The Guardian

James Comer speaks to reporters as commerce secretary faces questions from lawmakers over whether he had ever visited Jeffrey Epstein’s private islandSign up for the Breaking News US emailIt’s worth noting, ahead of Howard Lutnick’s closed-door testimony before House oversight committee members today, that the commerce secretary has refused to answer questions about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein from lawmakers during congressional hearings on Capitol Hill over the last month.In April, Represenative Madeleine Dean, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, asked whether the president expressed “concerns” about the commerce secretary’s relationship with Epstein. Lutnick refused to comment. Continue reading... Source link :

Clifton George admits manslaughter but denies murder of Annabel Rook, whom he stabbed at least 22 timesA woman was fatally stabbed by her partner before he triggered a gas explosion at their east London home last summer, a court has heard.Clifton George, 45, is accused of murdering 46-year-old Annabel Rook during an argument at their home in Dumont Road, Stoke Newington, on 17 June 2025. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/may/06/man-fatally-stabbed-partner-and-tried-to-blow-up-their-london-home-court-hears Author : Hayden Vernon Publish date : 2026-05-06 14:59:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Firms raising prices at fastest rate in three years, driven by soaring energy and wage bills but also extra cost of metals and plasticsBusiness live – latest updatesOil prices fall as Trump hails ‘progress’ on Iran dealAirlines and other companies are increasingly using fuel surcharges to cover soaring costs, a survey has found, in a further sign of Iran war-linked inflation hitting the economy.A poll of companies in the services sector, which includes airlines, found rising fuel prices had contributed to businesses raising prices at the fastest pace in more than three years in April. Continue reading... Source link :

Green party leader also accuses rightwing media of politically motivated attacks as popularity growsZack Polanski has said he was wrong to describe himself as a British Red Cross spokesperson, and that intensified media scrutiny of the Green party reflected fears of its rising popularity and support for wealth taxes.Polanski described himself as a British Red Cross spokesperson while campaigning for the party leadership, the Times revealed. The claim was also mentioned on his personal website in 2020 when he said he was “really proud of the work we do”. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/06/zack-polanski-says-he-was-wrong-to-call-himself-a-red-cross-spokesperson Author : Aletha Adu Political

US president pauses ‘Project Freedom’ to work on ‘final agreement’ with Tehran; stocks also ride high on AI euphoriaWe are off to a good start in Europe too. The FTSE 100 index in London has jumped 1.5%, or 153 points, to 10,372 in early trading.Diageo shares rose 4.6% (they were up 5.5% at the open) after the world’s top spirits maker, which also makes Guinness, posted surprise growth in quarterly organic sales, with strong performances in Europe annd Latin America offsetting weakness in the US, its biggest market. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2026/may/06/oil-prices-retreat-global-stocks-hit-record-highs-trump-great-progress-iran-deal-live-updates Author : Julia Kollewe Publish date

Shoppers concerned about effect of Middle East conflict, as UK retailers say government running out of time to cut costsFour in five people are worried that the Iran war will make food more expensive, according to a new poll, as businesses warned the “window is closing” for ministers to cut energy costs for UK retailers.Research by Opinium found that 80% of people are worried about the rising price of groceries, which would come from retailers passing on cost increases to consumers, while 73% expect the conflict to push up prices of other products. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/may/06/iran-war-food-prices-expensive-inflation-poll Author

Without offering details or evidence, US Southern Command describes the people killed as ‘narco-terrorists’The US military said on Tuesday it had struck a vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing three people, in the latest such attack that rights groups label as “extrajudicial killings” and Washington describes as targeting “narco-terrorists”.US Southern Command posted about the strike on social media Tuesday evening, alleging that the vessel struck on Tuesday was operated by “Designated Terrorist Organizations” that it did not identify. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/05/us-military-vessel-strike Author : Guardian staff and agencies Publish date : 2026-05-06 01:45:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood join Conan O’Brien to discuss forthcoming album Foreign TonguesOn Tuesday afternoon in New York, the Rolling Stones gathered friends, journalists and fellow artists for a preview of their forthcoming 25th album Foreign Tongues.Before the trio stepped on stage, host Conan O’Brien deadpanned that perhaps, finally, this is the album where the band will “finally make it after decades of obscurity”. The audience, which included Leonardo DiCaprio, director Baz Luhrmann and actor Odessa A’zion, laughed appreciatively. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/may/05/rolling-stones-foreign-tongues-album-new-york Author : Owen Myers Publish date : 2026-05-05 23:19:00 Copyright for syndicated

