Current events: 2026-05-13

Wikipedia Current Events · 2026-05-13T20:12:39-0400

Armed conflicts and attacks

Middle Eastern crisis
- 2026 Iran war
  - 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
    - Chinese supertanker Yuan Hua Hu, which carries 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude, crosses the Strait of Hormuz after previously being stranded in the Gulf for two months following the Iran war. The crossing comes ahead of an upcoming meeting between U.S. president Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping. (Jerusalem Post)
    - Four other vessels from China cross the Strait of Hormuz within the past 24 hours, including vehicle carrier Xian Jiang Kou and oil chemical tanker Starway. (AA)
- 2026 Lebanon war
  - At least 12 people, including two children, are killed from Israeli drone strikes on cars on a major highway linking Beirut to southern Lebanon. (AFP via RTÉ)
- Gaza war
  - ACLED reports that April was the deadliest month in Gaza this year, with more than 120 reported fatalities related to Israeli violence. (Reuters)
Russo-Ukrainian war
- Russian attacks on civilians in the Russo-Ukrainian war
  - Nine people are killed and at least 28 others are injured in the latest Russian drone strikes across Ukraine. (BBC News)
Sudanese civil war
- Darfur campaign
  - At least two people are killed and several others were injured in a drone strike in El Geneina, West Darfur, Sudan. (Sudan Tribune)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
- 2026 Iran war fuel crisis
  - The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that the oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen to 30% in the first quarter of 2026 as compared to the previous quarter. (AA)
Germany approves reforms to its heating law and adopts new electricity supply legislation that enables support for 9 GW of new gas-fired power plants. (S&P Global)

Disasters and accidents

According to Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, a total of 563 people were killed and 1,279 others injured in accidents on roads, railways and waterways in Bangladesh in April of this year. (Xinhua)
At least 33 people are killed and 16 others are injured from a powerful storm and heavy rain across five districts of Uttar Pradesh, India. (The Times of India)
Four people are killed in a two-story house fire in North Jakarta, Indonesia. (Xinhua)

International relations

Law and crime

International Criminal Court investigation in the Philippines
- 2026 Philippine Senate lockdown
  - Gunshots are reported at the Philippine senate building amid tensions surrounding a possible arrest of senator Ronald dela Rosa under an International Criminal Court warrant for alleged crimes against humanity. (AFP via The Peninsula) (Reuters)
Sussex Police say they have recovered the bodies of three women off a beach in Brighton, England, and are working to identify the women. (The Guardian)
The U.S. Senate blocks a War Powers Resolution to curtail U.S. president Donald Trump's war powers in the Iran War for a 7th time in a 49-50 vote, with Democrat John Fetterman being the lone Democrat to vote against it. (AP)

Politics and elections

Constitutional crisis in Somalia, 2026 Somali presidential election
- Controversies of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
  - US and UK mediate talks at Mogadishu's Halane Compound between president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and the opposition led by regional president Said Abdullahi Deni have broken down without an agreement. The deadlock centres on bitter disputes over the country's upcoming electoral framework, technical delays, and regional vote-rigging accusations in South West State of Somalia. (Garowe Online Somali Guardian
2026 State Opening of Parliament
- King Charles III makes the speech from the throne opening the new parliamentary session. (BBC News)
Latvian prime minister Evika Siliņa loses her parliamentary majority after the the Progressives withdraw support from the governing coalition and calls for talks on forming a new government. (Reuters)