May 16
Disasters and accidents
A rescue diver dies after searching for bodies of tourists killed in the waters of Alitmathaa, Vaavu Atoll, Maldives.
Source:
New York Post 
May 15
Health and environment
An ebola outbreak is confirmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Ituri Province by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, killing 80 people.
Source:
Sky News
International relations
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi says that China and the United States have agreed to continue implementing previous trade agreements and to establish trade and investment councils following talks between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. president Donald Trump in Beijing.
Source:
AFP via Al Arabiya
Thirty-six countries and the European Union join the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
Source:
Euronews
Politics and elections
A third day of talks mediated by the UK and US between the Somali federal government and the opposition Somali Future Council are collapsing over their legal future and the electoral process after Hassan Sheikh Mohamud broke his constitutional presidential term limit. His four-year constitutional term is formally expiring on 15 May, but it is ending with no plan for an upcoming election.
Source:
Addis Standard
Matthew Wale is appointed as the prime minister of Solomon Islands after Jeremiah Manele was ousted in a no-confidence vote.
Source:
The Guardian
Armed conflicts and attacks
Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a commander of the IRGC-aligned Shia Iraqi militia group Kata'ib Hezbollah, is arrested in Turkey by the U.S. Justice Department after allegedly planning attacks on Jewish sites in the United States, including a synagogue in New York City, along with attacks in Europe as part of a broader campaign of retaliation by Iran over the war.
Source:
Haaretz
U.S. President Donald Trump says that he is open to accepting Iran's 20-year suspension on their nuclear program if Iran gives a real guarantee.
Source:
Times of Israel
The United States announces that Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend their ceasefire for 45 days, and that more specific political and security negotiations will begin on May 29 and June 2, respectively.
Source:
PBS
Israeli airstrikes kill at least seven people across Nabatieh, Tibnin, and Harouf, and injure 37 people in Tyre, Lebanon.
Source:
Sky News
Hamas military leader Izz al-Din al-Haddad is assassinated alongside his wife and daughter in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City.
Source:
Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump announces that the United States and Nigeria forces have eliminated ISIS second-in-command Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, also known as Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn 'Ali al-Mainuki, during a joint US-Nigeria mission.
Source:
CBS News
Source:
Euronews
Arts and culture
The Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, which organizes Milan Fashion Week in Italy, announces guidelines encouraging participating brands not to display fur products during fashion shows following pressure from animal rights groups.
Source:
AFP via RFI
Law and crime
Two Mexican officials sought for extradition by the U.S. government in April on charges of alleged collusion with organized crime are reportedly detained in the United States and Europe.
Source:
Tribuna de México
Disasters and accidents
All UN agencies warn that the Somalian hunger and malnutrition crisis is rapidly worsening, with a growing risk of famine. More than 6 million people, approximately 31% of the population, face critical levels of food insecurity, while nearly 1.9 million children are suffering from acute malnutrition. Of those children, approximately 493,000 are facing severe acute malnutrition.
Source:
UN News
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification warns that 19.5 million people in Sudan are facing hunger amidst the three-year civil war.
Source:
Middle East Monitor
Sports
The United World Wrestling lifts restrictions on wrestlers from Russia and Belarus that was imposed following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and will allow them to compete under their respective national flags.
Source:
Reuters
May 14
Arts and culture
It is announced that South Korean boy band BTS, American singer Madonna and Colombian singer Shakira will headline the first-ever FIFA World Cup final halftime show at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, United States, on July 19, 2026.
Source:
Reuters
Law and crime
Philippine presidential communications undersecretary Claire Castro and senate president Alan Peter Cayetano separately announce that senator Ronald dela Rosa, who has an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity related to a drug war, has left the Senate building at early morning, hours after gunshots were heard in the area the previous day.
Source:
UPI
Warsaw registers its first same-sex marriage following a ruling by the Supreme Administrative Court demanding officials to recognize the marriage of two Polish men in Germany.
Source:
AP
Somali pirates increase their ransom demands to US$10 million for the release of the Togo-registered tanker hijacked off Somali waters.
Source:
Middle East Monitor
The Seoul Central District Court in South Korea orders North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un to pay damages to five former Korean War prisoners who were held in North Korea after the conflict.
Source:
New Straits Times
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces that Israel plans to sue for running a column by Nicholas Kristof discussing the use of sexual violence against Palestinian prisoners by the Israeli military.
