Headlines: 4-10 May 2026

Friday, 8 May 2026

Trump insists ceasefire is intact after Iran and US exchange fire in Hormuz: US said it carried out strikes on Iranian military targets after an attack on three American destroyers in the strait of Hormuz — 8 May 2026 (LINK)

Thursday, 7 May 2026

Polls open in England, Scotland and Wales for biggest round of elections since 2024 — 7 May 2026 (LINK)

Keir Starmer makes late pitch to voters turning to Greens and Reform — (LINK)

Reuters: Once the city of peace, Geneva sees the United Nations' presence fade: since 2025, over 3,000 Geneva-based jobs at the U.N. and international organisations have been cut or are transferring to cheaper locations, including about a fifth of U.N. posts — 7 May 2026 (LINK)

Wednesday, 6 May 2026

Trump says war will be 'over quickly' as Iran reviews US peace proposal — 6 May 2026 (LINK)

Ukraine: Russian strikes came just hours before a unilaterally proposed Ukrainian ceasefire and days before Russia itself intends to observe a ceasefire. Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned "cynical, vile" attacks by Russia — 6 May 2026 (LINK)

CNN founder Ted Turner, a pioneer of cable TV news, dies at 87: founded the United Nations Foundation — 6 May 2026 (LINK)

— On June 1, 1980, CNN — the first 24-hour news channel — went live and has been on the air ever since. Just over a month before his 80th birthday in 2018, Turner revealed that he had Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain disorder. In early 2025, Turner was hospitalized with a mild case of pneumonia before recovering at a rehabilitation facility. Turner is survived by his five children, 14 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

South Korean judge who handed former first lady Kim Keon-hee 4-year term found dead days after verdict — (LINK) — ground.news: media reports — 6 May 2026 (LINK)

— He increased her sentence to four years in prison, overturning a lower court decision that had sentenced her to 20 months.

North Korea has revised Constitution to remove reunification clause and codifying leader Kim Jong-un's "two hostile states" doctrine — (LINK) — ground.news: 42 media reports — 6 May 2026 (LINK)

Cambodian PM's cousin admits he owned 30% of scam-linked firm sanctioned by the US — (LINK) — ground.news: 32 media reports — 6 May 2026 (LINK)

U.S. and Iran closing in on one-page memo to end war, officials say — 6 May 2026 (LINK)

Trump candidates oust incumbents in Indiana primaries after rejected redistricting push — 6 May 2026 (LINK)

— At least five incumbent GOP state legislators lost against Trump-backed candidates in Indiana after they failed to launch a mid-decade redistricting push.

Alleged suicide note written by Jeffrey Epstein unsealed by federal judge: Epstein's cellmate in New York City says he found note after convicted sexual offender attempted suicide in July 2019 — 6 May 2026 (LINK)

— "They investigated me for months — FOUND NOTHING!!!" reads the note. "It is a treat to be able to choose one's time to say goodbye. Watcha want me to do — Bust out cryin!! NO FUN — NOT WORTH IT!!" The note does not include a signature.

Burkina Faso junta secretly detained journalist, missing for nearly two years, and others, advocacy group says — (LINK) — ground.news: 13 media reports — 4 May 2026 (LINK)

Cruise ship passenger with hantavirus being treated in Zurich — 6 May 2026 (LINK)

World Radio Switzerland finds a new owner — 6 May 2026 (LINK)

Our most Googled topics revealed — from asking 'how to talk to girls' to questioning our grossest bodily functions: What is love? How to screenshot on a Mac, and how to tie a tie are three of the top 20 searched questions of all time on Google — 6 May 2026 (LINK)

Tuesday, 5 May 2026

Romanian socialists and far right topple government — 5 May 2026 (LINK)

US approves potential sale of joint direct attack munitions to Ukraine — (LINK) — ground.news: 26 media reports — 5 May 2026 (LINK)

Costa Rica's leader to keep immunity as minister in his successor's government in face of legal woes — (LINK) — ground.news: 44 media reports — 5 May 2026 (LINK)

French CMA CGM container ship hit in strait of Hormuz, injuring crew: "The ship was not flying the French flag." — (LINK) — ground.news: 59 media reports — 5 May 2026 (LINK)

