Stop plotting to oust Keir Starmer, ex-deputy Labour leader urges MPs 05. May 2026 (20:03) Tom Watson, who had role in attempted coup against Tony Blair in 2006, said move would go down extremely badly with votersLabour MPs have been urged to stop plotting to remove Keir Starmer by Tom Watson, who as a junior minister spearheaded the last attempted coup against a Labour prime minister, when Tony Blair faced a revolt in 2006.Watson’s warning came as Steve Reed, the housing and communities secretary, and a key Starmer loyalist, said Labour would risk “annihilation” if it decided to try to change leaders. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Dark clouds, protests and resignations dampen start of 61st Venice Biennale 05. May 2026 (20:02) Russian pavilion to stay closed as outcry over Israel’s inclusion also grows – but nesting seagull provides some light reliefThe 61st Venice Biennale vernissage began on Tuesday under grey clouds and rain showers, as political tension, parties and protest dominated proceedings at one of the art world’s biggest events.Lubaina Himid, the British entrant, who has spent a career creating work that picks at her country’s colonial past, took over the UK’s pavilion with her large-scale paintings and sound collage that recalls a “perfect British summer’s day”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Alberta separatists submit 300,000 signatures to push independence referendum 05. May 2026 (19:49) Authorities investigate leak of 2.9 million voters’ details, adding to turmoil around independence pushAlberta separatists have delivered more than 300,000 signatures to elections officials in western Canada, in support of their attempt to force an independence referendum in Canada’s oil-rich province.But the effort stumbled immediately as a separatist-linked group posted the personal data of nearly three million residents online in one of the largest data breaches in Canadian history, fomenting fears of a possible political interference crisis. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man and ex-partner killed in Bristol blast after he forced entry into house 05. May 2026 (19:41) Ryan Kelly, 41, had ‘explosive device’, say police, who are treating death of woman, Jo Shaw, 35, as homicideA man forced his way into a house in Bristol with an “explosive device” a few minutes before a blast that killed his ex-partner and himself.Police said they were treating the death of the woman, whom they believe to be 35-year-old Jo Shaw, as homicide and named the man who died as her former partner, Ryan Kelly, 41. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
A veneer of normality has returned to Tehran but fears for the future are rife 05. May 2026 (19:29) From economic woes to concerns that war could break out again at any moment, underlying worries run deepIn the weeks since the fragile ceasefire with the US and Israel took hold, life in Tehran has – on the surface at least – largely returned to something like prewar normality. Many security checkpoints have been taken down, coffee shops are bustling, parks are full of people gathering for picnics, musicians are playing again in the streets, highways are jammed with traffic and the metro – free to use since the war – runs packed.But underlying worries run deep, and many Iranians fear the war could return at any moment. The uncertainty was underlined on Monday when the US and Iran launched fresh attacks in the Gulf as the two sides continue to blockade of the strait of Hormuz. The war’s economic toll has been severe too. Many people have lost their jobs and inflation is surging. The International Monetary Fund estimates it could reach 70% this year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hundreds of animals rescued from ‘appalling’ conditions at California sanctuary 05. May 2026 (19:17) San Diego Humane Society finds more than 400 animals at Julian facility, with malnutrition and injuries amid bankruptcy disputeAuthorities in California have rescued more than 400 animals, including horses, cats, dogs and goats, from a now shuttered sanctuary in San Diego county.The San Diego Humane Society conducted the massive operation last week at Villa Chardonnay, a sprawling facility in Julian that had operated since 2003. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Democrats urge Rubio to acknowledge Israel possesses nuclear weapons amid Iran war 05. May 2026 (19:11) Letter from House Democrats to secretary of state calls for end to ambiguity over Israel’s nuclear weapons programsHouse Democrats have asked the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, to publicly announce that Israel possesses nuclear weapons, arguing that Washington must end decades of ambiguity over the issue amid the conflict with Iran.In a letter sent on Monday, 30 Democrats wrote that it was unsustainable for Donald Trump to collaborate with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on a military campaign against Iran – with the stated goal of preventing the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon – without publicly acknowledging the US ally’s possession of the bomb. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Israeli army chief says West Bank troops ‘killing like we haven’t killed since 1967’ 05. May 2026 (19:08) Leaked remarks by Maj Gen Avi Bluth describe fatal shootings of stone-throwers and different treatment for Jewish settlersThe Israeli army chief in the West Bank has said his troops were “killing like we haven’t killed since 1967”, including fatally shooting Palestinian stone-throwers, according to an Israeli report of his comments.The remarks by Maj Gen Avi Bluth, head of the army’s central command, were made in a recent closed forum but were leaked to Israel’s Haaretz newspaper. Bluth has so far not denied the authenticity of the Haaretz account. The Israel Defense Forces did not respond to a request for comment. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Farage’s partner refuses to confirm how she paid for house in his constituency 05. May 2026 (19:06) French publication Le Monde says Laure Ferrari ‘dodged’ question when quizzed over property purchase in ClactonNigel Farage’s partner, Laure Ferrari, has refused to confirm how she paid for a house in the Reform leader and MP’s constituency of Clacton, adding “there’s more than one way to pay for a house”.In an interview with French publication Le Monde, Ferrari was questioned over revelations in the Guardian that she had purchased a house in her name in Clacton after Farage had claimed to be the buyer. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rescue of Timmy the whale ‘an all-round catastrophe’ after tracker failure 05. May 2026 (19:04) Marine experts criticise €1.5m privately funded operation as humpback’s fate remains unknown after release into BalticMarine biologists and whale experts have stepped up their criticism of a privately funded operation to release a humpback whale that was stranded for weeks off Germany’s Baltic coast after it emerged that a tracker fitted to the whale was not working.The whereabouts and health of the young male whale – nicknamed Timmy after one of the sandbanks it was stranded on – remain unknown three days after it was transported in a water-holding barge pulled by a tugboat to waters off the coast of Denmark. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
