UK judge’s decision not to jail boys for rape like a ‘rock in my face’, says victim, 16 24. May 2026 (10:59) Boys, aged 15, given youth rehabilitation orders for two separate attacks against two girls in Hampshire A judge’s decision not to jail the teenage boys who raped two girls has been described as a “rock straight in my face” by one of their victims.Southampton crown court heard the two boys, both aged 15 at the time, raped the teenage girls in two separate attacks that occurred on 26 November 2024 and 17 January 2025 in Fordingbridge, Hampshire. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Treasury rejected ministers’ plan to cut VAT on public EV charging to 5% 24. May 2026 (09:00) Department for Transport is understood to back reducing levy, which critics have called a ‘pavement tax’Business live – latest updatesGovernment officials considered cutting the VAT charged on electricity used at public EV chargers from 20% to 5% at the last budget, but the Treasury under chancellor Rachel Reeves rejected the proposal amid disagreement between departments.Officials in the Department for Transport encouraged electric car charge point operators to write to the Treasury explaining how they would respond to a VAT cut, according to three industry sources. The charger companies said that they would pass the tax cut on to consumers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
£600 for cheese? The Brazilian beach scams that cost visitors dear 24. May 2026 (08:00) Travellers warned to beware of debit card cons after one was charged £1,500 for a kebab and another £3,000 for corn on the cobWhen Lisa Selby* used her debit card to pay for two slices of barbecued cheese from a beach vendor in Rio de Janeiro, she expected to pay 40 reais (£5.90) for the snack.But shortly after the payment had gone through, she realised that she had been charged 4,000 reais (£590) after the vendor added two extra zeros to the card reader. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘AI washing’: firms are scrambling to rebrand themselves as tech-focused 24. May 2026 (08:00) PR executives say UK companies are forcing them to present ordinary automation as artificial intelligence UK companies are performing “yoga-level” stretches to describe themselves as AI specialists in an attempt to capitalise on the buzz around the technology, public relations firms have said.Weary communications executives tasked with securing media coverage for brands have complained that bosses in low-tech industries or running businesses that use automation but not generative AI, are increasingly demanding they are pitched to journalists as artificial intelligence companies. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hunger increasingly used as weapon of war as ‘food-related violence’ surges, analysis shows 24. May 2026 (08:00) More than 20,000 attacks on markets, farmland and food distribution systems have been recorded since 2018Hunger is being increasingly exploited as a weapon of war with more than 20,000 documented incidents of “food-related violence” in the past eight years, new analysis reveals.Attacks include 1,261 strikes on markets used by families for daily groceries and 863 incidents in which food distribution systems were targeted and workers killed. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Shark attack: man dies on Great Barrier Reef in far north Queensland 24. May 2026 (07:13) The 39-year-old was reportedly fishing at Kennedy Shoal between Cairns and Townsville when emergency services alerted about middayGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA man has died after a shark attack on the Great Barrier Reef south of Cairns.The 39-year-old had reportedly been fishing at Kennedy Shoal, a shallow reef about 50km off the Queensland coast, between Cairns and Townsville. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Former prosecutor calls for EU statute blocking US sanctions on ICC members 24. May 2026 (06:00) US imposed sanctions on nine judges and a prosecutor after ICC issued arrest warrants for members of Israeli cabinetA former prosecutor at the international criminal court has called for an EU-wide statute blocking what she describes as “thuggish” and “bullying” US sanctions imposed on members of the court that are designed to send the court into oblivion.In February 2025, the US imposed sanctions on 11 ICC officials, including nine judges and the chief prosecutor as well three Palestinian organisations, in response to the ICC decision in 2024 to issue arrest warrants for members of the Israeli cabinet, including the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Middle East crisis live: fate of strait of Hormuz hangs in balance as Trump claims Iran deal ‘largely negotiated’ 24. May 2026 (02:43) US president says strait will be opened as part of the deal, but Iran’s influential Fars news agency reports that vital waterway would remain under Iranian controlFull report: Trump says peace deal with Iran ‘largely negotiated’ with strait of Hormuz to openIran’s foreign ministry spokesperson has posted a cryptic message on X that might be read as referring to Donald Trump.Esmaeil Baqaei’s post says:In the Roman mind, Rome was the undisputed center of the world. Yet the Iranians shattered that illusion; when Marcus Julius Philippus (Philip the Arab) marched east against Persia, the campaign did not result in Roman victory — it ended in a peace established on Sasanian terms: the emperor had to come to terms! Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump says peace deal with Iran ‘largely negotiated’ with strait of Hormuz to open 23. May 2026 (23:27) Remarks by US president potentially mark conclusion of bombing campaign led by US and IsraelDonald Trump announced on Saturday that a peace deal with Iran “has been largely negotiated”, after calls with a Pakistani mediator, Gulf allies and Israel, potentially paving the way for an end to the war launched by the US and Israel in February.Trump wrote on his social media platform that “final aspects and details” of a “Memorandum of Understanding” are still being discussed, and “will be announced shortly” but said the strait of Hormuz will be opened as part of the deal. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
No refunds for 15,000 Australian ticket holders after Candace Owens’ tour cancelled 23. May 2026 (22:00) Rightwing commentator says she is hundreds of thousands of dollars out of pocket and claims she was misled by promoter RocksmanGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNone of the 15,000 ticket holders for conservative influencer Candace Owens’ cancelled Australian tour are expected to get their money back from the promoter, after it spent all its money then collapsed.Owens herself says she is hundreds of thousands of dollars out of pocket and claims she was misled by the promoter, Rocksman, a company with links to the influential conservative lobby group Turning Point Australia. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