Lenders increase borrowing rates by 0.25%; pro-Palestine meeting barred from council venue goes ahead outside in Darlington. Follow updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNext week’s federal budget will fund a dedicated national centre to detect and disrupt the evolving threat of online violent extremism and terrorism.The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, will announce the $74m in funding over two years for the project on Wednesday. It is part of the government’s response to the Bondi terror attack in December.A bolstered online threat capability will give AFP and Asio the resources they need to target

Lawmakers consider plan to break up state’s lone Democratic-held district, in majority-black Memphis area, after supreme court ruling that gutted Voting Rights ActSign up for the Breaking News US emailDonald Trump has issued a fresh verbal attack against Pope Leo XIV, accusing the pontiff of “endangering a lot of Catholics” because “he thinks it’s fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon”.The remarks come two days before Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, meets Leo at the Vatican in an effort to ease the tensions sparked by Trump’s previous broadside against the Chicago-born pontiff over his condemnation of the

Tory leader says the protests are ‘not the same’Kemi Badenoch has questioned whether the undisclosed £5m donation given to Nigel Farage by a crypto billionaire shows that he has been “bought”.In an interview with the Today programme this morning, the Conservative leader asked whether the donation was linked to Farage’s support for cryptocurrencies, and she said the donation showed why Farage could not be trusted as a political leader.Let’s see, I believe that people should look at the character of an individual.You look at Nigel Farage’s fishy £5m. I think that’s a very, very concerning story. No one gets £5m

The move puts the country’s access to EU funds at risk and it could take weeks until a stable majority can be assembledin BucharestPresident Dan is set to issue a statement at 6pm local time (4pm UK). Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/may/05/zelenskyy-putin-ukraine-russia-trump-troops-merz-latest-news-updates Author : Jakub Krupa Publish date : 2026-05-05 13:21:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Fahad Ansari says it was ‘chilling’ that police ‘equated him with his client’ after he was stopped on return from family holiday in IrelandA lawyer who filed Hamas’s challenge to proscription in the UK was recorded by police as being a member of the banned group, “equating him with his client”.On a risk assessment form, a detective inspector, who authorised the detention of Fahad Ansari under the Terrorism Act on his return from a family holiday in Ireland, wrote “Hamas” in the space reserved for “membership of a known group”. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/law/2026/may/05/lawyer-fahad-ansari-represented-hamas-uk-police-falsely-listed-as-member Author : Haroon Siddique

Iranian speaker says ‘new equation of the strait of Hormuz is in the process of being solidified’Donald Trump sends warships to break Iran’s strait of Hormuz blockadePakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has condemned the attacks on the US-allied UAE after the Gulf nation was struck by a barrage of missiles and drones yesterday.The UAE came under repeated attacks from Iran for the first time since a ceasefire took hold in early April. One sparked a fire at a key oil facility in Fujairah and injured three Indian nationals, authorities said. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/may/05/iran-us-israel-lebanon-strait-of-hormuz-ships-oil-uae-latest-news-updates Author : Yohannes Lowe

In today’s newsletter: With the use of facial recognition skyrocketing, there are calls for the rapid development of safeguardsGood morning. Over the last couple of days, the Guardian has been reporting that facial recognition technology is being rolled out across the UK at a pace that appears to be outstripping the rules designed to govern it. Police forces are increasingly using live systems to scan members of the public in real time, while retailers are deploying similar tools to identify suspected shoplifters.Advocates of the technology argue that facial recognition is effective and here to stay. Critics warn it risks creating

Labor’s 2026-27 budget shows $727m operating surplus for this financial year as debt forecast to soar by decade’s endWinners and losers: Victoria’s 2026 budget cuts transport costs and helps parents - but will future generations suffer?Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVictoria has recorded a surplus for the first time since the pandemic but the state’s financial recovery remains uncertain with debt forecast to near $200bn in coming years amid global uncertainty.The 2026-27 Victorian budget, handed down on Tuesday, shows the state recorded a $727m operating surplus in

Suit alleges that Hong Kong-based Justin Sun engaged in a campaign to ‘torch’ the company’s reputationSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email World Liberty Financial, the crypto venture co-founded by Donald Trump and his sons, said on Monday it had filed a defamation lawsuit in Florida state court against the Hong Kong-based crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun, as a dispute escalates between the project and one of its most prominent backers.World Liberty posted a copy of its lawsuit on X in which it accused Sun of launching a “public smear campaign”. It alleged that Sun had improperly transferred some

