Portal:Current events/2026 May 24

May 24, 2026 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Middle Eastern crisis
- 2026 Iran war
  - 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
    - The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy reports that 33 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz after receiving permission in the past 24 hours. (Iran International)
  - The Iranian military shoots down an alleged Israeli surveillance drone over Hormozgan province, Iran. (Iran International)
Russo-Ukrainian war
- Attacks in Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian war
  - The Ukrainian Security Service reports that Ukrainian forces have successfully launched an overnight drone strike on the Vtorovo oil pumping station in the Vladimir Oblast in Russia. (Kyiv Independent)
- Four people are killed and over a hundred are injured in a Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv, Ukraine. The National Chernobyl Museum is severely damaged, among other buildings. (BBC News) (The Washington Post) (Meduza)
Insurgency in Balochistan
- 2026 Quetta train bombing
  - At least 30 people are killed and over 52 are injured after the explosion of a bomb at a car park near a train station in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan. The Balochistan Liberation Army claims responsibility. (Al Jazeera) (The Independent Urdu)
Sudanese civil war
- 2026 Blue Nile campaign
  - Sudanese Armed Forces announces that they have seized control of Al-Barka in the Blue Nile region of Sudan. The SAF's Fourth Infantry Division confirmed the military operation in a statement. (Sudan Tribune)

Disasters and accidents

2026 Angeles City building collapse
- A Malaysian citizen dies after a nine-story building, under construction as a condo-hotel, collapses in Angeles, Pampanga, Philippines. At least 26 people are rescued, while search operations are ongoing for 23 others still missing. (The Philippine Star) (CNA)
Five people are killed and another is injured in a fire at a shop in Qidong County, Hunan, China. (Xinhua)
Three people are killed and 17 others are reported missing after overnight torrential rains in Yongchuan, Chongqing, China. (Reuters)

Health and environment

At least 16 people die from heat stroke in Telangana, India, as temperatures exceed 45 °C (113 °F) during a heat wave, prompting public safety measures from the government. (AFP via The Straits Times) (Hindustan Times)

Law and crime

Bahrain–Iran relations, Reactions to the 2026 Iran war
- Bahrain sentences nine people to life in prison for espionage on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. (Iran International)
Crisis in Venezuela
- Hundreds of inmates seize control of a prison in Barinas, Venezuela, and protest alleged torture and abuse, demanding the removal of the prison director as security forces surround the facility. (AFP via The Sun)
Four people are killed, including a village chief and a police officer, and four others are injured in a mass shooting in Santo Tomas, Isabela, Philippines. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Four people are killed and one of the gunmen is injured in a mass shooting in Kabul, Afghanistan. Two suspects are arrested. (Pajhwok Afghan News)

Politics and elections

2025–2026 Iranian protests
- 2026 Iranian diaspora protests
  - Iranian Americans gather in San Francisco, California, United States at the Ferry Building opposing an immediate end to the Iran war, citing concerns that it would leave the Islamic Republic regime in power and undermine hopes for change in the country. (CBS San Francisco)
2026 Cypriot legislative election
- Cypriots vote to elect 56 of the 80 seats in the House of Representatives. Recent opinion polls have indicated that the conservative DISY and the leftist AKEL are competing for first place, while the hard-right ELAM is also expected to make gains in the legislature. (Euronews) (DW) (Reuters)
- DISY wins the most with 17 seats, followed by AKEL in second with 15 seats and ELAM in third with eight seats. ALMA and Direct Democracy Cyprus enter the legislature with four seats each. (Phileleftheros)
2025–2026 Turkish protests
- Turkish police raid the headquarters of the Republican People's Party and evict its leadership, including Özgür Özel. (AFP via France 24) (BBC News) (Reuters)
2026 Beninese presidential election
- Romuald Wadagni is sworn in as the president of Benin, succeeding Patrice Talon. (Reuters)
Residents of Kraków, Poland, have overwhelmingly backed the dismissal of Mayor Aleksander Miszalski (Civic Platform) and the city council in a local recall referendum for the first time in the city's history. Exit polls have shown a 33.4% voter turnout with 97.8% of voters backing dismissing Miszalski, while 96.0% supported removing the council. (TVP World)
In Senegal, Malick Ndiaye resigns as National Assembly president following the dismissal of prime minister Ousmane Sonko, clearing the way for Sonko to seek the parliament's presidency amid tensions within the ruling coalition. (AFP via Le Monde) (Bloomberg)
Thousands of people protest in Madrid, Spain, against increasing housing costs. (AP)

Sports

2026 IndyCar Series
- 2026 Indianapolis 500
  - In auto racing, Meyer Shank's Felix Rosenqvist defeats Penske's David Malukas to win the 110th Indianapolis 500, giving Meyer Shank its second victory in the event. The margin of victory is 0.023 seconds, making it the closest finish in Indianapolis 500 history. (FOX Sports)
2026 FIFA World Cup, Iran at the FIFA World Cup
- The president of the Iranian football federation says FIFA has approved the country's World Cup training base being switched from the United States to Mexico due to the ongoing conflict. (BBC Sport)