Portal:Current events/2026 May 16

May 16, 2026 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Middle Eastern crisis
- 2026 Iran war
  - 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
    - 2026 Iran war ceasefire
      - Pakistani interior minister Mohsin Naqvi arrives in Tehran for a meeting with Iranian officials in a effort to continue talks between Iran and the United States to end the war. (Arab News PK)
  - 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
    - Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Azizi says that Iran will introduce new mechanisms to regulate maritime traffic through a designated route in the Strait of Hormuz and charge fees for ships entering the waterway. (AA)
  - 2026 United States military buildup in the Middle East
    - The USS Gerald R. Ford returns to the United States at the Naval Station in Norfolk, Virginia, following a 11-month deployment, the longest of the U.S. since its involvement in the Vietnam War, after taking part in the Iran war. (AP)
- 2026 Lebanon war
  - Israeli airstrikes kill at least five people across southern Lebanon, including a paramedic in Tayr Felsay, Tyre District. (Al Jazeera)
- Gaza war
  - The Israeli military confirms that Al-Qassam Brigades commander and Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Izz al-Din al-Haddad, dubbed as one of the architects behind the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, was killed yesterday in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City. Hamas also confirms his killing, and that his wife and daughter were also killed in the airstrike. (Reuters) (The Times of Israel)
Mali War
- 2026 Mali offensives
  - Mali launches investigations into several soldiers and politicians, including Oumar Mariko, suspected of involvement in the April 25, 2026 coordinated attacks on Mali by Tuareg rebels and Al Qaeda-linked Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin. (DW)
Killing of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki
- The U.S. African Command confirms that the U.S. military has eliminated several members of ISIS during a joint mission with Nigerian forces in Nigeria, including second-in-command Abu-Bilal al-Minuki. (Stars and Stripes)
Colombian conflict
- In Colombia, Rogers Devia, the former mayor of Cubarral and ally of presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, is shot and killed alongside one of his staffers in a rural area near the city. (AP)

Arts and culture

Eurovision Song Contest 2026
- Bulgaria wins the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Bangaranga" by Dara. (The New York Times)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
- 2026 Iran war fuel crisis
  - Comorian energy minister Aboubacar Saïd Anli announces the suspension of fuel price hikes following deadly protests. (Reuters)
- Sri Lanka imposes a 50% surtax on vehicle imports to reduce pressure on foreign exchange reserves amid currency depreciation linked to the Iran war. (AFP via Gulf News)

Disasters and accidents

2026 Bangkok train collision
- Eight people are killed and 25 others are injured after a train hits and sparks a fire on a bus in Bangkok, Thailand. (Reuters)
Shark attacks in Australia
- A 38-year-old man is killed in a shark attack at a reef near Rottnest Island, Western Australia. The shark is reported to have been a 13-foot (4.0 m) great white shark, according to the DPIRD. (BBC News)
Five people are killed after a three-story building under construction collapsed in Abuja, Nigeria. (Xinhua)
Two people are killed and another is injured when a North American T-28 Trojan reportedly explodes mid-air and crashes into a residential area in Limburgerhof, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. (AA) (Tagesschau in German)

Health and environment

MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak
- The Canadian public health agency reports that a Canadian on the MV Hondius has tested positive for the Andes strain of the hantavirus and was hospitalized along with their spouse. (NBC News)
- The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment confirms that a person in Douglas County, Colorado, U.S., has died from hantavirus. However, officials say that the death is not related to the cruise ship outbreak. (KMGH-TV)
2026 Central Africa Ebola epidemic
- The World Health Organization declares the Ebola virus outbreak in Uganda and Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, a public health emergency of international concern. (Reuters)
Solomon Islands reinstates a ban on dolphin exports two days after its repeal, citing concerns over the country's fisheries standards and tuna export industry. (AFP via The Manila Times) (RNZ)
The carcass of a humpback whale that washed ashore on the Danish island of Anholt is confirmed to be that of Timmy, a whale that was stranded off the coast of Germany for several weeks before later being released into the North Sea. The Ocean Museum Germany concludes that Timmy likely died shortly after being released from the barge due to exhaustion. (Welt)

Law and crime

Protests against the 2026 Iran war
- One person dies and five others are injured in clashes between protesters and security forces in Anjouan, Comoros, as demonstrations continue over rising fuel prices partially attributed to the Iran war. (Reuters)
2026 Modena car-ramming attack
- Eight people are injured, including four seriously, in a vehicle-ramming and stabbing attack in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The perpetrator is arrested. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Constitutional crisis in Somalia
- Controversies of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
  - International representatives, excluding those from the United Kingdom and the United States, meet in Mogadishu and deem the administration of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the de facto Somali government. Operational Policy 7.30, a framework typically applied to countries that have lost statehood or where a government assumes power outside the country’s constitutional framework, will be utilized. (Idil News)
2026 Long Island Rail Road strike
- Five unions representing over 3,500 workers for the Long Island Rail Road, the largest commuter rail system in North America, goes on strike to negotiate a new contract with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York City, United States. (AP)

Sports

2025–26 FA Cup
- 2026 FA Cup final
  - In association football, Manchester City beat Chelsea 1–0 at London's Wembley Stadium, through a 72nd-minute goal from Antoine Semenyo, to win their 8th FA Cup title. (The Guardian)
2025–26 Ekstraklasa
- In association football, Lech Poznań win their 2nd consecutive and 10th ever Ekstraklasa title with a league game to spare. (Piłka Nożna in Polish)