Ten people are killed in a head-on collision between a minibus and a bus in Mpumalanga, South Africa.
Source:
Xinhua 
May 21
Disasters and accidents
Health and environment
The South Korean foreign ministry says that South Korea will raise its travel alert for Uganda and is planning to impose a level-4 travel ban for parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, especially the Ituri Province, due to the Ebola outbreak in both countries.
Source:
Yonhap
Politics and elections
Government of Puntland Council of Ministers meeting in Puntland's capital, Garowe, calls for direct cooperation with the international community, stating federal executive and legislative mandates under the provisional constitution have ended. The move comes as federal institutions enter a transitional phase with unclear mandates.
Constitutional crisis in Somalia2026 Somali presidential electionControversies of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
Source:
Horseed Media
Law and crime
The U.S. Supreme Court dimisses an appeal by the state of Alabama challenging a lower court decision to block the execution of Joseph Clifton Smith, an intellectually disabled man convicted of a 1997 murder. The court says that executing Smith would violate his constitutional rights.
Source:
The Guardian
The Court of Appeal of Paris, France, convicts Airbus and Air France of manslaughter over the 2009 crash of Air France Flight 447, which killed 228 people, and orders both companies to pay the maximum corporate fine and compensation to victims' families.
Source:
The New York Times
Residents burn a ebola treatment center in the Democratic Republic of the Congo amidst the ebola epidemic in the country.
Source:
Journal Gazette
May 20
Sports
In association football, Aston Villa defeat SC Freiburg 3–0 at Beşiktaş Stadium, Istanbul, to win their first UEFA Europa League title, and second European title after the 1982 European Cup final. Emiliano Buendía, who scored Villa's second goal, is named player of the match.
Source:
Sky News
The DR Congo football team cancels a 3-day FIFA World Cup training camp and a fan farewell in Kinshasa over ebola concerns in the country.
Source:
AP
In ice hockey, the Montreal Victoire defeat the Ottawa Charge 3–1 to win their first-ever PWHL Walter Cup.
Politics and elections
Bolivian president Rodrigo Paz announces plans to reshuffle Bolivia's cabinet and create an economic and social council following weeks of anti-government protests linked to the country’s economic crisis.
Source:
Al Jazeera
Law and crime
The U.S. Department of Justice announces that a grand jury in Miami, Florida, has indicted former first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Raúl Castro and five others on murder charges in connection with the 1996 shootdown of an aircraft operated by Brothers to the Rescue.
Source:
Reuters
Two U.S. Capitol Police officers who helped defend the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. during the January 6, 2021 riot file a lawsuit to block January 6 rioters from receiving payouts from a new $1.8 billion settlement fund.
Source:
Reuters
The German public prosecutor general arrests a Chinese couple in Munich who are accused of spying for a Chinese intelligence agency.
Source:
DW
The Philippine supreme court rejects an injunction sought by senator Ronald dela Rosa against his arrest on an International Criminal Court warrant for crimes against humanity related to the Philippine drug war.
Source:
Al Jazeera
Atlatlahucan mayor Agustín Toledano Amaro and former Yecapixtla mayor Irving Sánchez Zavala are arrested in Morelos, Mexico, during "Operación Enjambre", a crackdown on officials tied to organized crime. A manhunt is underway for Cuautla mayor Jesús Corona Damián.
Source:
El Financiero
Business and economy
The U.S. House of Representatives votes 396–13 to pass the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, aimed at helping offset the cost-of-living and support affordable housing in the United States. The bill heads back to the U.S. Senate for any revisions.
Source:
Politico
Disasters and accidents
The 1,200-year-old Reikado Hall in the Daishō-in temple complex in Itsukushima, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, burns down completely.
Source:
Nippon.com
International relations
Bolivia and Colombia expel each other's ambassadors amid a diplomatic dispute over comments by Colombian president Gustavo Petro regarding anti-government protests in Bolivia.
Source:
Reuters
The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control removes sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on occupied Palestinian territories, after district judge Richard J. Leon of the District of Columbia blocked measures imposed over Albanese's criticism of Israel and its actions in Gaza.
