGA Tour Champions event by two shots. Weir held steady with pars down the stretch at the Insperity Invitational in Texas. Weir won the tournament by two strokes and finished at 10 under.

4 - Yukon Premier Sandy Silver and his cabinet were sworn in after the Liberals forged an agreement with the New Democrats to work together to govern the territory. The swearing-in ceremony came three weeks after the incumbent Liberals and the Yukon Party both won eight seats, each falling short of a majority, while the NDP won three.

5 - A second Canadian died from a rare blood-clot disorder after receiving the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Alberta's chief medical officer of health said a woman in her 50s died in a case linked to so-called VITT -- or vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia.

5 - Health Canada said the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine could now be given to kids as young as 12. The vaccine was previously authorized for anyone at least 16 years of age or older.

5 - New Brunswick health officials reported the province's first death of someone who developed a blood clot after receiving the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Chief medical officer of health Dr. Jennifer Russell said the individual in their 60s received the vaccine in mid-April and developed symptoms a week later. She said the person was admitted to hospital and died two days later.

6 - The European Union let Canada, the U.S. and Norway join a major military project aimed at speeding up the deployment of troops and equipment around Europe. EU defence ministers gave the green light for the trio to join the 27-nation bloc's "military mobility'' project. The Netherlands-led project aims to ease bureaucratic procedures that slow troop deployments.

11 - Ontario followed Alberta's lead and stopped giving out first doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Dr. David Williams, Ontario's top public health official, said the decision was made out of an abundance of caution due to cases of a rare blood-clotting disorder linked to the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot. The move came hours after a similar announcement from Alberta, which cited a lack of confirmed shipments of the vaccine.

11 - The federal government filed court documents to fight Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's effort to shut down Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline. The Calgary-based company said it had no intention of complying with Whitmer's demand that it shut down the cross-border energy link by the next day.

12 - Nova Scotia and Manitoba joined several other provinces in stopping the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as a first dose. Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec all made that call the day before. Nova Scotia cited the risk of a rare blood-clotting condition as a reason behind the decision.

12 - Canada hit a major milestone on the road to COVID-19 herd immunity, with 40 per cent of Canadians -- 15.2 million people -- now vaccinated with at least their first dose.

12 - The largest fuel pipeline in the U.S. was back up and running days after it was forced to shut down by a gang of hackers. Colonial Pipeline said all lines, including lateral lines that had been running manually, would soon return to normal operations. The disruption sparked panic-buying, which caused long lines at gas stations in the southeastern U.S.

13 - Canada's ethics commissioner cleared Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of any violations for failing to recuse himself from cabinet discussions over WE Charity. But commissioner Mario Dion found that former finance minister Bill Morneau did violate the rules and should have recused himself. The organization was to have operated a federal student-volunteer program.

13 - Greyhound Canada decided to permanently cut all bus routes across the country, shutting down the intercity bus carrier's operations in Canada after nearly a century of service. The motor coach company said its remaining routes in Ontario and Quebec would cease permanently.

13 - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said fully vaccinated Americans could stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings. The new guidance from the CDC still called for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes and hospitals -- but it cleared the way for reopening workplaces and schools.

13 - Alberta Premier Jason Kenney's United Conservative caucus ejected two of its own for challenging the leader. Backbencher Todd Loewen got the boot for publicly announcing the party is adrift and out of touch under Kenney. Backbencher Drew Barnes had been the most vocal critic of Kenney's COVID-19 health restrictions.

14 - Manitoba dropped the minimum age for COVID-19 vaccines to 12 and up. Health Canada approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for people that age earlier this month.

14 - Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin -- the man leading the charge with Canada's vaccine rollout -- stepped down. The move followed the announcement that he was the subject of a military probe, although there had been no information released about the nature of the investigation.

15 - A little more than a year after he and his 13-year-old daughter were killed in a helicopter crash that claimed the lives of nine people, Kobe Bryant was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame. His widow, Vanessa Bryant, accepted the honour on his behalf, saying she was sure the L.A. Lakers legend was laughing in heaven, because she was about to praise him in public.

17 - The low-cost coach company Megabus expanded its service in Ontario after Greyhound left the Canadian market the previous week. It planned to run buses four days a week between Toronto, Kingston and Ottawa with two trips in each direction per day.

17 - Another military officer is taking over as vaccine rollout boss. Brig.-Gen. Krista Brodie replaced Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin. He was recently relieved of the job in light of a military investigation alleging sexual misconduct, which reports claim dates back to 1989.

