# NuseReal
Your second place to come to for international news
Curated by Peter Hulm
Breaking news
WHO declares Ebola outbreak in DR Congo a global health emergency (LINK) — 17 May 2026
— However, it said the outbreak in DR Congo's eastern Ituri province, which has seen around 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths reported, does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency. The current strain of Ebola is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, the health agency said, for which there are no approved drugs or vaccines. The global health agency added the virus has spread beyond DR Congo, with two confirmed cases reported in neighbouring Uganda.
More than 500 Ukraine drones strike at Russia, killing 3; US allows Russian oil sanctions waiver to lapse (LINK) — 17 May 2026
— Zelenskyy on Friday vowed retaliation for earlier Russian strikes: day 1,544 of war.
China throws major roadblock at US' Iran Resolution; Trump team left stunned at UN (LINK) — 16 May 2026
— Beijing openly opposed a U.S.-backed resolution demanding Iran halt attacks and mining operations in the waterway. Chinese UN Ambassador Fu Cong said the "timing and content" of the proposal were inappropriate and warned that passing it would not help ease tensions. Reports suggest both China and Russia could veto the resolution if it reaches a vote at the UN Security Council.
Trump-Xi summit: China, US disagree on what they agreed on: US touted trade deals; China said it warned Washington over Taiwan. Neither side confirmed the other's claims (LINK) — 15 May 2026
Trump and Xi conclude 'very successful' talks but no deals confirmed (LINK) — 15 May 2026
PBS: Analysts break down Trump-Xi meeting and calls for stability and cooperation (LINK) — 14 May 2026
Five takeaways from the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing so far: Xi reserved his sharpest language for Taiwan, calling it "the most important issue in U.S.-China relations" (LINK) — 14 May 2026
Extra train capacity does little to relieve Gotthard tunnel queues (LINK) — 15 May 2026
— Drivers faced delays of around one hour and 40 minutes before entering the tunnel. Motorists were advised to divert via the A13 motorway and the San Bernardino Tunnel. Even there, however, queues of more than 4km had formed by late morning.
US planning to criminally indict ex-Cuban leader Raúl Castro, 94, over the shooting down of two aircraft three decades ago (LINK) — 16 May 2026
NY Times: With possible Raúl Castro indictment, U.S. eyes Venezuela playbook — (LINK)
The US and Cuba intensify negotiations as the island's collapse deepens (LINK) — 15 May 2026
Cuba says oil and diesel supplies have run dry under U.S. sanctions (LINK) — 14 May 2026
Declare climate crisis a global public health emergency, experts on the independent pan-European commission on climate and health, which was convened by the WHO, tell the organization (LINK) — 16 May 2026
Dozens of European nations sign off on new interpretation of rights convention in migration cases, including how it applied to the controversial use of deportation centers set up in third countries (LINK) — 15 May 2026
— AP: It said that nations "exposed to mass arrivals" can pursue new approaches to deter irregular migration including "third country 'return hubs', and cooperation with countries of transit." Rights groups criticized the political declaration, saying it could loosen prohibitions on torture and weaken Europe's human rights protections for migrants.
Meghan Markle announces surprise weekend outing in Switzerland for a key cause: advocacy for safer online spaces (LINK) — 15 May 2026
Passblue: US pledges $1.8 billion to humanitarians (LINK) — US briefing (LINK) 14 May 2026
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Federal funding for Trump ballroom in trouble after Senate ruling (LINK) — 16 May 2026
— Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled on Saturday that the proposed funding, as written in a spending bill, does not comply with the chamber's budget rules, a Democratic lawmaker said. Republicans seek to use taxpayer money for security upgrades linked to President Donald Trump's planned White House ballroom.
Politico: Geneva is paying the price of Trump's retreat from the UN (LINK) — 15 May 2026
4 supertankers cross Hormuz safely (LINK) — 15 May 2026
— Gotrade: According to Bloomberg Technoz, four supertankers transited the Strait of Hormuz carrying roughly 2 million barrels each. Most of the cargo originated from Iraq based on vessel tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. As reported by IDX Channel, Iranian state media said roughly 30 vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on May 14, 2026. That figure suggests the trade route remains active even as geopolitical tensions stay elevated.
US: NH Senate kills looser rules on childhood vaccine exemptions; approves bill requiring DHHS to inform parents of exemptions (LINK) — 15 May 2026
Trump bought up to $5 million of Nvidia stock, then OK'd AI export deals that sent shares soaring (LINK) — 15 May 2026
President Trump discloses Coinbase, Robinhood and Bitcoin mining stock trades among more than 3,000 securities trades (LINK) — 15 May 2026
— Decrypt.co: According to the filing, the president was assessed and paid a late fee for the more than 100 pages reported, which detail more than 3,000 securities trades. Although specific trade amounts are not indicated, the ranges highlighted show trade ranges from $1,001-$15,000 to those between $1 million and $5 million. While President Trump and his family have drawn scrutiny for their crypto ties, which reportedly led to more than $1 billion in crypto profits by October 2025, a spokesperson for the Trump Organization said that neither the president nor his family has any say in the trades reported on the ethics filings.
