Israeli security minister stirs diplomatic outrage with flotilla activist abuse video 20. May 2026 (20:15) Far-right figure Itamar Ben-Gvir shares footage of himself taunting bound international detaineesMiddle East crisis – live updatesIsrael’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has sparked a diplomatic crisis by publishing footage of Israeli security forces abusing international activists who were detained as they tried to sail to Gaza with aid.There was a rapid and furious response from countries whose citizens were onboard the boats, including the UK, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Ireland, in many cases delivered in person from the top of government. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Badenoch says Labour ‘just want a better salesman’. It would be a good start 20. May 2026 (20:14) Starmer has a reasonable list of achievements in power but has undermined himself with a lack of political storytellingNet migration down by three-quarters, the biggest fall in NHS waiting lists for 17 years, knife crime cut by 10%, the economy growing the fastest in the G7, rising wages, energy bills and petrol prices held down, the biggest sustained rise in defence spending since the cold war, a massive expansion of free childcare …If Keir Starmer did tub-thumping lists of Labour’s achievements in the style of Gordon Brown, he would not actually have a shortage of things to talk about. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Barney Frank, one of first out gay members of US Congress, dies aged 86 20. May 2026 (20:14) Obama hails Frank as a ‘one of a kind’ LGBTQ+ advocate and key architect of ‘sweeping financial reforms’US politics live – latest updatesBarney Frank, the former US representative who made history as one of the first out gay members of Congress, died on Tuesday night. He was 86.“He was, above all else, a wonderful brother. I was lucky to be his sister,” Doris Breay, Frank’s sister, told NBC10 in Boston on Wednesday morning. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the US and Israel’s unlikely choice to lead Iran 20. May 2026 (20:09) Populist former president’s falling-out with the Tehran regime allegedly drew him into a takeover plotUS and Israel hoped to install Ahmadinejad as Iran’s leaderFor all their outward differences, there always seemed to be things that linked Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Donald Trump.A visit to the then Iranian president’s rather humble Tehran neighbourhood nearly 20 years ago highlighted cost of living problems that prefigured those facing Trump now. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Starmer’s top advisers knew about ‘indefensible’ journalists probe, documents reveal 20. May 2026 (19:58) PM’s former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, among aides briefed on investigation into reporters writing about Labour TogetherKeir Starmer’s most senior advisers were briefed about an “indefensible” investigation into journalists writing critical pieces about the Labour Together thinktank, according to a newly released document.Among the aides who received updates on the probe, commissioned by the thinktank’s director, Josh Simons, were Morgan McSweeney, the former chief of staff to the prime minister. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Aardvark calf born at Chester zoo is ‘doing brilliantly’ after bottle-feeding 20. May 2026 (19:39) Births of the mammals extremely rare in captivity, say keepers, with ‘Womble’ only the second calf born at ChesterInside a heated incubator at Chester zoo, a wrinkled newborn aardvark nicknamed “Womble” spent its first weeks being bottle-fed milk through the night by keepers determined to keep the rare calf healthy.Named after the creatures in Elisabeth Beresford’s children’s books and the subsequent animated TV series, the nocturnal animal is only the second aardvark born at the zoo in its 94-year history. Keepers say births of the species are extremely rare in captivity, with the last aardvark calf born in the zoo in 2022. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Norwegian court blocks extradition to Greece of migrant rights activist 20. May 2026 (19:37) Case hailed as human rights victory as Tromsø court says Tommy Olsen’s actions are lawful and protected under international treatiesThe decision of a Norwegian appeals court to dismiss the extradition of an activist accused of facilitating the illegal entry of people into Greece has been hailed as a rare victory for human rights.In a judgment described as unprecedented by lawyers representing Tommy Olsen, the Norwegian founder of the NGO the Aegean Boat Report, the court unanimously rejected the request saying his actions were not only lawful but protected under international treaties to which both countries adhered. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US indicts former Cuban president Raúl Castro as it seeks to oust regime 20. May 2026 (19:08) Charges filed in Miami against 94-year-old for allegedly shooting down exiles’ planes in 1996The United States issued a federal criminal indictment against Raúl Castro, Cuba’s former president, and five others on Wednesday in a significant escalation of the Trump administration’s campaign to oust the country’s six-decades-old communist regime.The 94-year-old political figurehead was charged in Miami, Florida, with conspiracy to kill US nationals, four counts of murder and two counts of destruction of aircraft. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Starbucks does not recycle plastic cups it claims are ‘widely recyclable’, report says 20. May 2026 (19:04) Watchdog group glued trackers to 53 of the chain’s cups across nine states and found none ended up at a recycling facilityIf you attach a GPS tracker to a “widely recyclable” plastic Starbucks cup and drop it in an in-store recycling bin, you might expect it to end up in a recycling plant, but the environmental watchdog organization Beyond Plastics says that’s not the case in a new report.Starbucks announced that their plastic cups were now considered “widely recyclable” earlier this year, according to How2Recycle, a group affiliated with the consumer packaging industry that helps private companies label their packaging with recycling options. The coffee giant touted the achievement as a “big milestone, with huge impact”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Russian jet causes ‘dangerous’ near miss after flying close to RAF spy plane 20. May 2026 (19:00) UK calls incident ‘unacceptable’ after Su-27 jet comes within six metres of unarmed RAF plane over Black SeaA Russian jet flew within six metres of an RAF spy plane flying at 500mph over the Black Sea, one of two mid-air incidents last month described as “dangerous and unacceptable” by the defence secretary, John Healey.An Su-27 jet conducted six passes in front of an unarmed RAF Rivet Joint flying close to its nose in mid April, risking a collision that could have caused a diplomatic crisis between the two countries. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
