WORLDMay 242 sources
Medical workers identified the dead as Mohammad Abu Mallouh, his wife Alaa Zaqlan, and their six-month-old child Osama after an air raid hit a home in Gaza. Reuters reported the three were killed on May 24, 2026. Al Jazeera said Israeli jets also carried out air raids on Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, causing extensive damage near Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies in the early hours of Sunday.
WORLDMay 263 sources
A second Chinese “joint combat readiness patrol” took place near Taiwan within a week, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence. Taiwanese political scientist and diplomat Joseph Wu said the patrol came shortly after a Beijing summit. Taiwan responded by deploying ships and fighter aircraft to monitor the Chinese activity.
WORLDMay 255 sources
The guilty plea came at the High Court in Edinburgh, where the former Scottish National Party chief executive Peter Murrell was remanded in custody. The Independent reported the charge covered alleged embezzlement from August 2010 to October 2022, and put the sum admitted at £400,310.65.
WORLDMay 244 sources
UK Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has ordered a competition review into “hidden” charges that parents can face when using government-funded childcare in England, asking the Competition and Markets Authority to examine whether families are being hit with extra fees on top of the support they are meant to receive. The move, announced on May 24, comes amid concerns that parents accessing funded early years places can still encounter additional costs that are not always clear upfront...
WORLDMay 254 sources
Two Australians—one man and one woman—traveled to Syria last week to accompany a group of IS-linked women and children back to Australia. An interim Syrian government in Damascus said it would look after a woman and child left behind due to an exclusion order, while Australia said it would not provide consular assistance. Separate reporting also described additional arrivals, including two more women with seven children expected in Melbourne and a later flight involving seven women and 12 children landing there.
WORLDMay 254 sources
Chinese President Xi Jinping met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Beijing on May 25, 2026, in talks that highlighted the two countries’ close ties and Pakistan’s role in efforts to ease tensions in the Middle East, according to multiple reports. Sharif was accompanied on the trip by Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah, Pakistan’s first Chief of Defence Forces and concurrent Chief of the Army Staff, underscoring the security and diplomatic weight Islamabad attached to th...
WORLDMay 262 sources
The draft proposal sets a 2.5% monthly elder care contribution rate for childfree adults, reflecting a 0.7% increase over time. Employers would pay 1.8% toward elder care contributions for childfree employees. Adults with children would keep current contribution rates of 1.8% for one child, 1.55% for two, and 1.3% for three or more children.
WORLDMay 262 sources
The foreign ministers of Australia, India, Japan and the United States met in New Delhi on May 26, 2026, for talks aimed at strengthening cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, as the four-nation Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) convened amid wider geopolitical turbulence. India’s foreign ministry said the Quad foreign ministers used the New Delhi meeting to discuss “recent developments in the Indo-Pacific” and to explore ways to advance cooperation among their countries. The gat...
WORLDMay 262 sources
Delays in diagnosing and treating dozens of patients, including people with cancer, prompted regulatory scrutiny of Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust. The Care Quality Commission launched an inspection of the trust on 2026-05-26. The move followed The Independent’s reporting on the delays.
WORLDMay 262 sources
Access to the two U.S.-based prediction-market platforms was blocked on May 26, 2026 as Spanish authorities examined whether they operated in the country without the required gambling licence. Spain’s Consumer Rights Ministry also initiated disciplinary proceedings, citing allegations that Polymarket and Kalshi lacked the “necessary administrative authorisation” to operate. The immediate question is how long the block lasts and whether the probe ends in penalties or a longer-term ban.
WORLDMay 262 sources
Australian Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Amanda Rishworth on Tuesday announced plans to overhaul Australia’s jobseeker system, including easing Centrelink’s “mutual obligations” regime, in what was described as the first major reset of the system in three decades. Rishworth said the government wanted to shift the focus of the mutual obligations debate away from whether requirements were too strict or too lenient, and toward whether they were actually effective at moving...
WORLDMay 261 source
France is attempting to deport some immigrant students, a move that has left those targeted describing intense emotional distress and confusion, according to Al Jazeera. One student, Mariem, told Al Jazeera she struggled to cope after learning she faced deportation. “I was sad. I didn’t know what to do. I think I was actually depressed,” she said. Another student, Mohammed, described a moment of disbelief after receiving news that he could be removed from France. “I was shocked, disapp...
