- 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.
Continue reading...Spending watchdog warns £38bn cost of Sizewell C nuclear plant is ‘risky’
National Audit Office says potential benefits are ‘considerable but uncertain’ while risks are ‘immediate and substantial’
The cost of the government’s £38bn nuclear plant in Suffolk is subject to “significant uncertainty” and may outweigh the benefits for UK households until at least 2064, according to the government’s spending watchdog.
The National Audit Office (NAO) has warned that although the potential benefits of the Sizewell C nuclear plant are considerable, they remain uncertain. The risks, however, are “immediate, substantial and borne by the public”.
Continue reading...Kylie Minogue announces she had second cancer diagnosis in 2021
In new Netflix documentary, pop superstar says she ‘got through it, again’, referring back to successful treatment for breast cancer in 2005
Kylie Minogue has revealed that in early 2021 she was diagnosed with cancer for a second time, after diagnosis and successful treatment for breast cancer in 2005.
The pop star discussed the previously unannounced diagnosis in a new Netflix documentary entitled Kylie, available from today. “My second cancer diagnosis was in early 2021. I was able to keep that to myself … Not like the first time,” she said, referring to her highly publicised first treatment.
Continue reading...Two humpback whales set records swimming between Australia and Brazil – AP News
- Two humpback whales set records swimming between Australia and Brazil AP News
- Twenty-two years and 15,000km later: fluke discovery sets new record for humpback whale journey The Guardian
- Researchers uncover longest whale journey ever documented with fluke photos Australian Broadcasting Corporation
- 2 humpback whales swam record-breaking distance between breeding grounds, photos reveal CBS News
- Intrepid tails—fluke photos confirm humpback whales mount 14,000 km open ocean crossing to breeding grounds Phys.org
The UAE says drones that targeted its Barakah nuclear power plant came from Iraqi territory – AP News
‘We’ve done it’: euphoria as Arsenal win first Premier League in a generation
The Emirates erupted as the Gunners were crowned champions – with expats, drivers and a boy in pyjamas out to celebrate
‘Twenty-two years,” said the father to his son, shaking his head reflectively. “Twenty-two effing years.” Standing outside the Emirates Stadium among an ever-growing crowd, he was not alone in trying to get a handle on his feelings. Arsenal had just won their first league title in a generation, after all.
From the moment Eli Junior Kroupi gave Bournemouth a first-half lead over Manchester City, the red part of north London was preparing to party. Arsenal’s only rivals for the title had to win to take their duel to the final day. A half-time deficit was not a good start. The landlord of the gridlocked Gunners pub on Blackstock Road had a glass of champagne in his hand, though it may have been something to do with the prospective takings.
Continue reading...Two Humboldt Residents Detained as Israeli Military Intercepts Global Sumud Flotilla — Again – Redheaded Blackbelt
- Two Humboldt Residents Detained as Israeli Military Intercepts Global Sumud Flotilla — Again Redheaded Blackbelt
- At least 87 Gaza aid flotilla activists abducted by Israel on hunger strike Al Jazeera
- Israel says all 430 flotilla activists in IDF custody JNS.org
- Israeli detention of President Connolly's sister 'unacceptable' - Irish PM BBC
- Israeli forces intercept the remaining activist flotilla vessels headed for Gaza AP News
Inside the operation to break Andy Burnham into parliament – politico.eu
- Inside the operation to break Andy Burnham into parliament politico.eu
- Even insiders don’t know what Burnham has planned for Britain politico.eu
- Burnham’s not the messiah. He’s old Labour’s last throw Financial Times
- Conservatives name Michael Winstanley for Makerfield by-election BBC
- Greens select nurse and ‘committed local campaigner’ as Makerfield byelection candidate The Guardian
Iran Update Special Report, May 19, 2026 – Institute for the Study of War
- Iran Update Special Report, May 19, 2026 Institute for the Study of War
- Iran war updates: Lebanon ‘ceasefire’ extended, Israel launches new attacks Al Jazeera
- The War Room newsletter: Why the Iran conflict may reignite The Economist
- Iran, US-Israel War LIVE Updates | 'Iran, US continue to exchange messages based on Tehran's 14-point proposal' Deccan Herald
- Iran Update Special Report, May 13, 2026 Institute for the Study of War
US to let DR Congo football team in for World Cup despite Ebola restrictions
The US has banned non-Americans who have visited DR Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the last 21 days from entry.