Middle East crisis live: Trump changes strait of Hormuz plan again as Rubio says US offensive is ‘over’ 06. May 2026 (08:47) US president says he will briefly pause Project Freedom after just one day; Rubio says US has achieved objectives of Iran operation; Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi flies to ChinaTrump puts ‘Project Freedom’ on hold, saying he hopes to finalise deal with IranIn Lebanon, the Israeli military has ordered people in 12 southern towns and villages to flee their homes as its bombing campaign continues unabated.In a social media post, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee urged people to move at least a kilometre from their homes “to open areas”. Most of the towns and villages are located north of the Litani River, south of which the IDF has stationed its troops. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Apps, activists and an ‘air war’: Essex campaign is test of Reform UK’s professionalisation 06. May 2026 (08:00) Nigel Farage’s party sees local elections as showcase for a sleeker approach borrowing from an unlikely sourceNigel Farage was midway through his walkabout of Waltham Abbey when a hunting horn loudly sounded on the Essex market town’s pedestrianised high street. “Oi oiii!” exclaimed the owner of Ouch Tattoos, Rob Chillingworth, putting down the instrument and reaching out a welcoming hand to the approaching Reform UK leader.For Farage, this was the latest stop in a midweek tour of half a dozen towns in Essex, where more than 1m county council votes are up for grabs. Barring breakthroughs in Wales and Scotland, going from having a single councillor here to taking power would be one of Reform’s biggest achievements in Thursday’s polls. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Singapore introduces caning for boys who bully others at school 06. May 2026 (07:26) Under new guidelines caning will only be used in schools for male students aged nine and aboveMale school students who bully others, including through cyberbullying, will face caning as a “last resort” under new guidelines introduced in Singapore.Male students can face up to three strokes of the cane under the new rules, which were discussed in parliament on Tuesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Horrified Wagga residents call for proper sanitation at homeless camp where baby was found dead 06. May 2026 (07:11) Tent where twins were born up to a 15-minute walk away from nearest public toilets or running waterFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe tent where a newborn baby was found dead at Wagga beach at the weekend was part of a homeless encampment up to a 15-minute walk away from the nearest public toilets or running water, with residents in a nearby apartment block saying conditions were “worse than a Syrian war camp”.The tragedy has prompted fury in the community, with residents of Wagga Wagga calling on authorities to take urgent action to make the encampments safe and sanitary. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Palestinian ambassador protests to Foreign Office over ’erasure’ by British Museum 06. May 2026 (07:00) Objection after museum removes word ‘Palestine’ from list of countries of ancient Levant and Egypt and from some explanatory panelsThe Palestinian ambassador to the UK has called for Foreign Office intervention after the British Museum removed references to Palestine from its exhibits.The UK recognised the state of Palestine in September 2025, but the same year the museum removed the name “Palestine” from a panel listing the present-day countries encompassed by the ancient Levant, and replaced it with Gaza and the West Bank. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rare pregnancy complication has put UK women into ‘emergency surgery’ 06. May 2026 (07:00) Scores of women have told how they were affected by placenta accreta spectrum for an awareness campaignWomen have had to undergo major emergency surgery, including a hysterectomy, when medical staff failed to detect they had a rare but potentially fatal complication of pregnancy.Scores of women have come forward to tell their stories of how they were affected by placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) since the launch in February of a campaign to raise awareness among NHS staff and mothers-to-be of the dangers it poses. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Gibraltar dumping all of its raw sewage into Mediterranean 06. May 2026 (07:00) Wastewater from nearly 40,000 people and businesses pumped straight into sea as island still has no treatment plantRaw sewage from nearly 40,000 people and businesses is being pumped straight into the sea because the British overseas territory of Gibraltar does not have, and has never had, a wastewater treatment plant.For decades, untreated sewage has poured into the Mediterranean from the southern tip of the peninsula at Europa Point, where the government of Gibraltar says there are “high levels of natural dispersion”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
EU trade deal could force UK to restrict use of weedkiller linked to cancer 06. May 2026 (07:00) Glyphosate is currently sprayed on cereal and pulse crops to dessicate them and make them easier to harvestA new trade deal with the EU could lead to restrictions on the use of the controversial weedkiller glyphosate on UK food crops.The full-spectrum herbicide, which kills almost every plant it touches, is often sprayed on wheat, oats and other cereal and pulse crops shortly before harvest to desiccate them and make them easier to handle. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Attempts to stop prison drone drug deliveries hampered by crumbling Victorian walls 06. May 2026 (07:00) Plans to install tougher netting and window grilles set back because walls cannot take extra weight, prison governors sayWeak and crumbling walls in Victorian prisons are hampering attempts to halt drones from delivering drugs and weapons to inmates.Plans to install tougher netting and window grilles to stop drones from entering have been hampered because the walls have been unable to take the extra weight, prison governors said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Four in five Britons worried Iran war will make food more expensive, poll finds 06. May 2026 (06:00) Shoppers concerned about effect of Middle East conflict, as UK retailers say government running out of time to cut costsFour in five people are worried that the Iran war will make food more expensive, according to a new poll, as businesses warned the “window is closing” for ministers to cut energy costs for UK retailers.Research by Opinium found that 80% of people are worried about the rising price of groceries, which would come from retailers passing on cost increases to consumers, while 73% expect the conflict to push up prices of other products. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
