- Pentagon says U.S. will cut thousands of troops from Europe The Washington Post
- Poland seeks answers after Pentagon scraps planned US armored brigade rotation Fox News
- NATO’s top commander downplays US troop withdrawal politico.eu
- Statement Attributable to Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs (ATSW(PA)) U.S. Department of War (.gov)
- US to cut troops in Europe to lowest level since before Ukraine invasion Financial Times
Arsenal fans erupt after team secures Premier League crown
Arsenal has won the Premier League, ending a 22-year drought.
EU mulls Angela Merkel or Mario Draghi as possible Vladimir Putin whisperer – Financial Times
- EU mulls Angela Merkel or Mario Draghi as possible Vladimir Putin whisperer Financial Times
- Angela Merkel says Europe ‘not making sufficient use of diplomatic potential’ to engage with Russia – as it happened The Guardian
- High risks, pitfalls and snubs: EU envoy for Russia talks faces job from hell Euronews.com
- Zelensky recruits Britain to drag weakened Putin into peace talks The Telegraph
- Germany’s Merkel criticizes EU for not talking to Russia politico.eu
Trump’s Greenland envoy faces uphill battle on mission to make ‘friends’
Jeff Landry's visit to the territory, a semi-autonomous part of Denmark, has touched a nerve among some Greenlanders.
‘How are we going to survive this?’ Wellington faces six-month wait to halt sewage spill
Millions of litres of sewage have been spilling into the capital city’s waters since February after the catastrophic failure of a Moa Point wastewater plant
A fix to stop millions of litres of sewage continuing to pour into the waters off the coast of New Zealand’s capital, Wellington will be in place by November, officials have said, with full repairs at the cost of NZ$53.5m by late next year.
More than 100 days since the catastrophic failure of the city’s wastewater treatment plant on 4 February, a mix of raw and partially screened human effluent is still being flushed directly into the Pacific Ocean.
Continue reading...China’s Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin hold talks in Beijing
Xi and Putin hold talks just days after US President Donald Trump made an official visit to China.
Maj. Itamar Sapir killed in southern Lebanon – The Jerusalem Post
- Maj. Itamar Sapir killed in southern Lebanon The Jerusalem Post
- IDF reservist killed in exchange of fire with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon The Times of Israel
- Hezbollah drone strike videos show evolving tactics against Israel BBC
- IDF soldiers in Lebanon complain of risky, pointless missions in broad daylight Haaretz
- Why Hezbollah’s Use of FPV Drones Against Israel Will Backfire Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Republican Thomas Massie who stood up to Trump defeated in Kentucky primary
With an estimated 72 percent of the vote counted, Ed Gallrein led with 54.4 percent to Massie’s 45.6 percent.
Man who murdered teen TikTok star in Pakistan gets death sentence
Sana Yousaf's murder highlights a pattern of violence against women in Pakistan, activists say.
Ebola Response Update – May 19, 2026 – U.S. Department of State (.gov)
- Ebola Response Update – May 19, 2026 U.S. Department of State (.gov)
- Should you worry about the Ebola outbreak? Here’s what the numbers tell us CNN
- There is no Ebola vaccine for this outbreak and won’t be one soon. Here’s why. The Washington Post
- Epidemic of Ebola Disease caused by Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda determined a public health emergency of international concern World Health Organization (WHO)
- Ebola fears surge on the ground in Congo over rapid spread of a rare type AP News
US to cut troops in Europe – Financial Times
- US to cut troops in Europe Financial Times
- Pentagon says U.S. will cut thousands of troops from Europe The Washington Post
- Poland says US troop deployment delayed, not canceled Reuters
- Statement Attributable to Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs (ATSW(PA)) U.S. Department of War (.gov)
- Pentagon cuts Brigade Combat Teams in Europe as Trump pressures NATO on spending Fox News
Thailand tightens visa rules for tourists, citing crime by foreigners
Move brings an end to a 60 day visa-free stay that was agreed with 93 countries, including the UK, US and much of Europe
Thailand is drastically cutting the length of visa-free stays for tourists from more than 90 countries in an effort to curb crime involving foreign nationals, officials said on Tuesday.
