Mountain Home (United States) (AFP) – UGC images shot on May 17, 2026, show two fighter jets colliding midair during a demonstration event, two miles northwest of the Mountain Home Air Force Base in the US state of Idaho. The pilots are seen parachuting to safety from the aircrafts.
New York (AFP) – Swiss watch giant Swatch says insufficient organisation by shopping centres has contributed to scuffles at around 20 stores worldwide over the weekend as clients raced to buy a limited-edition timepiece. Things turned ugly in New York and several European cities, as well as in Thailand, on 16 May 2026, with fights breaking out and security gates vandalised at some of the 220 stores offering the watches.
Unknown (AFP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the navy’s command bunker and speaks with the commander of Flotilla 3, as Israel’s naval forces intercepted a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, saying the troops had “thwarted a malicious scheme”. The Global Sumud Flotilla vessels are the latest in a string of attempts by activists to breach Israel’s blockade of the Palestinian territory, with the last convoy intercepted by Israeli forces last month.
Mumbai (India) (AFP) – Thousands of feline lovers flock to Cat Expo India in Mumbai, where cat enthusiasts gather for beauty contests, premium pet food, accessories and veterinary care.
Tehran (AFP) – Iran says it has responded to a new US proposal aimed at ending the war, adding that exchanges were continuing despite Iranian media reports describing Washington’s demands as excessive. Washington and Tehran have been swapping proposals in an effort to end the conflict, which broke out on February 28. The two sides have held a single round of talks so far amid a fragile ceasefire in place since April 8.
Little Andaman Island (India) (AFP) – In India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands, members of remote tribal communities are joining the police as homeguards, marking a shift from traditional ways of life. Authorities last year recruited more than 500 young men from across the archipelago to help manage relations with outsiders. “They are sons of the soil,” said HGS Dhaliwal, police chief of the 836-island Indian Ocean archipelago.
Krasnogorsk (Russia) (AFP) – Shattered glass and debris litter the area around a residential building in Krasnogorsk, on Moscow’s western outskirts, after a wave of almost 600 Ukrainian drones attacked Russia overnight, killing four people, according to authorities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called the barrage an “entirely justified” retribution for Moscow’s own pummelling of Ukraine. Just a few days prior, the Ukrainian capital was attacked, killing at least 24 people.
Munich (Germany) (AFP) – Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Luis Diaz and their Bayern Munich teammates celebrate the team’s 34th Bundesliga title at Munich’s Marienplatz. Kane scored a hat-trick on the final day of the German Bundesliga season on Saturday, which saw the team secure a 5-1 win over Cologne. Bayern had already sealed the title with four games to spare, after a win over Stuttgart last month.
Amsterdam (AFP) – Donning sequins, feather boas and cowboy hats, Harry Styles fans queue up for the opening night of pop superstar Harry Styles’ latest tour, ‘Together, Together’. Undeterred by the rain, fans from around the world use umbrellas and ponchos to protect their carefully-planned costumes. “It was the first show, so we were just so excited to be able to come here,” says one. Thirty-two-year-old Styles will play 10 nights in the Dutch capital, with a total of 67 concerts planned in seven cities between May 16 and December 13.
Kinshasa (AFP) – A case of Ebola has been confirmed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo city of Goma, says the director of the Congolese National Institute of Biomedical Research. Speaking to AFP, Jean-Jacques Muyembe says the woman who tested positive for the disease “was almost certainly infected by her husband, who died in Bunia”. The woman travelled to Goma — a city held by the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group — before developing symptoms, Muyembe says. On Sunday, the World Health Organization declared an international health emergency over the outbreak, which has killed at least 88 people.
Vienna (AFP) – “I’m still in shock,” says Bulgarian singer Dara after winning the Eurovision final in Vienna with her catchy anthem “Bangaranga”. Bulgaria won both the public and jury votes, beating runner-up Israel, which has been the subject of boycotts over its participation in the contest. “The moment when the crowd found out that Bulgaria had won, it was so loud, I never heard something that loud before,” says Eurovision fan Tim Thiesen.
Seoul (AFP) – Humanoid robots dressed as Buddhist monks lead a parade as part of the annual Lotus Lantern Festival in Seoul, celebrating the Buddha’s birthday.
