10 Things Global News - 22nd May 2026
Iran pushes for Hormuz fees, Russia undertakes nuclear drills and Trump backflips on troops to Poland | Succinct, unbiased global news.
Iran Pushes Hormuz Fee Plan Despite US Warning (Middle East)
Russia Belarus Nuclear Drills Draw NATO Concern (Europe)
Crowd Burns Congo Ebola Centre Amid Burial Anger (Africa)
Trump Sends Mixed Signal on US Troops in Poland (Europe)
Court Ruling Throws Turkish Opposition Into Turmoil (Legal)
Air France And Airbus Guilty Over 2009 Crash (Legal)
Taliban Marriage Law Raises UN Alarm (Society)
US Pauses Taiwan Arms Sale During Iran War (Geopolitics)
Gaza Envoy Warns Divide Could Become Permanent (Middle East)
Europe Reports Record STI Levels (Health)
A succinct daily briefing delivered each weekday to help you stay on top of the stories shaping the world.
Iran is discussing a payment system with Oman for vessels using the Strait of Hormuz, signalling that the fragile ceasefire with the United States has not resolved control of one of the world’s most important trade routes.
After American and Israeli attacks in late February, Iran brought commercial traffic in the strait to a near halt, driving up energy prices and crippling international shipping. Iranian officials have since explored fees for services, transit or environmental charges, while a new Persian Gulf Strait Authority says passage will require a permit.
US President Donald Trump rejected any payment system, saying the waterway should remain free and international. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said continued pursuit of fees would make a diplomatic deal unfeasible. The legal question is whether Iran can frame charges as service fees rather than tolls, but experts warned that disguised payment for passage would not be lawful.
Sources: New York Times, Bloomberg
Russia and Belarus have staged joint nuclear drills, with Moscow delivering nuclear munitions to field storage facilities in Belarus as tensions rise around drone incidents in the Baltic.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko joined the exercise by video conference, the first time both presidents had directly participated in such training. Putin said nuclear weapons remained an extreme measure for national security, while Lukashenko said the drills threatened no one and were defensive.
The exercises ran from Tuesday to Thursday and involved missile launches from Russian and Belarusian forces, including Iskander-M, Yars, Zircon and Sineva systems. Ukraine said it was tightening security in northern regions bordering Belarus to deter aggressive actions, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had discussed a possible Russian offensive in northern Ukraine, including Kyiv and Chernihiv, with top commanders.
Sources: Euronews, Al Jazeera
An Ebola treatment centre in eastern Congo was set alight after family and friends of a young man thought to have died from the virus were stopped from taking his body for burial.
The unrest in Rwampara exposes the difficulty of containing an outbreak in a region already weakened by poor health facilities, population movement and armed conflict. Bodies of Ebola victims can be highly infectious, so authorities require regulated burials, but those measures have collided with local grief, fear and mistrust.
The outbreak has been declared a public health emergency of international concern, with hundreds of suspected cases and deaths reported in Congo. Cases have also been detected in Uganda and South Kivu, while health officials say the true scale is likely larger. There is currently no vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the outbreak.
Sources: PBS, BBC
President Donald Trump said the United States will send 5,000 additional troops to Poland, a surprise announcement after recent moves to reduce the American military presence in Europe.
The decision came a week after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth stopped a scheduled combat team deployment expected to rotate through Poland, the Baltic states and Romania. Trump had also announced the withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany, while saying the Poland move reflected his relationship with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whose election he endorsed.
The announcement deepens uncertainty over Washington’s posture in Europe. Poland has faced Russian drone violations of its airspace and recently detained three citizens suspected of spying for Moscow. Polish ministers indicated the move would maintain roughly the existing American presence of around 10,000 troops, while NATO’s Mark Rutte said the alliance was moving towards a stronger Europe less reliant on one ally.
Sources: CNN, Axios
A Turkish appeals court annulled the 2023 congress that elected Ozgur Ozel as leader of the opposition Republican People’s Party, handing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a legal and political boost.
The court declared the vote null and void over alleged irregularities, including claims that Ozel secured support through promises of jobs and other perks. It provisionally replaced Ozel and the party’s executive board with former leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who urged party members to remain calm. Ozel rejected the ruling and vowed not to give in.
The decision deepened pressure on the opposition and unsettled markets. Turkey’s main stock index fell more than 6 percent, triggering a market-wide circuit breaker, while government bonds also dropped. Under Ozel, the party had been polling level with Erdogan’s ruling party and had become central to protests after Ekrem Imamoglu’s imprisonment.
