Labour needs ‘system reset’ to tackle youth unemployment, report to say 25. May 2026 (15:00) Alan Milburn, who is leading review commissioned by government, says current strategy ‘going in wrong direction’Labour has failed to tackle soaring youth unemployment and must launch a “system reset” involving a fresh attempt to overhaul health and disability benefits, a report commissioned by the government is to warn.Alan Milburn, who is leading a review into why almost a million young people are not in education or work, said ministers had so far responded with a series of disjointed jobs programmes. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran denies deal with US is imminent despite some progress 25. May 2026 (14:47) Tehran says ‘contradictory statements’ from US and Israeli interference hindering negotiationsIran has poured cold water on suggestions that a deal with the US is imminent, pointing to the confusion in US positions and Israeli interference as key factors in why a complete agreement is proving difficult to secure.Speaking at the weekly foreign ministry press briefing, Esmail Baghaei, the spokesperson for Iran’s negotiating team, also said future management of the strait of Hormuz was a matter for Oman and Iran to reach agreement on, and that it was not tolls that were being proposed but “fees for navigational services”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Oil prices fall below $100 a barrel on hopes of Iran peace deal 25. May 2026 (14:43) Brent crude futures down 6% to lowest level in two weeks and stock markets riseOil prices fell below $100 a barrel on Monday and stock markets rose on hopes that the US and Iran are inching closer to a peace deal.Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, were down 6% to $97.28 a barrel, the lowest level in two weeks, with hopes that an agreement to end the near three-month US-Israeli war on Iran can be struck. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Chemical tank crack eases explosion fears as 50,000 residents flee California 25. May 2026 (14:35) US officials hope damaged tank at California aerospace site will relieve pressure and avert blast riskA damaged chemical tank in southern California cracked over the weekend, which authorities were hopeful would relieve pressure and reduce the risk of an explosion.Some 50,000 residents in Garden Grove, a city of roughly 170,000 about 40 miles (60km) south of downtown Los Angeles, have been evacuated and are waiting for a resolution. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK records its highest ever May temperature 25. May 2026 (14:16) Scientists say record-breaking heat is a reminder of how climate crisis is affecting livesThe fierce heat sweeping Europe over the bank holiday weekend has beaten the UK’s all-time temperature record for May, with highs of up to 35C still to come on Monday afternoon.A temperature of 33.5C was recorded at London’s Heathrow on Monday lunchtime, according to provisional data from the Met Offfice, beating the previous May record that was set in Camden Square in 1922 and reached again in Tunbridge Wells and Regent’s Park in 1944. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump Tower in Georgia to be built on land part-owned by son of US sanctions-hit leader 25. May 2026 (14:00) Links between Trump Organization and Ivanishvili family for Tbilisi skyscraper raise new conflict of interest concernsA Trump Tower planned for the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, is to be built on land currently part-owned by the son of the US-sanctioned leader of the country, according to official records.The proposed skyscraper, a joint venture between a local consortium and the Trump Organization, which is managed by the US president’s sons, Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump, will be on a plot whose current registered owner is the International Charity Fund Cartu. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