Coinbase stock stumbles as the Senate vote progresses the C LARITY Act; CEO critiques the Bill due to its rules on stablecoin rewards and increased surveillance (LINK) — 15 May 2026
Mexico: Ex-Sinaloa security chief appears in US court on bribes charges for drug cartel, first of 10 indicted Mexican officials to surrender to US authorities (LINK) — 15 May 2026
Colorado's Democratic governor will let Trump ally Tina Peters out of prison early (LINK) — 15 May 2026
— NPR: Peters was convicted for her role in facilitating a security breach of Mesa County's voting machines when she was clerk and recorder. The incident occurred six months after the 2020 election, as part of her effort to prove Trump's baseless claims of a rigged election. In April, a state appeals court upheld Peters' 2024 conviction but ruled that she should be re-sentenced, saying that the trial court judge who issued her nearly nine-year sentence improperly factored in her protected speech. She was sentenced on Oct. 3, 2024, so that means on June 1, she will have spent more than 600 days incarcerated. Trump issued a pardon to Peters in December that was considered symbolic, because a president doesn't have jurisdiction over state-level crimes.
US: Supreme Court rejects Virginia's bid to restore congressional map favouring Democrats (LINK) — 15 May 2026
— AP: In recent days, the justices have sided with Republicans in Alabama and Louisiana who hope to redo their congressional maps to produce more GOP-leaning seats following the court's voting rights decision. It stemmed from a 4-3 ruling by the Virginia Supreme Court that struck down a constitutional amendment that voters narrowly passed just last month. The state court found that the Democratic-controlled legislature improperly began the process of placing the amendment on the ballot after early voting had begun in Virginia's general election last fall.
Latvia's PM resigns in fallout over stray Ukrainian drones: left without a ruling majority in the parliament as of Wednesday, when the left-wing Progressive party said it was withdrawing its support. This followed the removal of former Defense Minister Andris Spruds, a member of the Progressives, over the handling of incidents of stray Ukrainian drones flying into Latvia from Russia (LINK) — 14 May 2026
— DW: Evika Silina had forced Spruds to resign, saying that Latvia's drone defense had not been deployed quickly enough to neutralize the threat. She took on the role of defense minister herself on an interim basis.
Swiss convicted of supplying 'mass destruction' goods to Russia: suspended prison sentence of 16 months (LINK) — 13 May 2026
— For four years, the man supplied and offered to supply two men accredited with the Russian commercial agency in Bern with items distributed by his employer — a company that supplies dealers with laboratory equipment as well as medical and pharmaceutical products. Goods worth CHF75,000 actually found their way to Russia. The man made offers for goods worth CHF934,000. The purchase by the Russians never materialised due to the intervention of the authorities in 2024.
Recycled food-contact materials need regulatory harmonization, FAO report says: calls for updating existing regulatory frameworks to ensure safe production and application of recycled food-contact materials. More research also needed on contaminants, exposure scenarios and traceability (LINK) — 13 May 2026
Advancing universal health coverage through Traditional Medicine: 79th World Health Assembly, Geneva, Switzerland, 18–23 May 2026 (LINK) — 13 May 2026
Meta staff push back after company installs mouse tracking on every work device (LINK) — 16 May 2026
— According to Reuters, flyers have been posted in Meta offices across the U.S., encouraging workers to sign a petition opposing the mouse-tracking software. One flyer read, "Don't want to work at the Employee Data ?Extraction Factory?" according to the photos seen by Reuters. More broadly, privacy advocates, labor groups, and regulators have been calling for clearer rules around employee surveillance and AI accountability.
Mexico: Ex-Sinaloa security chief appears in US court on bribes charges for drug cartel, first of 10 indicted Mexican officials to surrender to US authorities (LINK) — 15 May 2026
US: Tennessee school district bans Alex Haley's Roots under 2022 state law (LINK) — 15 May 2026
Trump's $499 gold phone ships after months of delays (LINK) — 14 May 2026
Driverless bus rams into Swiss bank (LINK) — 14 May 2026
— The articulated bus started rolling at around 8:35pm on Thursday at the bus stop on Zullwilerstrasse in Nunningen, northern Switzerland, for reasons that are still unknown. The PostBus then rolled over a traffic island and crashed into the façade of a bank branch, according to the police statement.
Catchup: Bruno Bischofberger, Swiss art dealer and early backer of Basquiat, dies at 86: 86-year-old gallerist transformed art dealing into a veritable art form (LINK) — 9 May 2026
— Bischofberger championed the Neo Expressionist movement while bringing American artists to European audiences.
Gonet Geneva Tennis Open 2026: 17-23 May (LINK) — 13 May 2026
— Taylor Fritz, Alexander Bublik, Casper Ruud, Learner Tien, Cameron Norrie and Arthur Rinderknech are all in the Geneva field. Stan Wawrinka will lead the home charge. The prize money for the Gonet Geneva Open is €612,620. Winner: € 93,175, Finalist: €54,360.
Advancing universal health coverage through Traditional Medicine: 79th World Health Assembly, Geneva, Switzerland, 18–23 May 2026 (LINK) — 13 May 2026
The World Health Assembly, the main decision making body of the World Health Organization, is meeting this year in Geneva starting next Monday. "This meeting may represent the last chance for the U.S. to reverse course and remain a member of the WHO" (LINK) — 13 May 2026
25 to 27 October 2026: UNCTAD World Investment Forum 9: in Doha (LINK) — 22 January 2026
Road to the First International Conference of the Global Framework on Chemicals being held in Geneva on 16 to 20 November 2026 (LINK) — 11 February 2026
11 to 15 July 2027: International AIDS Society announces Geneva as host city for IAS 2027:: Around 5,000 people from more than 130 countries are expected to attend. Registration for IAS 2027 will open in November 2026 (LINK) — 22 January 2026
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