May 23, 2015 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- A roadside bomb kills two, including the district chief, in the Charcheno District of Afghanistan. (AP via ABC News America)
- Somali Civil War (2009–present)
- Islamic extremists kill at least 18 people in an attack on two rural towns Awdhegie and Mubarak. (AP)
- War in Donbass
- Pro-Russian separatist military leader colonel Alexei Mozgovoi is confirmed killed in an ambush on his car. (BBC News)
Arts and culture
- The Salvadoran Archbishop Óscar Romero, assassinated at the start of the Salvadoran Civil War, is beatified in Pope Francis's name, by Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, in San Salvador. (White House) (CNN) (Vatican)
- The final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 is held in Vienna, Austria with Måns Zelmerlöw of Sweden winning for the song Heroes. (Sydney Morning Herald) (BBC)
- A memorial service is held in the Scottish capital Edinburgh for the Quintinshill rail disaster which occurred 100 years ago and claimed over 200 lives. (BBC)
Disasters
- The death toll from China's latest round of flooding rises to at least 48. (AP via Washington Post)
- An Indian heat wave claims over 200 lives with the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana worst affected. (The Hindu)
- Record breaking rain causes flooding in the American states of Oklahoma and Texas with Oklahoma City recording record rainfall levels for the month of May. (CNN)
International relations
- Rohingya refugee crisis
- Julie Bishop, the Foreign Minister of Australia, says that Indonesia has advised that most of the people who have traveled to South East Asia by boat are from Bangladesh, not Rohingya from Myanmar. (Straits Times)
- Myanmar announces plans to deport recently rescued migrants to Bangladesh. (Sky News Asia)
Law and crime
- Cleveland Police Department officer Michael Brelo is acquitted of manslaughter in relation to the 2012 deaths of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams following a police chase. There are multiple arrests in protests afterwards. (Los Angeles Times via WA Today) (Newsnet)
- The U.S. Justice Department announced it will review the decision to determine if further action is required. (The Guardian)
- Nigerian drug agents arrest senator-elect Buruji Kashamu for extradition to the United States for his alleged involvement in a drug deal 20 years ago that is claimed to be the basis for the television show Orange is the New Black. (AP)
- The President of Myanmar, Thein Sein, signs the Population Control Health Care Bill requiring some parents to space each child three years apart. (AP via Daily Mail)
Politics and elections
- Peru declares a 60 day state of emergency in the Tambo Valley following violent protests against a mine project which has seen four deaths. (AP via ABC News)
- The United States Senate adjourns without agreeing either to reform the National Security Agency or extend the Patriot Act which is due to expire at the end of this month. (The Hill)
- Thirty-fourth Amendment of the Constitution (Marriage Equality) Bill 2015
- The counting of votes for yesterday's referendum occurs with the Republic of Ireland becoming the first country to adopt same sex marriage by referendum. (AP) (Independent Ireland) (The Guardian)
- The Cabinet of the Netherlands approves a proposal for bill on a partial ban on the burqa and niqab. (The Guardian)