WORLDMay 261 source
The panel will be chaired by retired Supreme Court Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar and will assess demographic changes across India that Amit Shah attributed to illegal immigration and other “unnatural causes.” The members listed include Census Commissioner Durga Shankar Mishra, retired IPS officer Balaji Srivastava, Dr. Shamika Ravi, and the Joint Secretary (Foreigners-I). Shah linked demographic change to sovereignty, national security, law and order, social structure, and preservation of tribal society.
WORLDMay 261 source
Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth said the “mandate for a referendum could not be clearer” and called it “democratically unsustainable” for Westminster to refuse to listen to Scotland’s verdict. John Swinney, Scotland’s first minister, is set to ask the Scottish Parliament to formally request the transfer of powers from the UK government to hold a second independence referendum. The motion calls on the UK government to make a Section 30 order under the Scotland Act 1998 to devolve powers to hold a referendum on Scottish independence.
WORLDMay 261 source
Three of six seats in Jaffna went to the National People’s Power, which the party said crowned its broader win. The opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya won 40 seats. Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna fell to three seats, down from 145 in 2020.
WORLDMay 261 source
Finance, services, vigilance, revenue, and women and child development stayed with Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, along with general administration, land and building, information and public relations, and administrative reforms. Parvesh Verma received PWD, water, legislative affairs, irrigation and flood control, and gurdwara elections. Ashish Sood took charge of home, power, urban development, education, higher education, training and technical education.
WORLDMay 261 source
Nimai Pal, Akash Pal, Adal Majhi, Manoranjan Hati, Chhanda Jal, and Bipul Jal died in an incident described as suspected asphyxiation in a septic tank. Pankaj Yani fell ill and is receiving hospital treatment. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced ₹4 lakh each for the next of kin, and Kalahandi Collector Sachin Pawer said the administration released ₹30,000 each for last rites.
WORLDMay 261 source
Defense and energy will top the agenda when Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. meets Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during his Japan state visit. Marcos traveled to Tokyo for a four-day trip starting Tuesday, May 26, 2026, and he is expected to meet Takaichi on Thursday, May 28. Japan will also give Marcos one of its highest awards during the visit.
WORLDMay 244 sources
With roughly 569,000 eligible voters choosing 56 lawmakers, 17 parties contested Cyprus’s May 24 parliamentary election. DISY and AKEL led with 27.2% and 23.8% respectively, while far-right ELAM rose to about 11% from 6.8% in 2021. ELAM also emerged as parliament’s third-biggest force, displacing Diko, and a new anti-corruption party tied to social media figures won seats for the first time.
WORLDMay 252 sources
Exiled Belarusian opposition leader and political activist Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya traveled to Kyiv on Sunday for what was described as her first working visit to the Ukrainian capital, meeting Ukraine Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha as Ukrainian officials warn that Belarus could be drawn more deeply into Russia’s war against Ukraine. Tsikhanouskaya’s trip came at a tense moment for Ukraine, with The Independent reporting that it was her first visit to Kyiv following ...
WORLDMay 252 sources
London reached 34.8C at Kew Gardens, setting a new U.K. record for the hottest May day. A French government spokeswoman, Maud Bregeon, said at least seven deaths may relate to the high temperatures, including five drownings and two deaths during sports competitions. UK health officials issued an amber alert for much of the country through Wednesday morning, while firefighters tackled a grass fire in Edinburgh.
WORLDMay 252 sources
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. said it has developed a new chip design framework aimed at “1.4nm-class transistors” and a 55% increase in transistor density, a claim the company presented May 25 at a tech conference in Shanghai as it seeks to keep advancing despite U.S. sanctions that have restricted its access to leading-edge semiconductor tools and technology. The announcement, delivered by He Tingbo, president of Huawei’s semiconductor business, positioned the company’s latest work as a ro...
WORLDMay 228 sources
By May 23, local officials put the death toll from a gas explosion at the Liushenyu coal mine in Shanxi province at at least 82, with nine people still missing. The blast struck at 7:29 p.m. on May 22 in Qinyuan county, and investigators had not yet announced a cause. President Xi Jinping ordered an investigation as authorities continued to account for workers.
