detoxed.news

May 15

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 external link
Matthew Wale is appointed as the prime minister of Solomon Islands after Jeremiah Manele was ousted in a no-confidence vote.
Source: The Guardian external link

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 external link

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 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: The New York Times external link
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 external link
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 external link
Israeli airstrikes kill at least seven people across Nabatieh, Tibnin, and Harouf, and injure 37 people in Tyre, Lebanon.
Source: Al Jazeera external link
Israel reports it has targeted Hamas military leader Izz al-Din al-Haddad with an airstrike.
Source: ynetnews external link
Russia and Ukraine swap 205 prisoners of war following a violated three-day ceasefire.
Source: Euronews external link

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 external link
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 external link

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 external link

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 external link

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 external link
Source: Euronews external link

Health and environment

Source: AP external link

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 external link

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 external link
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 external link
Burnham confirms he has requested the permission of the National Executive Committee to stand in the upcoming Makerfield by-election.
Source: BBC News external link
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 external link
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is unanimously re-elected as chairperson of the Fatah movement.
Source: Wafa external link
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 external link
Source: Al Jazeera external link
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 external link

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 external link

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 external link
Xi warns Trump that there could be conflict if the issue of Taiwan is mishandled.
Source: Al Jazeera external link
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 external link
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 external link
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: Reuters external link

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 external link
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi says that ships entering the Strait of Hormuz must cooperate with the Iranian Navy.
Source: The Guardian external link
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 external link
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.
Source: Shabelle Media external link
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 external link

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 external link
Five Italian tourists are found dead after diving in the waters of Alimathaa, Vaavu Atoll, Maldives.
Source: The Mirror external link
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 external link
One person is killed and 19 others are injured after a truck collided with a bus in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Source: Xinhua external link

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 external link
Cuba announces it has completely run out of diesel fuel due to a U.S. blockade of the island as blackouts in Havana now exceed 20-22 hours per day.
Source: UPI external link

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 external link
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 external link
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 external link
Source: New Straits Times external link
Source: Reuters external link

May 13

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.
Source: Somali Guardian external link
Niuean prime minister Dalton Tagelagi is re-elected for a third term in office following a vote of 11–9.
Source: Pacific Media Network external link
King Charles III makes the speech from the House of Lords opening the new UK parliamentary session.
Source: NBC News external link
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 external link
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 external link
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 external link
In the Central African Republic, the Government of Prime Minister Félix Moloua resigns.
Source: Koaci external link

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 external link
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 external link
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 external link
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 external link
Source: WDAY external link

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 external link
Four other vessels from China cross the Strait of Hormuz within the past 24 hours, including vehicle carrier and oil chemical tanker .
Source: AA external link
At least 22 people, including eight children, are killed by Israeli drone strikes in southern Lebanon.
Source: AFP via RTÉ external link
ACLED reports that April was the deadliest month in Gaza this year, with more than 120 reported fatalities related to Israeli violence.
Source: Reuters external link
Nine people are killed and at least 28 others are injured in the latest Russian drone strikes across Ukraine.
Source: BBC News external link
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 external link
Clashes between Pakistani forces and the Balochistan Liberation Army in Balochistan, Pakistan, kill five soldiers, including an army major, and seven insurgents.
Source: AP external link

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 external link
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 external link
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 external link
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 external link
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 external link

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 external link
Four people are killed in a two-story house fire in North Jakarta, Indonesia.
Source: Xinhua external link

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 external link
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 external link