Current events: 2026-05-15

[Wikipedia Current Events]

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • Antisemitism during the 2026 Iran war
      • Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a commander of the IRGC-aligned Shia Iraqi militia group Kata'ib Hezbollah, is arrested by the U.S. Justice Department after allegedly planning attacks on Jewish sites in the United States, including a synagogue in New York City, along with attacks in Europe as part of a broader campaign of retaliation by Iran over the war. (The New York Times)
  • 2026 Lebanon war
    • 2026 Israel–Lebanon peace talks
      • The United States announces that Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend their ceasefire for 45 days, and that more specific political and security negotiations will began on May 29 and June 2, respectively. (Al Jazeera) (PBS)
    • Israeli airstrikes kill at least seven people across Nabatieh, Tibnin, and Harouf, and injure 37 people in Tyre, Lebanon. (Al Jazeera)
  • Gaza war
    • Israel reports it has targeted Hamas military leader Izz al-Din al-Haddad with an airstrike. (ynetnews)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Russia and Ukraine swap 205 prisoners of war each following a violated three-day ceasefire. (Euronews)

Arts and culture

• Anti-fur movement
  • The Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, which organizes Milan Fashion Week in Italy, announces guidelines encouraging participating brands not to display fur products during fashion shows following pressure from animal rights groups. (AFP via RFI)

Disasters and accidents

• Drought in Somalia
  • All UN agencies warn that the Somalian hunger and malnutrition crisis is rapidly worsening, with a growing risk of famine. More than 6 million people, approximately 31% of the population, face critical levels of food insecurity, while nearly 1.9 million children are suffering from acute malnutrition. Of those children, approximately 493,000 are facing severe acute malnutrition. (AA) (Relief Web) (UN News)
• Famine in Sudan
  • The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification warns that 19.5 million people in Sudan are facing hunger amidst the three-year civil war. (Middle East Monitor)

Health and environment

• An ebola outbreak is confirmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Ituri Province by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, killing 65 people. (AP)

International relations

• China–United States relations
  • 2026 state visit by Donald Trump to China, China–United States trade war
    • Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi says that China and the United States have agreed to continue implementing previous trade agreements and to establish trade and investment councils following talks between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. president Donald Trump in Beijing. (AFP via Al Arabiya)
• Foreign involvement in the Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Thirty-six countries and the European Union join the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. (Euronews)

Law and crime

• Mexican drug war
  • Two Mexican officials sought for extradition by the U.S. government in April on charges of alleged collusion with organized crime are reportedly detained in the United States and Europe. (Tribuna de México {{small|in Spanish}})

Politics and elections

• Constitutional crisis in Somalia
  • Controversies of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
    • Third day talks mediated by UK and US between Somali federal government and opposition Somali Future Council is collapsing over their legal future and the electoral process. After Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is breaking his constitutional presidential term limit. His four-year constitutional term is formally expiring on 15 May, but it is ending with no plan for an upcoming election. (Garowe Online) (Horseed Media) (Addis Standard)
• Matthew Wale is appointed as the prime minister of Solomon Islands after Jeremiah Manele was ousted in a no-confidence vote. (The Guardian)

Sports

• Boycott of Russia and Belarus
  • The United World Wrestling lifts restrictions on wrestlers from Russia and Belarus that was imposed following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and will allow them to compete under their respective national flags. (Reuters)

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