-
Bulgaria, represented by Dara with the song "Bangaranga", wins the Eurovision Song Contest.
- The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 was the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It consisted of two semi-finals on 12 and 14 May and a final on 16 May 2026, held at Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, and presented by Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski, with Emily Busvine acting as the green room host. It was organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF), which staged the event after winning the 2025 contest for Austria with the song "Wasted Love" by JJ.
(more)
-
The World Health Organization declares the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern.
- In May 2026, an epidemic of Ebola disease was reported in the Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is the 17th Ebola outbreak in DRC and only five months after the end of the previous outbreak. Imported cases from Ituri have been reported in the capital city of Kinshasa and its North Kivu Province, as well as in Uganda's capital city of Kampala. A case in South Kivu was also reported to be imported from Tshopo province on 21 May.
(more)
-
In golf, Aaron Rai wins the PGA Championship.
- The 2026 PGA Championship was the 108th edition of the PGA Championship, the second of the four men's major golf championships held in 2026. The tournament took place on May 14–17 at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, a suburb west of Philadelphia.
(more)
-
The African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde, led by Francisco Carvalho , wins the most seats in the parliamentary election.
- Parliamentary elections were held in Cape Verde on 17 May 2026 to elect all 72 members of the National Assembly. The African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV) won a majority of seats, unseating the Movement for Democracy (MpD). PAICV leader Francisco Carvalho has been named prime minister–designate of Cape Verde.
(more)
-
In Iraq, Ali al-Zaidi succeeds Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani as prime minister.
- Ali Falih Kadhim al-Zaidi (Arabic: علي فالح كاظم الزيدي, romanized: ʻAlī Fāliḥ Kāẓim az-Zaydī; born 1986) is an Iraqi multimillionaire, banker, businessman, politician, and the current prime minister of Iraq since 2026. At the age of 40, he is the youngest Iraqi prime minister.
(more)
-
Protests erupt in Bolivia against the government of Rodrigo Paz, causing clashes between the protesters and the police.
- In May 2026, ongoing mass protests began in La Paz, Bolivia. Miners comprised a large part of the protesters, but they were also accompanied by teachers, farmers, and other workers. The protests were caused imminently by a law allowing land mortgage, but they occurred during a wider period of economic downturn in Bolivia. Despite President Rodrigo Paz annulling the law on 13 May, protests continued to spread. The scope of the protests has also expanded, as other workers demand higher wages, labour reform, and for Paz to resign as president. Starting on 14 May, protesters began to detonate explosives and clash with police around the presidential palace as well as calling for Paz's resignation. The blockades also escalated, putting the city under "siege" and preventing essential goods from reaching the capital. By 21 May, four people had been killed and 90 arrested for participating in the protests.
(more)
-
Iran war (ongoing)
- Since 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel have been engaged in a war with Iran and its regional allies. The conflict began when the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, targeting military and government sites and assassinating several Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The surprise attacks were launched during negotiations between Iran and the US regarding Iran's nuclear program. Iran responded with missile and drone strikes on Israel, US bases, and US-allied Arab countries in West Asia; and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting global trade. The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait responded with their own strikes on Iran and its regional allies.
(more)
-
Lebanon war (ongoing)
- Since 2 March 2026, there has been an ongoing war in Lebanon between Israel and the Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah, with Israel invading parts of Lebanon. It is a resumption of major fighting in the Hezbollah–Israel conflict that began in late 2023, and is part of the wider conflict in the Middle East. The war has precipitated a still-developing humanitarian crisis, resulted in deaths of more than 3,000 people (both militants and civilians) from Israeli strikes in Lebanon, seen the forced displacement of over 1 million (>20% of the country's population), and entailed the deployment of matériel and tactics that potentially constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity.
(more)
-
Russo-Ukrainian war (ongoing)
- On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the existing war between the two countries that began when Russia attacked Ukraine in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thousands of military casualties and tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilian casualties. As of May 2026, Russian troops occupy roughly 20% of Ukraine. From a population of 41 million, about 8 million Ukrainians have been internally displaced and 6–7 million have fled the country, creating Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II.
(more)
-
Sudanese civil war (ongoing)
- Since April 2023, there has been a civil war in Sudan between two primary factions of the country's military government. The conflict involves the internationally recognized government of Sudan, controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, against the rival Government of Peace and Unity, led by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, commanded by General Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo. Smaller armed groups have also taken part on both sides, most notably splinter groups from the Sudan Liberation Movement, the Tamazuj militia and the Darfur Joint Protection Force.
(more)