River Thames in London gets first official bathing spot on Friday 14. May 2026 (23:30) Thames at Ham designated as one of 13 new swimming areas across England to be monitored for water qualityThe first designated bathing water area on the River Thames in London will welcome swimmers for the official start of the bathing season on Friday as one of 13 new monitored swimming areas across England.The Thames at Ham, in south-west London, has been designated as a new river bathing water area after campaigners gathered evidence to show thousands of people use the river for swimming throughout the year.Canvey Island foreshore, EssexEast Beach at West Bay, Bridport, DorsetFalcon Meadow, Bungay, SuffolkGranville Parade Beach, Sandgate, KentLittle Shore, Amble, NorthumberlandNew Brighton Beach (east), MerseysideNewton and Noss Creeks, DevonPangbourne Meadow, BerkshireQueen Elizabeth Gardens, Salisbury, WiltshireRiver Dee at Sandy Lane, Chester, CheshireRiver Fowey in Lostwithiel, CornwallRiver Swale in Richmond, YorkshireRiver Thames at Ham and Kingston, Greater London Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Photo of US-China delegation criticized over absence of women: ‘masculine, militarized and exclusionary’ 14. May 2026 (23:15) ‘Backward’ photo panned for display of patriarchy, signaling that ‘women’s voices don’t matter in shaping global order’By the time Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Thursday, the bilateral had featured all the expected pomp and pageantry: a meticulously choreographed display of Chinese soldiers, children waving American and Chinese flags, and rows of senior officials and the US’s top business executives.Conspicuously absent at the table, however, were women from either delegation – a stark visual that quickly drew criticism from observers who saw it as an unmistakable display of patriarchal power. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Louisiana senate passes bill to eliminate one of two majority-Black congressional districts 14. May 2026 (23:14) If state’s house passes bill, redrawn map could could give state Republicans a 5-1 congressional majoritySign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailOn Thursday, the Louisiana state senate voted 27-10 to pass a new congressional map that would eliminate one of the state’s two majority-Black House districts. The resulting map could give Louisiana Republicans a 5-1 congressional majority.The supreme court’s recent decision in Louisiana v Callais, a case that centered on the state’s congressional maps, severely weakened the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The fallout from the decision was swift, with several other southern states calling special sessions to pass redistricting maps that would limit Black voting power. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
California Democrat linked to Newsom and Becerra pleads guilty to fraud 14. May 2026 (22:43) Dana Williamson, who has ties to Gavin Newsom, conspired to steal gubernatorial hopeful Xavier Becerra’s campaign fundsSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Dana Williamson, a top California political strategist with ties to the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, and gubernatorial hopeful Xavier Becerra, pleaded guilty on Thursday to fraud charges, an admission that is poised to fuel other candidates’ attacks in the race.Federal authorities say Williamson conspired to steal $225,000 from a dormant campaign account belonging to Becerra, who was not named in the plea deal, and divert the money to his chief of staff, Sean McCluskie. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Is Andy Burnham about to return to Westminster? - podcast 14. May 2026 (22:16) Andy Burnham has announced he will attempt to return to Westminster after the Labour MP Josh Simons said he will vacate his Makerfield seat in order for Burnham to run in a byelection. It follows a day of breaking news in which the health secretary, Wes Streeting, resigned, saying he has lost confidence in the prime minister, and Angela Rayner announced she had been cleared by the HMRC. Where does this leave Keir Starmer, the leadership of the Labour party, and the country? Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Three more people sick in California amid ‘unprecedented outbreak’ due to toxic mushrooms 14. May 2026 (21:56) Since November, state has seen 47 cases of people accidentally ingesting poisonous wild mushroomsHealth authorities in California’s Napa county reported that three people had been hospitalized after consuming poisonous wild mushrooms as the state continues to grapple with an “unprecedented outbreak” of toxic mushroom illnesses.Since November 2025, California has seen 47 cases of people accidentally foraging and eating poisonous wild mushrooms, including death caps, which can resemble edible species, and western destroying angel mushrooms. Four people have died and several have required liver transplants. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘God gave us this city’: Israeli nationalists join Jerusalem Day protest to mark city’s capture 14. May 2026 (20:51) State-sponsored march through Muslim quarter of Old City saw protesters waving flags and chanting ‘Death to Arabs’ on anniversary of city’s annexationIsraeli nationalist demonstrators chanted “Death to the Arabs”, “May your villages burn” and “Gaza is a graveyard” in a state-sponsored march through Jerusalem to mark the anniversary of the city’s capture and annexation.The annual assertion of Jewish control over Palestinian east Jerusalem has grown more extreme in recent years, and Thursday’s event culminated with the national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, unfurling an Israeli flag in front of the al-Aqsa mosque, the holiest Islamic site in the city. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Judge orders Trump administration to return Colombian woman deported to DRC back to the US 14. May 2026 (20:49) Judge called Adriana Maria Quiroz Zapata’s deportation to the Democratic Republic of Congo ‘likely illegal’A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to bring a Colombian woman back to the US from the Democratic Republic of Congo, after she was deported to the African country that had refused to accept her.The deportation of Adriana María Quiroz Zapata “was likely illegal”, the US district judge Richard Leon ruled on Wednesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US reportedly dropped fraud charges against Indian billionaire after he hired Trump’s lawyer 14. May 2026 (20:35) Gautam Adani, richest man in Asia, was accused of conspiring to pay $250m in bribes to Indian government officialsThe US Department of Justice is dropping its fraud charges against the Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, the richest man in Asia, after he hired a new legal team led by Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, according to new reports.In an undisclosed April meeting at the justice department, Trump’s personal lawyer, Robert J Giuffra Jr, said that Adani would invest $10bn in the US economy and create 15,000 jobs if prosecutors dropped the charges against him, according to the New York Times and Bloomberg. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
American poet Sasha Debevec-McKenney wins Dylan Thomas prize for ‘blistering’ debut poetry collection 14. May 2026 (20:30) The £20,000 award for writers aged 39 or under goes to Joy Is My Middle Name, a collection about navigating race, addiction and womanhoodA debut poetry collection with themes including race, addiction and womanhood has won this year’s Swansea University Dylan Thomas prize.American poet Sasha Debevec-McKenney took home the £20,000 prize – awarded to writers aged 39 or under in honour of the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, who died at that age – for her debut collection Joy Is My Middle Name. She was announced as the winner at a ceremony in Swansea, Thomas’s birthplace. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
