‘Climate solutions will bring down bills and restore nature’: green issues and May elections 06. May 2026 (19:59) As Reform vows to block solar and windfarms, energy leaders say renewables offer most secure future, insulating UK from hostile forcesUK politics live – latest updates• May elections: What’s at stake across England, Wales and Scotland?The defining issue of Thursday’s local elections, feedback from doorsteps suggests, will be the UK’s soaring cost of living. But voters should be told about the links between inflation and the effects of fossil fuels and the climate crisis – or the remedies they choose – may make the situation worse, green campaigners have warned.Ami McCarthy, the head of politics at Greenpeace UK, said: “With people’s bills and prices soaring from yet another fossil fuel crisis, these local elections have a global context – driven by the Iran war. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Burnham sparks Labour anger with plan to appear at event alongside Greens 06. May 2026 (19:53) Some MPs accuse Burnham of undermining local election messaging by agreeing to speak at event later this monthPolitics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham’s decision to appear at a progressive rally alongside prominent Green and Liberal Democrat figures has sparked anger among some Labour MPs, who have accused him of undermining their local election message.The Greater Manchester mayor, who is seen as one of the most likely challengers to Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership, will be speaking at the Change:Now event this month organised by the leftwing group Compass. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
More Americans say US is no longer welcoming to immigrants, survey finds 06. May 2026 (19:43) Almost two-thirds of respondents said US used to be a great place for immigrants but no longer isSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Donald Trump’s aggressive and wide-reaching immigration-enforcement agenda has convinced increasing numbers of adults that the US is no longer a welcoming country for outsiders, a new poll has found.About six in 10 respondents to the Associated Press-NORC poll, conducted last month, say the country used to be a great place for immigrants, but no longer is. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pussy Riot protest at Venice Biennale forces Russian pavilion to briefly close 06. May 2026 (18:35) Demonstrators, angered by Russia’s inclusion at arts festival, shouted ‘Curated by Putin, dead bodies included’The Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale was forced temporarily to shut its doors on the second day of the preview after the activist group Pussy Riot staged a chaotic protest against the country’s inclusion in the art festival.Wearing pink balaclavas, the protesters ran towards the Russian pavilion where they gathered outside and lit pink, blue and yellow flares while playing punk music and shouting slogans, including “Blood is Russia’s Art”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Another day, another pivot as Trump flails in an Iran trap of his own making 06. May 2026 (17:51) Latest proposal, derided by Tehran as a ‘wishlist’, could yet be a way out – but with 5,000 dead, it comes at an awful priceMiddle East crisis – live updatesAnother day, another hairpin turn in the world of Donald Trump’s foreign policy.The weekend was all about war, and Trump insisting Iran had not yet “paid a big enough price”. Tuesday was Project Freedom, styled as a grand “humanitarian gesture” to allow trapped ships and their crews to escape the Gulf, but also aimed at weakening Iran’s chokehold on the strait of Hormuz. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump tells Iran to accept deal or face new wave of US bombing 06. May 2026 (17:44) President issues fresh ultimatum despite US claims that progress has been made in stalled negotiations with TehranMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe US president, Donald Trump, has issued a fresh ultimatum, telling Iran to accept a deal to end the war in the Middle East or face a new wave of US bombing “at a much higher level and intensity than it was before”.The social media announcement on Wednesday was the latest in a rapid series of dramatic and often contradictory changes in policy and came amid reports the US was claiming progress in stalled negotiations between Tehran and Washington. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New York real estate titan likens the phrase ‘tax the rich’ to racial slurs 06. May 2026 (17:41) Steve Roth was responding to the announcement by New York’s mayor of tax on second homes worth more than $5mSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email The phrase “tax the rich” can be “just as hateful as some disgusting racial slurs”, according to New York City billionaire Steve Roth, who said that the top 1% should be “praised and thanked”.Speaking on his company’s quarterly earnings call on Tuesday, Roth, the CEO of Vornado Realty Trust, expressed his support for fellow billionaire and the CEO of Citadel, Ken Griffin, who was singled out in New York mayor Zohran Mamdani’s 15 April announcement of the state’s first “pied-à-terre” tax on second homes valued at more than $5m. In a video, Mamdani announced the policy in front of Griffin’s penthouse, which he said was purchased for $238m. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Howard Lutnick to answer questions from US House over Jeffrey Epstein ties 06. May 2026 (17:34) US commerce secretary to sit for transcribed interview as part of House oversight committee’s broader investigationThe US commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, will appear before the House oversight and reform committee on Wednesday to answer questions over his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein.Lutnick agreed in March to sit for a transcribed interview with the committee following the justice department’s release of millions of documents related to Epstein, which included documents showing that Lutnick continued correspondence with Epstein after the disgraced financier had been convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor. The session is part of the committee’s broader investigation into Epstein. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Norwegian government attacked over decision to reopen North Sea gasfields 06. May 2026 (17:25) Approval for exploration in 70 new areas prompts fierce backlash from fossil fuel opponents The Norwegian government has been heavily criticised for approving plans to reopen three North Sea gasfields nearly three decades after they were closed to help fill the gap in energy supplies created by the Middle East war.Amid sharp price rises in oil and gas since the US and Israel’s attack on Iran in February, Oslo has also given its approval for oil and gas companies to explore in 70 new locations in the North Sea, Barents Sea and Norwegian Sea. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Lacunar strokes caused by widening of arteries in brain, study suggests 06. May 2026 (17:25) Finding would explain why type of stroke affecting about 35,000 a year in UK is not as responsive to some medicationThe cause of a type of stroke that affects about 35,000 people across the UK each year has been uncovered by researchers and may explain why some medications are ineffective as treatment.Lacunar strokes, which account for a quarter of all strokes in the UK, had been linked to the blockage of arteries in the brain by fatty deposits. However, a study published on Wednesday suggests they are not caused by blocked arteries but by the enlargement and widening of arteries in the brain. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