Source:
Reuters
Disasters and accidents
Seven people are killed and one critically injured after a speeding vehicle collides with a tree near Gardabani, Georgia.
Source:
Front News Georgia
Five Italian tourists are found dead after diving in the waters of Alimathaa, Vaavu Atoll, Maldives.
Source:
The Mirror
A medical plane operated by Trans Aero MedEvac loses radio contact and crashes near Ruidoso, New Mexico, United States, killing all four passengers on board.
Source:
Primera Hora
One person is killed and 19 others are injured after a truck collided with a bus in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Source:
Xinhua
Business and economy
Japanese automaker Honda suspends plans to build an electric vehicle (EV) plant in Ontario, Canada, citing weaker demand for EVs and the impact of United States tariffs on the Canadian automotive sector and corporate losses in Japan.
Source:
CBC News
International relations
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. president Donald Trump, along with business leaders from both countries, meet in Beijing, China.
Source:
The Guardian
Source:
Fox News
The Executive Office of the President of the United States says that China and the U.S. have both agreed during the Trump-Xi summit that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open.
Source:
AFP via AA
Guyana demands that Venezuela investigate a series of shootings targeting its troops patrolling the Cuyuní River on the border between both countries, amid ongoing tensions as the sovereignty dispute over the Essequibo region continues at the International Court of Justice.
Source:
AP
A Russian senior security official says that Russia will establish a "full-fledged partnership" with the Taliban government in Afghanistan, urging other countries to do the same.
Source:
Jerusalem Post
Armed conflicts and attacks
The Fars News Agency reports that Iran has allowed vessels from China to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
Source:
Roya News
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi says that ships entering the Strait of Hormuz must cooperate with the Iranian Navy.
Source:
The Guardian
Russian forces launch overnight strikes in Kyiv, Ukraine, hitting among other targets, a residential building in eastern Darnytskyi district, killing 16 people and wounding 57 others, including several children.
Source:
NPR
Heavy fighting erupts in Baidoa between Somali federal government forces and troops loyal to former South West State president Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed, following disputes over regional elections and the end of president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's term tomorrow. Multiple sources confirm two senior Somali military officers from the 60th Division have been killed in a roadside ambush.
Somali Civil War (2009–present)Constitutional crisis in SomaliaControversies of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
Source:
Shabelle Media
The internationally-recognized Yemeni government and the rival Supreme Political Council, which includes the Houthis, sign a deal in Amman, Jordan, following 14 weeks of negotiations to release over 1,600 detainees in the largest prisoner swap in the civil war's history since 2014.
Source:
Reuters
Science and technology
Researchers from Thailand publish the discovery of the in Chaiyaphum province, the largest dinosaur species ever discovered in Southeast Asia.
Source:
NPR
Politics and elections
Wes Streeting resigns as the United Kingdom's Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, saying he has "lost confidence" in prime minister Keir Starmer following the recent local elections.
Source:
The New York Times
Josh Simons steps down as MP for Makerfield to trigger a by-election for Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham to run for a seat in parliament. Burnham is widely considered the favourite candidate to replace Starmer in the event of a Labour Party leadership election.
Source:
ITV News
Burnham confirms he has requested the permission of the National Executive Committee to stand in the upcoming Makerfield by-election.
Source:
BBC News
A report authorized by Pope Leo XIV written by a Vatican working group gives detailed testimonies from gay Catholics for the first time, while condemning conversion therapy and calls for deeper understanding of same-sex marriages to overcome internal church polarization.
Source:
Church Times
Source:
Wafa
Bolivian police clash with protesting miners who attempt to reach Plaza Murillo in La Paz amid protests over the state of the economy. Some of the protesters demand the resignation of president Rodrigo Paz.
Source:
Reuters
The Iraqi parliament approves Ali al-Zaidi as new prime minister, succeeding Muhammad Shia al-Sudani
Source:
Al-Monitor
Latvian prime minister Evika Siliņa resigns one day after losing her majority in the Saeima over the handling of Ukrainian drone incursions into Latvia's airspace.
Source:
DW
May 13
Business and economy
The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that the oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen to 30% in the first quarter of 2026 as compared to the previous quarter.
Source:
AA
Korean Air announces plans to launch an integrated flag carrier for South Korea on 17 December following the completion of legal procedures for its acquisition of Asiana Airlines.
