U.S. forces strike 2 more Iranian-flagged unladen oil tankers
U.S. forces on Friday struck and disabled two more Iranian-flagged unladen oil tankers before they entered an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman amid rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
CENTCOM "enforced blockade measures against two Iranian-flagged unladen oil tankers attempting to pull into an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman," the command said in a post on X.
A U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS George H.W. Bush disabled both tankers after firing precision munitions into their smokestacks, said CENTCOM.
Welsh first minister to resign as party leader after election defeat
Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan said Friday she would resign as leader of Welsh Labour after losing her seat in the election of the Welsh Parliament, or Senedd.
Morgan made the announcement after failing to win re-election in the newly created Ceredigion Penfro constituency. British media described the defeat as the first time a serving head of government in Britain has lost her own parliamentary seat while in office.
The result marked a major personal and political setback for Labour, which failed to secure any of the six seats in the constituency, according to local media. Plaid Cymru won three seats, Reform UK took two, and the Conservatives secured one.
Spain identifies second monitored contact linked to hantavirus cruise ship case
Spanish health authorities on Friday identified a second monitored contact linked to the hantavirus outbreak associated with the cruise ship MV Hondius after tracing a woman living in Catalonia who had shared a flight with a deceased Dutch traveler.
Spain's Center for Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies (CCAES) said the woman is asymptomatic and was initially missed during contact tracing because of a seat change on the aircraft.
U.S. consumer sentiment falls to new low in May
The U.S. Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 48.2 in May 2026, according to a preliminary reading released Friday by the University of Michigan (UM) Surveys of Consumers, down from the final reading of 49.8 in April 2026.
The reading fell to a new all-time low in May as surging gas prices due to the Iran war fuel inflation worries.
The preliminary reading of the Current Economic Conditions Index fell to 47.8 in May, down from the final reading of 52.5 in April and below last May's 58.9. The Index of Consumer Expectations was 48.5, slightly up from the final reading of 48.1 in April and up from last May's 47.9.
Bulgarian former President Radev confirmed as new PM
Former Bulgarian President Rumen Radev became the country's new prime minister on Friday after parliament approved him and his proposed Council of Ministers.
Radev, leader of the Progressive Bulgaria (PB) party, secured the post with the backing of 124 lawmakers from his party in the 240-seat parliament. Lawmakers from the second-largest bloc, GERB-UDF, abstained, while opposition parties voted against the new government. Parliament also approved the structure and composition of the cabinet.
13 airports in Russia halt operations due to drone attack
A Ukrainian drone strike on the administrative building of the Southern Russia Air Navigation branch disrupted operations at 13 airports across southern Russia, the Russian Ministry of Transport said Friday.
Operations at the regional air traffic control center in Rostov-on-Don, which manages air traffic across southern Russia, were temporarily adjusted after the strike, the ministry said in a statement.
All personnel at the facility are safe while specialists are assessing the equipment's operational status, the statement said.
5 killed, 30 injured in Mexico shopping center fire
At least five people were killed and about 30 others injured Thursday in a fire at a shopping mall in northwestern Mexico, local media reported, citing authorities.
The fire was reported on Thursday afternoon at Plaza Fiesta Las Palmas, a shopping mall in the city of Los Mochis, state of Sinaloa.
Jesus Serrano, deputy prosecutor of Sinaloa's northern region, told local media that four bodies had been identified and that authorities were told that "there is one more."
"We will contact the victims' families," said Serrano. "This will be a very lengthy processing operation."
