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.
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May 20, 2026 (Wednesday)
1.8 minutes to read
Armed conflicts and attacks
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
May 19, 2026 (Tuesday)
3.7 minutes to read
Armed conflicts and attacks
The Sudanese Emergency Lawyers reports that 28 people have been killed in a drone strike on a market in West Kordofan, Sudan.
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.
Israeli airstrikes kill 19 people and injure 34 in the Nabatieh District and the Tyre District, Lebanon.
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.
United States vice president JD Vance says that progress has been made in talks with Iran. However, he also stated that the U.S. is ready to resume strikes if talks fail.
The New York Times 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.
Israel seizes control of approximately 1,000 km2 (390 sq mi) of territory across the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and Syria, an area equivalent to roughly 5% of the country's landmass.
The U.S. African Command says that U.S. and Nigerian forces have launched airstrikes on a ISIS camp in Nigeria.
Arts and culture
In literature, Taiwan Travelogue by Yang Shuang-zi and translated by Lin King wins the 2026 International Booker Prize.
Disasters and accidents
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.
At least 10,000 homes are evacuated amid spreading wildfires in Santa Rosa Island and Simi Valley, California, United States.
At least 27 people are injured in a Mw 6.1 earthquake off the coast of Ica Department, Peru.
Health and environment
Thailand reports two cases of mpox, prompting the Department of Disease Control to increase surveillance of the disease.
The death toll in the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo rises to 131.
Sudan begins implementing Ebola measures, including screening passengers at the international airport in Port Sudan.
Taiwan reports its first case of the transmissible mpox clade Ib variant in a man in his 20s in northern Taiwan.
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.
International relations
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.
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.
Law and crime
Former Spanish prime minister JosĂ© Luis RodrĂguez 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.
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 CollbatĂł in 2024.
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.
Three people, including two Japanese nationals and a Chinese national, are injured in a stabbing attack at a restaurant in Shanghai, China.
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.
Several banks close in La Paz as protests intensify across Bolivia, with demonstrators demanding the resignation of president Rodrigo Paz.
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.
Sports
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.
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.
World Cup co-host United States allows the DR Congo football team to participate in the upcoming games in the country despite ebola concerns.
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