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People ‘panicking’ as Ghana passes sweeping law criminalising LGBTQ+ activity

John Musenze — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:59:11 GMT

Community groups say some fear they could lose homes, jobs and access to healthcare if the new law is ratified by President John Dramani Mahama

Ghana’s LGBTQ community is living in fear after the country’s parliament approved a sweeping bill that criminalises the promotion of LGBTQ+ activities and identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer, rights groups have warned.

The legislation, which was passed on Friday, mandates prison sentences of three to 10 years.

UK will not have to pay Rwanda £100m over failed asylum scheme, court rules

Rajeev Syal Home affairs editor — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 10:50:51 GMT

Rwanda had sued UK government over alleged breach of agreement, after scheme scrapped by Labour on first day in office

The UK will not have to pay the Rwandan government millions of pounds over a failed migrant deportation scheme set up by Boris Johnson’s administration, an international court has ruled.

The east African nation had sued the current UK government for more than £100m, claiming it was owed after a breach of an agreement.

Wildfires devastating richer areas but fewer hectares burned globally – study

Ajit Niranjan — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 06:00:09 GMT

‘Megafires’ in California, Canada, South Korea and Europe in 2025, but changes to farming slowed spread in parts of Africa

“Devastating” wildfires ripped across the wealthier parts of the world in 2025, a study has found, even as globally, the area ravaged by flames fell.

Catastrophic blazes claimed lives, homes and jobs last year in California, Canada, Europe and South Korea. But the 335m hectares burned was the second-lowest since 2002, the review found, largely owing to the expansion of African farms that have fragmented landscapes and hampered the spread of large savannah fires.

WHO calls for community cooperation to contain Ebola outbreak in DRC

Rory Carroll — Sun, 31 May 2026 15:49:47 GMT

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus makes appeal after protests against protocols for handling victims’ bodies in Ituri province

Containing the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo requires community cooperation and is “everybody’s business”, the World Health Organization has said.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the organisation’s director general, made the plea on Sunday during a visit to eastern Congo where some residents have protested against stringent medical protocols for handling victims’ bodies.

Death of Congolese man renews scrutiny of race relations in Ireland

Rory Carroll Ireland correspondent — Sun, 31 May 2026 13:59:34 GMT

Yves Sakila died after being restrained by security guards ‘in broad daylight’

Irish authorities have agreed to a second postmortem on the body of a Congolese man who died after being restrained by shop security guards on a Dublin street, prompting an outcry and comparisons to the death of George Floyd.

A forensic pathologist from England is to conduct an independent postmortem this week on Yves Sakila, 35, an alleged shoplifter who was pursued and pinned to the ground in the city centre on 15 May. The police force, An Garda Síochána, is investigating.

Colombia’s far-right presidential candidate De la Espriella wins first round of vote ahead of runoff

Tiago Rogero South America correspondent — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 10:35:40 GMT

Lawyer and Trump admirer has risen rapidly in the polls and will face Iván Cepeda in election runoff in three weeks

The far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella won the first round of Colombia’s presidential election on Sunday and will face senator Iván Cepeda, the candidate backed by leftwing president Gustavo Petro, in the runoff.

With 100% of ballots counted, the outsider and Donald Trump admirer De la Espriella secured 43.7% of the vote – just over 10.3m votes – compared with 40.9% (about 9.6m votes) for Cepeda, a philosopher and human rights activist who has served as a senator since 2014.

Colombia goes to polls in election pitting outgoing leader’s ally against pro-Trump candidates

Associated Press in Bogotá — Sun, 31 May 2026 11:23:36 GMT

Ballots are being cast in the first round of the South American nation’s presidential elections

Colombians are casting ballots in the first round of the South American nation’s presidential election, choosing between candidates with radically diverging visions for the future of peace in a country haunted by decades of armed conflict.

The vote on Sunday, seen as a referendum on outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s policies, comes 10 years after Colombia signed a historic peace pact with guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).

