Rewilding giants: captive elephants rehomed in Europe’s first sanctuary 07. May 2026 (06:01) Julie, once a circus elephant, and Kariba, from a Belgian zoo, are to be moved to a former ranch in PortugalEurope’s first large-scale elephant sanctuary, which is opening to offer a more natural environment for some of the 600 animals still held in captivity across the continent, is to receive its first arrivals.Julie, Portugal’s last circus elephant, will be moved next month to the animal charity Pangea’s multimillion pound sanctuary in the Alentejo, 200km (124 miles) east of Lisbon, close to the border with Spain. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UAE’s ruling royal family benefits from more than €71m in EU farming subsidies 07. May 2026 (06:00) Al Nahyans’ control over farmland in Europe has meant they receive proportion of payments to farmsThe United Arab Emirates’ ruling royal family is benefiting from tens of millions in EU subsidies to grow crops destined for the Gulf, it can be revealed.A cross-border investigation by DeSmog and shared with the Guardian found subsidiaries controlled by the Al Nahyans collected more than €71m (£61m) in six years for farmland it controls in Romania, Italy and Spain. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cut UK speed limits to reduce Iran war impact on consumers, thinktank urges 07. May 2026 (06:00) Cap of 20mph in towns and cities and 60mph on motorways would cut fuel demand and combat rising prices, IPPR saysBritain should lower speed limits for drivers as part of a package of measures to reduce the impact of the Iran war on consumers, a thinktank has said.Capping legal speeds at 20mph in towns and cities and 60mph on motorways would help reduce fuel demand and combat soaring oil prices triggered by conflict, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New Hungarian PM’s voters want action on climate and LGBTQ+ rights, poll finds 07. May 2026 (06:00) Exclusive: Voters remain split on issues critical to EU, such as support for Ukraine and dependence on Russian energyMore than three-quarters of Hungarians who voted for Péter Magyar in last month’s election want his government to do more to address the climate crisis, and more than 70% want him to protect LGBTQ+ rights, a poll has found.Magyar’s opposition Tisza party won a supermajority in the vote, bringing an end to Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power. The new prime minister will be sworn in on Saturday, weeks after the results set off celebrations in Budapest and Brussels. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
French professor accused of ‘gigantic hoax’ after inventing Nobel-style prize 07. May 2026 (06:00) Authorities investigate Florent Montaclair over award given to himself and others including Noam ChomskyAt a ceremony at the French national assembly attended by Nobel prize winners, former government ministers, MPs, decorated scientists and academics, all attention was on a previously unknown literature professor.Florent Montaclair, then 46, a balding, bespectacled figure in an ill-fitting suit and rosé-coloured shirt, was receiving the 2016 Gold Medal of Philology - the study of linguistics – from an international society of the same name. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Gas companies will be forced to set aside local supply under major Labor shakeup 07. May 2026 (05:11) Albanese government announces east coast gas reservation policy, which will require producers to set aside 20% of export volumesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGas companies will be forced to set aside 20% of exports for domestic use under a reservation scheme designed to shore up supplies and bring down prices for households and businesses on the east coast.The federal government announced the design of the reservation scheme on Thursday as part of a wider overhaul of the mechanisms regulating the gas sector. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australian director Phillip Noyce shoots feature film for Saudi Arabia celebrating ‘heroism of security men in combating drugs’ 07. May 2026 (04:08) Exclusive: Regime, which executed 243 people last year for drug offences, accused of investing in entertainment to whitewash its human rights recordThe acclaimed Australian film-maker Phillip Noyce is being paid by the Saudi regime to make a feature film portraying the repressive state’s narcotics officers as heroes.The Watchful Eyes, based on a real Saudi ministry of interior narcotics case, is billed as a dramatic depiction of the “heroism of security men in combating drugs”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
LA mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt reposts scathing AI-generated ad 07. May 2026 (03:55) Ex-TV star launches viral video a day before debate with mayor Karen Bass and city council member Nithya RamanLos Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt reposted a scathing AI-generated ad on X on Tuesday, which cast the city as a bleak hellscape under its current leadership.In the viral video, created by film-maker Charlie Curran, flames engulf the Hollywood sign; a socialist militia patrols the streets; and California’s political brass, including governor Gavin Newsom, mayor Karen Bass and former vice-president Kamala Harris, are depicted as royal bourgeois who care little for their subjects’ plights. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Argentina races to find origins of cruise ship hantavirus outbreak, amid reports some passengers have returned to US 07. May 2026 (03:53) Argentina, where the MV Hondius cruise departed, consistently ranked by WHO as having highest incidence of hantavirus in regionOfficials and experts in Argentina are scrambling to determine if their country is the source of a deadly hantavirus outbreak that has gripped an Atlantic cruise ship, amid reports that a number of passengers have already returned to their home countries.Argentina, where the cruise to Antarctica departed, is consistently ranked by the World Health Organization (WHO) as having the highest incidence of the rare, rodent-borne disease in Latin America. Investigators there are working to contact trace the source of contamination. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia news live: Tabcorp under investigation by financial watchdog; NSW police to ‘actively monitor’ returning family linked to IS fighters 07. May 2026 (02:59) Woman and child expected to settle in Sydney as part of returning cohort. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastBridget McKenzie says rollback of inland rail project sends ‘chill’ through communityNationals senator Bridget McKenzie, the shadow minister for infrastructure, said the Labor party has sent a “chill through the infrastructure pipeline” after the Albanese government abandoned a beleaguered inland rail project connecting NSW with Queensland.People were surprised and shocked and dismayed at this announcement by the Labor government, they’ve been making their concerns heard loud and clear.This Labor government has actually derailed this project and, indeed, sent a chill through the infrastructure pipeline investment community because no project would now be safe from some future government turning off the tap.You’re cutting the wrong things, not the things that are going to drive a productive economy. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