Sources: DW, Reuters
A French appeals court convicted Air France and Airbus of involuntary manslaughter over the 2009 Rio-Paris crash that killed 228 people, overturning a lower court acquittal.
The court found both companies solely and entirely responsible for the crash and ordered each to pay the maximum corporate manslaughter fine of €225,000. Both companies have denied criminal liability and said they would appeal. The penalties are symbolic, but the ruling is a major reputational blow after a 17-year legal battle by families of the victims.
Flight AF447 plunged into the Atlantic after ice blocked airspeed sensors, cockpit alarms sounded and the autopilot disconnected. The court held Airbus responsible for underestimating sensor problems and failing to inform crews, while Air France was found to have failed to provide adequate training. The judge said nothing could be held against the pilots.
Sources: Euronews, New York Times
The United Nations expressed grave concern over a new Taliban law on separation in marriage, saying it includes provisions on child marriage and further entrenches discrimination against Afghan women and girls.
The decree says the silence of a girl reaching puberty can be interpreted as consent to marriage. It also covers separation for girls who reach puberty while married, which the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said implies that child marriage is permitted and undermines free and full consent.
The law allows women to separate from husbands but makes the process far harder than it is for men. Georgette Gagnon, a UN official said the decree is part of a broader trajectory eroding women’s and girls’ rights. Afghan spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid rejected the objections, saying Afghanistan had already banned forced marriage of girls, but the UN said successive decrees had undermined earlier protections.
Sources: South China Morning Post, NPR
The United States is pausing a $14bn arms sale to Taiwan to conserve munitions for the Iran war, acting Navy secretary Hung Cao told lawmakers.
Cao said the pause was intended to ensure the military had the weapons needed for the US-Israel operation in Iran, while foreign military sales would continue when the administration deemed it necessary. The package, which has awaited Donald Trump’s approval for months, includes air defence missiles and surface-to-air missile systems for the island.
The delay adds uncertainty to Washington’s Taiwan policy after Trump discussed the sale with Xi Jinping and described it as a negotiating chip with China. Beijing claims Taiwan as its territory and opposes US arms sales, while Taiwan has increased defence spending under Lai Ching-te in response to growing Chinese military pressure.
Sources: BBC, Al Jazeera
UN Special Coordinator Nickolay Mladenov warned the UN Security Council that Gaza’s deteriorating status quo risks becoming permanent, leaving more than two million people crowded into less than half the territory.
The envoy overseeing the Board of Peace said implementation of the ceasefire roadmap cannot advance through Palestinian obligations alone. He urged pressure on Hamas to disarm, but also said Israel must uphold its ceasefire commitments, pointing to continued killings and restrictions affecting humanitarian flows.
The plan’s second phase, covering Hamas disarmament, long-term governance, Palestinian technocrats, Israeli military withdrawal and an international stabilising force, has stalled. Hamas has refused to lay down weapons, while Israel still maintains forces across a large part of Gaza. Mladenov said reconstruction financing would not follow where weapons remain, warning that another generation could grow up in tents, fear and despair.
Sources: Al Jazeera, Reuters
European health officials say bacterial sexually transmitted infections, including gonorrhoea and syphilis, reached record levels in 2024, continuing a decade-long rise across the region.
Gonorrhoea cases reached 106,331, a 303 percent increase since 2015, while syphilis more than doubled to 45,577. Chlamydia remained the most frequently reported STI, with 213,443 cases. Congenital syphilis also reached its highest level since 2009 and nearly doubled from 2023. Men who have sex with men remained disproportionately affected, while heterosexual women of reproductive age saw large syphilis increases.
Bruno Ciancio the head of European Disease Control and Prevention warned untreated infections can cause chronic pain, infertility and, in syphilis cases, heart or nervous system problems. The agency said increased testing and reporting may partly explain higher numbers, but also cited prevention gaps, changes in sexual behaviour and reduced condom use. It recommended stronger prevention, expanded screening and possible universal third-trimester retesting for pregnant women.
Sources: BBC, Euronews
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On this day …
On this day in 2020, George Floyd was killed during an arrest in Minneapolis after a police officer knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes. Video of the incident spread rapidly online, triggering protests across the United States and internationally.
The demonstrations became one of the largest protest movements in recent American history, prompting renewed scrutiny of policing practices, racial inequality and the use of force by law enforcement agencies.
Governments, businesses, sports organisations and cultural institutions around the world were drawn into the debate that followed.
The events of 2020 continue to influence political discourse, public policy and discussions about institutional accountability.