MV Hondius remains off the coast of Cape Verde after a suspected respiratory virus outbreak killed three people and left three more seriously ill. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo marine rescue volunteers have died as they sought to assist a stricken yacht in a deadly rescue mission, AAP reports.As we reported below, three people died during the rescue effort as volunteers went to the aid of a yacht at the Ballina Bar in northern NSW on Monday night.Our focus right now is supporting the families of those affected and our volunteers.Sentencing

US operation announced as ‘Project Freedom’ dramatically raises stakes in conflictMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe US has launched Donald Trump’s operation to open a route through the strait of Hormuz for hundreds of ships trapped with their crews in the Gulf, in a move that brought the region back to the brink of full-scale war as Iran sought to reassert its blockade.The US operation, which got under way on Monday after being announced as “Project Freedom” by Trump on Sunday night on his social media site, dramatically raised the stakes in a conflict that had been in a month-long

Cape Verde blocks MV Hondius from docking in order ‘to protect public health’ after deaths of three passengersWhat is hantavirus, the infection thought to have killed three on cruise ship?Medics are scrambling to evacuate two people from a luxury cruise ship stranded off the coast of Cape Verde, after a suspected outbreak of a rare respiratory virus killed three people, left three others seriously ill and forced nearly 150 people from across the world to isolate onboard.The plight of the MV Hondius, which set off in March from southern Argentina carrying 149 people from 23 countries, emerged late on Sunday

Cole Allen remains in custody after being charged with attempting to assassinate Donald TrumpSign up for the Breaking News US emailMarco Rubio, the US secretary of state, will travel to Rome this week to visit Pope Leo XIV, as the Trump administration’s relationship with the Vatican remains strained.The state department said in a statement that the meeting will be “to advance bilateral relations with Italy and the Vatican”. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2026/may/04/donald-trump-white-house-correspondents-dinner-shooting-cole-allen-rudy-giuliani-hegseth-rubio-iran-us-politics-latest-news-updates Author : Shrai Popat (now) and Tom Ambrose (earlier) Publish date : 2026-05-04 14:54:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Authority says workers and councillors ‘threatened for explaining the council’s position’ as union jack and St George’s flags taken downResidents, council staff and councillors have been subject to rising “abuse, harassment and intimidation” directly linked to the removal of unauthorised flags, a local authority has said.Shropshire council said it had recorded a rise in reports of abuse with staff and members “being threatened for explaining the council’s position” on the removal of flags and when they attempt to do so – “even in day-to-day work to repair street lighting”, the authority added. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/may/04/shropshire-council-rising-abuse-removal-of-union-jack-and-st-george-flags Author :

The prime minister is also attempting to join the EU’s €90bn loan for Ukraine, which the Conservatives welcomedA Reform UK proposal to prioritise places that vote for Green councils or MPs when it sets up detention centres for migrants facing deportations has been denounced as “abhorrent” from opponents across the political spectrum.Reform says it would deport “all illegal migrants” and, to make this possible, it has announced plans for deportation centres holding up to 24,000 people.A Reform government will not put any migrant detention facilities in any constituency with a Reform MP.Nor will we put them where Reform controls the

Iranian military says it will ‘respond harshly’ to any threat after Trump warns that interference with US operation in Hormuz will be ‘dealt with forcefully’Trump says US navy will ‘guide’ trapped ships from strait of Hormuz amid ‘very positive’ talks with IranThe US has evacuated 22 crew members held aboard an Iranian container vessel to Pakistan and will hand them over to Iranian authorities on Monday, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said, calling the move a “confidence-building measure”.“The Iranian ship will also be backloaded to Pakistani territorial waters for return to its original owners after necessary repairs,” the ministry said in a

The treasurer also says May federal budget will play ‘helpful not harmful role in fight against inflation’Jim Chalmers has warned there will be little room for more cost of living support in his fifth and “most responsible” budget yet, as he ruled out an immediate extension of the 26-cent cut to the fuel excise and downplayed hopes for additional tax relief for workers.The treasurer also said Australian voters would forgive Labor for breaking a pre-election vow not to touch negative gearing rules for landlords, which is set to form part of a package that would also scale back the capital