US House leaders announce bipartisan effort to combat sexual misconduct in Congress 14. May 2026 (20:30) Announcement of taskforce comes after resignations of two congressmen amid sexual misconduct allegationsUS politics live – latest updatesThe House speaker, Mike Johnson, and the minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, on Wednesday announced a bipartisan effort to combat sexual misconduct on Capitol Hill.The “partnership” led by the chairs of the Republican and Democratic women’s caucuses – congresswomen Kat Cammack of Florida and Teresa Leger Fernández of New Mexico – aims to “identify reforms and solutions to make Congress a safer work environment for women and all survivors”, the leaders said in a joint statement. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Labour MP to stand down to allow Burnham run for byelection amid leadership row 14. May 2026 (20:16) Greater Manchester mayor would need to win Josh Simons’s former seat to launch challenge against Starmer UK politics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham now has a route back to parliament after the Labour MP for Makerfield announced he would stand down, triggering a byelection, and putting the senior politician in contention to become the party’s next leader.The Greater Manchester mayor confirmed on Thursday he would be asking Labour’s ruling national executive committee to allow him to stand in the contest, putting a beleaguered Keir Starmer under intense pressure to not try to block him. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Closing arguments begin in high-stakes Musk v OpenAI courtroom showdown 14. May 2026 (20:12) Jury set to deliberate and return a verdict on whether they believe AI firm and Altman are liable in caseClosing arguments began on Thursday in Elon Musk’s lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI, bringing the weeks-long courtroom battle between the two tech moguls nearer to a decision. A nine-person jury is set to deliberate and return a verdict on whether they believe the AI firm and Altman are liable in the case.The trial, which began last month in an Oakland, California, federal courthouse, has gripped Silicon Valley and featured some of the tech industry’s biggest names as witnesses. Attorneys for both sides have presented testimony and documents that have exposed Musk and Altman’s private dealings, as well as provided a window into the contentious history of OpenAI. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Watchdog groups urge Senate to investigate Samuel Alito over oil stock conflicts 14. May 2026 (20:08) Groups say supreme court justice, who owns oil stocks, may be violating ethics codes by participating in certain casesThe supreme court justice Samuel Alito, who owns stock in oil companies, may be violating court ethics codes by participating in certain cases that could benefit big oil, government watchdog groups say.In a Thursday letter, a coalition of watchdog organizations called on the Senate judiciary committee to investigate Alito, the sole supreme court justice with holdings in energy companies. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Judge bans reporting on trial of six men accused of sexually assaulting teenage girls in Bristol 14. May 2026 (19:52) Details of case in which group deny abusing girls for several years restricted amid dispute with media over transparencySix men have gone on trial at Bristol crown court accused of grooming and sexually assaulting vulnerable teenage girls in the city.They were allegedly part of a large group of men who abused girls over several years. All six men deny the charges against them, which involved “multiple complainants”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mental health system is broken, says mother of Nottingham triple killer 14. May 2026 (19:51) Celeste Calocane gives evidence for first time at inquiry into Valdo Calocane’s 2023 attacksThe mother of the man who killed three people in an attack in Nottingham in 2023 has told an inquiry that the mental health system is broken and that until there is a crisis “no one listens to you”.Valdo Calocane, who has paranoid schizophrenia, was sentenced to a suspended hospital order in January 2024 after killing the students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and Ian Coates, a 65-year-old caretaker, on 13 June 2023 and attempting to kill three others. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Oklahoma’s Richard Glossip freed on bond after 30 years on death row 14. May 2026 (19:50) A judge set a $500,000 bond in the 1997 murder case headed for retrial after a supreme court decisionSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailAn Oklahoma judge on Thursday allowed Richard Glossip, a former death row prisoner, to be released on bond after almost 30 years behind bars, as he awaits a retrial over a 1997 killing that put him on the brink of execution three separate times.The decision clears the way for Glossip, 63, to leave prison for the first time since his arrest nearly three decades ago. Last year, the US supreme court threw out his conviction. His longstanding claims of innocence have drawn support from Kim Kardashian and other prominent figures. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Israel says it will sue New York Times over article on sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners 14. May 2026 (19:43) Media law experts cast doubt on viability of a defamation lawsuit promised by Netanyahu over Nicholas Kristof essayIsrael’s prime minister, Benjamin Nethanyahu, and foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, have threatened to sue the New York Times for defamation over the publication of an essay by Nicholas Kristof detailing allegations that Palestinian women, men and children have been raped and sexually abused in Israeli military detention.“Following the publication by Nicholas Kristof in The New York Times of one of the most hideous and distorted lies ever published against the State of Israel in the modern press, which also received the backing of the newspaper, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar have instructed the initiation of a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times,” Israel’s ministry of foreign affairs wrote in a social media post on Thursday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ukraine hit by second day of large-scale Russian missile and drone strikes 14. May 2026 (17:57) Widespread nature of attacks prompts warnings that Moscow is trying to overwhelm air defence systemsRussian missiles and drones are pounding Ukraine for a second day, as almost continuous heavy attacks hit the country, with Kyiv bearing the brunt of an assault that has killed at least eight people, including a 13-year-old, and injured 44 in the capital.The overnight attacks followed heavy daylight raids with missiles and drones across the country on Wednesday, one of the longest single attacks of the war. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
For anxious Taiwan, Trump’s silence after Xi talks is best possible outcome 14. May 2026 (17:34) Island breathes sigh of relief as fears recede that US could jettison longstanding supportTrump China visit live – latest updatesBefore this week’s summit between the Chinese and US presidents, Taiwan had been cast as the anxious bystander.Observers suggested that Taipei feared the unpredictable and transactional Donald Trump might overturn Washington’s longstanding support for the island democracy, which Beijing claims as a breakaway province, during Thursday and Friday’s talks. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
