May 23, 2011 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- The death toll from a Pakistani Taliban attack on a Pakistan Navy station in Karachi rises as the attack continues, with several explosions reported. (NDTV) (Sky News) (AFP via SBS World News)
- Arab Spring:
- 2011 Yemeni uprising:
- The Gulf Cooperation Council suspends mediation efforts in Yemen after President Ali Abdullah Saleh refuses to sign a transition agreement for the third time. (Sky News)
- At least 14 people are killed and 38 others are injured in Sana'a. (Xinhua)
- A gunbattle kills a further six in Sana'a. (Al Jazeera)
- 2011 Syrian uprising:
- Syria's foreign minister Walid al-Moualem, speaking on television, attacks the European Union for imposing travel bans and asset freezes on officials. (Al Jazeera)
- Veteran British journalist Robert Fisk questions whether the sanctions will affect the Syrian government's crackdown on dissent, as such sanctions have failed to work before. (Al Jazeera)
- 2011 Libyan civil war:
- French officials confirm France and UK are to deploy attack helicopters as part of a boost to NATO's attacks on Muammar Gaddafi. (Al Jazeera)
- 2011 Egyptian revolution:
- Egyptian pro-democracy groups call for a new round of protests on May 27 due to dissatisfaction at progress in implementing reform. (Bloomberg)
- A Cairo court sentences an Egyptian police officer to death in absentia for killing protesters demonstrating during the 2011 Egyptian revolution. (CNN)
- 2011 Yemeni uprising:
- One Australian Army soldier is killed and five others wounded following two bomb explosions in Afghanistan; the total number of Australian soldiers killed in the Afghan conflict now stands at 24. (The Australian)
Arts and culture
- The Church of Scotland votes to allow gay men and lesbians to become ministers. (The Guardian)
- Lady Gaga releases her Born This Way album, which is certified platinum in many countries across the world.
Business and economy
- The Maritime Union of Australia commences industrial action at cargo terminals at Melbourne, Sydney and Fremantle, affecting half of Australia's maritime trade. (AAP via NineMSN)
- Steve Ballmer, the Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft, promises that Windows 8 will be on the market in 2012. (LA Times)
Disasters
- Iceland volcanic explosion:
- Tornado outbreak sequence of May 21–26, 2011 in the US:
- The National Weather Service continues issuing tornado warnings for parts of the Central United States, including Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri. (NOAA)
- The death toll from the Joplin, Missouri, tornado reaches 116, becoming the deadliest single US tornado since 1947. (Joplin Globe)
- There are reports of multiple structure collapses following a heavy storm and possible tornado in the village of Richfield, Pennsylvania. (ABC 27)
- A severe storm in Cincinnati, Ohio knocks out power to 84,000 homes. (Cincinnati.com)
International relations
- U.S. President Barack Obama addresses an audience at College Green in Dublin, speaking of strong ties between the United States and Ireland. (Xinhua) (The Belfast Telegraph) (The Irish Times)
Law and crime
- British MP John Hemming uses parliamentary privilege to identify a married footballer named on Twitter as having an injunction over an alleged affair as being Ryan Giggs. (BBC) (The Guardian) (Al Jazeera)
- The People's Republic of China detains 300 Tibetan monks for "legal education" after a monk sets himself on fire. (The Guardian)
Politics and elections
- Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad suffers a heart attack and undergoes surgery during a trip to the United States to attend his son's graduation. (Al Jazeera)
Sports
- Former Iranian football player and manager Nasser Hejazi dies at 61 after a bout with lung cancer. (ISNA)