The United States has temporarily suspended a $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan in order to conserve ammunition for its ongoing conflict with Iran. Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao informed lawmakers of the decision during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense hearing on Thursday. The suspension follows a recent meeting in Beijing between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, where the arms deal was a key topic of discussion. Cao stated that the pause is intended to ensure sufficient ammunition for Operation Epic Fury, adding that the sale could resume when the administration deems appropriate. The final decision will rest with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Although the U.S. Congress approved the package in January, it still requires President Trump’s signature to take effect. Taiwan’s Prime Minister Cho Jung-tai said the island will continue efforts to purchase the weapons. Analyst William Yang warned that the suspension could heighten doubts about U.S. support for Taiwan and complicate future defense budget requests. Trump also suggested the deal might serve as a bargaining tool in talks with Beijing.

Al-Nassr clinched the Saudi Pro League title after defeating Damac 4–1 at Al-Awwal Park on May 22, 2026. Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice, marking his first major trophy since joining Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr. The Riyadh-based club ended a long wait for the league crown, last winning it in 2019. Sadio Mané opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, followed by Kingsley Coman’s strike early in the second half. Damac briefly narrowed the gap through a penalty by Morlaye Sylla, but Ronaldo sealed the victory with two goals in the 63rd minute and late in the match. The win brought Al-Nassr to 86 points from 34 matches, with 28 wins and two draws, edging out Al-Hilal, who finished with 84 points despite winning their final game. Ronaldo’s brace took his league tally to 28 goals this season and 973 in his professional career. The triumph ended years of frustration for both the club and the Portuguese star, who finally lifted a major domestic trophy in Saudi Arabia. The victory also capped a season of redemption for Al-Nassr after earlier setbacks, including a missed opportunity in the AFC Champions League Two final.

Iraq has deployed its maritime control, search, and rescue teams to locate two Bolivian-flagged ships that went missing in the Persian Gulf. The vessels, named Bridge 1 and Bridge 2, lost all communication, prompting Iraqi authorities to begin coordinated search operations, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA). The General Company for Ports of Iraq stated that security authorities from several Gulf ports and the ships’ owners contacted Iraqi officials after losing contact with the vessels. The company confirmed that neither ship entered Iraqi territorial waters and that no distress signals were received from their crews. Port authorities said they currently have no information about the ships’ exact locations. Iraq emphasized that tracking efforts are continuing through satellite monitoring in close coordination with regional search and rescue administrations to determine the ships’ positions.

US President Donald Trump has announced the deployment of an additional 5,000 American troops to Poland, reversing a recent Pentagon decision to delay rotational troop movements. The announcement came just days after the earlier suspension and was made through a post on Truth Social, where Trump cited his strong relationship with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, who recently won re-election with Trump’s support. The Pentagon had previously said the delay was part of a broader review of US force posture in Europe. Trump’s move is being viewed as a sharp policy reversal. The decision follows criticism from Vice President JD Vance, who had defended the earlier delay, and comes amid heightened concerns in Poland over Russia’s aggression during the ongoing Ukraine war. Polish leaders, including President Nawrocki and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, welcomed the announcement, calling it proof of a strong alliance. The announcement also coincides with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s trip to Sweden for a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting, where tensions remain high between Washington and European allies over military cooperation and the war in Iran.

