Portal:Current events/2026 May 8

May 8, 2026 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2026 Iran war
- 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
  - 2026 Iran war ceasefire
    - Pakistan in the 2026 Iran war, Islamabad Talks
      - The Wall Street Journal reports that Iran and the United States may resume talks next week in Islamabad, Pakistan. (AA) (The Wall Street Journal)
    - Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan hold a phone call to review the status of talks between Iran and the United States. (AA)
- 2026 Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates
  - Three people are injured after the United Arab Emirates defence ministry says that they have intercepted two ballistic missiles and three drones from Iran, increasing the total number of injuries in the country since the war began to 230. (Khaleej Times)
- 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
  - Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines says that three of their vessels that crossed the Strait of Hormuz last month did not pay transit fees. (Reuters)
  - A Malta-flagged tanker carrying 1 million barrels of crude oil arrived off South Korea’s west coast Friday after passing through the Strait of Hormuz in mid-April. (AP)
- 2026 United States naval blockade of Iran
  - The U.S. Central Command says that a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS George H. W. Bush has attacked two Iranian tankers, the M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda, as both ships were transiting the Gulf of Oman. (Stars and Stripes) (Businessinsider)
- Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari accuses the U.S. of violating the ceasefire after it targeted two ships at the Strait of Hormuz and strikes in the Hormozgan province, including Bandar Khamir, Sirik, and Qeshm Island yesterday. He also confirmed that Iran responded by attacking U.S. military vessels east of the waterway and south of Chabahar port. (AA) (Reuters)
Sudanese civil war
- The Sudan Civil Aviation Authority issues a NOTAM that Khartoum International Airport has reopened to international traffic after previously being suspended due to the May 4 drone attack. (Sudan Tribune)

Arts and culture

61st Venice Biennale
- Gaza war protests
  - Pavilions at the 61st Venice Biennale close after artists go on a strike in protest of Israel's entry into the event organized by the Art Not Genocide Alliance over Israel's role in the Gaza war. (Times of Israel)
Mass media in Niger
- Niger's junta suspends at least 10 French media organizations, including Agence France-Presse and France 24, citing concerns over public order. (AFP via The Punch) (Xinhua)

Disasters and accidents

2026 Liuyang fireworks factory explosion
- The death toll from an explosion at a fireworks factory three days ago in Liuyang, Hunan, China, rises to 37, with 51 injured and one remaining missing. (Reuters)
May 2026 eruption of Dukono
- Three hikers are killed, two are missing and 15 more rescued after the eruption of Mount Dukono on Halmahera, Indonesia. (Al Jazeera)
Frontier Airlines Flight 4345
- An Airbus A321neo operated by Frontier Airlines strikes and kills a person while taking off from Denver International Airport in Colorado, U.S., leading to an engine fire and aborted takeoff that injures 12 passengers. (ABC7) (BBC News)

Health and environment

MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak
- The World Health Organization reports six cases of the Andes strain of hantavirus in connection with MV Hondius. (AFP and Reuters via The Straits Times)
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 115 people on the cruise ship Caribbean Princess have been infected by a norovirus outbreak. (ABC News)

International relations

Poland and the European Union, European Defence Union
- Poland becomes the first country to sign a loan agreement under the European Commission's Security Action for Europe defence financing programme, securing nearly €44 billion (US$52 billion) to support military modernization and the domestic arms industry. (AFP via France 24)
Hungary–Russia relations
- Hungary expels a Russian diplomat at the Russian embassy in Budapest identified as a SVR officer who allegedly spent years cultivating contacts in think tanks tied to the government of prime minister Viktor Orbán. (VSquare) (The New Voice of Ukraine)

Politics and elections

2026 United Kingdom local elections
- 2026 Scottish Parliament election, 2026 Senedd election
  - The Labour Party concedes defeat in Wales with Plaid Cymru and Reform UK making significant gains, while the nationalist Scottish National Party claims victory in Scotland. (BBC News) (Reuters)
  - Welsh Labour leader and First Minister of Wales Eluned Morgan resigns after losing her seat in the Senedd as Plaid Cymru claims victory in Wales. (The National)
- Reform UK take full control of Havering London Borough Council, making it the first Reform-run council in Greater London. (The Independent)
2026 Bulgarian parliamentary election
- Rumen Radev is sworn in as prime minister of Bulgaria after being elected in a vote of 124–70, with 36 abstentions at the National Assembly. (AP)
2026 Costa Rican general election
- Laura Fernández Delgado is sworn in as president of Costa Rica, succeeding Rodrigo Chaves Robles. (Reuters) (AP)
2026 Danish parliamentary election
- The bid of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to form the new Government fails. King Frederik X asks the leader of the Venstre party, Troels Lund Poulsen, to try it instead. (The Guardian)

Science and technology

Investigation of UFO reports by the United States government
- The United States Department of Defense begins releasing classified files, images and videos relating to unidentified flying objects. (The Independent)