Parody Cockroach Janta political party’s rise reflects youth anger in India 21. May 2026 (16:22) Satirical project is viral sensation and outlet for protest on social media as it taps into young people’s frustrationIt began as a satirical online project after a high court judge compared unemployed young people to cockroaches. Now millions of young Indians are flocking to it as an outlet for their frustration.A parody political party with the insect as its symbol has exploded across India’s social media by turning absurdist humour into protest. Memes and short videos mocking corruption, joblessness and political dysfunction have flooded social media sites, where millions of users are embracing the cockroach – an insect known for its ability to survive harsh conditions – as a tongue-in-cheek symbol of endurance. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NHS trust sacks staff who illegally accessed records of Nottingham attack victims 21. May 2026 (16:18) Nottingham university hospitals trust says 11 members of staff dismissed and 14 others given written warningsAn NHS trust has sacked 11 staff members who illegally accessed the medical records of the victims of the Nottingham stabbing attacks.Valdo Calocane killed two 19-year-old students, Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, and Ian Coates, a 65-year-old caretaker, and attempted to kill three other people in the city in June 2023. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘It’s put the joy levels up’: the flood-prone London school with a climate-adapted playground 21. May 2026 (16:00) When pupils could no longer play outside, St John’s school in Barnet decided to act, enlisting Trees for Cities to help rethink its outside spaceThe play area at St John’s Church of England primary in Barnet, north London, used to flood so severely it was often unusable. “It would get so bad that the children couldn’t be dismissed from the playground,” says Macci Dobie, the school’s headteacher. “We had to dismiss them from different parts of the school or, literally, parents were stepping into puddles to lift their children out of the classroom.”Because the school sits in a basin with clay foundations, rain would pool on the grey tarmac and just sit there, often denying the children a proper break for play outside. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Reeves cuts VAT on summer days out to 5% as part of cost of living support 21. May 2026 (14:53) Chancellor says she will raise tax on global oil giants to help meet costs of plans and confirms freeze on fuel duty increasesBusiness live – latest updatesRachel Reeves will cut VAT to 5% on summer attractions such as theme parks and softplay centres during the school holidays, as she aims to ease the impact of the war in Iran on cash-strapped households.The chancellor told MPs on Thursday she would also raise more tax from global oil firms operating in the UK, to help meet the costs of her plans. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Republicans could abandon $1bn proposal for Trump’s ballroom – US politics live 21. May 2026 (14:45) Republican senators have queried the timing and lack of detail in secret service bid to add money to the Department for Homeland security billSign up for the Breaking News US emailIn addition to the indictment of former Cuban leader Raul Castro and Trump’s comments about Cuba being a “failed nation,” US secretary of state Marco Rubio delivered a direct video address to the Cuban people in Spanish Wednesday.“The real reason you don’t have electricity, fuel, or food is because those who control your country have plundered billions of dollars, but nothing has been used to help the people,” he said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Air France and Airbus guilty of corporate manslaughter for 2009 plane crash 21. May 2026 (14:38) Verdict is latest legal milestone over France’s worst ever air disasterA Paris appeals court has found Airbus and Air France guilty of corporate manslaughter over the 2009 Rio-Paris plane crash that killed 228 passengers and crew in France’s worst air disaster.The verdict is the latest milestone in a legal marathon involving two of France’s most emblematic companies and families of the mainly French, Brazilian and German victims. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘It’s broken English’: MP’s attempt to speak Jamaican in parliament sparks language row 21. May 2026 (14:38) Parliamentary rule that only English is allowed has reignited debate about language, legitimacy and postcolonial identityWhen the Jamaican MP Nekeisha Burchell stood up to give her maiden speech, she was keenly aware of how much her country’s parliament mirrored the Westminster version thousands of miles away in London.As in the UK, the session on 12 May had started with the arrival of the ceremonial mace – a 1.7-metre ornamented silver staff representing the British monarch’s authority over parliament – which now rested on a table between the government and the opposition. Despite the heat outside, debate was presided over by the speaker dressed in a ceremonial robe. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK summons Israel’s chargé d’affaires over video of minister taunting activists 21. May 2026 (14:18) Foreign Office denounces treatment of Gaza flotilla activists as outcry over Itamar Ben-Gvir’s video escalatesThe UK has summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires as international outrage escalates over a video posted by the national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, in which he is seen taunting activists detained after a Gaza-bound flotilla was intercepted.The global outcry continued as Israel began releasing hundreds of the activists who attempted to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza. Authorities are in the process of deporting them, according to a legal organisation working with the flotilla. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Record number of dams dismantled in Europe in effort to help wildlife thrive 21. May 2026 (14:14) Weirs, culverts and sluices among 602 barriers demolished in year in attempt to restore 15,500 miles of rivers by 2030A few miles downstream from a lava field in western Iceland, the gargle of free-flowing water is unbroken for the first time in decades after hydraulic peckers chipped away at a dilapidated dam that once powered a farm. The structure on the River Melsá had continued to block fish migration long after falling into disrepair.“It wasn’t providing any electricity; the old power house had sheep living in it,” said Hamish Moir, a river engineer from CBEC, a Scottish firm that provided technical support for the demolition in December. To see the river restored to its natural state was “really rewarding”, he said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
JPMorgan banker countersues accuser, says sexual assault 'lies' ruined her life 21. May 2026 (14:06) Investment banker Lorna Hajdini says ex-colleague Chirayu Rana’s ‘malicious’ allegations ‘wreaked havoc’The JPMorgan Chase investment banker accused of sexual assault in an explosive lawsuit that went viral countersued her accuser, saying his malicious lies destroyed her reputation and “wreaked havoc” on her life.In papers filed on Tuesday night in a New York state court in Manhattan, Lorna Hajdini said her former colleague Chirayu Rana fabricated allegations that she raped and drugged him, in order to attract maximum press coverage, cause her pain and extract millions of dollars from her and JPMorgan. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