Mufti Muhammad Muhibbullahil Baqi, the chief imam of the National Mosque Baitul Mukarram, has been appointed as the new Director General (Grade-1) of the Islamic Foundation. The appointment was announced on Thursday through a notification issued by the Ministry of Public Administration. For the first time in Bangladesh, a professional Islamic scholar and mosque imam has been appointed to such a high administrative position. Under the Islamic Foundation Act of 1975, he will serve on a one-year contractual basis, effective from the date of joining, subject to leaving all other professional or institutional affiliations. Mufti Baqi is known as a moderate scholar and Islamic researcher, educated in Qawmi, Alia, and general education systems. He studied at Darul Ulum Moinul Islam Hathazari, Darul Ulum Nadwatul Ulama in India, and the Department of Arabic at the University of Dhaka, where he earned first-class results in all degrees, including topping his master’s program. He has taught at the International Islamic University Chittagong and other institutions, served as imam and khatib at major mosques, and held key roles in Shariah supervisory boards of several banks. He is fluent in Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Persian, English, and Bengali.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described Cuba as a 'national security threat' to the United States, saying the likelihood of reaching a peaceful agreement with Havana is low. His remarks came a day after Washington formally charged former Cuban President Raul Castro over the 1996 downing of two planes that killed US citizens. Rubio said the US prefers a diplomatic solution but warned that President Donald Trump has both the right and duty to defend the country against any threat. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez rejected Rubio’s comments as false, asserting that Cuba has never posed a threat to the US. He accused Washington of orchestrating attacks and provoking military aggression against Cuba. The island nation is currently facing severe fuel shortages, prolonged blackouts, and food scarcity, worsened by US oil sanctions. Despite tensions, Cuba has accepted $100 million in US humanitarian aid, according to Rubio. Rubio declined to reveal how Raul Castro would be brought before a US court, while Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said they expect Castro to appear voluntarily or by other means. President Trump described Cuba as a 'failed state' and said his administration is trying to help on humanitarian grounds.

A Jamaat-e-Islami leader named Zillur Rahman was seriously injured in an attack allegedly carried out by activists of the banned Awami League in Bhangura upazila of Pabna on Thursday night, May 21. The incident occurred around 8:30 p.m. on the Kalinjira Bridge in Khanmarich Union. Rahman, a member of the upazila Jamaat working committee and a teacher at Dasmarich Government Primary School, was first taken to the upazila health complex and later referred to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital due to his critical condition. The attackers’ identities were not immediately known. Earlier that morning, Rahman had an argument with several Awami League activists, during which he reportedly slapped one of them. The evening assault is believed to have followed that altercation. Following the attack, local Member of Parliament Maulana Ali Asgar led a protest at the Bhangura police station around 10 p.m., demanding the arrest of the attackers within 24 hours and warning of tougher action if the demand was not met. Bhangura Police Officer-in-Charge Sakiul Azam confirmed the incident and said a case was being filed. He declined to disclose the suspects’ names for investigation purposes.

The United States has temporarily lifted sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on Palestinian territories, following a recent court ruling. The State Department said the Trump administration removed her name from the sanctions list after a federal judge ordered a suspension of enforcement. However, the department emphasized that Washington’s policy position regarding Albanese remains unchanged and that it has appealed the court’s decision. The sanctions were originally imposed in July 2025 after Albanese recommended that the International Criminal Court issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials. The Italian human rights expert has long criticized Israel’s policies toward Palestinians and described the situation in Gaza as genocide. Her family filed a lawsuit in Washington, D.C., arguing that the sanctions violated her constitutional rights, including freedom of expression. Judge Richard Leon ruled in Albanese’s favor on May 13, stating that the government acted against her because of her opinions. The State Department indicated that if the court’s order is overturned, Albanese’s name will be reinstated on the Specially Designated Nationals list.

A Bloomberg News report, citing unnamed sources, claims that Iran has destroyed more than two dozen US MQ-9 Reaper drones since the start of the current war. The estimated financial loss is around one billion dollars, representing about 20 percent of the Pentagon’s total Reaper drone fleet before the conflict. The report states that many drones were shot down by Iran’s air defense systems, while others were destroyed on the ground in missile attacks on US military installations or lost during operations. According to a person directly familiar with the information, at least 42 US military aircraft have been damaged or destroyed during the war. A US Congress report cited in the article estimates total American military equipment losses at approximately 2.6 billion dollars. The report, sourced from Al Jazeera and Bloomberg, highlights the scale of US military losses but does not specify the exact timeline or battlefield locations of the incidents.

Lebanon’s armed group Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for carrying out 16 separate attacks on Israeli forces positioned in southern Lebanon on Thursday. According to a statement from the group, the assaults involved the use of rockets, offensive drones, quadcopters, and artillery fire targeting Israeli military positions. Hezbollah stated that the attacks were directed at gatherings of Israeli soldiers, artillery sites, and armored vehicles located in several border areas, including Rashaf, Bint Jbeil, Naqoura, and Deir Seryan. The report, citing Al Jazeera, did not mention any casualties or responses from the Israeli side. The statement underscores continuing hostilities along the Lebanon-Israel border, though further details about the scale of damage or military response were not provided in the source.