Source:
AFP via ABS-CBN News
Lithuania issues an air raid alert in Vilnius after the military detected a drone signal near the Belarusian border, marking the first time since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 that an EU and NATO member state has ordered the general population to take shelter.
Source:
AP
Government of Puntland officials hosted a high-level United States delegation in presidential place Garowe following expiration of the mandate of Somalia’s federal government, U.S. representatives strengthening economic opportunities in Puntland’s oil exploration, fisheries, and mineral development sectors.
Source:
FTL Somalia
Health and environment
The World Health Organization reports that the Ebola virus outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo likely began two months ago due to a superspreading event, and initially went undetected.
Source:
Reuters
American MV passengers quarantined in Nebraska following exposure to the hantavirus on the ship will remain in quarantine until the end of May.
Source:
NBC News
The United Nations General Assembly adopts a resolution reaffirming states' obligations to address climate change and recognizing a recent advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice on states' legal responsibilities regarding climate commitments.
Source:
AFP via France 24
Armed conflicts and attacks
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei says that Iran has received and is reviewing a new proposal from the United States regarding talks to end the war, while Pakistani interior minister Mohsin Naqvi visits Tehran to facilitate exchanges between the two sides.
Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)2026 Iran war2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations2026 Iran war ceasefirePakistan in the 2026 Iran war
Source:
Arab News PK
Saudi Arabia news channels Al Arabiya and Al Hadath reports that Islamabad is likely to hold the second round of talks between Iran and the U.S. after the Hajj season ends.
Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)2026 Iran war2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations2026 Iran war ceasefirePakistan in the 2026 Iran war
Source:
Dunya News
Two supertankers from China carrying four million barrels of Middle East crude oil exit the Strait of Hormuz after staying in the Persian Gulf for two months since the war started on February 28.
Source:
Reuters
A South Korean-flagged oil tanker safely transits the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first passage by a South Korean vessel through the waterway since the war started.
Source:
The Star
The Iranian Navy claims that it has allowed 26 ships to cross the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours.
Source:
Oman Observer
Israeli airstrikes kill at least eight people in Ad-Doueir, Tibnin, Burj el-Shamali, and Shebaa in southern Lebanon.
Source:
Al Jazeera
May 19
International relations
Somaliland announces that the country will open an embassy in Jerusalem to strengthen its ties with Israel, for now the only country to recognize Somaliland as an independent nation. Israel announces that it will reciprocrate by opening an embassy in Hargeisa.
Source:
Reuters
The cabinet of Thailand approves plans to reduce the length of visa-free stays for travelers from more than 90 countries as part of measures targeting crimes involving foreign nationals.
Source:
AFP via ABS-CBN News
Law and crime
Former Spanish prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is charged with money laundering and membership of a criminal organisation in connection with an investigation into the alleged laundering of the €53 million public bailout that incumbent prime minister Pedro Sánchez's second government provided to the airline Plus Ultra and La Liga Airlines in 2021.
Source:
Politico
Catalonian police arrest Jonathan Andic, the son of Mango founder Isak Andic, as part of an investigation into Isak's death during a hiking trip to Collbató in 2024.
Source:
Cebu Daily News
Vietnamese police arrest five Chinese nationals and a local accused of operating a gold smuggling network in Hanoi that allegedly traded more than US$45 million worth of gold.
Source:
New Straits Times
Three people, including two Japanese nationals and a Chinese national, are injured in a stabbing attack at a restaurant in Shanghai, China.
Source:
AP
Arts and culture
In literature, by Yang Shuang-zi and translated by Lin King wins the 2026 International Booker Prize.
Source:
BBC News
Disasters and accidents
At least 10,000 homes are evacuated amid spreading wildfires in Santa Rosa Island and Simi Valley, California, United States.
Source:
BBC News
The death toll from a pickup truck crash in Huanjiang Maonan Autonomous County, Guangxi, China, rises to ten after the bodies of nine missing people were recovered.
Source:
Reuters
At least 27 people are injured in a M 6.1 earthquake off the coast of Ica Department, Peru.