Colombia prepares to go to polls in election shadowed by resurgence of political violence

Tiago Rogero South America correspondent — Sat, 30 May 2026 09:00:14 GMT

Sunday’s presidential vote is contest between left and right – and between contradictory proposals for dealing with the decades-long armed conflict

Mateo Pérez Rueda was one internship away from completing a degree in political science. The 24-year-old also worked as a bicycle delivery rider and sold fruit salads and juice to finance his passion: the Colombian independent digital magazine El Confidente.

On 4 May he travelled to Briceño, in the western province of Antioquia, to report on the long-running conflict between the army, paramilitaries and dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).

Alarm at Mexico bill allowing elections to be annulled for ‘foreign interference’

Oscar Lopez in Mexico City — Fri, 29 May 2026 17:33:35 GMT

Opposition says constitutional amendment would give bill ruling party carte blanche to overturn will of voters

Amid fierce criticism from opposition groups, Mexico’s senate has passed ‌a constitutional amendment to include “foreign interference” as grounds to annul election results in the country.

The bill, which was presented by the country’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, defines foreign interference as “illicit financing, propaganda, the systematic ⁠dissemination of misinformation, digital manipulation, and ⁠the intervention of foreign governments ⁠or agencies”.

Lula says Brazil will not be treated like ‘tinpot country’ after US designates gangs as terrorists

Tiago Rogero in Rio de Janeiro — Fri, 29 May 2026 17:13:27 GMT

Marco Rubio made announcement after meeting president’s far-right challenger Flávio Bolsonaro

Brazil will not be treated as a “tinpot country,” the country’s president, Luiz Inácio da Silva, said on Friday after the United States designated Brazil’s two largest criminal gangs, the First Capital Command (PCC) and the Red Command, as foreign terrorist organisations.

The announcement, made by Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, on Thursday, is being widely seen in Brazil as a setback for Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the president who had strongly opposed the designation – and a boost for Lula’s main challenger in October’s presidential election, the far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro.

Typhoon Jangmi threatens Japan as Europe swelters

Magdalena Shopova and Ed Walton for MetDesk — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 07:17:53 GMT

Powerful winds and rain expected in parts of Japan and Australia, while temperatures in Spain could hit 40C

A powerful tropical storm is forecast to track near Okinawa, Japan, on Monday before moving towards the south-east of the country. Typhoon Jangmi (also known as Typhoon No 6) has formed within the monsoonal gyre over the Philippine Sea.

A monsoonal gyre is a large, slow-rotating weather system that spawns typhoons through smaller vortices formed within it. This flow can intensify storms. Such typhoons are typically characterised by broad areas of low pressure and extensive wind fields, often without a distinct eye.

Japan defence minister rebuffs claims of ‘new militarism’ levelled by China

Agence France-Presse — Sun, 31 May 2026 05:02:39 GMT

Shinjiro Koizumi says Japan valued as a ‘peace-loving’ nation while China expands military capabilities ‘without sufficient transparency’

Japan’s defence minister took a veiled swipe at China on Sunday, pledging to keep strengthening the military despite Beijing’s criticism of Tokyo’s increasingly muscular security stance.

Under the prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, Japan has quickened its pivot to a more proactive defence policy, further shaking off – with US encouragement – its pacifist outlook in place since the end of the second world war.

New Aukus drone tech to protect critical undersea cables as Marles warns: ‘seabed is a battlefield’

Ben Doherty — Sat, 30 May 2026 22:10:04 GMT

Minister at Singapore defence summit also reveals Australia to buy only secondhand Aukus submarines from US

The defence minister, Richard Marles, has said the “seabed is a battlefield” in a combative speech urging Beijing to be more transparent about its maritime operations, and taking aim at weak international controls over so-called “shadow-fleet” vessels.

The warning came as the US, UK and Australia announced a new Aukus project to develop new underwater drone technology to protect undersea cables.

Four more men freed from flooded Laos cave in hazardous rescue mission

Donna Ferguson — Sat, 30 May 2026 10:46:52 GMT

Two still missing as divers make their way deeper into cave through muddy water and sharp rocks to find them

Four more miners who were trapped in a flooded cave in Laos for 10 days have been freed by divers, but two people are still missing as rescuers continue to crawl through narrow, deluged tunnels and sharp rocks to find them.