Tourism is vital to the south-east Asian nation’s economy, but foreign arrivals are yet to return to their pre-Covid levels.
Continue reading...Tankers exit Strait of Hormuz with 6 million barrels of crude oil – Reuters
- Tankers exit Strait of Hormuz with 6 million barrels of crude oil Reuters
- Iran claims it coordinated passage of 26 vessels out of Hormuz in 24 hours Al Jazeera
- Oil drops 6% as three supertankers attempt Strait of Hormuz crossing Financial Times
- Middle East war live: Iran says 26 vessels have transited the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours France 24
- European Countries Begin Talks With Iran Over Strait Of Hormuz Ship Passage Marine Insight
Trump critic Thomas Massie defeated in Kentucky Republican House primary
Massie says opponents ‘decided to buy the seat’ as victory for Ed Gallrein shows strength of president’s grip on party
Donald Trump displayed his supremacy over the Republican party on Tuesday when voters in northern Kentucky rejected the maverick congressman Thomas Massie in favour of the US president’s hand-picked challenger.
Ed Gallrein, a retired Navy Seal and farmer who was recruited into the race by Trump, defeated the seven-term incumbent in a primary election in Kentucky’s fourth congressional district in what the president’s allies framed as a test of whether dissent could still exist inside today’s Republican party.
Continue reading...Teenagers behind mass shooting in San Diego rushed at mosque ‘fully armored’
The firearms the shooters, aged 17 and 18, used in the fatal rampage were registered to one of their parents
The two teenage assailants responsible for a mass shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, California, rushed toward the mosque “fully armored” with handguns and rifles, authorities said.
A security guard shot and struck one of the shooters, according to members of the mosque – but the attacker continued charging. The guard – Amin Abdullah – also alerted administrators of the school at the Islamic Center, telling them to go into lockdown, before he was shot and killed. “If it was not for him … The carnage would be much worse,” said imam Taha Hassane. “He sacrificed his life.”
Continue reading...Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon kill 19, including children and women, officials say – AP News
Trump endorses Paxton in Texas, gambling on a challenger with baggage in a crucial race
Trump's move dismayed Senate Republicans, many of whom have served with the Texan for decades.
Rubio heads to a NATO meeting as European angst over Trump reliability, US troops, Iran grows – AP News
- Rubio heads to a NATO meeting as European angst over Trump reliability, US troops, Iran grows AP News
- Rubio to visit Sweden for NATO meeting, then India Reuters
- Rubio to attend NATO talks, pay first visit to India The Hindu
- Marco Rubio set for India visit amid upcoming Quad talks in New Delhi The Times of India
- Marco Rubio to visit India from May 23-26 to further cooperation in fields of trade, defence and energy The Economic Times
Israeli strikes on Lebanon kill at least 19 as clashes with Hezbollah continue despite ceasefire
Single strike on the village of Deir Qanoun al Nahr in the coastal Tyre province killed 10, including three children and three women, health ministry says
Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Tuesday killed at least 19 people, including four women and three children, Lebanon’s health ministry said, the latest in near-daily attacks from both sides that have not stopped despite a fragile, US-brokered ceasefire.
Israel’s military did not immediately comment on the casualties or specific incidents, but said that between Monday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon, it had targeted more than 25 sites of Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
Continue reading...UK ‘built for climate that no longer exists’ and needs urgent changes to survive global heating, report warns
Landmark report calls for widespread air conditioning and says UK temperatures forecast to exceed 40C by 2050
British homes will need air conditioning to survive predicted levels of global heating, the government’s climate advisers have warned in a report, as measures such as drawing curtains, opening windows and growing trees for shade are not likely to be enough.
Air conditioning should be installed in all care homes and hospitals within the next 10 years, and in all schools within 25 years, according to the Climate Change Committee (CCC), which published a major report on adapting to the impacts of global heating on Wednesday.
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