# NuseReal
Your second place to come to for international news
Curated by Peter Hulm
Breaking news
WHO chief "deeply concerned about the scale and speed" of Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda that has resulted in a spike in deaths — to at least 130 — and more than 500 suspected cases (LINK) — 19 May 2026
— The outbreak is complicated by the rare strain of the disease, known as Bundibugyo, that standard field tests often miss and for which there are no vaccines or therapeutics. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned of emerging cases in urban areas, including reports of cases in Uganda's capital, Kampala, and Goma, a crossroads city in Congo that borders Rwanda. The Intercept: Experts say Trump administration policies — like dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development and withdrawing from WHO — have further undermined global health security and negatively impacted the response to the outbreak.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushes for 'leaner' UN in call with Guterres (LINK) — 19 May 2026
— Rubio advanced President Donald Trump's vision for a "back-to-basics" United Nations that is "leaner and more accountable," including supporting a candidate proposed by Washington to lead the UN World Food Programme. Rubio stated that new leadership would bring "greater transparency and results-oriented management" while preserving the United States' "historic commitment to global food security." Rubio also discussed halting Iran's "unlawful mining and tolling of the Strait of Hormuz", claiming a draft UN Security Council resolution has "overwhelming support". The two leaders additionally reviewed coordinated US responses to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
Nigeria and U.S. forces announce they killed over 20 Islamic State group militants in weekend offensive (LINK) — ground.news: 53 media reports (LINK) — 19 May 2026
Russian overnight attack damages 25 homes in Kharkiv, hits Izmail port infrastructure (LINK) — 19 May 2026
US President Trump, family granted immunity from pending tax audits (LINK) — 19 May 2026
Starbucks Korea CEO fired after 'Tank Day' promo evokes brutal 1980 crackdown on democracy (LINK) — 19 May 2026
US: Trump administration unveils $1.7bn fund to compensate his allies who allege they were unfairly investigated by the Biden administration as he drops tax lawsuit (LINK) — 18 May 2026
— BBC: Democrats criticised the settlement as a "slush fund" paid out of taxpayer money for Trump and his cronies from a federal agency overseen by him. The lawsuit's plaintiffs, which include Trump's elder sons and the Trump Organization, will receive an apology, but no monetary compensation, the department said.
Trump drops 'unprecedented' $10 billion lawsuit against IRS over leaked tax records (LINK) — 18 May 2026
Trump says attack on Iran held off upon Gulf states' request (LINK) — 18 May 2026
Iran says it responded to 'excessive' US proposal, after Trump warns 'clock ticking' (LINK) — 18 May 2026
Israel says it killed the leader of Hamas' military wing, one of the architects of Oct. 7 attacks, in Gaza City air strike on 15 May (LINK) — ground.news: 346 media reports (LINK) — 18 May 2026
— Known as the 'Ghost of al-Qassam', Haddad assumed leadership of the militant group's military wing after his predecessor, Mohammed Sinwar, was killed. Mohammed Deif, the longtime commander of Hamas's armed wing and considered an architect of the attack, was also killed during the war.
Netanyahu says Israel 'very close' to eliminating Oct 7 attack masterminds — (LINK)
Bessent grants a 30-day extension for Russian oil in tankers as Iran war squeezes supply (LINK) — ground.news: 101 media reports (LINK) — 18 May 2026
Strategists see European oil shortages within weeks as inventories are depleted (LINK) — 18 May 2026
Israeli law for execution of Palestinian prisoners of terror-related murders against Israelis goes into force in West Bank (New Arab: LINK) — ground.news: media reports (LINK) — 17 May 2026
— The Knesset passed legislation on March 30, 2026, with 62 lawmakers in favour and 48 against, allowing military courts to impose capital punishment for terrorism-motivated killings while removing pardon authority.
Global scramble to contain new Ebola outbreak as US looks to relocate 'small number' of citizens affected (LINK) — 18 May 2026
Three adults killed and two teen suspects dead in shooting at San Diego Islamic Center, police say (LINK) — ground.news: 305 media reports (LINK) — 18 May 2026
— The teenagers, 17 and 19, were found dead in a vehicle nearby of gunshot wounds that appeared to be self-inflicted. A security guard who was killed apparently helped prevent deaths.Police said the guard "played a pivotal role in assisting from this being much worse."
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WHO honours four global health leaders for lifetime contributions to public health: Dr Tore Godal, Dr Merceline Dahl-Regis, Dr Mike Ryan, and Dr Heba Elsewedy (LINK) — 19 May 2026
UN Habitat: From favelas to informal settlements, new UN report points to housing solutions that work (LINK) — 19 May 2026
UN: Housing crisis takes centre stage at World Urban Forum in Baku (LINK) — 18 May 2026
Catchup: Azerbaijan hosts record-breaking World Urban Forum in Baku (LINK) — 17 May 2026
— More than 40,000 participants from 182 countries have registered for the event, making it the largest edition in the forum's history. Government officials, urban planners, investors, academics and representatives from international organizations and civil society are participating in discussions on sustainable urbanization, climate resilience, affordable housing, digital transformation and the development of environmentally friendly cities.
