Iran executes three men in relation to January anti-regime protests 04. May 2026 (14:43) Hangings are latest wave of near-daily killings as authorities seek to instil fear in Iranian societyMiddle East crisis – live updatesIran has executed three men charged in connection with political protests this January, authorities said, the latest in a wave of hangings against the backdrop of the war against the US and Israel.Iranian authorities have carried out executions on a near-daily basis in recent weeks, in what activists have denounced as a bid to instil fear in society at a time of international and domestic tension. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Jeremy Bamber banned from communicating with media from prison 04. May 2026 (14:42) Bamber, 65, has long used press interviews to campaign against convictions for murder of five family membersJeremy Bamber, who has served more than 40 years in prison for murdering five members of his family, has been banned from communicating with the media.Bamber was convicted in 1986 by a 10-2 majority of shooting his adoptive mother and father, his sister and her six-year-old twins at the parents’ family farmhouse in Essex a year earlier. He has always protested his innocence. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Labor extends EV tax break to encourage cheaper vehicles amid soaring fuel prices 04. May 2026 (14:30) As the cost of the scheme blows out, the government has announced the full discount will be retained for another year, after which it will only apply to EVs costing less than $75,000Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLabor has opted to retain its electric vehicle discount in full for another year, as Australians rush to buy EVs amid soaring fuel costs linked to the Iran war.But the budget next Tuesday will include a number of “sensible changes” that wind back the scale of support over the next three years, as the government acknowledges the need to deliver a “more financially sustainable” tax incentive for EVs amid ballooning costs of the scheme. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
France’s Jean-Luc Mélenchon announces 2027 presidential bid 04. May 2026 (14:26) The radical left leader will seek presidency for the fourth time – despite previously vowing to stand aside Jean-Luc Mélenchon, France’s radical left leader, has confirmed he will run again for president next spring, saying it was urgent for the country to stand up against war being waged by the US and Israel in the Middle East.The 74-year-old veteran leader of La France Insoumise (LFI), announced in an interview with the French broadcaster TF1 that he would run for the presidency for the fourth time in 2027. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Shropshire council staff met with rising ‘abuse and intimidation’ over removal of flags 04. May 2026 (14:24) Authority says workers and councillors ‘threatened for explaining the council’s position’ as union jack and St George’s flags taken downResidents, council staff and councillors have been subject to rising “abuse, harassment and intimidation” directly linked to the removal of unauthorised flags, a local authority has said.Shropshire council said it had recorded a rise in reports of abuse with staff and members “being threatened for explaining the council’s position” on the removal of flags and when they attempt to do so – “even in day-to-day work to repair street lighting”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cruise ship at centre of suspected hantavirus outbreak blocked from docking in Cape Verde 04. May 2026 (14:06) Officials say they will not authorise docking ‘to protect public health’ after deaths of three passengers What is hantavirus, the infection thought to have killed three on cruise ship?Officials in Cape Verde have said they will not allow a cruise ship believed to be harbouring an outbreak of a rare respiratory virus to dock in its ports, after the deaths of three passengers onboard.The statement on Monday came hours after global health officials said they were scrambling to investigate the suspected outbreak of hantavirus, a disease primarily found in rodents, on the cruise ship in the Atlantic. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Republicans split with Trump and back Haitians – to save their seats 04. May 2026 (14:00) In Ohio, where Haitians have helped revive the economy, vulnerable Republicans are reluctant to toe the Trump lineFor months Carl Ruby, a pastor at a church in Springfield, Ohio, and a prominent supporter of the city’s estimated 10,000 Haitian immigrants, had been trying to contact his local congressman, Republican Mike Turner.Ruby had long hoped for an opportunity to explain in person the difficulties facing Haitians in Springfield and how that community had helped revive the struggling town. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Europe will not submit to an ‘insular and brutal world’, says Carney 04. May 2026 (13:47) Speaking at meeting of European Political Community, Canadian PM says gathering points to a better path forwardEurope will not submit to a more “brutal world”, and can instead be the base from which a new international order can be rebuilt, Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, has said.Carney was speaking as the first non-European leader to attend a meeting of the European Political Community, which opened on Monday amid high tensions in the strait of Hormuz and renewed doubts about the US commitment to Nato. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran says ships being ‘guided’ by US through Hormuz must work with its armed forces 04. May 2026 (13:09) Shipowners wary as Iran says it will attack any foreign military entering waterway under Trump planMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe US has launched an operation to “guide” ships trapped in the Gulf by the Iran war through a southern route of the strait of Hormuz, even as Tehran insists that any such transits will have to be coordinated with its armed forces.The scheme was announced as “Project Freedom” on Sunday night by Donald Trump on his social media page, where he portrayed it as a humanitarian gesture to help crews on hundreds of ships which have been unable to leave the Gulf since the war began. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump administration claims food aid fraud but critics say ‘there’s no evidence’ 04. May 2026 (13:00) Agriculture secretary claims without evidence Snap recipients included owners of luxury cars The Trump administration’s attack on the 87-year-old food aid program that supports tens of millions of low-income Americans escalated last week as the agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, claimed that 14,000 Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (Snap) recipients included owners of luxury vehicles such as Ferraris, Bentleys and Teslas.Critics charge that the broadside is part of a disinformation campaign aimed at undermining a benefit relied on by some of the most vulnerable people in the US. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
