Wednesday 20 May 2026

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei says that Iran has received and is reviewing a new proposal from the United States regarding talks to end the war, while Pakistani interior minister Mohsin Naqvi visits Tehran to facilitate exchanges between the two sides.

Saudi Arabia news channels Al Arabiya and Al Hadath reports that Islamabad is likely to hold the second round of talks between Iran and the U.S. after the Hajj season ends.

A South Korean-flagged oil tanker safely transits the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first passage by a South Korean vessel through the waterway since the war started.

Bolivia and Colombia expel each other's ambassadors amid a diplomatic dispute over comments by Colombian president Gustavo Petro regarding anti-government protests in Bolivia.

Lithuania issues an air raid alert in Vilnius after the military detected a drone signal near the Belarusian border, marking the first time since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 that an EU and NATO member state has ordered the general population to take shelter.

Two supertankers from China carrying four million barrels ​of Middle East crude oil exit the Strait of Hormuz after staying in the Persian Gulf for two months since the war started on February 28.

The Iranian Navy claims that it has allowed 26 ships to cross the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours.

Israeli airstrikes kill at least eight people in Ad-Doueir, Tibnin, Burj el-Shamali, and Shebaa in southern Lebanon.

The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control removes sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on occupied Palestinian territories, after district judge Richard J. Leon of the District of Columbia blocked measures imposed over Albanese's criticism of Israel and its actions in Gaza.

The Hungary government proposes a constitutional amendment that would limit prime ministers to 8 years in office.

Two U.S. Capitol Police officers who helped defend the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. during the January 6, 2021 riot file a lawsuit to block January 6 rioters from receiving payouts from a new $1.8 billion settlement fund.

The German public prosecutor general arrests a Chinese couple in Munich who are accused of spying for a Chinese intelligence agency.

The Philippine supreme court rejects an injunction sought by senator Ronald dela Rosa against his arrest on an International Criminal Court warrant for crimes against humanity related to the Philippine drug war.

Atlatlahucan mayor Agustín Toledano Amaro and former Yecapixtla mayor Irving Sánchez Zavala are arrested in Morelos, Mexico, during "Operación Enjambre", a crackdown on officials tied to organized crime. A manhunt is underway for Cuautla mayor Jesús Corona Damián.

An Air France flight from Paris, France, to Detroit, Michigan, U.S., is diverted to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, due to flight restrictions imposed by the U.S., as a passenger on the flight is from the DR Congo.

American MV Hondius passengers quarantined in Nebraska following exposure to the hantavirus on the ship will remain in quarantine until the end of May.

The United Nations General Assembly adopts a resolution reaffirming states' obligations to address climate change and recognizing a recent advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice on states' legal responsibilities regarding climate commitments.

The DR Congo football team cancels a 3-day FIFA World Cup training camp and a fan farewell in Kinshasa over ebola concerns in the country.

In ice hockey, the Montreal Victoire defeat the Ottawa Charge 3–1 to win their first-ever PWHL Walter Cup.