World
Eurovision 2026 has been met with boycotts and protests
The final of the Eurovision Song Contest will take place on Saturday in Vienna. This year’s contest has been marred by political controversy and boycotts over Israel’s participation, against the backdrop of the war in the Gaza Strip
A drone has crashed in Turkey, damaging houses
An unmanned aerial vehicle crashed in the Turkish city of Samsun on the morning of 16 May. At least three houses were damaged in the crash. There are currently no reports of casualties
A fatal shark attack has occurred in Australia
Off the coast of Western Australia, a shark attacked a man who was in the water near Rottnest Island. He died from his injuries
An investigation has been launched in Italy into the deaths of divers in the Maldives
Italian prosecutors have launched their own investigation following the deaths of five Italian nationals whilst diving in the Maldives. The search operation has been temporarily suspended due to strong winds, heavy rain and dangerous currents
Israel has announced the elimination of one of Hamas's leaders
The Israeli authorities have announced the killing of Izz ad-Din al-Haddad, a senior commander in Hamas’s military wing, during an airstrike on the Gaza Strip
The Pentagon has announced that its website containing UFO files has received 500 million views
The Pentagon’s website containing declassified material on unidentified aerial phenomena has been viewed nearly 500 million times in the past 24 hours. Over 160 documents and videos have already been published in the US.
North Korea has threatened an automatic nuclear response
North Korea has revised its nuclear doctrine following events in Iran and enshrined in its constitution the right to launch an automatic nuclear strike in the event of Kim Jong-un’s death. In Seoul, it is believed that Pyongyang’s decision is directly linked to the US and Israeli strikes against the Iranian leadership
Passengers are being evacuated from a cruise ship off the coast of Tenerife due to the hantavirus
On 10 May, Spain began evacuating passengers from the cruise ship MV Hondius, on board which an outbreak of hantavirus had been detected. The ship is currently anchored off the coast of Tenerife.
Trump may withdraw some US troops from Europe
NATO believes that US President Donald Trump may decide to reduce the US military presence in Europe. US military bases in Italy, in particular, are at risk
Israel has set up a secret outpost in Iraq
Before the war with Iran began, Israel set up a secret outpost in a desert region of Iraq. The facility was used to support military operations, special forces activities and the logistics of the Israeli Air Force
The US is attempting to resume dialogue with Iran via Qatar
A meeting took place in Miami on 9 May between senior US officials and the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani
A woman holding an anti-war placard was detained in St Petersburg
On 9 May in St Petersburg, Russia, police detained pensioner Lyudmila Vasilyeva whilst she was holding a solo protest with an anti-war placard. The woman had previously taken part in opposition and anti-war demonstrations
