Portal:Current events/2017 May 23
May 23, 2017 (Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Manchester Arena bombing
- Campaigning in the United Kingdom general election is suspended after the bombing at the Manchester Arena. The death toll is 22 with 59 injured. ISIL claims responsibility. Singer and actress Ariana Grande suspends her Dangerous Woman Tour. (AP) (BBC) (CNN)
- The man suspected of carrying out the Manchester attack is identified as 22-year-old Salman Abedi, who died at the scene. Abedi was born in Manchester to Libyan parents. (ABC News) (BBC)
- Prime Minister Theresa May says the government has raised its terrorism threat level to critical, the highest level, which indicates another attack may be imminent. (The New York Times) (The Washington Post)
- 2017 Marawi clash
- President Rodrigo Duterte declares martial law in the island of Mindanao after Maute militants clash with army troops in Marawi, Lanao del Sur. (Rappler) (The Washington Post)
- Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen
- The U.S. Navy SEAL Team Six's raid on an Al Qaeda in Yemen compound in the Ma'rib Governorate kills at least seven militants. SEAL Team Six also suffered unspecified injuries that were treated at the site. (The New York Times) (Reuters)
Arts and culture
- Freedom of speech in China
- A speech by a Chinese-national student in the University of Maryland creates controversy. (NPR)
- Sir Roger Moore, who played James Bond between 1973 and 1985, dies at age 89. (BBC)
Business and economy
- Presidency of Donald Trump
- The White House releases a proposed budget that includes an increase in spending for the military but a decrease in healthcare and welfare. (BBC)
- Apple Inc. and Nokia agree to increase their partnership after settling a patent dispute. (The New York Times)
Disasters and accidents
- An Indian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30 goes missing near the border with China and is presumed to have crashed along with its two pilots. (Times of India)
- Newark Liberty International Airport in northern New Jersey is closed for almost two hours after flames are spotted coming from a United Airlines Boeing 757 jet engine. All 124 passengers and seven crew members safely evacuate the plane. (Reuters) (CBSNewYork)
International relations
- The World Health Organization (WHO) elects former Ethiopian Foreign Minister and Health Minister Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as the international organization's new Director-General succeeding Dr. Margaret Chan, who has been in office since 2006. Tedros is the first African Director-General and the first non-medical doctor; he has a PhD in Community Health from the University of Nottingham. (The Washington Post) (Time) (World Health Organization)
Law and crime
- LGBT rights in Indonesia
- Two Indonesian men are publicly caned by local authorities in Aceh on accusation of illegal homosexual intercourse. (NBC)
- Wikimedia Foundation v. NSA
- The United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals rules that Wikimedia Foundation has the legal right to challenge the National Security Agency Upstream program of mass online surveillance. This decision reinstates the suit that had been dismissed by a Federal district judge in Baltimore, Maryland. Eight other organizations, including Amnesty International USA and the Global Fund for Women, are also plaintiffs in this case. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections
- Former CIA Director John Brennan tells the House Intelligence Committee he knew of contacts between Trump associates and Russian officials, but is not sure collusion existed. Brennan said he warned the Russian intelligence service last August against meddling in the U.S. election. (NBC News)
Science and technology
- Scientists discover 7.2 million-year-old "pre-human" remains in the Balkans area near Bulgaria and Greece. (Phys.org)