WORLDMay 233 sources
Officials warned the leaking tank posed two main dangers: it could fail and spill chemicals or enter thermal runaway and explode, potentially affecting nearby fuel and chemical tanks. About 40,000 residents received evacuation orders in the Garden Grove area of Orange County after the tank began leaking on Friday. The Independent reported the leak started May 21 at the GKN Aerospace facility on Western Avenue in Garden Grove.
WORLDMay 171 source
Three drones attacked the Barakah nuclear power plant, with no reported injuries and no radiation release. The UAE Defense Ministry said the drones came from Iraq and were most likely launched by Iran-backed Shiite militia groups. IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi called the attack a threat to nuclear safety and warned that striking the plant’s power lines could raise the risk of reactor core melting and a high release of radioactivity.
WORLDMay 222 sources
The agency raised its assessment of the risk that the current Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak could spread nationally within the Democratic Republic of Congo to “very high” on May 22, 2026. It also described the move as an upgrade from the previous “high” risk level.
WORLDMay 221 source
The quake struck near Honaunau-Napoopoo on Hawaii’s Big Island and reached magnitude 6.0. It was felt widely on Hawaii, Maui, and Oahu, and it occurred at a depth of about 14 miles. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami was not expected.
WORLDMay 211 source
Nineteen people died when gunmen raided a palm plantation in the municipality of Trujillo in northern Honduras. At least 25 people, including six police officers, died overall in attacks across Honduras on May 21, 2026.
WORLDMay 223 sources
Hundreds of Ukrainians marched in Kyiv on May 22 demanding the government veto a bill that families fear could let the state declare missing soldiers dead. The protest unfolded against a backdrop of continued attacks, after Zelenskyy said large-scale Russian strikes killed four and injured about 100 people in Kyiv and other areas. In parallel, Trump credited U.S. diplomacy for a ceasefire pause and said the request came directly from him, while Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha argued Russia’s actions show it wants to keep fighting and that only pressure on Moscow can stop it.
WORLDMay 243 sources
Tear gas and rubber bullets drove supporters of Özgür Özel, the Republican People's Party (CHP) leader since 2023, out of the party’s headquarters on May 24, 2026. After the police intervention, Özel and his supporters started marching toward Parliament, more than 5 kilometers away. Separate reporting said there were no immediate reports of injuries.
WORLDMay 234 sources
Students led a mass demonstration in Belgrade on May 23, with crowds gathering at Slavija Square and across the city, many wearing “Students win” T-shirts or carrying Serbian flags. Protesters rallied against the government and called for early elections, while President Aleksandar Vučić, Serbia’s president since 2017, pushed back against the demonstrators.
WORLDMay 252 sources
In Sucre on May 25, Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz Pereira said he will cut his salary and the pay of his cabinet ministers by 50%. He framed the move as a signal of the government’s “commitment to the country” while defending spending cuts and reductions to fuel subsidies as necessary to stabilize public finances during the crisis.
WORLDMay 232 sources
A 12-year-old girl reported missing on the evening of May 23 in Budgam, central Kashmir, was found dead the next morning about 200 metres from her home. Police recovered her body at around 7.15am and said initial indications point to rape and murder. Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested a local youth on May 25, 2026, as public anger grew over the case.
WORLDMay 222 sources
During his Vatican meeting with Pope Leo XIV, Taoiseach Micheál Martin asked the pope to pressure religious orders in Ireland to engage on redress for survivors of sexual abuse. Martin also offered the assistance of Irish officials with experience in the Northern Ireland peace process for Vatican conflict-resolution work. Micheál Martin and his wife, Mary O’Shea, arrived at the Vatican on Friday morning for the meeting.
WORLDMay 222 sources
A complaint by Tunisia’s General Administration of Prisons led to a case over a 2023 radio interview in which Sonia Dahmani criticised prison conditions. The Tunis Court of First Instance delivered its verdict after a Friday hearing on May 22, 2026, sentencing Dahmani to two years in jail.
WORLDMay 234 sources
China’s space authorities named three astronauts—Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyuan and Hong Kong’s Lai Ka-ying—for the Shenzhou-23 mission announced May 23, 2026. Lai will serve as a payload specialist and will fly with Zhu and Zhang on a mission set to dock with China’s Tiangong space station.
