May 21, 2014 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2014 Libyan uprising:
- General Khalifa Belqasim Haftar calls on the government to hand over power to the country's top judges amid heavy fighting in the capital Tripoli. (Reuters)
- Prime Minister Ahmed Maiteeq refuses to step down while the Ministry of Defense issues a statement calling for the arrest of any soldiers who join Gen. Haftar’s campaign. (The Washington Post)
- War in North-West Pakistan:
- Pakistan Air Force fighter jets bomb suspected militant hideouts in North Waziristan, killing approximately 60 militants and injuring another 30. (Reuters)
- The Taliban launch attacks in Badakhshan and Laghman provinces in Afghanistan, killing 10 policemen and 3 civilians. (AP via ABC)
- Boko Haram attacks the village of Alagarno, in Nigeria's Borno State, killing 17 people. (BBC News)
- The Republic of Korea Navy fires warning shots at three Korean People's Navy patrol boats after they violated South Korean waters. (CNN)
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
- Defence for Children International publishes a video showing two Palestinians allegedly killed by Israeli soldiers during a demonstration that became violent.(The Guardian) (New York Times)
- 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine:
Business and economics
- General Motors announces that it is recalling 218,000 older model Chevrolet Aveos due to a fire hazard. (Reuters)
- eBay forces its users to change their passwords after a database containing encrypted user passwords and other non-financial data is compromised by a cyber-attack. (BBC News)
International relations
- Sino-Russian relations:
- Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin sign a massive 30-year natural gas export contract worth $400 billion. (USA Today)
- 2014 Vietnam anti-China protests:
- The death toll has risen to six as anti-China riots continue in Vietnam over oil rich islands in the South China Sea. China has sent ships to evacuate 3000 citizens from Vietnam. (Reuters)
Law and crime
- 2014 Taipei Metro Attack:
- A knife attack on a Taipei Metro train leaves at least four dead and 21 passengers injured. (Focus Taiwan) (AP via Washington Post)
- An Egyptian court sentences 155 members of the Muslim Brotherhood to prison, including 54 life sentences. (Reuters)
- Former President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak is sentenced to three years in jail for embezzlement. (BBC News)
- Six Iranians that were arrested have been released in Tehran after releasing a fan video set to Pharrell Williams' "Happy", sparking outcries over the internet. (CNN)
- Ten men convicted for producing poisoned alcohol that killed more than 30 people in 2012 have been sentenced to prison by a court in the Czech Republic, including two life sentences. (BBC News)
Politics and elections
- Guinea-Bissau general election, 2014:
- Former Guinea-Bissau Finance Minister José Mário Vaz is elected President of Guinea-Bissau. (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
- Ed Miliband eats the bacon sandwich that he was widely mocked for during his campaign for the 2015 United Kingdom general election.
Sport
- Sacramento, California, approves a new arena, worth $447 million, for the Sacramento Kings. (AP via Los Angeles Times)
- England wins the 2014 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, beating Netherlands on penalties after a 1-1 draw. (UEFA)