“South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Monday called for both labor and management rights to be respected as an 18-day strike at Samsung Electronics looms. … A final round of talks between the union and Samsung’s management was scheduled for Monday. The union’s demands center on Samsung’s performance-based bonus system. It is seeking performance bonuses equivalent to 15% of Samsung’s operating profit, the removal of bonus payout caps, and a formalized bonus structure, among other measures. Samsung’s management has offered to allocate 10% of operating profit to bonuses and provide a one-time special compensation package, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.” (05/18/26)
“Just a single dose of psilocybin can provide rapid relief from depression, a new small-scale clinical trial has shown. Within a week, people treated with one psilocybin dose had four times the decrease in their depression symptoms compared to a control group given the vitamin niacin, researchers reported May 15 in JAMA Network Open. And after six weeks, half (nearly 53%) of the psilocybin patients had no depression at all, compared with about 6% in the control group, the study found.” (05/18/26)
“A French football match descended into a terrifying riot, forcing players to flee for their lives. The Ligue 1 clash between FC Nantes and Toulouse FC was abruptly abandoned. A massive mob of hooded ultras breached stadium security, stormed the pitch and turned the arena into a war zone. The score was tied at 0-0 when the stadium erupted in violence. … Clad in black and concealing their faces, the rioters hurled dangerous flares and pyrotechnics directly onto the playing surface. … Riot police equipped with tactical gear were forced to march onto the field to quell the escalating unrest. After a tense standoff, police successfully pushed the invading supporters back into the stands. Refereeing officials and local authorities quickly determined that player safety could no longer be guaranteed, and the match was permanently called off.” (05/17/26)
“The administration of United States President Donald Trump has hosted a nine-hour prayer event on the National Mall in Washington, DC, as part of its efforts to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary. Sunday’s event was called ‘Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving,’ and it took place from 9am to 6pm Eastern US time (13:00 to 22:00 GMT). On the jubilee’s website, organisers explained that their aim was to mark ‘rededication of our country as One Nation to God.’ … Members of the Trump administration, including the president himself, also recorded video messages that were broadcast from the stage. Trump’s video showed him seated behind the Resolute Desk in the White House, reciting a speech from the Book of Chronicles that God gave to King Solomon, promising protection to his followers and destruction to those who forsake him.” (05/17/26)
“A pregnant woman shockingly delivered a baby boy in the middle of a packed Brooklyn courtroom while waiting to be arraigned on a drug possession charge. Samantha Randazzo, 33, went into labor surrounded by police officers, prosecutors and court personnel during her arraignment in Brooklyn criminal court on Friday night, according to a joint statement from the Legal Aid Society and several other public defender organizations. … The Legal Aid Society and Brooklyn Defender Services — which each had attorneys in the courtroom for other arraignments — claimed Randazzo was shackled and handcuffed during the delivery without ‘adequate medical care, privacy, or dignity.'” (05/17/26)
“The conservative People’s Party won an election in Spain’s Andalusia region but looks to have lost its majority in the local parliament, in a setback for the party’s moderates as they prepare for next year’s general election. The underwhelming result — which saw the People’s Party lose seats to its left and to its right — means it will now almost certainly need the backing of the far-right Vox party in order to form a new government.” (05/17/26)
“The cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak has docked at the Dutch port of Rotterdam for disinfection, wrapping up a troubled journey that put international health authorities on alert. The MV Hondius was carrying 25 crew members and two medical personnel as it reached Rotterdam on Monday morning, after all the passengers disembarked elsewhere. An Associated Press journalist saw people board the boat via pier wearing white hazardous materials suits. A short distance from where the ship docked, authorities had set up 25 white containers along the water in between a line of windmills. The crew will enter immediate quarantine, with those who cannot be repatriated spending their time in quarantine in these containers with satellite internet and catering, said the port’s harbor master, René de Vries.” (05/18/26)
“Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee’s office announced the resignation of former city administrator Jestin Johnson after finding ‘degrading and unprofessional communications’ involving Johnson. ‘We promptly conducted our own investigation and verified these communications, which are wholly incompatible with the values of this administration and those of the people of Oakland,’ Lee said in a statement. ‘Under my watch, I will not tolerate transgressions of this nature.’ It was unclear what exactly was in the messages.” (05/17/26)
“Russia has attacked a Chinese-owned cargo ship that was headed for a Ukrainian port, according to Reuters, a move which could anger one of Moscow’s most important allies in Beijing. The Russian drone struck the KSL DEYANG vessel flying under Marshall Islands flag off the coast of Ukraine early on Monday, a source told the news agency. The vessel was did not contain cargo and was bound for Ukraine’s Pivdennyi port in the Odesa region where it was to load iron ore concentrate. The vessel did not sustain significant damage, there were no casualties and the fire caused by the strike was extinguished by the crew, the source added.” (05/18/26)
