The people of 18 May

Incumbent mayor of Warsaw Rafał Trzaskowski leads the first round of the Polish presidential elections with 31.4% of the vote, followed by Karol Nawrocki with 29.5%. As no candidates received more than 50% of the vote, a runoff between the two is scheduled for June 1.

Politics · 18 May · with Karol Nawrocki

The papal inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV is held at St. Peter's Square in Vatican City.

Culture · 18 May

Russia launches 273 drones at Ukraine, the largest such attack since the beginning of the war. The attack comes a day after a round of direct peace talks between the two countries, and a day before Donald Trump's scheduled call with Vladimir Putin.

Conflict · 18 May · with Vladimir Putin

Romanians vote in the second round to choose their president between far-right George Simion and independent-declared centrist and incumbent Bucharest mayor Nicușor Dan.

Politics · 18 May · with Nicușor Dan

Former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Sang-wook joins the Democratic Party of Korea, three days after he declared support for Lee Jae-myung as the party's presidential candidate and ten days after leaving the conservative party.

Politics · 18 May · with Lee Jae-myung

The party of Argentina's president, Javier Milei, La Libertad Avanza, wins the Buenos Aires legislative election, with presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni securing the victory.

Politics · 18 May · with Manuel Adorni

Kenyan politician Martha Karua, who legally represents incarcerated Tanzanian opposition figure Tundu Lissu, is arrested at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and set for deportation.

Crime & Justice · 18 May · with Tundu Lissu

In motorsports, Robert Shwartzman of Prema Racing wins pole position for the Indianapolis 500, the first rookie to do so since 1983.

Sport · 18 May