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LastWeek.news

May 14-20, 2023

Sweden's Loreen wins the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Tattoo".

The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 was the 67th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Liverpool, United Kingdom, after Ukraine, winner of the 2022 contest with the song "Stefania" by Kalush Orchestra, was unable to meet the demands of hosting the event due to security concerns caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on behalf of the Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (UA: PBC), the contest was held at the Liverpool Arena, and consisted of two semi-finals on 9 and 11 May, and the final on 13 May 2023. The three live shows were presented by British singer Alesha Dixon, British actress Hannah Waddingham and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina, with Irish television presenter Graham Norton joining for the final.

In the Thai general election, an opposition coalition led by the Move Forward Party wins a majority in the House of Representatives.

General elections were held in Thailand on 14 May 2023 to elect 500 members of the House of Representatives. Unofficial results, which surprised analysts, were announced on 15 May, with the Move Forward Party, led by Pita Limjaroenrat, winning the most seats, followed by usually dominant Pheu Thai. Turnout was a record 75.22%. The Election Commission has 60 days to certify the results.

American football Hall of Fame fullback Jim Brown dies at the age of 87.

James Nathaniel Brown (February 17, 1936 – May 18, 2023) was an American football fullback, civil rights activist, and actor. He played for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1957 through 1965. Considered to be one of the greatest running backs of all time, as well as one of the greatest players in NFL history, Brown was a Pro Bowl invitee every season he was in the league, was recognized as the AP NFL Most Valuable Player three times, and won an NFL championship with the Browns in 1964. He led the league in rushing yards in eight out of his nine seasons, and by the time he retired, he held most major rushing records. In 2002, he was named by The Sporting News as the greatest professional football player ever.

Cyclone Mocha strikes Myanmar and Bangladesh, killing more than 400 people.

Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Mocha was a powerful and deadly tropical cyclone in the North Indian Ocean which affected Myanmar and parts of Bangladesh in May 2023. The second depression and the first cyclonic storm of the 2023 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Mocha originated from a low-pressure area that was first noted by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on 8 May. After consolidating into a depression, the storm tracked slowly north-northwestward over the Bay of Bengal, and reached extremely severe cyclonic storm intensity. After undergoing an eyewall replacement cycle, Mocha rapidly strengthened, peaking at Category 5-equivalent intensity on 14 May with winds of 280 km/h (175 mph), tying with Cyclone Fani as the strongest storm on record in the north Indian Ocean, in terms of 1-minute sustained winds. Mocha slightly weakened before making landfall, and its conditions quickly became unfavorable. Mocha rapidly weakened once inland and dissipated shortly thereafter.

Flooding in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy causes 16 deaths and widespread disruption, including the cancellation of its Formula One Grand Prix.

A series of floods are ongoing in and around the cities of Bologna, Cesena, Forlì, Ravenna, and Rimini, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The first floods occurred between 2 and 3 May 2023, killing two people. Heavy secondary floods are currently ongoing since 16 May 2023, killing at least fourteen people and displacing 50,000 others. The same amount of rain which usually falls in seven months fell in two weeks, causing the overflow of twenty-three rivers across the region. While in some areas, almost half the annual average of rain fell in only 36 hours. Moreover, 300 landslides occurred in the area and 43 cities and towns were flooded.

Amid a political crisis in Ecuador, President Guillermo Lasso dissolves the National Assembly and triggers an early general election.

A political crisis began in Ecuador on 17 May 2023 as a result of the impeachment trial against President Guillermo Lasso. The impeachment inquiry began in the National Assembly on 9 May and lasted until 17 May when Lasso dissolved parliament through the constitutional provision known as muerte cruzada ("mutual death"). This triggered the end of the impeachment inquiry as it dissolved the National Assembly and caused an earlier general election. This was the first time an Ecuadorian president had used this constitutional measure.

Russian invasion of Ukraine (ongoing)

On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded and occupied parts of Ukraine in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which had begun in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides, and instigated Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. About 8 million Ukrainians were displaced within their country by June, and more than 8.2 million had fled the country by May 2023.

Sudan conflict (ongoing)

An armed conflict between rival factions of the military government of Sudan began on 15 April 2023, when clashes broke out in cities, with the fighting concentrated around the capital city of Khartoum and the Darfur region. As of 16 May, at least 1,000 people had been killed and more than 5,100 others had been injured.