At least 31 dead in new Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon

Today’s headlines: Pope Leo XIV recalls the suffering of the people of Gaza and calls for reconstruction to begin; India’s Supreme Court upholds the legality of the voter list revision pushed by the BJP.; Hong Kong has surpassed Switzerland as the global capital of cross-border wealth; A Japanese airline announces a project to store cultural artifacts on the Moon. Georgia celebrates 1,700 years since the adoption of Christianity.

LEBANON-ISRAEL

According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, at least 31 people, including several children, died yesterday in a new wave of massive airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon. The Israeli army stated that it had struck over 100 targets linked to Hezbollah, including military infrastructure and fighters. This is one of the most intense bombing campaigns since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire began last April. The escalation comes after statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who announced his intention to further intensify operations against Hezbollah. All of this is happening despite the new round of negotiations with the Beirut government scheduled for next week.

GAZA

“Unfortunately, the people of Gaza are still not receiving humanitarian aid. This is causing protests, hardships, and even action by those who participated in the Flotilla.” Leo XIV said this yesterday in response to a question from journalists on the matter as he was leaving the Castel Gandolfo residence. The pontiff calls on “all authorities” to assist and support “the people of Gaza” who “are suffering,” and to work toward “beginning the reconstruction.” Just last night, Israel struck again in Gaza, carrying out a “targeted killing” of Hamas military chief Mohammad Odeh.

INDIA

The Supreme Court of India has upheld the legality of the “Special Intensive Revision” (SIR), the extraordinary revision of voter lists initiated by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the state of Bihar, which has been fiercely contested by the opposition, who claim it is a scheme to favor the BJP. The SIR was introduced to remove duplicate, deceased, or ineligible voters, including illegal immigrants. According to the Court, the initiative complies with the Constitution since the verification of voter lists is directly linked to the protection of free and fair elections. The justices, however, clarified that the removal of a name from the voter rolls does not automatically result in the loss of citizenship: each case must be examined by the competent authorities.

CHINA

Chinese authorities have carried out the death sentence against Xu Yao for the murder of Lin Qi, a billionaire and founder of Yoozoo Games. In 2020, Xu, a disgruntled former employee, poisoned Lin after being sidelined shortly after helping secure a deal with Netflix. Yoozoo owned the film rights to the science fiction trilogy “The Three-Body Problem,” adapted by Netflix into the hit series 3 Body Problem. Sentenced in 2024, Xu was executed on May 21, 2026. Lin Qi was posthumously credited as executive producer of the globally successful Netflix series.

HONG KONG

Hong Kong has surpassed Switzerland as the world’s leading center for offshore wealth management. This is according to the Boston Consulting Group’s Global Wealth Report 2026. Cross-border wealth managed in Hong Kong reached .95 trillion, slightly surpassing Switzerland’s .94 trillion.

This overtaking was driven primarily by capital inflows from China and the strong boom in new listings on the local stock exchange recorded in 2025. BCG considers a reversal of this trend unlikely, as Asian financial centers are growing more rapidly than the traditional Swiss market, historically considered a safe haven for large global fortunes.

JAPAN

Japan Airlines has announced a project to transport cultural artifacts to the Moon, with the aim of preserving them from risks associated with climate change, natural disasters, and conflicts. In collaboration with Jalux and the space startup ispace, the “ARGO Trans-Lunar Heritage Project” will enable the shipment of regional specialties and symbolic products from Japanese companies. If successful, JAL would become the first airline in the world to transport goods to the Moon. The service will use a lunar lander scheduled for 2028, but reservations are open starting today. The objects will be stored in special containers resistant to the lunar environment, measuring approximately 20×20×10 centimeters and divided internally into multiple compartments.

GEORGIA

The Georgian government will allocate million for celebrations marking the 1,700th anniversary of the adoption of Christianity, with “a cultural and educational program” beginning on May 26, Georgia’s Independence Day, featuring major events leading up to the Svetitskhovloba festival on October 14. Christianity became the state religion in the Kingdom of Kartli in 326, and according to legend, this occurred following the miraculous healing of Queen Nana through the intercession of Saint Nino.

KAZAKHSTAN-RUSSIA-UKRAINE

Kazakh authorities will not enforce the ruling by the Astana International Financial Centre court, which upheld a previous international arbitration award against the Russian company Gazprom for .4 billion in favor of the Ukrainian company Naftogaz. Justice Minister Erlan Sarsembayev, on the eve of Vladimir Putin’s visit to Astana, stated that “Kazakhstan will not become a transit point for the enforcement of decisions that have no legal connection to the country.”