France has a record number of presidential hopefuls. Will any of them be able to hold back the far right? 09. May 2026 (07:00) About 30 people – nearly all men – have expressed an interest in taking on the far-right National Rally in next year’s ballotAt a Paris meeting hall this week, hundreds of leftwing voters braved a rainstorm to gather chanting: “Unity! Unity!”They were celebrating the 90th anniversary of France’s Popular Front, a leftwing alliance that was formed in the 1930s amid fears that the far right could take power. But their concerns were more immediate. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
David Pocock applauds $387m in extra funding for CSIRO after tens of thousands sign petition 09. May 2026 (04:31) Analysis commissioned by independent senator found national science agency’s funding is at its lowest since 1978Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Albanese government will boost funding to CSIRO by $387.4m in a bid to meet the long-term costs of the national science agency.It follows months of advocacy by scientists and staff after hundreds of job cuts and cost-cutting measures. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US military strike on vessel in eastern Pacific kills two people, leaving one survivor 09. May 2026 (04:08) More than 190 people have been killed in such strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean and PacificThe US military on Friday said it struck a vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing two people and leaving one survivor in the latest attack on boats suspected of transporting narcotics. This brings the death toll from strikes on such vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific to more than 190 people since September.A video posted by the US Southern Command shows the vessel traveling through the water being hit by what appears to be a missile. The screen momentarily goes black and then shows the boat engulfed in flames. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
John Swinney urges Starmer to show Scotland ‘greater respect’ after SNP victory 09. May 2026 (02:36) Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, concedes his party was comprehensively beaten in election as count puts his party on 17 seats, a tie with ReformElection 2026 live: latest news updatesFull results from England, Scotland and WalesJohn Swinney, the Scottish National party leader, has challenged Keir Starmer to show “greater respect” to the Scottish government after winning the Holyrood elections by a comfortable margin.The Scottish National party secured a record fifth term in office on Friday after securing 58 of Holyrood’s 129 seats. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
General Motors to pay $12.75m settlement for selling drivers’ location and data 09. May 2026 (01:51) Automaker had given ‘numerous statements reassuring drivers that it would not do so’, says California attorney generalGeneral Motors (GM) agreed to pay $12.75m to resolve claims that it illegally sold hundreds of thousands of Californians’ location and driving data to two data brokers, said the state’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, on Friday. He said this came after the Detroit-based automaker had given “numerous statements reassuring drivers that it would not do so”.“General Motors sold the data of California drivers without their knowledge or consent,” Bonta said in a statement. “This trove of information included precise and personal location data that could identify the everyday habits and movements of Californians.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump administration relaxing hunting restrictions in US parks and refuges 09. May 2026 (01:09) After January order from US department of the interior, managers across 55 sites have lifted prohibitionsDonald Trump’s administration is quietly pushing national park, refuge and wilderness area managers to dramatically scale back hunting restrictions, raising questions about visitor safety and the impact on wildlife.Doug Burgum, the US Department of the Interior secretary, issued an order in January directing multiple agencies to remove what he termed “unnecessary regulatory or administrative barriers” to hunting and fishing, to and justify regulations they want to keep in place. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Doge slashing of humanities grants in 2025 ruled biased and unconstitutional 09. May 2026 (00:32) US judge says halt of $100m in funds allotted by Congress for scholars, writers and research illegal and discriminatoryA federal judge ruled on Thursday that the terminations of hundreds of humanities grants last year by the Trump administration’s so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) were unconstitutional and involved “blatant” discrimination. In April last year, Donald Trump’s administration terminated more than 1,400 grants, representing more than $100m in congressionally appropriated funds awarded to scholars, writers, research institutions and other humanities organizations.The terminations were part of a cost-cutting drive that billionaire Elon Musk was leading at Doge. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Florida surgeon ‘devastated’ over death of patient after removing liver instead of spleen 08. May 2026 (23:49) Thomas Shaknovsky botched the surgery of William Bryan, 70, who died on the operating tableA Florida surgeon who is facing criminal charges after allegedly removing a patient’s liver instead of his spleen has said he is “forever traumatized” by that person’s death.In a deposition from November that was recently obtained by NBC, 44-year-old Thomas Shaknovsky described the death of 70-year-old William Bryan as an “incredibly unfortunate event that I regret deeply”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nigel Farage hails ‘historic shift in politics’ after Reform UK election gains 08. May 2026 (23:47) Party has success in Labour and Tory heartland areas but one pollster says results suggest Reform may have peakedElections 2026 – live updatesFull results from England, Scotland and WalesNigel Farage hailed sweeping election wins for Reform UK as a “historic shift in British politics” on a day when the populist party made gains at the expense of Labour and the Conservatives.Reform made advances in heartland areas of both parties, clocking up substantial early results in the English local elections by taking control of Essex county council, Havering – its first London local authority – and Sunderland city council. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Four south Florida men convicted in Haitian president’s assassination 08. May 2026 (23:35) Men were convicted in Miami federal court for plotting to kill Jovenel Moise at his Port-au-Prince home in 2021Four south Florida men were convicted on Friday of plotting to kill Haitian president Jovenel Moise in 2021 by hiring mercenaries to assassinate him at his Port-au-Prince home, court records show.Prosecutors argued during the nine-week trial in a Miami federal court that the men assembled two dozen former Colombian soldiers and supplied them with money, guns, ammunition and tactical vests in a conspiracy to kill Moise. The 53-year-old president was shot dead in July 2021 at his private residence in the hills above Port-au-Prince, a killing that left a gaping political vacuum in the Caribbean nation and emboldened powerful gangs. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