World Health Assembly rejects Taiwan-related proposal (Taiwan's participation as an observer) for tenth consecutive year (LINK) — 18 May 2026
US sanctions 9 senior Cuban officials as tensions escalate: Cuba warns of 'bloodbath' (LINK) — ground.news: 29 media reports (LINK) — 18 May 2026
Trump administration ends civil, criminal cases against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani over alleged violations of Iran-related sanctions tied to LPG imports after $10 billion investment promise (LINK) — ground.news: 86 media reports (LINK) — 18 May 2026
US: Judges toss charges against 9 over Wyoming Attorney Darin Smith's 'deeply concerning' misconduct in native American cases (LINK) — 18 May 2026
Alibaba selling high-powered laser guns (LINK) — 18 May 2026
Fox News has claimed for months that Iran's military had been destroyed. New reporting says US intelligence agencies have concluded otherwise (LINK) — 18 May 2026
Iran reportedly launches Bitcoin-based shipping insurance for Hormuz passage (LINK) — 18 May 2026
Bitcoin price falls below $77,000 as US-Iran war trigger $500m liquidations (LINK) — 18 May 2026
52 dead after weekly barrage of 4,500 Russian missiles and drones — Zelensky (LINK) — 17 May 2026
Israel and Lebanon agreed on 15 May to extend ceasefire by 45 days, U.S. State Dept says: UN chief welcomes accord (LINK) — ground.news: 307 media reports (LINK) — 17 May 2026
Wave of recent high-profile departures at the Ethereum Foundation has reignited longstanding questions from community members about what is going on inside the crypto currency organization (LINK) — 19 May 2026
Google's Gemini Spark is the first AI agent built for people who don't know what an AI agent is (LINK) — 19 May 2026
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh to visit Geneva on 19 May, two days after Meghan Markle. The information about Sophie's trip to Switzerland has been kept to a minimum (LINK) — 19 May 2026
— Megan, the Duchess of Sussex, appeared at Place des Nations in Geneva on 17 May for the inauguration of The Lost Screen Memorial, a striking tribute honouring young lives lost to online dangers.
UK: Satellites and AI used to track UK hedgehogs in bid to slow decline (LINK) — 19 May 2026
AI-generated fake citations are flooding scientific literature across publications, scientists warn: pattern of researchers using AI yet failing to fact-check the output (LINK) — 18 May 2026
Overfishing hits 11 of 12 Bahamian seafood staples, 73 years of catch data show: Nassau grouper and yellowfin grouper are classified as "grossly overfished" (LINK) — 18 May 2026
— Only the dolphinfish, the mahi mahi of beach-hotel menus and offshore recreational trips, is classified as healthy. Queen conch, Caribbean spiny lobster, hogfish, black grouper, rock hind and wahoo are "overfished". Lane snapper, mutton snapper and gray snapper are "slightly overfished".
A new Swatch model is introduced, the Royal Pop pocket watch, a collaboration with Audemars Piguet's luxury timepieces, and a case study in overexcited 'drop culture' plays out (LINK) — 19 May 2026
— Tne "bioceramic" timekeeper retails for around $400 but resells for thousands of dollars.
Travellers are using AI to plan better trips and find cheaper flights: however, many travelers (about half) still turn to traditional travel websites for verification and booking decisions. (LINK) — 18 May 2026
Humanity's oldest known cave art has been discovered in Sulawesi, Indonesia (LINK) — 18 May 2026
Pollock sells for $181m at Christie's S.I. Newhouse auction (LINK) — ground.news: 12 media reports (LINK) — 18 May 2026
— Brancusi's bronze Danaïde also set an artist record at $107.6 million as the late media mogul's 16-work collection smashed expectations. According to ARTnews, the sale makes it the fourth most expensive work ever sold at auction. The previous auction record for the abstract expressionist painter was US$61.2 million, set in 2021. Other works by him have been sold privately for up to US$200 million.
Guardian: list of things Zohran Mamdani has done in just four months: cartoons (LINK) — 18 May 2026
5 artificial intelligence (AI) stocks that have more than doubled this year and can still go higher: BE, LITE, MU, INTC, SNDK (LINK) — 17 May 2026
Nepo baby actor-musician Kiefer Sutherland cancels US tour over dismal ticket sales (LINK) — 16 May 2026
— The news comes on the heels of a successful European tour by the two-time Emmy winner.
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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