Jefferson Lewis excused from appearing in court over alleged murder of Kumanjayi Little Baby 05. May 2026 (09:53) Lewis, 47, did not appear at first hearing since being charged over death of girl, 5, who was allegedly abducted from an Alice Springs town campWarning: This article contains references to Indigenous Australians who have diedJefferson Lewis, the man accused of murdering five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby near a town camp on the outskirts of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory last week, has been excused from his first court appearance.Lewis, 47, was expected to appear in the Alice Springs local court via video link on Tuesday morning, charged with murder and two other charges that cannot be published for legal reasons.Indigenous Australians can call 13YARN on 13 92 76 for information and crisis support; or call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Mensline on 1300 789 978 Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Middle East crisis live: US targets Iranian boats amid tense push for control of strait of Hormuz 05. May 2026 (08:49) US says it has destroyed six small Iranian military boats – which Tehran denies – while Iran launched barrage of attacks on US-allied United Arab EmiratesDonald Trump sends warships to break Iran’s strait of Hormuz blockadeThe Israeli military has issued more forced displacement orders for people in southern Lebanon – this time for those in the towns of Jabsheet and Sarafand.In a statement on social media, the military’s Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee said these residents should evacuate their homes “immediately and move away from the villages and towns for a distance of at least 1000 metres to open areas”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Salisbury Cathedral restores stained-glass treasure by Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris 05. May 2026 (08:00) Project to refurbish ‘Angels’ hailed huge success as dean says it will ‘lift spirits and rekindle hope’Sam Kelly admitted there had been some nights of broken sleep as he led a two-year project to restore one of Salisbury Cathedral’s treasures, a stained-glass window by Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris.“It would be wrong to say I didn’t lie awake sometimes,” said the head glazier. “You are working on something that is very precious and if it fell on the floor, it would be very bad.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia eyes security pact with Fiji as pushback from Beijing undermines agreement with Vanuatu 05. May 2026 (07:34) Foreign minister Penny Wong visits Fiji this week to progress the security and economic agreementFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia looks close to signing a landmark security and economic agreement with Fiji as part of the Albanese government’s efforts to contain China’s growing influence across the Pacific.But pushback from Beijing has undermined a separate pact with Vanuatu’s government, resulting in a scaling back of a deal aimed at locking in Australia as the country’s primary security partner. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
RBA interest rates: Reserve Bank hikes official cash rate to 4.35% in blow to mortgage holders 05. May 2026 (07:16) Reserve Bank of Australia raises rates for third consecutive meeting, lifting them to early-2025 levelsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastUse our loan calculator to see how rate hikes could affect you The Reserve Bank has delivered a third straight interest rate hike to contain growing inflationary pressures linked to higher fuel prices, even as it warned the Iranian war would deliver a major blow to the economy.The widely expected decision to lift the cash rate to 4.35% from 4.1% comes as the central bank revealed a gloomy new set of forecasts that showed intensifying cost-of-living pressures alongside weaker growth. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Google DeepMind workers in UK vote to unionize amid deal with US military 05. May 2026 (07:05) Exclusive: Worker pointed to Iran war and Pentagon’s Anthropic feud as indications the department is ‘not a responsible partner’Workers developing Google’s artificial intelligence products in the UK have voted to unionize, in part out of concerns about a deal between the company and the US military that was announced last week.In a letter slated to go to management on Tuesday and shared exclusively with the Guardian, workers at Google DeepMind, the company’s AI research laboratory, requested recognition of the Communication Workers Union and Unite the Union as joint representatives of the lab’s UK-based staff. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Concierge firm co-founded by queen’s nephew went on ‘ill-timed’ hiring spree before Iran war 05. May 2026 (07:00) Quintessentially almost quadrupled staff in Middle East and Asia less than year before wealthy began to flee GulfThe embattled luxury concierge service co-founded by Queen Camilla’s nephew Ben Elliot embarked on what appeared to be an inopportune hiring spree in the Middle East and Asia before wealthy individuals began fleeing the region because of the US-Israel war on Iran.Quintessentially almost quadrupled staff in the regions from 22 to 84 during its financial year to 30 April 2025, according to newly released annual accounts, which again reported multimillion-pound losses and warned of “material uncertainty” about its future. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Time the rest of us stepped up’: terror survivors’ group writes letter in support of UK Jews 05. May 2026 (07:00) Letter coordinated by Survivors Against Terror, which includes bereaved relatives, after spate of attacks on Jewish communityDozens of survivors and bereaved relatives of 19 separate terror attacks have written an open letter of solidarity to the Jewish community, saying: “Standing together in the face of hatred is not just the right thing to do – it’s the most effective way of defeating terrorism.”The letter was coordinated by the group Survivors Against Terror (SAT), after terror attacks on two Jewish men in north London earlier this week, in what was the latest in a series of attacks on the community in the UK. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Vote Lib Dem or ‘regret it’ living under a Reform council, Davey tells voters 05. May 2026 (07:00) Party leader says vote for Labour or Greens in closely run seats will result in Reform victory at local electionsVoters in the home counties will “regret it for a long time” if they do not back the Liberal Democrats and wake up to a Reform-led council, Ed Davey has said.The Lib Dems leader has identified five councils – East Surrey, West Surrey, Hampshire, West Sussex and Huntingdonshire – where his party could win overall control, as well as swathes of the former “blue wall” where Davey said it was a “straight fight” between his party and Reform at the English local elections. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australian author Craig Silvey pleads guilty to possessing and distributing child exploitation material 05. May 2026 (06:36) Prosecutors drop two other charges against Jasper Jones author, 43, including allegations he produced child exploitation materialAward‑winning author Craig Silvey has pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing child exploitation material, while a charge that he produced such material has been dropped.Silvey, 43, was first charged in January after detectives from Western Australia police’s child abuse squad raided his Fremantle home, allegedly catching him communicating online with child exploitation offenders and seizing his electronic devices. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