The first of the party of seven men was rescued on Friday in a perilous rescue mission which has required teams to drain water from the cave and navigate collapse hazards.

Chinese dissident says he was berated by ‘pro-regime’ interpreter for UK police

Daniel Boffey and Lyndon Li — Sat, 30 May 2026 09:00:16 GMT

Hong Qi, who orchestrated protest against Communist government, claims interpreter on 101 call launched political tirade

A Chinese dissident who orchestrated an anti-government protest in China after fleeing to the UK has claimed that a “pro-regime” interpreter used by a British police force berated him when he sought help.

Hong Qi, who made headlines last year after using a mobile phone while in the UK to remotely project anti-regime slogans on to a building in his home city, Chongqing, contacted police after discovering that his bank accounts had been frozen.

Labor to highlight ‘risk’ of One Nation to cost of living in bid to dent Pauline Hanson’s popularity

Dan Jervis-Bardy Chief political correspondent — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 08:27:18 GMT

Labor MP Mike Freelander says party must continue to help under-pressure workers, including considering further income tax cuts

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Labor will seek to highlight Pauline Hanson’s record of opposing cost-of-living relief for working people as it tries to prevent One Nation further eroding its voter base.

As the government grapples with how to deal with Hanson’s surge, one Labor MP predicted One Nation’s support had peaked and the rightwing populist party wouldn’t be able to replicate its polling success at a federal election.

‘Imminent threat’: charges laid against 13-year-old who allegedly planned attack on Queensland school

Andrew Messenger — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 08:18:45 GMT

Alleged threat on regional school north of Brisbane was ‘quite well advanced’, state counter-terrorism police say

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Queensland counter-terrorism police have charged a 13-year-old with planning an attack on a regional school north of Brisbane.

The teenager was arrested last Thursday after allegedly making threats at a business in Maryborough, armed with a knife.

Queensland police shoot pet dog after running it over as distressed residents watch on

Joe Hinchliffe — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 08:05:01 GMT

Graphic videos on social media appear to show upset onlookers after police accidentally ran over animal in Mount Isa street

Confronting footage has emerged of police shooting dead a pet dog as it lay prone in the middle of a street in front of screaming onlookers, after they accidentally ran over the animal in an outback mining city.

The graphic videos, posted to social media on Sunday afternoon, appear to show one resident in distress and being led away wailing and pulling at her hair in distress as a shot rings out.

Hastie says falling house prices might not be ‘all that encouraging’ for recent buyers – as it happened

Luca Ittimani (now) and Nick Visser (earlier) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 07:50:13 GMT

This blog is now closed

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Tony Abbott, the new party president of the Liberals, said he wouldn’t get “too excited” by the poll showing One Nation’s surging support. But he told RN this morning he believes the country is in trouble and the Liberal/National Coalition is best positioned to lead the nation.

Abbott spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, saying:

Our economy is stagnant, our society is fragmenting, our security is imperiled, and yes, we don’t believe in ourselves nearly enough. I think the current government is making all of this worse. And it’s really important that we get a better government as soon as possible. …

Obviously, we are in a degree of competition with other parties and voices on the centre-right. But in the end, our opponent, our enemy, if you like, is a really bad Labor government, a really bad Green-left-Labor government. Which in its budget, [has led an] assault on aspiration and wealth creation.

The point I make is: if you normally vote Liberal, if you’re interested in public life, if you think our country is in trouble, please don’t complain on the sidelines. Join the party and make a difference.

Jim Chalmers says budget changes allowing first home buyers to ‘have a crack’

Catie McLeod Consumer affairs reporter — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 07:25:33 GMT

Auction success hit a new low for the year on the last Saturday in May, with just 54.5% of homes sold

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has suggested falling auction clearance rates may be a “good thing” for first home buyers if it means they aren’t competing against as many property investors.

After data was released showing home prices in Australia’s capital cities had begun to fall and buyers were abandoning auctions, Chalmers on Monday said Labor’s proposed property tax reforms weren’t the only thing slowing the housing market.

