Rural Britain is becoming ‘food desert’ for lower-income families, study finds 18. May 2026 (16:43) Closure of local shops and poor public transport leaves households struggling to access healthy and affordable food‘Absolutely beautiful’ but no shops for miles: the Cotswolds’ rural food desertsRural Britain is becoming a “food desert” for lower-income families as the closure of local shops and poor public transport leaves them at disproportionately high risk of hunger and cost of living pressures, research shows.Over half of households with an annual income of under £40,000 a year living in the countryside struggle to access affordable and healthy food including fresh fruit and vegetables, the University of Sheffield study estimates. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cuba warns US of ‘bloodbath’ if military action follows drone claims 18. May 2026 (16:42) Cuba’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, says any US strike would be catastrophic after reports of 300+ dronesCuba’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, has warned that any US military action against his country would lead to a “bloodbath” with incalculable consequences for regional peace and stability.“Cuba does not represent a threat,” Díaz-Canel said in a post on X. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Infectious diseases such as hantavirus and Ebola becoming more frequent and damaging, say experts 18. May 2026 (16:18) Pandemic report warns of growing global threat as health teams in Africa move to contain Ebola outbreak The world is becoming less resilient to outbreaks of infectious diseases, experts have warned, as health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda scramble to contain an outbreak of Ebola.The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) said in a report published on Monday that “as infectious disease outbreaks become more frequent they are also becoming more damaging”, warning that pandemic risk is outpacing investments in preparedness and “the world is not yet meaningfully safer”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ex-assistant principal faces trial after six-year-old shot Virginia teacher 18. May 2026 (16:14) Ebony Parker is accused of ignoring warnings that the student brought a loaded gun to a US elementary schoolSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailA former assistant principal at an elementary school in Virginia is due in court for trial on criminal charges of ignoring warnings that a six-year-old student brought a loaded gun to school which was later used to shoot his first-grade teacher.Ebony Parker’s criminal trial is set to start on Monday in Newport News. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Signs of ‘feeding’ ritual at dingo burial site shed new light on bond between First Nations people and canines 18. May 2026 (16:01) Never documented archaeologically before, evidence points to First Nations people caring for and nursing the animalGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe discovery of a millennium-old dingo burial site in western New South Wales, including evidence of a “feeding” ritual never before documented archaeologically, has shed new light on the longstanding relationship between the canines and First Nations people.The dingo was buried along the Baaka, or Darling River, in Kinchega national park near the Menindee Lakes. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Purple pain: backlash over Mexico City’s ‘axolotlisation’ for World Cup 18. May 2026 (16:00) Mayor’s attempt to beautify the city with murals of mascot and plum paint jobs criticised as waste of resourcesThe giant purple axolotl peered up at Manuel Martínez from the black bitumen of the street. It was the second such painting of the rare amphibian he had walked past that morning. In recent weeks he had seen axolotl murals pop up in neighbourhoods across Mexico City.“It’s a waste of money,” he said. “You could use that budget for fixing potholes, traffic lights, security cameras. They’re spending on something that doesn’t benefit us at all – it’s just for tourists.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Experts locate bodies of four missing Italian divers inside Maldives cave 18. May 2026 (15:54) Spokesperson for Indian Ocean island nation says they will try to recover explorers in next couple of daysRescuers have located the bodies of four Italian divers deep inside an underwater cave in an atoll in the Maldives, four days after they were reported missing.Searches had resumed after being suspended following the death of a local military diver during a perilous mission to try to reach them. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
London tube strikes called off at last minute 18. May 2026 (15:20) RMT union says two 24-hour stoppages from midday on Tuesday have been suspendedBusiness live – latest updatesPlanned strikes by drivers on London Underground this week have been called off, the RMT union has announced.The union said the two 24-hour stoppages from midday on Tuesday, which were set to disrupt travel over four days this week, had been suspended. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rising prices are Britons’ biggest money worry as inflation stays high, survey finds 18. May 2026 (14:37) Households ‘increasingly gloomy’ about finances amid fears of interest rate rises due to higher fuel pricesBusiness live – latest updatesRising prices have become the top financial concern for UK households, according to a monthly consumer confidence survey, before Wednesday’s official figures, which are likely to show inflation remaining stubbornly high.Amid fears of higher interest rates owing to increased fuel prices after the closure of the strait of Hormuz amid the conflict in the Middle East, households have become “increasingly gloomy about their financial situation”, the report said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Celebrities call for permanent end to gnome ban at Chelsea flower show 18. May 2026 (14:19) Bill Bailey and Alan Titchmarsh paint gnomes for king’s garden at event, in one-off to raise funds for RHS campaignGarden gnomes should make a permanent return to the Chelsea flower show, say celebrities who have painted the mythical creatures for the king’s garden at this year’s event.At the high-end event, which kicks off on Tuesday in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, south-west London, the “tacky” statues have been frowned upon since 1927. Speaking at the show’s press day, the comedian and musician Bill Bailey and the gardener and author Alan Titchmarsh urged the Royal Horticultural Society to lift the gnome ban permanently. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
