Airline emissions in Europe top pre-Covid levels despite pledge to decarbonise 08. May 2026 (12:30) Promises to cut emissions and use more fuel-efficient planes fail to stop rise, with Ryanair’s carbon footprint 50% up on 2019Emissions from flying in Europe have now passed pre-pandemic levels, with Ryanair’s carbon footprint 50% higher than in 2019, research has shown.Total aviation emissions continue to increase despite industry pledges to decarbonise and the introduction of more fuel-efficient planes, driven by the massive expansion of low-cost carriers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Middle East crisis live: Trump insists ceasefire is intact after Iran and US exchange fire in Hormuz 08. May 2026 (12:07) The US said it carried out strikes on Iranian military targets after an attack on three American destroyers in the strait of HormuzCeasefire under threat after strikes exchanged in straitThe Pakistani foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, said he spoke with his Iranian and Singaporean counterparts about repatriating crew members on ships seized by the US.He asked the Singaporean foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan for help repatriating “11 Pakistani and 20 Iranian seafarers, aboard vessels seized by US authorities and currently near Singaporean waters”, Dar wrote in a post on X, without specifying which ships the crew were on. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of breaking proposed ceasefires ahead of Victory Day parade in Moscow – Europe live 08. May 2026 (12:04) Ukraine suggested an indefinite ceasefire this week but it was repeatedly violated by RussiaBack to Moscow’s preparations for the Victory Parade, Reuters is now reporting that, in the latest signal of concern about the event, there is “a limit put on the number of foreign journalists cover it” as a result of “the change format of the parade.”The Kremlin also responded to a report in the Financial Times newspaper (£) that EU leaders were preparing for potential talks with Moscow, insisting that Putin “is ready to negotiate with anyone” – but will not initiate the process. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New Orleans child molester questioned on unsolved killings takes the fifth 700 times 08. May 2026 (12:00) Stanley Burkhardt, convicted abuser and ex-investigator of sex crimes against children, gives deposition in civil caseConvicted child molester Stanley Burkhardt – a former investigator of sex crimes against children who has been in and out of prison for decades – invoked his constitutional right against self-incrimination more than 700 times while being questioned under oath recently, including when asked whether he committed a series of unsolved murders of youths in his orbit.Burkhardt’s decision to remain silent came when faced with questions about the killings during a deposition in a civil lawsuit by an alleged sexual abuse victim of his – a case aimed at him and the New Orleans police department (NOPD) which used to employ him. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
South East Water CEO to step down after Kent and Sussex supply outages 08. May 2026 (11:45) David Hinton will remain in post while successor is found, group says, a week after resignation of chair Chris TrainThe chief executive of South East Water has announced plans to step down, a week after the group’s chair quit in the wake of major supply outages in Kent and Sussex.The supplier said David Hinton, who joined the board in 2013, would stay in post to allow an “orderly transition” over the summer while the group hunts for his successor. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pink hair and red herrings: viral quiz invites you to guess politicians’ stripes from their photos 08. May 2026 (11:30) Guess the Party challenges players to pin candidates’ politics to their appearances, with guess rates varying wildlyIs a bristly grey moustache a telltale sign of a Reform candidate? Is pink hair a giveaway for the Greens? Perhaps a sharp suit is the best telltale for the Tories – or spectacles and a rucksack for Labour?Players of a viral politics game have been finding out that it’s never that simple to judge the colour of a candidate’s rosette just by how they look. The game, invented by Sam Hamill-Stewart, challenges players to look at pictures of local election candidates and guess their party affiliation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Inequality causing 100,000 extra deaths a year from heat and cold in Europe 08. May 2026 (11:29) Findings come after third-hottest April on record globally and amid fears of more brutal European summer weatherEconomic inequality adds more than 100,000 deaths to the vast toll from heat and cold in Europe each year, research has found.Cutting levels inequality to match that of Europe’s most equal region, as measured by the Gini index, would reduce temperature-related mortality by as much as 30%, equating to 109,866 people, the study found. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Early England election results make it clear: we are in an era of five-party politics 08. May 2026 (11:28) While Labour losses and Reform gains are obvious, the nature of how people actually voted is much more nuancedElections 2026 – live updatesFull results from England, Scotland and WalesEnglish local election results require careful interpretation. Not all places have them at the same time, a relatively small proportion complete their counts overnight and the early headlines may not reflect outcomes later in the day.But the headline number on Friday morning – that Labour has lost more than 250 councillors - will only grow as the day progresses. While Labour will want to stress that these “mid-term” elections often go badly for the incumbent Westminster government, they rarely go quite as badly as this. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hong Kong dissident Nathan Law on China spies in UK: ‘We’re not surprised’ 08. May 2026 (11:00) Law says conviction of two men for spying raises serious concerns about how they accessed sensitive informationNathan Law, an exiled leader of the Hong Kong student protest who lives with a £100,000 bounty on his head from the Chinese authorities, was not surprised to discover a spy ring had photographed him entering the Oxford Union for an evening debate in November 2023.The conviction at the Old Bailey of Chi Leung “Peter” Wai, 38, and Chung Biu “Bill” Yuen, 65, for assisting a foreign intelligence service, was a sobering first – no Chinese spies had been convicted in British criminal history before Thursday – but the details that came out in the nine-week trial mainly served to confirm his suspicions. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Starmer vows to fight on as PM despite heavy local election losses for Labour 08. May 2026 (10:54) Leader defiant in face of calls from some of his MPs to quit but admits ‘results are tough, and there’s no sugarcoating it’Election 2026 live: latest news updatesFull results from England, Scotland and WalesKeir Starmer has vowed to fight on as prime minister despite early results in local elections showing his party suffering heavy losses, many at the hands of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.Starmer struck a defiant note on Friday morning in the face of calls from some of his MPs to quit, insisting he remained as determined as ever to deliver the promises on which he was elected less than two years ago. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