WORLDMay 242 sources
Seven Uganda Revenue Authority officials traveled in a Toyota Hiace minibus that hit a crossing elephant while going from Arua to Kampala, police said. Three people died at the scene and four others, including the driver, suffered injuries. Wildlife officials and police urged motorists to slow down and watch for animals crossing roads inside protected areas, including at night.
WORLDMay 222 sources
European Council President Antonio Costa called the agreement “a true geopolitical statement.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the goal was “to create more jobs and generate more value on both sides of the Atlantic.” Mexico’s Economy Ministry said the new deal could boost Mexican exports to the EU from around $24 billion annually to $36 billion by 2030.
WORLDMay 182 sources
The family of Ariella Mann, a British baby who fell ill on a December 2022 holiday in Egypt, is seeking answers from Tui and the Jaz Makadi Aquaviva hotel. She developed haemolytic uraemic syndrome linked to E. coli and later died in January. Her mother said Ariella suffered fever, vomiting and diarrhoea on the trip and did not improve despite repeated visits to the hotel clinic. Lawyers say they also represent the families of Chloe Crook and Arthur Broughton in pressing for explanations.
WORLDMay 184 sources
Treasurer Jim Chalmers ordered six Chinese-linked companies to divest their stakes in rare earths firm Northern Minerals within two weeks, citing concerns investors had tried to take control of the company. Five of the targeted shareholders are registered in China or Hong Kong, and one is registered in the British Virgin Islands. China’s Foreign Ministry urged Australia to “earnestly respect” Chinese investors’ rights and to maintain a fair business climate for foreign investment.
WORLDMay 222 sources
Nine Western countries issued a joint warning to the Israel government on May 22, 2026, urging it to halt settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and address a surge in settler violence that the countries said is destabilizing the territory and damaging prospects for a two-state solution. In the joint statement, the countries said “settler violence is at unprecedented levels,” and argued that “the policies and practices of the Israeli government... are undermining stability and prosp...
WORLDMay 182 sources
In Nuuk on May 18, 2026, Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen told U.S. envoy Jeff Landry that “The Greenlandic people are not for sale” and that Greenlandic self-determination “is not something that can be negotiated.” Landry—Louisiana’s governor serving as President Trump’s special envoy to Greenland—also drew criticism from Greenlandic officials after handing out chocolate chip cookies and red MAGA hats to people on the street during his visit.
WORLDMay 232 sources
A mass measles vaccination campaign in Bangladesh has reached 18 million children as of May 2026, according to UNICEF’s country chief. Bangladesh’s government has said the outbreak is now contained, citing declining cases in several previously hard-hit areas.
WORLDMay 241 source
Temperatures exceeded 30C in many parts of France in record-breaking May heat expected to last into the week of May 25, Meteo France said. In Lyon, a woman died of heat stroke during a sports competition on Sunday, May 24. The U.K. Health Security Agency issued its first amber health alert of the year for May 25, warning of increased deaths among the elderly during the hottest times of the day.
WORLDMay 231 source
With King Norodom Sihamoni undergoing medical treatment, Senate President Hun Sen signed Cambodia’s new conscription law in his capacity as acting head of state. Prime Minister Hun Manet framed the law as a way to cultivate patriotism among Cambodian youth and build willingness to serve in the military.
WORLDMay 241 source
The Sydney Morning Herald detailed taxpayer-funded expenses tied to Bridget McKenzie’s February 2023 travel to Launceston, including $328.99 for a flight and $317 for one night’s accommodation. Her son married at a vineyard in Sidmouth, Tasmania, on February 18, 2023. A spokesperson said the trip formed part of a multi-state campaign to expose Labor’s budget cuts to infrastructure and that it was undertaken in accordance with parliamentary rules.
WORLDMay 242 sources
Nearly 300 tons of drugs seized and the extradition of a dozen alleged crime bosses to the United States featured in President Daniel Noboa’s May 24, 2026 address. He said his government will “seek them out, find them and extradite them.” Noboa also argued Ecuador “cannot develop” if families live in fear of organized crime.