Source:
AA
Germany approves reforms to its heating law and adopts new electricity supply legislation that enables support for 9 GW of new gas-fired power plants.
Source:
S&P Global
The Ocean Dream Diamond sells for US$17 million at a Christie's auction, setting a record price for a blue-green diamond sold at auction.
Source:
AFP via France 24
The United States-based Allegiant Travel Company completes its acquisition of Sun Country Airlines, successfully merging it with Allegiant Air to combine the 14th and 17th largest airlines in North America.
Source:
WDAY
Law and crime
Gunshots are reported at the Philippine senate building amid tensions surrounding a possible arrest of senator Ronald dela Rosa under an International Criminal Court warrant for alleged crimes against humanity.
Source:
Reuters
A U.S. court sentences author Kouri Richins to life imprisonment without parole after convicting her of murdering her husband with fentanyl in 2022.
Source:
AFP via ABS-CBN News
The South Carolina Supreme Court overturns the sentence of Alex Murdaugh, convicted in 2023 for the 2021 double homicide of his wife and son, citing jury interference by a court clerk. Motions are made for a new trial.
Source:
NYT
Sussex Police say they have recovered the bodies of three women off a beach in Brighton, England, and are working to identify the women.
Source:
The Guardian
The U.S. Senate blocks a War Powers Resolution to curtail president Donald Trump's war powers in the Iran war for a 7th time in a 49–50 vote, with John Fetterman being the lone Democrat senator to vote against it.
Source:
AP
Disasters and accidents
Over 104 people are killed and 59 others are injured from a powerful storm and heavy rain across about a dozen districts of Uttar Pradesh, India.
Source:
Reuters
Four people are killed in a two-story house fire in North Jakarta, Indonesia.
Source:
Xinhua
International relations
U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio says the U.S. has renewed a $100 million humanitarian aid offer to Cuba amid the island's crisis and urges cooperation from the Cuban government.
Source:
Arab News
Ghanaian foreign minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa announces plans to evacuate about 300 citizens from South Africa following attacks targeting sub-Saharan African migrants.
Source:
Reuters
Politics and elections
United Kingdom and United States-mediated talks in Mogadishu, Somalia, between president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and the opposition led by regional president Said Abdullahi Deni have broken down without an agreement. The deadlock centres on bitter disputes over the country's upcoming electoral framework, technical delays, and regional vote-rigging accusations in South West State of Somalia.
Constitutional crisis in Somalia2026 Somali presidential electionControversies of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
Source:
Somali Guardian
Niuean prime minister Dalton Tagelagi is re-elected for a third term in office following a vote of 11–9.
Source:
Pacific Media Network
Source:
NBC News
A Canadian judge rules that Elections Alberta improperly approved a petition seeking a referendum on provincial independence without consulting Indigenous groups.
Source:
The Manila Times
Russian president Vladimir Putin replaces the governors of the border regions of Belgorod and Bryansk Oblast, Vyacheslav Gladkov and Alexander Bogomaz respectively, with army general Alexander Shuvaev and former occupation official Yegor Kovalchuk, respectively, amid continuing cross-border attacks linked to the Russo-Ukrainian war.
Source:
Reuters
Latvian prime minister Evika Siliņa loses her parliamentary majority after the Progressives withdraw support from the governing coalition and calls for talks on forming a new government.
Source:
Reuters
Source:
Koaci
Armed conflicts and attacks
Chinese supertanker , which carries 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude, crosses the Strait of Hormuz after previously being stranded in the Gulf for two months following the Iran war.
Source:
Jerusalem Post
Four other vessels from China cross the Strait of Hormuz within the past 24 hours, including vehicle carrier and oil chemical tanker .
Source:
AA
At least 22 people, including eight children, are killed by Israeli drone strikes in southern Lebanon.
Source:
AFP via RTÉ
Nine people are killed and at least 28 others are injured in the latest Russian drone strikes across Ukraine.
Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present)Russian attacks on civilians in the Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present)
Source:
BBC News
At least two people are killed and several others are injured in a drone strike by the Sudanese Armed Forces in El Geneina, West Darfur, Sudan.
Source:
Sudan Tribune
Clashes between Pakistani forces and the Balochistan Liberation Army in Balochistan, Pakistan, kill five soldiers, including an army major, and seven insurgents.
Source:
AP