A violent confrontation broke out in Chattogram’s Baklia area on Thursday following allegations that a 32-year-old shop worker raped a three-year-old girl inside a residential building. The incident triggered six hours of unrest involving clashes between residents and police, gunfire, and the use of sound grenades. Several people, including journalists, were injured, and an angry mob set fire to a police vehicle. The accused, identified as Md. Monir, was later taken into custody late at night after security forces regained control of the area. According to local sources, the child’s mother works in a garment factory and her father is a rickshaw puller. Neighbors reportedly detained Monir inside a nearby madrasa after discovering the unconscious child. When police arrived to take the suspect, residents refused to hand him over, demanding immediate vigilante justice and expressing frustration over delays in rape case verdicts. The situation escalated into repeated confrontations between police and residents. Police later confirmed that the child was sent to the hospital and that legal proceedings were being prepared. Additional police and Rapid Action Battalion units were deployed overnight to stabilize the area.

An identified motorcycle thief named Joy, aged 26, was killed in a road accident on Thursday, May 21, 2026, while fleeing on a stolen motorcycle in Rajnagar upazila of Moulvibazar. The incident occurred on the Kulaura–Sylhet highway near Kuchimora, where Joy lost control of the motorcycle and hit a bridge railing. Police and fire service personnel took him to Moulvibazar Sadar Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. According to police, Joy was a resident of Dakshin Giasnagar village in Kulaura upazila and had multiple theft cases filed against him at Kulaura Police Station. The motorcycle involved in the crash had reportedly been stolen two days earlier from the Sagornal area of Juri upazila. Rajnagar Police confirmed the death and sent the body for autopsy at Moulvibazar Sadar Hospital morgue. Kulaura Police stated that Joy was a known member of a local snatching and motorcycle theft ring with several cases pending against him.

Leaders and activists of the National Citizens Party (NCP) Dhaka North unit organized a torch procession on Thursday night demanding justice for all rape and murder victims, including the child Ramisa. The procession began around 9 p.m. in front of the party’s Banglamotor office and moved toward Shahbagh after a brief rally. Participants chanted slogans calling for justice for victims such as Tanu, Ramisa, and Achiya. At the rally, NCP central senior joint convener and Dhaka North convener Ariful Islam Adib criticized incidents of sexual violence and murder across different areas, including Mirpur, Cantonment, and Bashundhara. He urged the Prime Minister to ensure party-level investigations and arrests of those involved, and called for the formation of anti-sexual harassment cells in all political parties. He also demanded swift implementation of justice in rape and murder cases. Dhaka North NCP acting member secretary Sadia Farzana Dina emphasized the need to change societal attitudes toward women and treat them with respect. Several other party leaders and members were present at the event.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit Beijing from May 23 to 26, according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The visit aims to advance bilateral relations and discuss shared interests between the two countries. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the leaders will meet in Beijing to address ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and promote peace initiatives. China expressed full support for Pakistan’s “fair and balanced” mediation role in efforts to restore peace and stability in the Middle East. In recent months, Pakistan has acted as a key mediator in easing tensions between the United States and Iran. As part of these diplomatic efforts, Pakistan’s army chief and commander-in-chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is visiting Tehran on Thursday. The visit follows Beijing’s recent hosting of U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, reflecting China’s active engagement in global diplomacy.

The Bangladesh Cabinet has approved the proposal to ratify the 'Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology' agreement signed between the governments of Bangladesh and Japan. The proposal was presented by the Ministry of Defense and approved during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Secretariat. The meeting also reported that the implementation rate of Cabinet decisions currently stands at 70.73 percent. In the same session, the Cabinet approved Bangladesh’s participation in the 'Framework Agreement on the Establishment of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)' and endorsed the draft Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration National Action Plan (GCM-NAP) for 2026–2030. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change presented the IBCA proposal, which aims to protect habitats, prevent illegal hunting and trade, and promote technical cooperation among member countries. Bangladesh’s decision to join the IBCA reflects its role as the home country of the Royal Bengal Tiger and its commitment to conserving the Sundarbans ecosystem.