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May 21, 2026 (Thursday)
0.3 minutes to read
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.
May 20, 2026 (Wednesday)
3.2 minutes to read
Armed conflicts and attacks
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.
Israeli airstrikes kill at least eight people in Ad-Doueir, Tibnin, Burj el-Shamali, and Shebaa in southern Lebanon.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Disasters and accidents
The 1,200-year-old Reikado Hall in the DaishĹŤ-in temple complex in Itsukushima, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, burns down completely.
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.
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.
American MV Hondius passengers quarantined in Nebraska following exposure to the hantavirus on the ship will remain in quarantine until the end of May.
International relations
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.
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.
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.
Law and crime
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.
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 RaĂşl Castro and five others on murder charges in connection with the 1996 shootdown of an aircraft operated by Brothers to the Rescue.
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.
The German public prosecutor general arrests a Chinese couple in Munich who are accused of spying for a Chinese intelligence agency.
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.
Sports
In association football, Aston Villa defeat SC Freiburg 3–0 at BeĹźiktaĹź Stadium, Istanbul, to win their first UEFA Europa League title, and second European title after the 1982 European Cup final. Emiliano BuendĂa, who scored Villa's second goal, is named player of the match.
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.
In ice hockey, the Montreal Victoire defeat the Ottawa Charge 3–1 to win their first-ever PWHL Walter Cup.
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