Sunday, May 19th, 2024 

Scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope discover the earliest known merging of black holes, 740 million years after the Big Bang. (AP) 

Iranian police arrest more than 260 people, including three European citizens, on suspicion of spreading Satanism and nudity in Iran. (ABC News) 

A helicopter carrying Iranian president Ibrahim Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian crashes in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. Rescue workers are attempting to locate the crash site. (AP News) 

Oleksandr Usyk defeats Tyson Fury by split decision and becomes the first undisputed four-belt heavyweight champion in boxing history. (BBC Sport) 

At least five people are killed and 16 others are injured in a Russian double tap missile strike on a recreation area near Kharkiv. Separately, another five people are killed and nine others are injured when Russia hit two villages in Kupiansk Raion, Kharkiv Oblast, with a multiple rocket launcher. (Reuters) 

France sends police to regain control of New Caledonia airport road lost to protesters. (Reuters) 

The death toll from the ongoing protests and riots in New Caledonia increases to six. (Al Jazeera) 

France accuses Azerbaijan of being behind the protests and violence in New Caledonia after Azerbaijani and Togolese flags are seen alongside indigenous Kanak symbols at the protests. Azerbaijan has previously spoken out against French colonialism and supported pro-independence participants, in response to French support for Armenia. (Al Jazeera) 

Two people are killed and five people are missing after a suspected boat collision on the Danube, in Hungary. (Reuters) 

Citizens of the Dominican Republic vote for their president and other officials. (Reuters) 

Manchester City win the Premier League, becoming the first team in the 136-year history of the Football League to win four consecutive top-flight titles. (The Guardian) 

The FARDC says that it foiled a coup by armed men that left two police officers and Christian Malanga, opposition leader of the United Congolese Party, dead in Kinshasa, DR Congo. The perpetrators, which included Malanga’s 20-year-old son and a US citizen from Maryland, were arrested. (AP) 

Police in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, arrest American golfer Scottie Scheffler, who was travelling to the 2024 PGA Championship, for assault of a police officer, criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals. (AP) 

Saturday, May 18th, 2024 

The Israeli army recovers the body of Ron Binyamin, who was killed and brought to Gaza by Palestinian militants in October. (Reuters) 

The Israeli army recovers from Rafah the bodies of three people killed in the Re’im music festival massacre last October, including Shani Louk. (The New York Times) 

Benny Gantz threatens to withdraw his party from the unity coalition if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t submit a post-war plan for Gaza by June 8. (Al Jazeera) 

Austria unfreezes €3.4 million ($3.7 million) in funds to the UNRWA. (Reuters) 

Hundreds of protesters march in Lima, Peru, to demand the reversal of a new law that describes transgender people as having a mental illness. (Reuters) 

President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili vetoes the proposed “Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence”. (The Guardian) 

The Arakan Army seizes control of Buthidaung after the army captures Tatmadaw positions in the surrounding area. The town, which hosts a majority Rohingya population, is burned amidst the crossfire. (AP) 

At least 68 people are killed by floods in Ghor and Faryab Provinces, Afghanistan. (AP) 

At least 23 migrants are missing after boarding a boat travelling from Tunisia to Italy. (Reuters) 

The Foreign Ministry of Pakistan asks that Pakistani nationals in Kyrgyzstan stay indoors after mob attacks on Pakistanis and other foreign nationals are reported. (AP) 

Italian financial police seize 134 Fiat cars imported from Morocco following a dispute on stickers indicating the origin of the car. (Reuters) 

The Communist Party of Vietnam nominates Minister of Public Security Tô Lâm as the next President after Võ Văn Thưởng resigned as President in March due to the party’s anti-corruption campaign. (Al Jazeera) 

In association football, Bundesliga champions Bayer 04 Leverkusen become the first Bundesliga team to finish a season unbeaten after defeating FC Augsburg on the final matchday. (The New York Times) 

Friday,  May 17th, 2024 

Humanitarian aid deliveries begin arriving at the U.S.-built Gaza floating pier. (Reuters) 

Hamas announces that an Israeli strike killed Sharhabil Sayed, a Hamas commander in Lebanon. (France 24) 

Israel announces that an Air Force strike killed Islaam Hamaisa, a commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Jenin Brigade. (Jerusalem Post) 

Ukraine launches a massive drone attack across southwestern Russia, causing fires at several oil refineries, including at the port of Novorossiysk. (The New York Times) 

At least three civilians are killed and 28 others are injured by Russian guided bombs in Kharkiv. (Reuters) 

Gunmen open fire on a group of tourists in Bamyan Province, Afghanistan, killing three Spanish citizens, two Afghan civilians and a Taliban guard. Seven others are injured. (Al Jazeera) 

Two police officers are killed and another is injured outside the Ulu Tiram police station in Johor, Malaysia. The killer is later fatally shot. Seven suspected members of Jemaah Islamiyah are arrested in connection to the attack. (CNA) 

Israeli air strikes kill five people in Lebanon, including two children. (Reuters) 

Houthi forces shoot down a United States Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone with a surface-to-air missile over Marib Governorate, Yemen. Wreckage of the downed drone appears on social media. (ABC News) 

A child in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, dies of measles, the province’s first such death since 1989. (CBC News) 

A man is shot dead by police after trying to set a synagogue on fire in Rouen, France. (BBC News) 

The RCMP identifies the killer of four people in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, in 1976 and 1977 as American serial rapist Gary Allen Srery, who died in prison in 2011. (CFCN-TV) 

A brawl breaks out in the Legislative Yuan, Taiwan’s parliament, following disagreements over draft reforms between the Democratic Progressive Party and the Kuomintang. (The Independent) 

The annual FIFA Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, awards Brazil the host rights for the 2027 Women’s World Cup. (USA Today) 

The End