WORLDMay 251 source
A high-level ministerial sub-committee met in hybrid mode on May 25, 2026, to review excise reforms and revenue enhancement measures in Andhra Pradesh. Minister for Mines and Geology Kollu Ravindra attended in person alongside MSME Minister Kondapalli Srinivas and Principal Secretary Mukesh Kumar Meena. The agenda included proposals on airport liquor outlets, digital payment systems, dynamic MRP printing, separate licensing for laboratory-grade spirits, and possible beer and liquor price revisions tied to rising input costs and global disruptions.
WORLDMay 221 source
The United Democratic Front government has decided to approach the Thiruvananthapuram District Court to seek withdrawal of provisions of India’s Aircraft Act that were applied against Youth Congress activists in connection with the 2022 “flight protest” case, according to The Hindu. The move, reported on May 22, 2026, would specifically target the Aircraft Act charges in the case involving members of the Youth Congress, the youth wing of the Indian National Congress party, The Hindu said. [...
WORLDMay 231 source
The CPI(M) said it raised the issue after expressing “deep concern and anguish” over repeated leaks of NEET examination papers at a Central Committee meeting held from May 22 to 24, 2026. It alleged the National Testing Agency has minimal institutional accountability and earns thousands of crores as revenue, citing a 2023 Rajya Sabha committee report. The party also claimed that since NTA was set up in 2017, at least four exam paper leak incidents have occurred.
WORLDMay 251 source
Systematic belittlement inside the Biju Janata Dal and an inability to meet the party president drove Debashish Samantaray to quit the party and resign his Rajya Sabha seat. He said he would soon join the Bharatiya Janata Party and that talks with BJP leadership had been finalised. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and state BJP president Manmohan Samal were in New Delhi, possibly to witness his joining.
WORLDMay 201 source
Retailers must now sell pregabalin only against a valid prescription issued by a Registered Medical Practitioner, and they must maintain a separate register of prescription and sales details. Manufacturers must also display the prescribed “Schedule H1 Drug Warning” label on product packaging. The Union Health Ministry said violations and non-compliance will attract penal action under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and related rules.
WORLDMay 181 source
Nearly 43,000 tobacco farmers and lakhs of workers dependent on the sector face livelihood risks under India’s revised tax policy, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said. He wrote to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on May 18, 2026, seeking relief. Naidu said the tax regime effective February 1, 2026 raised GST on cigarettes from 28% to 40% and lifted excise duty from ₹2,050 to ₹8,500 per 1,000 cigarettes, and he warned that excessive taxation on legal cigarettes could expand illicit tobacco sales.
WORLDMay 251 source
Georgia’s prime minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, said a partnership with Tether aims to lay foundations for a “more connected and transparent financial world.” National Bank of Georgia President Natia Turnava said the central bank welcomes the collaboration as part of its strategy to advance digital financial infrastructure. The plan calls for launching a stablecoin called GELT that would represent the Georgian lari under Georgia’s digital asset regulatory framework.
WORLDMay 231 source
Nursing students blocked the road from 9 a.m. in front of the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital entrance in Tiruchi after their colleague Seethalakshmi died during surgery. Over 300 students protested and alleged medical negligence. S. Ramesh, the Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments, District Collector V. Saravanan, and senior officials held talks with the protesters.
WORLDMay 222 sources
Crowds in the tens of thousands rallied in Havana on May 22, 2026, protesting the Trump administration’s indictment of former Cuban President Raúl Castro and what demonstrators described as U.S. threats to attack Cuba. Separately, CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Havana on May 14 for meetings that included Raúl Castro’s grandson, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, and senior government figures.
WORLDMay 221 source
The judgment appeared in a public database as an “unsatisfied record,” meaning the £9,400 debt had not been cleared as of May 2026. Reform UK said Farage was not aware of the claim and will appeal, adding that the court claim went to the wrong address.
WORLDMay 191 source
Britain’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport called for an investigation into rape claims linked to the production of Married at First Sight UK, calling them “serious allegations.” Channel 4 said it stood by its participant protection protocols and said it took appropriate action in the cases of three women. CPL, the show’s producer for Channel 4, did not respond to requests for comment.
WORLDMay 251 source
Government offices, service centres, and educational institutions across Punjab will operate from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. until further orders. The revised hours take effect from May 25, 2026, under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s government. District officials in Amritsar and Mohali said they will implement the change and framed it around public health and power conservation.