Fire at a shopping center in Iran kills 8 people and injures dozens: unknown cause — (LINK) — ground.news: 48 media reports — 5 May 2026 (LINK)

Antigua and Barbuda swears in a new Cabinet, dropping a 40-year oath to the British monarch — (LINK) — ground.news: 18 media reports — 5 May 2026 (LINK)

FIFA invites Iran to headquarters for World Cup talks — (LINK) — ground.news: 36 media reports — 5 May 2026 (LINK)

Google Cloud, Solana launch pay-as-you-go AI system using stablecoins — 5 May 2026 (LINK)

DNA from 258 ancient skeletons rewrite the history of the Roman Empire and the Dark Ages — 5 May 2026 (LINK)

Monday, 4 May 2026

Trump threatens to blow Iran 'off the face of the earth' if it attacks US vessels — 4 May 2026 — (LINK)

US strikes 7 Iranian fast boats as Iran attacks UAE oil facility — 4 May 2026 (LINK)

— The UAE and South Korea both reported strikes on ships in the vital channel on Monday. The UAE also said a fire broke out at the oil port of Fujairah after an Iranian attack. Shipping company Maersk told the BBC that one of its US-flagged vessels had successfully exited the strait with US military protection - under what Trump has called "Project Freedom".

World's top humanitarian groups sound alarm over 'worsening' attacks on medical care in war zones — 4 May 2026 (LINK)

— The Red Cross, the WHO, and Médecins Sans Frontières denounce "failure of political will" to stop attacks on healthcare worldwide.

Iran threatens to attack US forces in Strait of Hormuz after Trump says military will help stranded ships — 4 May 2026 (LINK)

US reportedly denies its ship was hit by Iran — (LINK)

CNN: the obvious solution to the global oil shock, drilling for more, finally makes sense — 4 May 2026 (LINK)

Russia and Ukraine declare differing ceasefires — 4 May 2026 (LINK)

— Russia announced on Monday that its ceasefire would be between May 8-9, when it traditionally marks Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War (as it calls World War II) with a major military parade in Moscow. Kyiv said later that it was calling its own ceasefire for May 5-6.

Kremlin tightens security around Putin amid elite killings and coup fears — 4 May 2026 (LINK)

Sberbank lowers Russia's 2026 GDP growth outlook to 0.5-1% after weak first quarter, inflation to remain elevated at 6-6.5% — 4 May 2026 (LINK)

US: Judge mulls contempt over DHS' 'patently false' allegation in deportation case, posting an allegation that she knowingly released an ICE detainee with an international warrant for murder — 4 May 2026 (LINK)

Trump family's crypto firm sues investor Justin Sun, escalating feud — 4 May 2026 (LINK)

At least 23 Chadian soldiers killed in Boko Haram attack — (LINK) — ground.news: 80 media reports — 4 May 2026 (LINK)

British cruise ship passenger in intensive care after three die in suspected hantavirus outbreak en route from Argentina to Cape Verde — 4 May 2026 (LINK)

— Epidemiologist Michael Baker tells the BBC passengers who had the suspected hantavirus would have been infected before they got on board the cruise ship due to the virus's long incubation period. Gene Hackman's wife died from illness linked to hantavirus.

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's Wayfarer reach settlement, two weeks ahead of trial on "It Ends With Us" film circumstances — 4 May 2026 (LINK)

— Lively filed a complaint alleging Baldoni sexually harassed her during the filming of "It Ends With Us," which they costarred in and Baldoni directed. Last month, a federal judge threw out ten of the thirteen claims in Lively's lawsuit, including sexual harassment and defamation, effectively narrowing the case. Some of the tossed claims, including the ones involving sexual harassment, were nixed due to legal technicalities, such as Lively being considered an independent contractor rather than an employee. The remaining three claims — retaliation, aiding and abetting retaliation, and breach of contract — were not against Baldoni personally.

Plaster-making technique previously attributed to the Romans appears 8,000 years earlier in Motza: has archaeologists looking at Neolithic craftsmen in a new light — 4 May 2026 (LINK)

Cathie Wood's Ark bets on Google, Meta and CoreWeave; cuts AMD and Bitcoin ETF — 4 May 2026 (LINK)