Cyclist praised for rescuing four people who nearly drowned in Ruhr, Germany

Deborah Cole in Berlin — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:59:55 GMT

Family were enjoying a waterside barbecue in Bochum before members ended up in jeopardy in river

A cyclist has been praised for having “stepped in decisively” and rescuing four members of a family who nearly drowned in the Ruhr River in Germany during a waterside barbecue that nearly ended in tragedy.

The family of eight had set themselves up on the riverbank in the western city of Bochum, the local fire brigade reported, but the gathering took a panicked turn when one woman got too close to the water’s edge and toppled down into the current, police told local media.

‘What happened to the testicles?’: mockery in Milan over bull mosaic’s restoration

Angela Giuffrida in Rome — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:48:37 GMT

Rampant Bull needed a makeover after wear and tear from tourists, but refurbishment ‘castrated’ it, critics say

The restoration of a floor mosaic in Milan called the Rampant Bull has been mocked after the works appear to have erased a crucial anatomical detail – its testicles.

The 19th-century mosaic in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping arcade needed a makeover because a small crater had formed in the tiny pink tiles featuring the bull’s testicles, due to the constant stream of tourists performing a heel-spinning gesture.

French navy seizes Russia-linked oil tanker in Atlantic

Angelique Chrisafis in Paris and agencies — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:34:23 GMT

President Macron says ship subject to sanctions and posts video of operation that took place with UK support

A suspected Russian oil tanker has been detained in the Atlantic, France has announced, in the latest seizure aimed at combatting Moscow’s “shadow fleet” of vessels contravening international sanctions.

The Tagor was detained on Sunday morning in international waters more than 400 nautical miles (740km) west of Brittany with the help of the UK and other partners, said the French president, Emmanuel Macron.

French police arrest 780 after violent clashes as PSG fans celebrate Champions League win

Nadeem Badshah — Sun, 31 May 2026 16:31:27 GMT

Interior minister says 57 officers injured as rioters set fires and vandalise shops in about 15 cities

French police have detained 780 people involved in violent clashes in Paris and other French cities that erupted on Saturday night after Paris Saint-Germain defeated Arsenal to win the Champions League.

The interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, said 57 officers were wounded, with most suffering minor injuries, as football fans set off fires and vandalised shops. One small group even tried to storm a Paris police station.

Germany’s embattled nightlife scene welcomes plan to reclassify clubs

Kate Connolly in Berlin — Sun, 31 May 2026 04:00:37 GMT

There is hope that a change to building regulations could resurrect music clubs, which have been hit by rising rents, social shifts and noise disputes

A move by the German government to reclassify nightclubs to distinguish them from amusement and adult entertainment facilities could give a much-needed boost to the country’s struggling nightlife, industry advocates say.

Under a fundamental change to building regulations approved by Friedrich Merz’s cabinet last week, nightclubs will be formally recognised as providing cultural and artistic value, making it more difficult for developers to evict venue operators in favour of new construction.

Middle East crisis live: Israel targets southern Beirut as Kuwait condemns Iranian missile and drone attack

Tom Ambrose (now); Hayden Vernon and Jonathan Yerushalmy (earlier) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:26:24 GMT

Strikes undermine efforts towards de-escalating conflict, says Kuwait, as US president hits out at ‘chirping’ critics and says they should ‘sit back and relax’

The exchange of strikes between the US and Iran reflects the fragility of the current ceasefire, which has seen repeated violations even as American and Iranian officials try to negotiate a deal to extend it.

Iran has maintained its chokehold on the strait of Hormuz, disrupting global energy supplies as a fifth of all oil and natural gas traded once passed through the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf. The US continues to enforce its own blockade on the strait, as it pressures Tehran to reach an agreement.

Iran targets American base in region after US strikes Iranian air defences

Lorenzo Tondo in Jerusalem, and agencies — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 09:13:02 GMT

Attacks reported in Kuwait – home to a US military base – and around the strait of Hormuz in latest exchange of fire as peace negotiations continue

Middle East live – latest updates

The US said it struck Iranian military sites at the weekend and Iran said on Monday it had targeted a US base in response, the latest exchange of attacks amid negotiations to end the three-month-old war.

