More than 20 towns in France record highest ever May temperatures 25. May 2026 (17:28) Parts of Spain could also see the mercury climb to 40C by the end of the weekMore than 20 towns in France have recorded their highest-ever May temperatures and the UK set a national heat record amid an extreme early-summer heat event that could see the mercury climb to 40C in parts of Spain by the end of the week.The UK’s Met Office said the country’s all-time temperature record for May was broken on Monday when a temperature of 33.5C was recorded at Heathrow near London, with highs of up to 35C expected later on Monday and on Tuesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Remains of US soldier killed in WWII returned to Pennsylvania after 80 years 25. May 2026 (17:09) John A Walko was identified through DNA and brought home to Pennsylvania 80 years after his WWII deathThe remains of a US soldier killed during the second world war were returned to his Pennsylvania hometown more than 80 years after he died after DNA analysis identified him.John A Walko, a US army Pfc who died on 20 October 1944 during the Battle of Aachen in Germany, was escorted from the Pittsburgh airport to Commodore, Pennsylvania by a veteran’s motorcycle group earlier this month, according to Cleveland.com. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Shock of Iran war unites Middle East rivals in pushing Trump towards peace 25. May 2026 (17:03) Region adapting to diminished US power after Washington fails to land knockout blow on Tehran or safeguard alliesMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe shock of the Iran war and its fallout has driven rivals in the Middle East to get behind a peace deal, pushing the Trump administration to accept a tentative agreement in the face of furious opposition from Israel and its supporters in Washington.The diplomatic efforts come as the region is reshaping to adapt to diminished US power after Washington’s inability to land a knockout blow on Iran, force the opening of the strait of Hormuz or safeguard its Gulf allies. Tehran has few friends in the region, but the regime’s survival has meant that its neighbours have had to find an accommodation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Teals eye party structure to fill Liberal vacuum and counter One Nation 25. May 2026 (17:00) Changes to political funding and the need for crossbenchers to remain relevant are driving discussions but some independents are opposedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIt is a tag that has been unfairly – and incorrectly – attached to the band of teal MPs since their arrival en-masse in federal parliament in 2022, a slur deployed by their political opponents in an attempt to undermine their independence.The “teal party”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tui faces scrutiny over E coli-linked death of baby after holiday in Egypt 25. May 2026 (17:00) Two other small British children who stayed at same hotel fell critically ill from same condition months earlierThe travel company Tui is under scrutiny over its safety protocols after a British baby girl died from a gastric illness following a stay at an Egyptian hotel – the same resort where two other children were left critically ill from the same condition months earlier.Ariella Mann, one, died in January from a kidney condition linked to E coli after falling ill at the five‑star Jaz Makadi Aquaviva hotel in Hurghada on an all‑inclusive two‑week package holiday booked through Tui. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Elon Musk retweet signals rightwing split that could help Andy Burnham in Makerfield 25. May 2026 (16:43) Restore Britain, set up by the former Reform MP Rupert Lowe, appears to be taking some support from Nigel FarageAndy Burnham is unlikely to be Elon Musk’s first pick to be prime minister of the UK. But an intervention by the US tech billionaire on behalf of a far-right offshoot of Reform UK is one of several signs that a divided right wing could deliver the Makerfield seat to the Manchester mayor.On 18 June, Burnham will fight a byelection in Greater Manchester, and polls have him only slightly ahead of Reform’s candidate, Robert Kenyon, a plumber. But a far-right party set up by the former Reform MP Rupert Lowe looks as if it is taking some support from Reform. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Thai rescuers join effort to free seven people trapped in Laos cave 25. May 2026 (16:24) Group have been stuck in flooded cave in central Laos for five days after heavy rain caused landslidesDivers who helped in the dramatic rescue of a young Thai football team in 2018 have joined efforts to free seven people who have been trapped for five days inside a remote, flooded cave in central Laos.The group entered the cave in Xaysomboun province on Wednesday to hunt for wildlife and search for gold, reports suggest. Heavy rain led to landslides, which blocked the cave entrance. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hundreds of homes in Kent and Sussex left without water after supply outages 25. May 2026 (16:08) Charing, Challock and Molash worst affected, as South East Water says ‘technical failure at pumping station’ to blameHundreds of homes in Kent and Sussex have been left without water by a company that MPs recently accused of incompetence.South East Water said the hot weather and extra demand for water meant it was having to pump more drinking water than usual to higher ground. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
At four, her head was shaved and her clothes burned. Aunty Lorraine doesn’t want her trauma to be forgotten 25. May 2026 (16:01) The now 88-year-old is urging Australian governments to throw their support behind a new national plan for Stolen Generations survivors as they enter their final yearsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAunty Lorraine Peeters only remembers the metal gates opening as she was driven away from her home, at Brewarrina mission in north-west New South Wales. She was taken, along with her brothers and sisters, at just four years old.Her home for the next six years would be the Cootamundra Aboriginal Girls Home, where she was separated from her siblings, trained as a domestic servant and systematically brainwashed to be white. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
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)