Portal:Current events/2012 May 23

{{Current events|year=2012|month=05|day=23|content=

;Armed conflicts and attacks

• A drone attack conducted by the United States kills five people in a tribal area of North Waziristan, Pakistan. [http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-05/23/c_123175620.htm (Xinhua)]
• The Iranian navy assists an American cargo ship that was attacked by pirates off the United Arab Emirates. [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/05/23/bloomberg_articlesM4HD7T6S972801-M4HFO.DTL (San Francisco Chronicle)]

;Arts and culture

• Georgia-native Phillip Phillips is crowned the eleventh American Idol. Runner-up Jessica Sanchez is the first contestant of Asian ancestry to advance in the finals. [http://www.news-press.com/article/20120523/NEWS0101/120523009/Philip-Phillips-wins-American-Idol-over-Jessica-Sanchez?odyssey=mod|newswell|text||p (TopNews)]
• Adam Lambert became the first openly gay artist to debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 Album Charts, with his album Trespassing. [http://www.starpulse.com/news/Kevin_Blair/2012/05/23/adam_lamberts_trespassing_is_first_alb (Starpulse)]

;Business and economy

• The price of crude oil falls to a seven-month low due to high supply and constructive talks regarding Iran's nuclear program. [http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/23/investing/oil-prices/index.htm?hpt=hp_t3 (CNN)]
• Hewlett-Packard plans to cut 27,000 jobs or 8% of their workforce. [http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/23/technology/hp-earnings/index.htm?hpt=hp_t3 (CNN)]

;Law and crime

• Shakil Afridi, a Pakistani physician who helped the CIA to track down Osama bin Laden by collecting DNA samples from residents of bin Laden's compound, is sentenced to 33 years' imprisonment for treason. [http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/23/world/asia/pakistan-bin-laden-doctor/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 (CNN)]

;Politics and elections

• Voters in Egypt go to the polls for a presidential election, 15 months after former president Hosni Mubarak was ousted in a revolution. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18167224 (BBC)]

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