May 21, 2023 (Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Sistan and Baluchestan insurgency
- Five Iranian border guards are killed and two others are injured in Saravan, Sistan and Baluchestan province, during a confrontation with an armed group at the border with Pakistan. (AP)
Disasters and accidents
- Two people are killed when an MD-530 helicopter crashes into power lines in Samangan Province, Afghanistan. (AP)
- Two pilots are killed when a private DHC-6 Twin Otter crashes 54 kilometres (34 mi) off the coast of California, United States. The NTSB is investigating the accident. (KTVU-TV) (San Francisco Chronicle)
- A massive fire damages the Manila Central Post Office in Manila, Philippines. (CNN Philippines) (Rappler)
Law and crime
- Three people are killed in a shooting in the 11th arrondissement of Marseille, France. The suspects are still at large. (BFMTV)
- Members of the Last Generation activist group pour charcoal into the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy, turning the water black. (The Guardian)
- Tajikistan announces the repatriation from Syria of 104 partners and children of jihadists. (i24NEWS)
Politics and elections
- 2023 East Timorese parliamentary election
- Citizens in East Timor head to the polls to elect the 65 members of the National Parliament. (Reuters)
- May 2023 Greek legislative election
- Greeks head to the polls to elect the 300 members of parliament. (AP)
- Moldovan protests
- More than 75,000 people gather in Chișinău to demonstrate in favor of Moldova joining the EU, following a call for a rally by President Maia Sandu in order to outdo anti-government and pro-Russian demonstrations organized by the opposition. (Al Jazeera)