Source:
in Spanish
Sports
In association football, Arsenal win the Premier League, their fourth Premier League title and 14th English title, with one match to spare, after runner-ups Manchester City fail to win against AFC Bournemouth at Dean Court.
Source:
London Evening Standard
The English Football League's Independent Disciplinary Commission expels Southampton from the 2026 EFL play-offs after finding the club guilty of spying on a Middlesbrough training session ahead of their semi-final match on 12 May, 2026, which Southampton won. Southampton are also found guilty of spying on Oxford United and Ipswich Town earlier this season, and will be deducted four points for the following season.
Source:
Sky Sports
World Cup co-host United States allows the DR Congo football team to participate in the upcoming games in the country despite ebola concerns.
Source:
Al Jazeera
Armed conflicts and attacks
Iran confirms that it has sent a proposal to the United States for ceasefire talks including a withdrawal of American troops from areas close to Iran, an end to all conflicts in the region, and compensation for damages caused by the war.
Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)2026 Iran war2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations2026 Iran war ceasefire
Source:
VOV
United States vice president JD Vance says that progress has been made in talks with Iran regarding its nuclear program. However, he also stated that the U.S. is ready to resume strikes if talks fail.
Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)2026 Iran war2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations2026 Iran war ceasefire
Source:
Israel National News
reports that the early goal of Israel and the U.S. following the assassination of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei was to install former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who reportedly survived a strike on his home himself, despite making inflammatory comments about Israel.
Source:
AA
The Israeli Navy intercepts a flotilla boat taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla that was to be headed for the Gaza Strip in a effort to break the blockade.
Source:
The Jerusalem Post
A Syrian soldier is killed and at least twelve others are injured in a car bomb explosion in Damascus.
Source:
The New Region
Israeli airstrikes kill 19 people and injure 34 in the Nabatieh District and the Tyre District, Lebanon.
Source:
Al Jazeera
Israel seizes control of approximately 1,000 km (390 sq mi) of territory across the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and Syria, an area equivalent to roughly 5% of the country's landmass.
Source:
Financial Times
The Sudanese Emergency Lawyers reports that 28 people have been killed in a drone strike on a market in West Kordofan, Sudan.
Source:
Toronto Star
The U.S. African Command says that U.S. and Nigerian forces have launched airstrikes on a ISIS camp in Nigeria.
Source:
Peoples Gazette
Politics and elections
Opposition coalition Somali Future Council says Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud can no longer perform key presidential functions, including military oversight or dismissing government officials. They propose that parliamentary speaker Aden Madobe serve as acting president until elections scheduled for 30 June. The president has lost full executive authority following the expiry of his mandate on 15 May.
Constitutional crisis in Somalia2026 Somali presidential electionControversies of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
Source:
Idil News
Several banks close in La Paz as protests intensify across Bolivia, with demonstrators demanding the resignation of president Rodrigo Paz.
Source:
Reuters
The War Powers Resolution, requiring a halt to hostilities in Iran not approved by the United States Congress, passes a preliminary vote in the U.S. Senate by 50–47 following several failed attempts, after the defection of Louisiana Republican senator Bill Cassidy.
Source:
CNBC
Health and environment
The death toll in the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo rises to 131.
Source:
Reuters
Sudan begins implementing Ebola measures, including screening passengers at the international airport in Port Sudan.
Source:
Sudan Tribune
Thailand reports two cases of mpox, prompting the Department of Disease Control to increase surveillance of the disease.
Source:
Nation Thailand
Taiwan reports its first case of the transmissible mpox clade Ib variant in a man in his 20s in northern Taiwan.
Source:
Taiwan News
Norway reports the first recorded case of avian influenza in a polar bear in Europe after the H5N5 virus was detected in the animal in Svalbard.
Source:
AFP via GMA News Online
May 18
International relations
The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control imposes sanctions on Cuba's intelligence agency and several senior Communist Party and military officials as part of expanded pressure on the government amid the country's energy and financial crisis.