18 - Canada reached a grim milestone in the COVID-19 pandemic today with the death toll climbing to 25,000. The country's first COVID-19 death was recorded on March 9 of last year.

18 - The former Quebec Superior Court justice who led the inquiry into the federal sponsorship scandal in 2004 died. John Gomery was 88. The revelations of kickbacks and illegal fundraising while Jean Chretien's government was in power ultimately helped lead to the defeat of the Liberals under his successor Paul Martin.

19 - Canada's military police said they had referred their investigation into the general who oversaw Canada's vaccination campaign to Quebec's prosecution service. Military police also confirmed that the investigation related to an allegation of sexual misconduct against Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin.

19 - "Schitt's Creek'' was the big winner on night three of the virtual Canadian Screen Awards, bringing in more accolades for its sixth and final season. The internationally heralded CBC sitcom, which won seven Emmys and two Golden Globes since it wrapped last year, took six CSA trophies honouring creative arts and performance categories.

20 - An investigation found that a BBC journalist used false documents and other dishonest tactics to secure an explosive interview with Princess Diana in 1995. The probe came after Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, made renewed complaints against journalist Martin Bashir.

20 - Nunavut's sole MP said she would not seek re-election. New Democrat Mumilaaq Qaqqaq said after weeks of reflection and consultation with friends and family that she had decided not to run for a second term. The 27-year-old said federal institutions like the House of Commons are not easily changed and that governments fail to help Indigenous communities without immense pressure.

21 - Ontario resumed use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 but only as a second dose. The province's chief medical officer said health risks posed by the vaccine are low.

22 - Half of Canada's population had now received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The news came hours after top vaccine advisers issued further guidance on second doses, potentially clearing the way to mix and match shots of the same overall type.

22 - The fallout continues from a report on the BBC's explosive 1995 interview with Princess Diana. The former director of the public broadcaster resigned as board chairman of Britain's National Gallery. The report heavily criticized Tony Hall for a botched internal inquiry into how its journalist obtained the blockbuster interview.

23 - The beloved children's author and illustrator who wrote the classic "The Very Hungry Caterpillar'' died. Eric Carle was 91. He introduced universal themes in simple words and bright colours in books such as "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?'' "Do You Want to Be My Friend?'' and "From Head to Toe.''

24 - The COVID-19 death toll in India passed 300,000 as a devastating surge of new infections showed no signs of easing. India had the third most deaths, behind the U.S. and Brazil, though experts believed the true toll was significantly greater.

24 - The actions of the president of Belarus were being called an act of state-sponsored terrorism, piracy and a hijacking. The European Union and other western countries were demanding an investigation into the dramatic forced landing the day before of a Ryanair jet carrying an opposition journalist.

25 - The United States escalated its dispute with Canada over American dairy products. The U.S. wanted a dispute settlement panel to examine whether Canada was unfairly keeping American producers from accessing the Canadian market.

25 - Ontario reported its first death associated with a blood-clotting disorder linked to the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Dr. Barbara Yaffe, the province's associate medical officer of health, announced the death of the man in his 40s.

25 - The Great One stepped down as vice-chairman of the Edmonton Oilers. Wayne Gretzky said on Twitter he made the decision "given the pandemic and other life changes.'' The 60-year-old hockey legend said he would not be able to dedicate the time and effort needed to support the world-class organization.

26 - Wayne Gretzky signed a multi-year contract with Turner Sports and ESPN to become a studio analyst.

27 - In a victory for Canada's large internet and phone companies, Canada's telecommunications regulator reversed a decision to drop wholesale internet rates. The CRTC said it made errors when it ordered major companies to slash their wholesale internet rates in 2019.

28 - The chief of a First Nation in B.C. said the finding of the remains of 215 children on the site of a former residential school in Kamloops was "an unthinkable loss that was spoken about but never documented.'' Chief Rosanne Casimir of the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation said the remains were recently confirmed with the help of a ground-penetrating radar specialist.

28 - Liberal MP William Amos said he's deeply embarrassed after being caught unawares on camera once again. Amos apologized for urinating during a virtual session of the House of Commons, saying he didn't realize he was visible to fellow parliamentarians.

29 - Josh Donaldson of the Minnesota Twins scored the two-millionth run in Major League Baseball history. He came home in the first inning on a ground-rule double by Nelson Cruz against Kansas City. The one-millionth run was scored in 1975.

The Canadian Press