Portal:Current events/2026 May 14

May 14, 2026 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2026 Iran war
- 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
  - China–Iran relations
    - The Fars News Agency reports that Iran has allowed vessels from China to cross the Strait of Hormuz. (Roya News)
  - Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi says that ships entering the Strait of Hormuz must cooperate with the Iranian Navy. (The Guardian)
Russo-Ukrainian war
- Kyiv strikes
  - 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. (Ukrainska Pravda) (BBC News) (AP) (NPR)
Somali Civil War, Constitutional crisis in Somalia
- Controversies of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
  - 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. (Garowe Online) (Shabelle Media)
Yemeni civil war
- 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. (AP) (Reuters)

Arts and culture

2026 FIFA World Cup
- 2026 FIFA World Cup final
  - 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. (Reuters)

Business and economy

2025–2026 United States trade war with Canada and Mexico
- 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. (AFP via The Manila Times) (CBC News)
2026 Cuban crisis
- 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. (UPI)

Disasters and accidents

Nine people are killed in a landslide near an illegal gold mining site in West Sumatra Province, Indonesia. (Xinhua)
Seven people are killed and one critically injured after a speeding vehicle collides with a tree near Gardabani, Georgia. (Front News Georgia)
Five Italian tourists are found dead after diving in the waters of Alimathaa, Vaavu Atoll, Maldives. (AFP via Ansa) (The Mirror)
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. (AP) (Primera Hora in Spanish)
One person is killed and 19 others are injured after a truck collided with a bus in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Xinhua)

International relations

China–United States relations
- 2026 state visit by Donald Trump to China
  - Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. president Donald Trump, along with business leaders from both countries, meet in Beijing, China. (CNN) (The Guardian)
  - Xi warns Trump that there could be conflict if the issue of Taiwan is mishandled. (Nikkei Asia) (Fox News)
  - 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. (AFP via AA)
Guyana–Venezuela relations
- Guyana–Venezuela territorial dispute
  - 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. (AP)
Afghanistan–Russia relations
- 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. (Reuters) (Jerusalem Post)

Law and crime

International Criminal Court investigation in the Philippines
- 2026 Philippine Senate lockdown
  - 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. (Reuters) (The Philippine Star) (UPI)
LGBTQ rights in Poland
- Recognition of same-sex unions in Poland
  - 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. (AP)
Piracy around the Horn of Africa
- Piracy off the coast of Somalia
  - Somali pirates increase their ransom demands to US$10 million for the release of the Togo-registered MV Eureka tanker hijacked off Somali waters. (Garowe Online) (Hiiraan Online) (Middle East Monitor)
Aftermath of the Korean War
- The Seoul Central District Court in South Korea orders North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un to pay damages to five former Korean War prisoners who were held in North Korea after the conflict. (AFP via New Straits Times)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces that Israel plans to sue The New York Times for running a column by Nicholas Kristof discussing the use of sexual violence against Palestinian prisoners by the Israeli military. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

2026 United Kingdom government crisis
- 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. (BBC News) (CNN) (The New York Times)
- 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. (ITV News)
- Burnham confirms he has requested the permission of the National Executive Committee to stand in the upcoming Makerfield by-election. (Bloomberg) (BBC News)
Catholic Church and same-sex marriage
- 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. (Church Times)
Eighth General Conference of Fatah
- Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is unanimously re-elected as chairperson of the Fatah movement. (Wafa)
2026 Bolivian protests
- 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. (Reuters)
The Iraqi parliament approves Ali al-Zaidi as new prime minister, succeeding Muhammad Shia al-Sudani (Al-Monitor)
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. (AP) (DW)

Science and technology

Paleontology in Thailand
- Researchers from Thailand publish the discovery of the Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis in Chaiyaphum province, the largest dinosaur species ever discovered in Southeast Asia. (NPR)