Far-right activists barred from UK before Tommy Robinson rally 15. May 2026 (19:58) Keir Starmer accuses Robinson of ‘peddling hatred and division’ and archbishop of Canterbury urges people to ‘choose hope’ Eleven foreign far-right activists have been blocked from entering the UK before a rally by Tommy Robinson supporters as Keir Starmer accused Robinson of “peddling hatred and division”.The archbishop of Canterbury urged people to “choose hope” and faith leaders spoke out before the rally on Saturday, the second of its kind, after more than 100,000 attended one last year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Andy Burnham will push to become PM before Labour conference, allies say 15. May 2026 (19:56) Autumn conference in Liverpool targeted for victorious homecoming but Reform UK to fight hard in byelection Andy Burnham will push to become prime minister in time to address Labour’s autumn party conference in Liverpool, his supporters have said.The Greater Manchester mayor cleared his first hurdle to becoming the candidate in the Makerfield byelection on Friday when Labour’s ruling body gave him permission to stand for the seat. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Labour’s NEC approves Burnham’s byelection pathway back to parliament 15. May 2026 (19:40) Party’s governing body allows Greater Manchester mayor to run for selection as candidate in MakerfieldAndy Burnham has cleared the first hurdle as he seeks to become an MP again after Labour’s governing body said it would approve his request to stand in the candidate selection process for the upcoming Makerfield byelection.The Greater Manchester mayor has two years of his term remaining, which means there will also need to be a mayoral byelection if he stands. Under Labour rules, sitting mayors need the approval of the party’s national executive committee (NEC) to stand for Westminster. He would also need to be formally selected. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US justice department to seek death penalty for man charged with killing two Israeli embassy staffers 15. May 2026 (19:38) Prosecutors have described fatal shooting outside of DC’s Capital Jewish Museum last year as calculated and plannedThe US justice department will seek the death penalty for the man accused of fatally shooting two staff members of the Israeli embassy in Washington outside a Jewish museum, prosecutors said in a court filing on Friday.Elias Rodriguez faces federal hate crime and murder charges in the killings of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim as they left an event at the museum last May. Rodriguez shouted “free Palestine” during the shooting and later told police, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” according to his indictment. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Threatened indictment of Raúl Castro ratchets up US pressure on Cuba 15. May 2026 (19:31) Trump administration move echoes indictment of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro as fuel crisis racks CubaTensions between Cuba and US seem set to rise further amid reports that
Raúl Castro, the country’s 94-year-old former president, may soon face the type of indictment that led to the US abduction of the Venezuelan leader, Nicolás Maduro, in January.Although Raúl is officially retired, he remains the most potent figure in Cuban politics following the death of his brother Fidel in 2016, and by targeting him Washington appears to be heaping pressure on Cuba’s communist leadership at the end of an already extraordinarily intense week. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK joins European deal to send rejected asylum seekers to third-country hubs 15. May 2026 (19:30) All 46 Council of Europe members sign agreement ‘deplored’ by human rights organisationsThe UK and 45 other European countries have signed an agreement that explicitly endorses plans to send unwanted asylum seekers to third country hubs.A political declaration from the 46 members of the Council of Europe, the body that oversees the European convention on human rights (ECHR), said states had an “undeniable sovereign right” to control their borders. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tennessee Democrat ends re-election bid after map redrawing carves up his district 15. May 2026 (19:27) New map reshapes representative Steve Cohen’s majority-Black Memphis district and gives advantage to RepublicansDemocratic representative Steve Cohen of Tennessee on Friday announced that he is ending his bid for re-election, his career upended by the redistricting battles that are sweeping the country after last month’s supreme court decision.Republicans in Tennessee this month enacted a new US House map that carves up Cohen’s majority-Black district, reshaping it to the GOP’s advantage as part of Donald Trump’s strategy to hold on to a slim majority in the November midterm elections. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Extremely cruel and tragic’: Iranian director Asghar Farhadi speaks out against state violence and the war 15. May 2026 (18:39) The film-maker, who won the Grand Prix for A Hero in 2021, condemned both the killing of protestors and the conflict’s bombing campaigns during a Cannes press conferenceOscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi has described the deaths of civilians in Iran as “extremely cruel and tragic” during a press conference at the Cannes film festival.Farhadi, whose new Paris-set drama Parallel Tales premiered on the Croisette on Thursday night, was asked about working free from censorship in France, the war involving Iran, the US and Israel, and the repression of protesters in his native country. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
German leader Merz says he ‘would not advise my children to go’ to US 15. May 2026 (18:38) Chancellor says he no longer views US as land of opportunity amid ‘deeply polarising’ social climateFriedrich Merz, the German chancellor, already embroiled in a row with Donald Trump over the Iran war, has said he would not advise his children to study or work in the US in the current climate.Speaking to a conference of young Catholics in Würzburg, the conservative leader, viewed by many as a transatlanticist, said he no longer saw the US as the land of opportunity. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran says it and Oman are coordinating future management of strait of Hormuz 15. May 2026 (18:04) Muscat silent about plans – opposed by US – to charge fee and demand details on nationality of all transiting shipsOman has been caught in geopolitical crossfire after Iran said it was coordinating with Muscat over the future management of the strait of Hormuz, including Tehran’s plans – opposed by the US – for fees to be paid by commercial shipping to a new Iranian government agency.The Omani exclave of Musandam lies to the south of the contested waterway, which normally carries a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil traffic but has been blockaded for 10 weeks since since the US-Israeli attack on Iran in February. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
