Portal:Current events/2026 May 12

May 12, 2026 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Middle Eastern crisis
- 2026 Iran war
  - 2026 Iranian strikes on Arab countries
    - Israel–United Arab Emirates relations, United Arab Emirates in the 2026 Iran war
      - United States ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee says that Israel has deployed Iron Dome air defense systems and military personnel to the United Arab Emirates amid the Iranian strikes. (AFP via The Hindu)
    - Saudi Arabia in the 2026 Iran war
      - It is reported that Saudi Arabia launched retaliatory strikes against Iran in response to Iranian strikes on the country during the war. (Reuters)
  - 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
    - 2026 Iran war ceasefire, Pakistan in the 2026 Iran war
      - U.S. president Donald Trump says he backs Pakistan as a mediator in ceasefire talks amidst reports that the country allowed Iran to station aircraft at the PAF Base Nur Khan. (Arab News PK)
  - 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
    - 2026 Strait of Hormuz campaign
      - British defence secretary John Healey announces that the United Kingdom has deployed Typhoon fighter jets and the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon as part of a mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz. (BBC News) (Middle East Monitor)
- Hezbollah–Israel conflict
  - 2026 Lebanon war
    - Lebanese health minister Rakan Nassereddine says that Israeli attacks have killed at least 108 medics and health workers since the war began on March 2, and at least 380 people have been killed and 1,122 have been injured since the ceasefire began on April 17. (AA)
- Gaza war
  - Sexual and gender-based violence in the October 7 attacks
    - A new 300-page report by the Israeli non-profit organization Civil Commission claims that Hamas engaged in sexual violence and rape during the October 7 attacks on Israel. (ABC Australia) (BBC News) (The New York Times)
Russo-Ukrainian war
- Attacks in Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian war
  - Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy states that the military has attacked several gas facilities in Orenburg Oblast, Russia. (Reuters)
- Russian attacks on civilians in the Russo-Ukrainian war
  - Six people are killed and seven others, including a nine-month-old child, are injured in Russian drone strikes in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine. (Reuters)
- Russian president Vladimir Putin says Russia will deploy new Sarmat nuclear missiles this year. (Reuters)
Sudanese civil war
- 2026 Blue Nile campaign
  - The International Organization for Migration reports that 50,000 people have been displaced from their homes in the Blue Nile region. (Middle East Monitor) (Sudan Tribune)
- Darfur campaign
  - A drone strike hits a local market and civilian vehicles in Karnoi, North Darfur, Sudan, destroying property and causing casualties. (Sudan Tribune)
Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- A bomb explodes inside a bazaar in Lakki Marwat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, killing at least 10 people and wounding over 30 others. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

2026 Georgian patriarchal election
- Shio III is enthroned as Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia at the Svetitskhoveli cathedral. (Georgian Public Broadcaster)

Business and economy

American autonomous driving technology company Waymo recalls 3,800 robotaxis over risks that they could enter flooded areas. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Five people are killed and two others are injured after a fire at a residential building in Hengyang, Hunan, China. (The Statesman) (Xinhua)
A World War II-era P-51D Mustang crashes near Vicksburg–Tallulah Regional Airport in Mound, Louisiana. The pilot, who was killed in the crash, was Dan Fordice, son of the former Governor of Mississippi Kirk Fordice. (AVWeb)

Health and environment

MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak
- An American traveller, suspected of potential contact with the hantavirus, is quarantined upon arrival in the Pitcairn Islands after transiting through French Polynesia. (RNZ)
- The Spanish health ministry confirms the country's first case of hantavirus in a Spanish passenger from the MV Hondius who has been in isolation at a hospital in Madrid since 11 May. (The Economic Times)

International relations

Denmark–United States relations
- Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen confirms that expanding U.S. military presence in Greenland is part of talks between the United States and Denmark amidst efforts to resolve a crisis caused by Trump's desire to purchase the island. (Reuters)

Law and crime

2026 Iranian strikes on Bahrain
- Bahrain sentences three people to life imprisonment and more than 20 others to prison terms over charges linked to collaboration with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. (AFP via The Manila Times)
Climate change in New Zealand
- New Zealand justice minister Paul Goldsmith announces plans to amend the country's law to prevent courts from holding companies liable for climate change-related harm linked to greenhouse gas emissions. (AFP via The Times of India)

Politics and elections

2026 United Kingdom government crisis
- British prime minister Keir Starmer tells his cabinet he has "no intention" of resigning after several ministers and more than 90 Labour Party MPs call on him to resign or set a timetable for a new party leader to be elected later this year. (AP) (BBC News)
- Four ministers resign following Starmer's refusal to resign, namely Zubir Ahmed, Alex Davies-Jones, Miatta Fahnbulleh, and Jess Phillips. (BBC News) (UPI)
2025–2026 United States redistricting
- The Republican-led South Carolina Senate rejects redistricting efforts to redraw the congressional districts in the U.S. state of South Carolina, including efforts to eliminate the seat represented by U.S. congressman Jim Clyburn. (The Guardian) (NBC News)
2026 Bahamian general election
- Bahamians vote to elect 41 seats of the House of Assembly. Incumbent prime minister Philip Davis becomes the first prime minister to be re-elected for a second consecutive term in office since 1997. (Reuters)
2026 Ugandan general election
- Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni is re-inaugurated for a 7th term. (Africanews) (Reuters)
Cambodian–Thai border dispute
- The Cambodian National Assembly approves the extension of military conscription to two years and increases penalties for draft evasion amid border clashes with Thailand. (AFP via CNA)
2026 Hungarian parliamentary election
- Magyar Government
  - Ministers of the new Cabinet of Prime Minister Péter Magyar are sworn in and take office. (AP)
Nauru announces plans to hold a referendum on changing the country's official name to "Naoero", a move that would require a constitutional amendment. (AFP via The Manila Times)
Brazilian president Lula da Silva announces the formal creation of the Ministry of Public Security after its previous iteration was folded into the Ministry of Justice in 2019. (Agencia Brasil)