Hormuz is ticking
Trump received his national security advisers in Bedminster over the weekend and sent two messages in a single day. "The clock is ticking for Iran," he repeated in an interview for BFM TV, "without a deal there will be nothing left." BFM TV ↗ He also publicly called on the United Arab Emirates to occupy one of the Iranian islands near the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has controlled since 1971. BFM TV ↗Overnight, further escalation came from the region. A drone struck a generator near the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates (no radiation leak) — Belgium, through Foreign Minister Maxim Prévot, condemned the attack as early as Sunday evening — and Saudi air defenses shot down further drones over its territory. Spiegel ↗ La Libre ↗ The price of Brent crude is at its highest this morning in two weeks. Rzeczpospolita ↗ G7 finance ministers open their talks in Paris today with exactly this — Iran — as German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil said before departure that the war poses a "serious threat to the global economy." Welt ↗
Also read: Trump and Xi met in Beijing and agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz
Governments in turmoil
In Andalusia — Spain's most populous region — the People's Party (PP) won the election in every province but lost its absolute majority. The worst news, however, went to the Socialists (PSOE), who recorded their historically worst result in Andalusia. Die Zeit ↗ 20 Minutos ↗ For Pedro Sánchez, the result is a political blow at the final stage of the legislature. For conservative leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo, it is a test of whether he can govern without the far-right Vox party — Juanma Moreno in Seville will likely need its votes.Meanwhile in Latvia, conservative Andris Kulbergs has taken on the task of forming a new government after the fall of Prime Minister Evika Siliņa's cabinet, who resigned following a dispute over Russian hybrid tactics and Ukrainian drones over Latvian territory. Le Figaro ↗ And in Hungary, newsrooms across Europe — from El País to Magyar Nemzet — are painting a portrait of a "post-Orbán era": according to El País, Péter Magyar's government is reducing institutional paralysis in Brussels, while the pro-government daily Magyar Nemzet accuses him of "TikTok governance." El País ↗ Magyar Nemzet ↗
Also read: Magyar and Tisza continue destabilizing Fidesz and shifting power structures
Diplomatic rifts
Friedrich Merz repeated over the weekend that he would not recommend the United States to his own children for study today — Spain's El País described it as "the biggest crisis in German-American relations in twenty years." El País ↗ La Repubblica writes of a "German paradox" — Berlin is considering whether to buy missiles and drones directly from the Ukrainian army, which is at war with Russia. La Repubblica ↗Also read: Fico faces criticism for silence on the attacks, Merz cancels visit to Slovakia
Vladimir Putin travels to Beijing on May 19 and 20 — just days after Trump's visit. Le Monde ↗ Le Monde asks whether Trump is not "caught in the trap of a Chinese bluff" — on the question of arms deliveries to Taiwan, he again dodged the answer. Le Monde ↗ And in Greenland, a Trump envoy unexpectedly showed up over the weekend — Onet quotes a stunned resident: "What do they want from us?" Onet ↗
Africa Corps retreats
Malian refugees who fled Russian Africa Corps mercenaries from northern Mali to neighboring Mauritania this winter are now planning to return. "I'll go home only once the Russians are no longer there," one of them told the SITA agency. Africa Corps, the Russian successor to the Wagner Group, is retreating from northern Mali under pressure from the jihadist coalition and the mood of local communities.In Mali itself, however, tragedy struck: the Malian army hit a wedding with a drone in the central part of the country — at least ten civilians dead. Le Monde ↗ At the same time, though, there was good news from Diafarabé in central Mali: the first food convoy in a year got through the blockade of the al-Qaeda-linked JNIM jihadist coalition in the Sahel. RFI ↗ In Mozambique, meanwhile, the "forgotten war" continues in Cabo Delgado, and in Somalia food insecurity threatens six million people. RFI ↗
Domestic crises and quiet deaths
Nina Litvinova, an 80-year-old Russian oceanographer and lifelong human rights advocate, took her own life in Moscow — in her farewell letter she blamed Putin's regime and the war against Ukraine.Also read: Dissident Litvinova takes her own life, Putin rushes to China to see Xi Jinping
In Germany, meanwhile, researchers warn: public openness toward the AfD is growing, even as the party itself is radicalizing. Tagesspiegel ↗ Hamas confirmed the death of another commander of its armed wing — Haddad was killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza. FAZ ↗ And Amnesty International reports that 2025 brought the highest number of executions in 44 years — 2,707 people worldwide, more than 2,000 of them in Iran. Ouest-France ↗
Europe lives on, too
Bulgaria won its first-ever Eurovision victory, hosted this year in Vienna — and both Slovakia and the Czech Republic were part of the Austrian audience who watched the ESC under police surveillance due to anti-Israel protests.Also read: Bulgaria triumphs at the Eurovision festival in Austria, Germany finishes 23rd
Bayern Munich claimed their 35th Bundesliga title on Saturday with a convincing performance against Cologne (with a hat-trick from Harry Kane), and Manuel Neuer extended his contract through 2027. In Cannes, John Travolta received an honorary Palme d'Or and is making his directorial debut — he said he is "tired of so much cynicism in life." El País ↗ And in France, the justice system opened an investigation more than seven years after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi — Khashoggi died at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. El País ↗
What HotInfo is watching
- Today (May 18), Paris: G7 finance ministers' communiqué — whether a joint position on the war in Iran emerges, or it ends at Klingbeil's recession warning.
- May 19–20, Beijing: Putin's visit to Xi Jinping — whether Xi publicly condemns Trump's ultimatum, or repeats the more cautious line from the Hormuz agreement.
- May 20–22, Riga: Andris Kulbergs must build a functioning majority — who takes over the defense ministry after Sprūds, and who will be the "colonel from Ukraine" recommended on May 11.
- May 21–25, Seville: Juanma Moreno (PP) will be seeking a majority — with or without Vox? Andalusia will be a test of Feijóo's leadership ahead of the nationwide elections.
- This week, Uzhhorod: continued Russian drone attacks on western Ukrainian energy infrastructure — an open question for Slovakia is whether, after a second incident, it will again close its border crossings.
- May 22–23, Bamako and Beirut: watching whether a political response from Bamako follows the ten killed at the wedding — and whether Hezbollah in southern Lebanon resumes strikes across the ceasefire line after 22 casualties in the first month.