The US and Iran have sporadically exchanged strikes since their planned ceasefire took effect in early April, as diplomacy aimed at a more durable agreement drags on. A similar exchange occurred last Thursday and was described in near-identical terms by both sides.

Netanyahu orders Israeli bombing of southern Beirut

William Christou in Beirut and Jonathan Yerushalmy — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 08:37:17 GMT

Thousands leave homes after Israeli military instructed to strike ‘terrorist targets’ in largest escalation of war since ceasefire

• Middle East crisis – live updates

Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the Israeli military to bomb the southern suburbs of Beirut, the most serious escalation of Israel’s war in Lebanon since a supposed ceasefire was announced on 17 April.

The Israeli prime minister and his defence minister, Israel Katz, said on Monday they had given instructions to strike “terrorist targets” in the southern suburbs for what they called “repeated and ongoing violations of the ceasefire by Hezbollah”.

Israel seizes strategic castle in deepest incursion into Lebanon in 26 years

Lorenzo Tondo in Jerusalem and agencies — Sun, 31 May 2026 16:51:41 GMT

Experts say capture is largely symbolic, but it complicates efforts to extend the ceasefire between US and Iran

Israeli troops have captured a clifftop castle as they made their deepest incursion into Lebanon in more than 26 years, further shattering a nominal US-brokered ceasefire and complicating efforts to extend the separate truce between Washington and Tehran.

After days of intense fighting and airstrikes in nearby villages, the Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, said the military had captured Beaufort Castle, also known as Qalaat al-Shaqif, which it had used as a base during its previous occupation of southern Lebanon between 1982 and 2000.

Could Trump’s Iran ‘excursion’ be a bigger global turning point than Vietnam?

Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor — Sun, 31 May 2026 12:00:47 GMT

The far shorter Middle East war has rapidly revealed the strategic weakness of US firepower in an interconnected world

In a 1965 speech justifying the war in Vietnam, Lyndon B Johnson argued that the goal was to ensure “every country can shape its own destiny” since only in such a world could the US secure its own freedom. However, he also admitted “such were infirmities of man that force must often precede reason, and the waste of war, the works of peace”.

It was the kind of elegant justification of the country’s moral mission to which successive US presidential speechwriters have turned at times of war.

Eighteen people killed in Afghanistan truck crash, including 10 children

Agence France-Presse — Sat, 30 May 2026 06:51:37 GMT

Truck was carrying Afghan families returning Pakistan when it overturned, official says

A truck overturned in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing 18 people on board including 10 children, a provincial official told Agence France-Presse.

Deadly traffic crashes are common in Afghanistan, due in part to poor roads after decades of conflict, dangerous driving and a lack of regulation.

Exam fail: Indian students complain en masse about marking errors in key final exams

Penelope MacRae in Delhi — Sat, 30 May 2026 02:36:30 GMT

New digital marking system is aimed at reducing human errors but many students say it has resulted in wrong grades

A national outcry has erupted in India after more than 400,000 students requested copies of their answer sheets amid mounting complaints of errors in the marking of the country’s most important school-leaving examinations.

Within days of the grade 12 exam results being issued, students began reporting marking discrepancies they linked to a new digital marking system.

Blond Bangladeshi buffalo nicknamed ‘Donald Trump’ saved from Eid sacrifice

Reuters in Dhaka — Thu, 28 May 2026 11:40:06 GMT

Rare albino buffalo spared due to security concerns over unusual level of public interest in 700kg animal

A rare albino buffalo in Bangladesh nicknamed “Donald Trump” for its distinctive blond tuft has been spared from Eid al-Adha sacrifice after a last-minute government intervention, according to a home ministry official.

The nearly 700kg (1,543lb) animal had already been sold for ritual slaughter when authorities stepped in, citing security concerns after a surge of public interest before Thursday’s festival.

