No-bid contract to turn DC’s reflecting pool blue goes to firm with ties to Trump 09. May 2026 (18:31) A company Trump has used for work at his Virginia golf course was awarded $6.9m to paint the iconic attractionDonald Trump’s latest beautification plan for Washington DC – the restoration of the 2,000ft-long reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial – has met been with claims that a $6.9m contract to carry out the project was hastily handed out to a company that renovated a swimming pool at the president’s Virginia golf course.The New York Times reported that the no-bid contract for the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool was given to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, based in New Canton, Virginia, on 3 April – despite company records’ showing it has not previously been awarded a federal contract. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Starmer brings in Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman to ease pressure on him to resign 09. May 2026 (17:12) Brown to advise on global finance, while Harman will focus on social and economic improvements for women and girlsUK politics live – latest updatesFull results from England, Scotland and WalesKeir Starmer has brought in Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman as advisers in a move to ease the mounting pressure on the prime minister to resign after the disastrous election results for Labour.Brown, the former prime minister and long-serving chancellor under Tony Blair, has been made Starmer’s envoy on global finance, with a brief to advise on financial partnerships to help with defence-related investments, particularly with Europe. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump Media and Technology Group lost $406m in first three months of 2026 09. May 2026 (16:29) Parent company of president’s Truth Social platform generated only $870,000 even as net sales were up 6%The parent company of Donald Trump’s Truth Social platform – one of the president’s preferred communications channels – lost nearly $406m in the first three months of the year while generating a little over $870,000 in revenue, according to financial filings.The Trump Media and Technology Group’s quarterly report for January to March 2026 showed that while net sales were up 6% year over year, the company took sizable losses related to other investments. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Danish rightwing leader asked to form government after Frederiksen fails to form coalition 09. May 2026 (16:17) Denmark’s king asks Troels Lund Poulsen to form government after PM struggles to gather supportThe king of Denmark has asked a centre-right politician to try to form a new government after the prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, has failed to put together a ruling coalition.The announcement on Friday night shook the political establishment as Frederiksen has been a staple of Danish politics for decades. Her left-leaning party, the Social Democrats, won the plurality of votes in parliamentary elections in March. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Neither US nor Iran can sustain strait of Hormuz standoff indefinitely 09. May 2026 (16:00) Simply hanging on could be a disaster for Iranians, while Trump needs to resolve this economic crisis he created Exchanges of fire between Iran and the US demonstrate the serious instability of the situation in the Middle East. Though the US strikes late on Thursday were just “a love tap”, according to the US president, Donald Trump, the reality is that neither side can continue the high-stakes standoff in the strait of Hormuz indefinitely.The US and its ally Israel demonstrated a comprehensive military superiority over Iran – taking minimal casualties in the 38-day war – but Washington has both failed to translate that into strategic dominance and allowed Iran to take control of the strait, driving up the oil price. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘My ambition is to change the country,’ AOC says when asked about seeking higher office in 2028 09. May 2026 (15:52) New York’s Democratic representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez brushed off question about run for presidencyThe New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez answered a question about potentially running for higher office in 2028 by declaring: “My ambition is to change the country.”The Democrat delivered that remark at a political forum in Chicago on Friday amid widespread belief that she is positioning herself to run for the White House in 2028 or challenge her party’s leader in the US Senate, fellow New Yorker Chuck Schumer. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Frontier Airlines plane hits person on runway during takeoff at Denver airport 09. May 2026 (15:10) Passengers were evacuated safely after the plane struck a person and an engine then caught on fireA Frontier Airlines plane hit a person on the runway of Denver’s international airport during takeoff, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate, authorities said.The plane, headed to Los Angeles, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff” at about 11.19pm on Friday, the Denver airport’s official X account wrote. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Watching us is like watching a cousin’: the online creators reshaping Africa’s news ecosphere 09. May 2026 (15:00) Africa is leading a change in news consumption habits – and transforming the lives of current affairs enthusiastsLast year Amahle-Imvelo Jaxa posted a TikTok video about South African peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She explained an argument that had erupted between the South African and Rwandan presidents, then listed roles different South African groups would play in a war with Rwanda: the Sotho strategists, the Xhosa negotiators, the Afrikaner muscle. The video went viral and she racked up 100,000 followers in three days.This breakout video enabled Jaxa to pivot from being a marketing and restaurant entrepreneur to a “professional yapper and current affairs enthusiast”, part of a group of content creators explaining the news to young South Africans who, like many of their global peers, are eschewing traditional news in favour of social media. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump airport branding deal opens new route to profit for family 09. May 2026 (15:00) Florida agreement grants US president control of licensing and merchandising at renamed airport, analysts sayIt was a week in which one prominent name in aviation, Spirit Airlines, disappeared, killed in the company’s own admission by high fuel prices resulting from Donald Trump’s war in Iran.Within days, however, another moniker was already flying high in industry circles: the president’s own. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
British leader Keir Starmer under pressure after heavy election losses 09. May 2026 (14:54) Labour party loses more than 1,400 English council seats and crashes out in Welsh and Scottish parliament votes• UK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer, the British prime minister, is facing increasing pressure to set a date for his departure after elections across much of the country resulted in massive losses for his ruling Labour party.With the bulk of results now counted after voting on Thursday, Labour had lost more than 1,400 representatives from English councils, the local government structures that deliver many neighbourhood services. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
