Australia politics live: Zali Steggall confirms teals having ‘conversations’ amid speculation about new political party 25. May 2026 (00:00) Zali Steggall says teals want to ‘be more effective in holding government to account’. Follow today’s news liveMenopause national awareness campaign launchesA nation-first campaign to spread awareness about the symptoms of menopause and perimenopause will launch today.Menopause should not come as a surprise, but for too long silence and stigma have left too many women in the dark ... It is important that this campaign reflects the different experiences of perimenopause and menopause, because no two women experience it the same way, and every woman deserves to feel seen and supported.The Australian public, the sensible public, wants rational policies. They don’t want culture wars. They don’t want blame game. They want something constructive.The Coalition currently wants to repeal net zero, which means taking Australia out of the Paris agreement … They want to blame migrants who have actually built Australia … Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Overheated chemical tank in southern California ‘will fail’, EPA chief says 24. May 2026 (21:36) Lee Zeldin says ‘low-volume release’ of flammable chemicals is most likely amid fears of explosion at Orange county facility near DisneylandGovernment officials in Orange county, California, have warned that an overheated chemical tank “will fail” and could result in a chemical explosion in the area, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator said on Sunday.“We’re being told that the tank will fail, but there are different scenarios as to what that means,” Lee Zeldin, told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday. Zeldin, a former Republican congressman with no prior experience in environmental policy, was chosen by Trump as the head of the EPA. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Number of suspected Ebola cases in DR Congo passes 900 as health workers face attacks and shortages 24. May 2026 (21:07) World Health Organization says outbreak poses ‘very high’ risk for Congo, but risk of disease spreading globally remains lowCongolese authorities say that suspected Ebola cases have now passed 900 in the ongoing outbreak in the east of the country.The Congolese ministry of communication, in a post on X on Sunday, said there were 904 suspected cases and 119 suspected deaths. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Labour to expand youth work experience and training schemes 24. May 2026 (20:05) Announcement comes after former minister Alan Milburn says Britain has neglected a generation of young peopleMinisters are expanding youth work experience and training schemes, after Alan Milburn warned Britain is spending £25 keeping young people on benefits for every £1 spent helping them into work.Pat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary, will announce plans for 300,000 extra work experience placements over the next three years as the government attempts to tackle what the minister described as a “quiet crisis” in youth employment. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump says he does not make bad deals, but even Republican hawks doubt that now 24. May 2026 (20:00) The US has apparently had to agree to unfreeze billions of Iranian assets for a regime more hardline than before the warMiddle East crisis: live updatesOn 24 May each year, Iranians celebrate a historic victory in the war with Iraq: the liberation of Khorramshahr in 1982.This year, some were hoping a peace deal looking likely to be signed with the US might mark a similar turning point in their country’s history. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Riz Ahmed says UK spies tried to recruit him on three occasions 24. May 2026 (19:54) Actor recounts three alleged approaches by intelligence services, including through senior BBC executiveRiz Ahmed, the Oscar-winning actor, has claimed that Britain’s intelligence services tried three times to recruit him, including one occasion involving a senior BBC executive.Ahmed, 43, said: “Well, it’s happened three different times and they’re all slightly ridiculous, and this is what I mean by it, it’s just like inherently comedic. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bridget Phillipson orders review of hidden childcare charges hitting parents 24. May 2026 (19:31) Education secretary asks UK watchdog to look into nursery practices, including non-refundable deposits and add-onsBridget Phillipson, the education secretary, is ordering a competition review of hidden childcare charges amid concerns parents are being hit with extra charges, despite the government’s flagship expansion of funded childcare hours.Phillipson has written to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) asking it to examine practices including non-refundable deposits, compulsory add-ons and restrictions attached to government-funded childcare places. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Israeli strikes pound Lebanon despite signs US and Iran are close to peace deal 24. May 2026 (19:06) Some casualties after attacks on multiple locations in south and east of country on Sunday, state media reportsMiddle East crisis: live updatesIsraeli strikes have hit southern and eastern Lebanon, a day after 11 people were killed in a single raid on the south despite a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war and claims that the US and Iran are about to reach a peace deal.Saturday’s strike in Sir al-Gharbiyeh “resulted in a massacre whose final toll is 11 dead including a child and six women, and nine wounded including four children and a woman,” Lebanon’s health ministry said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump has ‘alienated’ voters ahead of midterms, warns ousted Republican Thomas Massie 24. May 2026 (18:49) GOP congressman says his party is set to count cost of ‘Trump disappointment syndrome’ after primary defeatDonald Trump’s Republican party is on course for a damaging rejection at the ballot box in November, according to a maverick US congressman ousted by a challenger handpicked by the president.Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, became the latest of Trump’s targets to be defeated in the party’s primaries this week. He had repeatedly broken with the president over military action against Iran, government spending and the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Gunman who opened fire near White House was known to Secret Service 24. May 2026 (18:46) Suspect who died after exchanging fire with agents had tried to enter the complex last summer, records showA gunman who opened fire outside the White House on Saturday before he was shot by federal agents was already known to the US Secret Service, court records show.The man, 21, was taken to a nearby hospital, before he was later pronounced dead. He had previously tried to enter the complex, according to an affidavit filed in DC superior court in 2025, following an arrest nearby. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