Indians protest over ‘forever chemicals’ after relocation of scandal-hit Italian factory

Gianluca Liva, Marta Frigerio and Filippo Tommasoli — Tue, 26 May 2026 04:00:45 GMT

Lack of Pfas regulations raised in parliament after Guardian revealed former Miteni plant bought by Indian company

Protests over the production of cancer-linked Pfas chemicals have spread across India, after an investigation revealed that an Italian factory shut down due to an environmental scandal was bought by an Indian company and partly rebuilt.

At the end of last year, the Guardian revealed that the former Miteni plant in Vicenza had been acquired by the Indian company Laxmi Organic Industries. The factory produced Pfas and was shut down in 2018 after being linked to one of Italy’s worst environmental contamination scandals.

Starmer urged to intervene in ‘rigged’ Indian prosecution of British human rights activist

Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor — Mon, 25 May 2026 19:53:44 GMT

Senior lawyers call on prime minister to request Indian prosecutors drop charges that would breach double jeopardy rule

Four senior lawyers, including the former attorney general Dominic Grieve, have written to Keir Starmer urging him to request that Indian prosecutors drop charges against the British national Jagtar Singh Johal on the basis that continued prosecution would be in manifest breach of the double jeopardy rule which prevents someone being tried twice for the same offence.

Johal has been held in an Indian jail for eight years, and in March last year was acquitted of the terrorist charges laid against him in a court in Punjab. The court found the prosecutors had “miserably failed” to present any reliable evidence, despite having had seven years to do so.

No 10 braced for ‘excruciating’ revelations as messages between Mandelson and ministers to be released – UK politics live

Andrew Sparrow — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:30:04 GMT

Sources predict ‘toe-curling’ revelations as more than 1,000 pages of documents relating to his appointment as US ambassador to be published

Mandelson files show no mitigation of security concerns

At the Downing Street lobby briefing the PM’s spokesperson said the release of the Mandelson files today would be “an unprecedented piece of government transparency”.

He said that party political material would be included, despite precedent suggesting it should be included, and that some material had to be declassified to allow it to be published.

The broad scope of the [humble address motion – see 9.26am] has required the discovery, assessment, analysis and preparation of thousands of individual documents and messages.

This is a task that has involved every government department.

Yeah, I have changed what I would say. I wouldn’t say that phrase any more.

And I think that, you know, over the last few years, I think a lot of us, myself included, have thought about this question in quite some detail.

Meta whistleblower’s lawyer says he too is prevented from promoting her book

Dan Milmo Global technology editor — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:01:54 GMT

Ravi Naik says legal ruling that forced Sarah Wynn-Williams to make silent appearance at Hay festival also applies to him

The lawyer representing the Meta whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams has said he too has been prevented from promoting her memoir under a legal ruling, after her silent appearance at the Hay festival.

Ravi Naik said the terms of an arbitration proceeding meant neither Wynn-Williams nor her “agents” could promote her bestselling book Careless People or say anything disparaging about the company.

Royal Mail investigated again as almost a quarter of first-class post arrives late

Mark Sweney — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:56:26 GMT

Latest figures show the company’s delivery performance has worsened compared with the previous year

Business live – latest updates

The postal regulator has launched an investigation into Royal Mail for once again missing its annual delivery targets, with almost a quarter of first-class mail arriving late.

The company, which has been fined £37m since 2023 for routinely failing to meet delivery targets set by Ofcom, revealed on Friday that 24.3% of first-class mail failed to arrive on time in the year to the end of March.

Nvidia launches ‘superchip’ putting AI power into laptops and PCs

Julia Kollewe — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:01:59 GMT

Firm says its RTX Spark PC chip for Microsoft Windows will let AI agents replace the mouse and keyboard

Business live – latest updates

A new front has opened up in the battle for dominance in AI chips, as Nvidia said its latest development could replace the mouse and keyboard in how people use computers.

The $5tn (£3.7tn) US semiconductor company has launched a “superchip” that puts AI capabilities into laptops and desktop computers, a move that will pit it against Intel, Apple, Qualcomm and AMD.

