Atlantic hurricane season forecast to be milder than normal thanks to El Niño 21. May 2026 (21:40) Forecast came amid warning that US was unprepared for storms with staffing cuts under Trump administrationSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailThe US will see a below-normal hurricane season in 2026, federal government scientists said on Thursday, predicting eight to 14 named storms with winds at 39mph (63km/h) or more. The milder-than-usual forecast is thanks to a developing El Niño weather pattern in the central and eastern Pacific.The announcement came days before the start of hurricane season, which begins on 1 June and runs through 30 November. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Protests at new US consulate after Trump envoy says time for US ‘to put its footprint back’ on Greenland 21. May 2026 (21:29) Prime minister says he will boycott opening, as protesters hold signs saying ‘stop USA’ and shout ‘go home’ Hundreds of people protested against the opening of a new US consulate in Nuuk after comments by the US special envoy to Greenland that it was time for Washington “to put its footprint back” on the Arctic territory.Many Greenlandic politicians, including the prime minister, said they would not attend the official opening on Thursday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Designs for 250-ft arch in Washington approved by panel of Trump appointees 21. May 2026 (20:40) Approval marks key step forward for project dubbed ‘Arc de Trump’, which will be near Arlington National CemeteryThe Commission of Fine Arts on Thursday approved designs for Donald Trump’s proposed 250-ft triumphal arch in Washington DC.The vote on Thursday by the panel, which is made up of Trump appointees, marks a key step forward for the project. Next month, the proposed design is set to be reviewed by the National Capital Planning Commission, another federal panel that oversees planning for federal buildings and land. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Domestic abuse law fails to recognise danger of tech abuse, Lords committee told 21. May 2026 (20:39) Policy adviser Jen Reed says tech-facilitated abuse has become ‘increasingly prevalent’ and calls for its inclusion in Domestic Abuse ActThe Domestic Abuse Act fails to fully recognise the danger of technology-facilitated abuse, such as location tracking or hidden stalkerware, a Lords select committee has heard.Tech abuse has become “increasingly prevalent” and “very commonplace now within a domestic abuse context”, said Jen Reed, the head of policy at University College London’s Gender and Tech Research Lab, during an evidence session. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Boys convicted of rape get non-custodial sentences as judge says they should not be criminalised unnecessarily 21. May 2026 (20:34) Boys physically overpowered and then filmed attacks on teenage victims in separate incidents in HampshireThree teenage boys convicted of knife-point rape and other serious sexual offences against two teenage girls in Hampshire have not been given custodial sentences because the judge said he “should avoid criminalising these children unnecessarily”.The boys, who were aged between 13 and 14 at the time of their offences, physically overpowered and sexually assaulted the girls, who were aged 14 and 15, in separate incidents two months apart. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Single sex toilets must exclude transgender people, says EHRC 21. May 2026 (20:33) Updated code of practice covering England, Wales and Scotland also relates to changing rooms and follows supreme court rulingWhat is the updated EHRC code of practice about and how does it apply?Single-sex toilets and changing rooms in England, Wales and Scotland must exclude transgender men and women, according to a new code of practice from the equalities watchdog.But the long-awaited guidance also says that businesses and service providers have to offer practical alternatives such as gender-neutral toilets for people who do not wish to use services for their biological sex. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Democrats belatedly publish 2024 presidential election autopsy report 21. May 2026 (20:29) DNC chair Ken Martin apologizes for initial bid to block release of report on the party’s disastrous election defeatThe Democrats have belatedly published a postmortem on the party’s disastrous 2024 election defeat, after an initial decision to withhold the document triggered an angry backlash.Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), released the report – which fails to mention Gaza or Joe Biden’s age – accompanied by an apology to party members angered by his initial decision to keep the analysis of Kamala Harris’s loss to Donald Trump and defeat in both houses of Congress under wraps. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sadiq Khan sparks row with Met after blocking £50m AI deal with Palantir 21. May 2026 (20:07) Exclusive: Scotland Yard criticises London mayor’s decision as disappointing and warns it could hit policing Sadiq Khan has blocked a £50m Metropolitan police deal with the controversial US tech company Palantir, sparking a bitter row between the London mayor and Scotland Yard.After the UK’s largest police force had agreed to use Palantir’s AI technology to automate intelligence analysis in criminal investigations, Khan intervened, citing “serious concerns” about how the deal had been struck. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Italian police stop party attended by Mick Jagger over music ban 21. May 2026 (19:58) Music is banned on Wednesdays on island of Stromboli where Rolling Stones frontman was celebrating wrapping a filmPolice on an Italian island stopped a party attended by Mick Jagger – because music is banned on Wednesdays.The Rolling Stones frontman was on Stromboli, the volcanic island among Sicily’s Aeolian archipelago, for the production of Three Incestuous Sisters, a film by the Italian director Alice Rohrwacher in which he stars. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Senior civil servants to get bonuses for first time to reward ‘doers, not talkers’ 21. May 2026 (19:54) Highest-ranking staff will get 2.5% pay rise with bonuses for top performers in plan to ‘rewire’ civil serviceSenior civil servants will get bonuses for exceptional performance for the first time under a new system that Darren Jones, the Cabinet Office minister, said would reward the “doers, not the talkers”.Jones, who is also chief secretary to the prime minister, said most civil servants would get a 3.5% pay rise but senior staff would have a base increase of 2.5%, with 1% held back for bonuses for the highest-performing officials. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
