Portal:Current events/2013 May 19

Current events of May 19, 2013 (2013-05-19) (Sunday)

Armed conflict and attacks Syrian civil war: Heavy fighting is reported in Qusair, Syria, as the Syrian army launches a major counter-offensive against rebel forces. (BBC) Arts and culture Taylor Swift wins eight awards, including top album and top artist, at the Billboard Music Awards. (The Guardian) Star Trek Into Darkness earns an estimated US$70.6 million during its opening weekend in the US and Canada. (Bloomberg) Disasters and accidents At least one person is killed and a dozen injured after a series of tornadoes hits the US states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa and Illinois. (BBC), (CNN) International relations North Korea fires three short-range guided missiles into its eastern waters. (New York Times) North Korea captures a Chinese fishing boat and demands a ransom for its return. (The Guardian) Law and crime Authorities in hazardous-materials suits search a downtown Spokane, Washington apartment, investigating the recent discovery of two letters containing the deadly poison ricin. (AP via News24) Clashes break out between police and supporters of the Ansar al-Sharia Islamic organization in Tunisia. (al-Jazeera) Politics Nigel S. Wright resigns as the Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister of Canada as a result of his role in an expenses scandal involving Senator Mike Duffy. (BBC) Science and technology US Navy dolphins find a rare nineteenth-century torpedo off the coast of California. (USA Today) Sport In cricket, the Board of Control for Cricket in India holds an emergency meeting to tackle the 2013 Indian Premier League spot-fixing case which has resulted in the arrest of three cricketers and eleven bookmakers. (DDI news) In golf, Bae Sang-moon wins his first PGA tour event at the Byron Nelson Championship. (USA Today) Sweden defeats Switzerland 5-1 to win the Ice Hockey World Championships. (USA Today) Salisbury University defeats Trinity College 12-5 to win the Division III NCAA women's Lacrosse championship. (The Baltimore Sun) Raha Moharrak becomes the first Saudi woman to summit Mount Everest. (CNN) Samina Baig becomes the first Pakistani woman to summit Mount Everest. (Jagran Josh)