Iran war resumes, intolerance toward Christians in Israel, EU-Armenia summit in Yerevan, Japan supplies arms to Indonesia and Philippines, Met Gala 2026,UAE currency swap line, Thailand's $12B package

The United States and Iran have launched fresh missile and drone attacks against each other in the Gulf, breaking a fragile truce as they wrestle for control over the critical Strait of Hormuz shipping lane. Intolerance toward Christians in Israel, particularly in Jerusalem, is becoming normalized, characterized by rising daily harassment, verbal abuse, spitting incidents, and vandalism of church property. Japan is supplying arms and defense cooperation to Indonesia and the Philippines to strengthen regional defense against China. Armenia is hosting major international gatherings in May 4-5, 2026, including the 8th European Political Community (EPC) summit and a historic EU-Armenia summit in Yerevan. The 2026 Met Gala, held on May 4, inaugurated the new Condé M. Nast Galleries with the theme "Costume Art" and a "Fashion is Art" dress code. A powerful explosion at a fireworks factory in Liuyang, Hunan Province, China, killed 21 people and injured 61 others on May 4, 2026. OpenAI co-founder and president Greg Brockman revealed that his stake in the company is worth nearly $30 billion while testifying in a California court during the ongoing legal battle with Elon Musk. Musk stated that “This lawsuit is very simple: It is not OK to steal a charity”, “If it's okay to loot a charity, the entire foundation of charitable giving will be destroyed." The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is navigating significant economic pressure stemming from the Iran war, leading to a dual-pronged strategy to secure USD liquidity while leveraging the possibility of trading oil in Chinese yuan. Thailand's cabinet approved a 400 billion baht ($12.2 billion) emergency borrowing package on May 5, 2026, to manage the economic fallout from the Middle East conflict.