MANILA, Philippines – Leaders from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) arrived in Cebu on May 8 for the 48th ASEAN Summit, the first leaders-level meeting of the bloc with the Philippines as chair. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. highlighted the importance of addressing the effects of the Middle East conflict.

“The increasingly volatile situation in the Middle East has impacted our region, challenging us to remain agile in the face of uncertainties…. Many of our countrymen continue to look to us, their leaders, not only for stability, but for reassurance and for hope,” Marcos said in his speech during the opening ceremony.

The United States and Iran exchanged fire on May 7, in the most serious test yet of their monthlong ceasefire, but Iran said the situation returned to normal while the US said it did not want to escalate.

The renewed hostilities broke out as Washington was awaiting Iran’s response to a US proposal that would stop the fighting but leave the most contentious issues, such as Iran’s nuclear program, unresolved for now.

Meanwhile, on May 5, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested Peanut Gallery Media Network (PGMN) founder Franco Mabanta and four others in Pasig City for their alleged involvement in an extortion scheme against Leyte 1st District Representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.

The NBI disclosed that Mabanta allegedly demanded P300 million from the former House speaker in exchange for withholding the publication of online video content linking Romualdez to “corruption in the House of Representatives.”

Catch more stories in these photos from the week that was:

Spirit Airlines Shutters Overnight After Failure to Secure a Buyout

A person sleeps on a bench at the Spirit Airlines terminal at LaGuardia Airport in Queens, in New York City, on May 2, 2026. PHOTO BY DAVID DEE DELGADO/REUTERS

Power Nap Contest for sleep-deprived South Korea held in Seoul

Participants sleep during the 2026 Power Nap contest at Han River park in Seoul, South Korea, on May 2, 2026. PHOTO BY KIM SOO-HYEON/REUTERS

Horse Racing: 152nd Running of the Kentucky Derby

The field of horses leaves the starting gate during the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, on May 2, 2026. PHOTO BY GRACE HOLLARS/USA TODAY NETWORK VIA IMAGN IMAGES

Traditional Savika bull wrestling event in Antananarivo

A wrestler gets knocked down by a bull during a traditional Betsileo bull-wrestling event named Savika, a cultural practice originating from the Betsileo people, where men attempt to wrestle and hold onto zebu bulls as a display of strength and bravery, in Ambatomirahavavy, Antananarivo, Madagascar, on May 3, 2026. PHOTO BY ZO ANDRIANJAFY/REUTERS

People attend the annual Debt Gala in New York

Attendees arrive at the annual Debt Gala, a budget-friendly, inclusive alternative to the Met Gala that fundraises for medical debt for vulnerable Americans, in Brooklyn, New York, on May 3, 2026. PHOTO BY ANGELINA KATSANIS/REUTERS

Met Gala 2026 in New York City

Sabine Getty departs Mark Hotel during the Met Gala, an annual fundraising gala held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, with this year’s theme ‘Costume Art’ in New York City, New York, on May 4, 2026. PHOTO BY EDUARDO MUNOZ/REUTERS

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood pose on the red carpet during the launch of The Rolling Stones’ new studio album, ‘Foreign Tongues,’ in Brooklyn, New York City, on May 5, 2026. PHOTO BY SHANNON STAPLETON/REUTERS

Anti-war protester Guido Reichstadter stands atop the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in Washington, DC, on May 5, 2026. PHOTO BY KEN CEDENO/REUTERS

U.S. and Philippine troops hold annual joint military exercises

A Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Type 88 surface-to-ship missile launcher fires during the Joint Task Force Maritime Strike, part of Balikatan, the annual joint military exercises between the United States and the Philippines, at Culili Point Sand Dunes, Paoay, Ilocos Norte, on May 6, 2026. PHOTO BY NOEL CELIS/REUTERS

Pope Leo XIV holds weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican

A part of Pope Leo XIV‘s attire obscures his face during the weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, on May 6, 2026. PHOTO BY YARA NARDI/REUTERS

Malaysia's anti-graft agency vows to recover more high-value art bought with 1MDB scandal funds

Artworks by Maurice Utrillo, titled Rue Saint-Rustique a Montmartre (1934), Pablo Picasso, titled L’Ecuyere et les clowns (1961), Joan Miro, titled Composition (1953), and Balthus, titled Etude pour femme couchee (1948) are displayed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission during a news conference, where the anti-graft agency vowed to recover more high-value artworks linked to the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal at Putrajaya, Malaysia, on May 6, 2026. PHOTO BY NAJJUA ZULKEFLI/REUTERS

NBI arrests PGMN founder Franco Mabanta

The National Bureau of Investigation presents arrested social media personality and Peanut Gallery Media Network founder Franco Mabanta (2-L) and four others for allegedly trying to extort P300 million from Leyte 1st District Representative Martin Romualdez, on May 6, 2026. PHOTO BY RAPPLER

Sand portrait of David Attenborough to mark his 100th birthday in Morecambe

Artists from the Sand In Your Eye art team put finishing touches to a giant sand portrait of David Attenborough to mark the conservationist’s 100th birthday, on the beach in Morecambe, Britain, on May 6, 2026. PHOTO BY PHIL NOBLE/REUTERS

Fans gather at Mexico City's Zocalo as BTS appear at National Palace

Fans of South Korean K-pop boy band BTS, known as ARMY, gather at Zocalo Square as they wait for members of the group alongside Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum to appear on a balcony of the National Palace, ahead of concerts on their ‘Arirang’ world tour, in Mexico City, Mexico, on May 6, 2026. MEXICO CITY GOV’T PRESS OFFICE HANDOUT PHOTO VIA REUTERS

Members of the Samaritan sect take part in a traditional pilgrimage atop Mount Gerizim, ahead of the holiday of Shavuot, in Nablus

Members of the Samaritan sect taking part in a traditional pilgrimage atop Mount Gerizim, ahead of the holiday of Shavuot, in Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on May 7, 2026. PHOTO BY ILAN ROSENBERG/REUTERS

Newly restored mural attributed to Banksy depicting a migrant child wearing a lifejacket and holding a pink flare is presented in Venice

The newly restored mural attributed to street artist Banksy, which depicts a migrant child wearing a life jacket and holding a pink flare and originally appeared on Palazzo San Pantalon during the 2019 Venice Biennale, is presented in Venice, Italy, on May 7, 2026. PHOTO BY MANUEL SILVESTRI/REUTERS

Police officers stand guard as demonstrators with placards attend a protest by port workers over the lack of information ahead of the arrival of the MV Hondius, following a deadly hantavirus outbreak on board the ship, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, on May 8, 2026. PHOTO BY BORJA SUAREZ/REUTERS

Palestine International Marathon in the central Gaza Strip

Palestinians with crutches participate in the Palestine International Marathon in the central Gaza Strip, on May 8, 2026. PHOTO BY MAHMOUD ISSA/REUTERS

A woman walks past an anti-US billboard depicting President Donald Trump and the Strait of Hormuz, in Tehran, Iran, on May 8, 2026. PHOTO BY MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA VIA REUTERS

48th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings Opening Ceremony

Myanmar’s Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs U Hau Khan Sum, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, East Timor’s Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet, and Laos’ Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone pose for a group photo during the opening ceremony of the 48th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings, in Cebu, on May 8, 2026. PHOTO BY AARON FAVILA/POOL VIA REUTERS

– with reports from Reuters/Rappler.com