Water-related deaths in UK heatwave hit 15 after girl dies in North Yorkshire

Josh Halliday North of England editor — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 10:32:50 GMT

Girl, 13, pulled from River Wharfe on Sunday and boy, 11, remains missing from River Don as hot spell comes to an end

A 13-year-old girl has died after getting into difficulty in a river as the water-related death toll reached at least 15 in the recent UK heatwave. Emergency services continue to search for a boy who went missing in a river two days ago.

The girl was pulled from the River Wharfe in Burnsall, near Skipton, North Yorkshire, on Sunday evening. She was airlifted to hospital where she was pronounced dead, North Yorkshire police said.

First Thing: Trump tells critics to ‘sit back and relax’ as Iran claims to target US base

Martin Belam — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 10:56:35 GMT

US says it struck Iranian military sites at the weekend, as Iran targets an airbase used by the US to attack southern Iran

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Good morning, Martin Belam here. I will be popping into your inbox writing First Thing regularly for the next little while. Here are today’s main stories …

Is this the end of the ceasefire, then? The US and Iran have sporadically exchanged strikes since their ceasefire took effect in early April, as negotiations aimed at a more durable agreement drag on. A similar exchange occurred last Thursday. The war launched by the US and Israel on 28 February has killed thousands of people – mainly in Iran and Lebanon – and caused global economic pain by pushing up energy prices.

What was Comey accused of? Comey, who was indicted in North Carolina in April, faces up to 10 years in prison for a photo of seashells arranged to read “86 47.” Prosecutors allege the post constituted a threat against Donald Trump, the 47th US president. Comey denies the allegation.

‘We want fans to know the risks’: US immigrant rights groups mobilize across World Cup host cities amid ICE fears

Claire Wang — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 10:00:15 GMT

More than 120 groups issued warning to 10 million visitors about ‘serious rights violations’ under Trump

With the Fifa World Cup just two weeks away, immigrant rights advocates in the 11 US host cities are mobilizing to protect fans and residents from immigration enforcement activities this summer.

In Los Angeles, a labor union representing more than 2,000 hospitality workers at SoFi Stadium is threatening to strike if agents do not stay away from the venue, which is expected to draw about 70,000 fans per match.

‘Our democracy is run by two private clubs’: can a pro-hunting Democrat lead a blue wave in Iowa?

Chris Stein in Iowa City, Iowa — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 10:00:13 GMT

As Trump’s approval ratings dip and gas prices rise, Democrats see an opening with Rob Sand

Rob Sand, the best-known Democrat in Iowa, appears on podcasts to discuss his love of hunting, begins rallies by having the audience sing America the Beautiful and has a tendency to criticize the country’s two-party political system.

Now, Sand is running to lead a state that Republicans have come to dominate under Donald Trump, and Democrats believe his candidacy for governor could be the breakthrough needed to win key Iowa offices in the November midterm elections.

Kane Parsons becomes youngest film-maker to open at No 1 in the US with Backrooms

Andrew Pulver — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 09:19:04 GMT

Backrooms stunned industry observers by taking $81m in its first weekend, a record for studio A24

Kane Parsons has become the youngest film-maker to open a film at number one at the North American box office for his directing debut Backrooms.

Parsons, 20, is seven years younger than the previous record holder, Josh Trank, who was 27 when his debut Chronicle recorded a $22m opening in 2011. Backrooms stunned industry observers by taking $81m in its first weekend in North America – which was also a record for its studio, A24.

US man named Loony Toon sentenced to 20 years for shooting at police officers

Ramon Antonio Vargas — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 09:00:12 GMT

Oregon man with extensive criminal record fired at three officers while speeding away from a traffic stop in 2025

A man with the unusual name Loony Toon and a lengthy rap sheet has been given 20 years in prison after admitting that he shot at police officers in Oregon, according to authorities.

The 43-year-old whose name calls to mind the classic television cartoon franchise Looney Tunes – as well as a colloquial term some invoke when describing an eccentric or irrational person – fired a gun at three officers while speeding away from a 20 June 2025 traffic stop in the community of Milwaukie, local prosecutors said in a statement on Thursday.