Russia is targeting UK’s infrastructure and democracy, GCHQ head to say 27. May 2026 (01:02) Anne Keast-Butler will also warn of narrowing window to stay ahead of China in ‘new era of radical uncertainty’Russia is relentlessly targeting Britain’s infrastructure and democracy while there is only a narrowing technological window to stay ahead of a fast-developing China, the head of the spy agency GCHQ will warn in a lecture on Wednesday.Anne Keast-Butler, giving an inaugural annual lecture, will say that the UK is caught in a “new era of radical uncertainty” and that “the risk of miscalculation” is as high as she has ever seen it as hacker attacks from the two states continue. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Clarence B Jones, who helped MLK write ‘I have a dream’ speech, dies at 95 27. May 2026 (01:01) Attorney, speechwriter and confidante of King was involved in some of US civil rights movement’s key momentsClarence B Jones, a former speechwriter and confidant of Martin Luther King Jr who helped pen his famous “I have a dream” speech, has died. He was 95.Jones died on Friday at a senior living community in the San Francisco Bay Area suburb of Cupertino, according to a statement released by family members, who were at his side. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Jury seated as US trial of Catholic priest accused of sexual assault begins 27. May 2026 (00:28) Anthony Odiong, charged with sexually abusing three female congregants in Texas, could face life sentenceA jury of eight women and four men was seated on Tuesday in the criminal trial of a Roman Catholic priest who ministered in Texas and south-east Louisiana and was charged with illicitly abusing his status as a clergyman to pursue sex with spiritually vulnerable female congregants.Anthony Odiong, 57, faces five charges of first-degree sexual assault and two such counts in the second degree in Waco, Texas, involving three women whom he met while working there. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia politics live: Quad countries ink deal to build surveillance network and Fiji port to counter China 26. May 2026 (23:55) Australia’s foreign affairs minister Penny Wong met with US secretary of state Marco Rubio in New Delhi meeting. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSyrian children should be treated ‘sensitively and gently’, Ryan saysIndependent MP Monique Ryan says the women and children returning from a Syrian camp should be treated gently, after they arrived in Australia last night.We’re talking about kids who have grown up in a camp in Syria who haven’t been exposed to Australia at all, and I would suggest that we should treat them sensitively and gently upon their arrival. And remember that there’s vulnerable kids and that the last thing they need to be subjected to on their arrival is an aggressive media. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
South Carolina Republicans defy Trump again to reject rapid redistricting drive 26. May 2026 (23:07) Bid to remake maps and reduce Democratic voters in Jim Clyburn’s district before midterms fails in state senateRepublican lawmakers in South Carolina have defied Donald Trump and rejected a breakneck bid to redraw the state’s congressional districts ahead of November’s US midterm elections.In a 26-18 vote, state senators rejected mid-decade redistricting in a special session of the legislature, ending hope in Washington to split up congressman Jim Clyburn’s district and add to the list of gerrymandered gains for Republicans. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tony Blair’s essay on Labour failings gets full marks for being unhelpful 26. May 2026 (23:00) Intervention by former PM almost feels designed to inflict maximum annoyance on his partyTony Blair tells Starmer and rivals: abandon net zero and move closer to TrumpDid Tony Blair ever mention he was quite good at winning elections? If you happened to miss it, then his 5,700-word opus on where Labour, Keir Starmer and the UK more generally have gone wrong is here to remind you. Several times.“I led the Labour party for 13 years and through three general elections,” goes the second sentence. Further on, Blair laments that when the party tries to puzzle out how to win a second term, the one thing ruled out was “learning from the only time in the party’s 120-year history it has ever done so”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tony Blair tells Starmer and rivals: abandon net zero and move closer to Trump 26. May 2026 (23:00) In highly unusual intervention, ex-PM says his party’s ‘almost infinite capacity for self-delusion’ makes it likely to lose next electionAnalysis: Tony Blair’s essay on Labour failings gets full marks for being unhelpfulTony Blair has accused Keir Starmer, Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting of putting Labour’s future at risk by abandoning the centre ground, warning that the party’s “almost infinite capacity for self-delusion” means it is likely to lose the next election.In a scathing 5,700-word attack on the prime minister and his would-be successors published on Tuesday night, Blair argued for the government to crack down on welfare spending, abandon restrictions on oil and gas and smooth relations with Donald Trump. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Vermont becomes first US state to ban paraquat herbicide over Parkinson’s fears 26. May 2026 (22:46) Lawmakers cite studies linking weedkiller to Parkinson’s as pressure mounts for a wider US banVermont is the first US state to ban the weedkilling pesticide paraquat, backed by lawmakers who cited concerns about research showing the chemical substantially increases the risk of the incurable brain ailment known as Parkinson’s disease.Phil Scott, the governor, signed the legislation on Tuesday. The new law takes effect on 1 November, though it contains a provision allowing state regulators to issue special permits for paraquat use on fruit-producing tree orchards, berries and other “small fruit” crops up until 31 December 2030. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nasa selects Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin for first of three uncrewed lunar missions 26. May 2026 (22:14) Three lunar landings are planned for this year in preparation for the construction of a $20bn moon baseSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailNasa announced on Tuesday ambitious plans for three uncrewed lunar missions this year to kickstart construction of a $20bn moon base, and said it had chosen the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin, ahead of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, to conduct the first.The revelation by Nasa’s administrator, Jared Isaacman, at a press conference in Washington DC marked the first detailed public explanation of how and when the moon base will be built. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Inquiry into Post Office Horizon scandal faces five-year delay without extra funding 26. May 2026 (21:01) Police officer in charge says budget could reach £19.3m and nearly 100 more investigators are neededThe police criminal inquiry into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal faces a five-year delay unless it is handed millions in extra funding and nearly 100 more staff, according to the chief officer in charge.The Metropolitan police commander Stephen Clayman said he needed to nearly double the number of investigators to 210 to meet a deadline of late next year or early 2028 for submitting files to prosecutors. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
