Thursday 14 May 2026

Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. president Donald Trump, along with business leaders from both countries, meet in Beijing, China.

Heavy fighting erupts in Baidoa between Somali federal government forces and troops loyal to former South West State president Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed, following disputes over regional elections and the end of president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's term tomorrow. Multiple sources confirm two senior Somali military officers from the 60th Division have been killed in a roadside ambush.

The internationally-recognized Yemeni government and the rival Supreme Political Council, which includes the Houthis, sign a deal in Amman, Jordan, following 14 weeks of negotiations to release over 1,600 detainees in the largest prisoner swap in the civil war's history since 2014.

A Russian senior security official says that Russia will establish a "full-fledged partnership" with the Taliban government in Afghanistan, urging other countries to do the same.

Xi warns Trump that there could be conflict if the issue of Taiwan is mishandled.

The Fars News Agency reports that Iran has allowed vessels from China to cross the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi says that ships entering the Strait of Hormuz must cooperate with the Iranian Navy.

The Executive Office of the President of the United States says that China and the U.S. have both agreed during the Trump-Xi summit that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open.

Guyana demands that Venezuela investigate a series of shootings targeting its troops patrolling the Cuyuní River on the border between both countries, amid ongoing tensions as the sovereignty dispute over the Essequibo region continues at the International Court of Justice.

Josh Simons steps down as MP for Makerfield to trigger a by-election for Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham to run for a seat in parliament. Burnham is widely considered the favourite candidate to replace Starmer in the event of a Labour Party leadership election.

Latvian prime minister Evika Siliņa resigns one day after losing her majority in the Saeima over the handling of Ukrainian drone incursions into Latvia's airspace.

Burnham confirms he has requested the permission of the National Executive Committee to stand in the upcoming Makerfield by-election.

A report authorized by Pope Leo XIV written by a Vatican working group gives detailed testimonies from gay Catholics for the first time, while condemning conversion therapy and calls for deeper understanding of same-sex marriages to overcome internal church polarization.

Bolivian police clash with protesting miners who attempt to reach Plaza Murillo in La Paz amid protests over the state of the economy. Some of the protesters demand the resignation of president Rodrigo Paz.

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is unanimously re-elected as chairperson of the Fatah movement.

The Iraqi parliament approves Ali al-Zaidi as new prime minister, succeeding Muhammad Shia al-Sudani

Cuba announces it has completely run out of diesel fuel due to a U.S. blockade of the island as blackouts in Havana now exceed 20-22 hours per day.

Somali pirates increase their ransom demands to US$10 million for the release of the Togo-registered MV Eureka tanker hijacked off Somali waters.

Warsaw registers its first same-sex marriage following a ruling by the Supreme Administrative Court demanding officials to recognize the marriage of two Polish men in Germany.

The Seoul Central District Court in South Korea orders North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un to pay damages to five former Korean War prisoners who were held in North Korea after the conflict.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces that Israel plans to sue The New York Times for running a column by Nicholas Kristof discussing the use of sexual violence against Palestinian prisoners by the Israeli military.

Five Italian tourists are found dead after diving in the waters of Alimathaa, Vaavu Atoll, Maldives.

Nine people are killed in a landslide near an illegal gold mining site in West Sumatra Province, Indonesia.

Seven people are killed and one critically injured after a speeding vehicle collides with a tree near Gardabani, Georgia.

One person is killed and 19 others are injured after a truck collided with a bus in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.