Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group, has summed up where things stand: "Since the ceasefire came into effect, both Washington and Tehran appear to be operating under the illusion that time is on their side," he said. "Each seems to believe that the blockade and counter-blockade in the Strait of Hormuz impose greater costs on the other, while offering a breathing space to regroup for a possible resumption of hostilities," Vaez told Al Jazeera.

20 May 2026

While the risk of Ebola and hantavirus to Americans is low, the World Health Organization, along with other experts, says that both are still a concern. However, health officials state that the Ebola outbreak is a far more serious epidemic than the hanatavirus.

20 May 2026

The current Ebola outbreak is worrying the World Health Organization's chief as the "scale and speed" of the virus's spread increases. The number of deaths has also risen sharply as reports of illness roll in.

20 May 2026

The United States and Nigeria conducted a joint operation in which 175 members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) were killed. These fighters were said to be both simple militants and senior commanders.

20 May 2026

In a huge and unexpected announcement, amid stalled US-Iran peace talks, which have proven a failure and elusive thus far, NATO now says it could deploy military assets to forcibly reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Per breaking newswires Tuesday late morning:

20 May 2026

Annual US public spending has been in deficit for decades. As a result, total US debt continues to increase year after year with no end in sight. The end may not be in sight but the debt cannot continue to grow forever. We just don’t know when markets will shed the dollar, although the process may already be underway. In this brief essay, I will not point out all the disastrous consequences except that they are disastrous and will happen. Rather, I will point out how we got to this sorry state of affairs when it appears that other nations, such as China and Russia, have done a much better job of controlling public spending.

19 May 2026

Global health authorities are extremely concerned about an outbreak of Bundibugyo virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The death toll has already reached triple digits, and new cases have been detected hundreds of miles away from the original outbreak. BVD is a type of Ebola disease, but unlike other types of Ebola, there is no effective treatment, and there is no cure.

19 May 2026

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla has accused the United States of inventing an excuse to start an economic war with Havana. Rodriguez Parrilla has said that an Axios report claiming that the island had acquired attack drones from Russia and Iran is nothing more than a pretext for a potential invasion of the island nation.

19 May 2026

The World Health Organization has declared a "global health emergency" after an Ebola outbreak surfaced in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). So far, there are at least eight confirmed cases, 246 suspected infections, and 80 suspected deaths reported in DRC, along with two additional cases in Uganda.

19 May 2026

United States President Donald Trump has chosen to delay a "very major attack" on Iran. The US ruler has instructed the Department of War to hold off on strikes for a few days to give Tehran a chance to accept the deal sent by Washington.

19 May 2026