Source:
Arab News
Pakistan deploys 8,000 troops, HQ-9 air defense systems, and a full air force squadron, mostly of JF-17 fighter jets, to assist Saudi Arabia under their mutual defense agreement.
Source:
Reuters
Politics and elections
The Philippine senate resumes the impeachment process against Vice President Sara Duterte following last week's lockdown.
Source:
Reuters
The Belarusian defence ministry announces that its military has began joint training exercises with Russia on nuclear weapons combat.
Source:
Al Jazeera
Health and environment
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announces that it is suspending entry into the United States for 30 days to travelers without a U.S. passport that have been to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, or Uganda amidst the ongoing Ebola outbreak in these countries.
Source:
Politico
MV , the cruise ship at center of the hantavirus outbreak, arrives at the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands for disinfection after passengers disembarked the ship.
Source:
Travel and Tour World
Law and crime
Prosecutors in Bolivia issue an arrest warrant for Mario Argollo, general secretary of the Bolivian Workers' Center, on charges including terrorism and incitement amid protests and road blockades in La Paz.
Source:
AFP via Indo Premier
Three people are killed in a drive-by shooting outside a mosque in San Diego, California, United States. Both of the perpetrators die by suicide.
Source:
BNO News
Six people are killed and eight others are injured in a shooting spree, including one inside a restaurant, in Mersin, Mediterranean Region, Turkey. A widespread manhunt is underway to catch the suspect.
Source:
CBS News
Four people are killed and more than 30 others are injured in nationwide protests and transport strikes triggered by a massive surge in fuel prices due to the Iran war, which has raised petroleum costs by more than 20% to record highs in Nairobi, Kenya.
Source:
Reuters
Eight people are killed and five others are injured in a mass shooting at a crowded transportation hub in Abnub, Asyut Governorate, Egypt. The perpetrator is killed by security forces.
Source:
AFP via Al Arabiya
Two people are killed and four others are seriously injured in a mass shooting at a home in El Ejido, Andalusia, Spain. The perpetrator is arrested.
Source:
Reuters
Business and economy
Oil prices rise amid fears of a prolonged war and the draining of world oil reserves, including West Texas Intermediate to US$102.76 per barrel and Brent Crude to US$112.89 per barrel.
Source:
The Wall Street Journal
Australian treasurer Jim Chalmers orders several China-linked shareholders to divest their stakes in Northern Minerals under foreign investment laws aimed at protecting the country's rare earths sector.
Source:
AFP via HKFP
Disasters and accidents
At least 13 people are killed and more than 20 others are injured, most seriously, when a tempo carrying wedding guests collides with a container truck on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway in Palghar district, Maharashtra, India.
Source:
CNN-News18
Source:
Xinhua
Three people are killed and four others are missing after flash floods caused a river to overflow in Xuan'en County, Hubei Province, China.
Source:
Xinhua
Armed conflicts and attacks
Pakistan reportedly shares a revised proposal with the United States from Iran aimed at ending the war.
Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)2026 Iran war2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations2026 Iran war ceasefire
Source:
Reuters
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei says that talks between Iran and the U.S. are still ongoing via Pakistani mediation.
Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)2026 Iran war2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations2026 Iran war ceasefire
Source:
AA
Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority announces that any passage through the Strait of Hormuz that is not coordinated with it and the Iranian armed forces is "illegal".
Source:
Al Jazeera
U.S. president Donald Trump announces that he has called off planned military strikes against Iran for tomorrow at the request of Middle East allies including Qatari emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Emirati president Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, citing "serious negotiations" taking place.
Source:
Middle East Eye
Hezbollah states that it shot down an Israeli military aircraft over Ayta al-Jabal in southern Lebanon.
Source:
Al Jazeera
The Lebanese health ministry announces that the death toll has surpassed 3,000 people, with at least 3,020 people killed and 9,273 wounded since the war began on March 2.
Source:
Al Jazeera
Source:
Sudan Tribune
It is reported that Rapid Support Forces has released commander Abu Lulu after previously being arrested last year after videos were seen of him executing and massacring civilians in El Fasher, Sudan. He is back in combat following his release.
Source:
Reuters