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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing mounting calls to step aside from within and around his party, with some critics drawing pointed comparisons to former US President Joseph Biden's decision to remain in the 2024 presidential race despite widespread concern — a choice many Democrats now regard as a costly mistake.
Months after federal immigration enforcement swept through the Minneapolis metro area during Operation Metro Surge, the surge of charitable donations that followed has largely subsided — but the families displaced or destabilised by those raids continue to face ongoing hardship with dwindling resources.
Two Senate primary races — one in Nebraska, one in Iowa — are drawing national attention in May 2026 for the unconventional strategies being deployed by Democrats and outside groups, reflecting the party's willingness to experiment with unorthodox tactics in states where traditional campaign approaches have repeatedly fallen short.
Analysts assessing the Russia-Ukraine conflict warn that cease-fire agreements have lost their traditional diplomatic meaning under the Trump administration, becoming ends in themselves rather than stepping stones toward a durable settlement — a shift that raises serious questions about the prospects for lasting peace in Eastern Europe.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to meet in Beijing this week in a high-stakes diplomatic summit that carries significant implications for the global technology industry, as both leaders navigate mounting tensions over the war in Iran and unresolved disputes over trade, semiconductors, and technology access.
European leaders have shifted their diplomatic approach toward President Donald Trump, openly criticising his administration over the fallout from America's war in Iran and refusing to back down when faced with his displeasure — a posture that marks a significant departure from the conciliatory tone many allies adopted during his first term.
Less than two years after Labour swept to power on a platform of renewed political stability, Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing mounting pressure that raises questions about whether Britain — which has cycled through five leaders in ten years — may be heading toward yet another change at the top.
Three aged care facilities managed by Jewish Care Victoria have hired armed security guards following a series of antisemitic threats, including a bomb threat, hate mail, and death threats directed at the homes, according to a report by the Sydney Morning Herald published on 13 May 2026.
Northern Territory Police have seized 32 explosive ordnance items — including hand grenades, rocket components and warheads — during raids conducted south of Darwin, in an operation led by the NT Police fraud squad.
One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts has drawn sharp criticism after declining to categorically rule out that the December 2025 Bondi Beach antisemitic terror attack was a staged 'false flag' operation, telling a YouTube interviewer he was 'not ruling it out' because he did not yet have 'the facts'.
The World Health Organization said on Tuesday it has found no signs of a larger hantavirus outbreak, though its head cautioned that the situation could still change and more confirmed cases may emerge — even as experts warn that a surge of online misinformation is already complicating the public health response.
The Queensland opposition has referred two state government ministers and the Premier to the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC), escalating weeks of political tension over whether Ministers Amanda Camm and Tim Mander properly declared a conflict of interest arising from their personal relationship.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared before a congressional panel on Monday to present a $29 billion cost estimate for the ongoing US military conflict with Iran, while downplaying concerns about munitions shortfalls and stating the United States remains prepared to either escalate or draw down the war depending on circumstances.
Drone strikes have become the single greatest cause of civilian deaths in Sudan's devastating civil war, the United Nations reported, with 880 deaths documented from strikes carried out by the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces between January and April 2026.
Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse testified in Florida on Monday, returning to the state where the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender first came under criminal investigation, as proceedings connected to his case continue years after his 2019 death.
Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have cooled significantly on the prospect of US-led peace negotiations, with Moscow and Kyiv reportedly losing confidence in Donald Trump's diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine — a development that threatens to further stall already fragile ceasefire discussions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a successful test launch of the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile on Tuesday, describing the nuclear-capable weapon as the most powerful missile in the world and stating it will enter active combat service before the end of 2026.
American overdose deaths have dropped significantly in recent months, with experts pointing to a possible disruption in the supply of Chinese-made chemical precursors used to manufacture fentanyl — but analysts warn the improvement may be temporary, even as the issue remains a flashpoint in US-China relations ahead of Donald Trump's visit to Beijing.
President Donald Trump, who campaigned on and initially pursued an aggressive trade posture toward China more severe than his approach to other nations, has been compelled to scale back those ambitions, according to reporting by the New York Times. The retreat reflects the complex economic and geopolitical pressures that have tempered his administration's more confrontational instincts.
David Pye, a former outlaw motorcycle club boss, has been sentenced to 34 years in prison after being convicted of commissioning a sniper to assassinate his rival Nick Martin at a drag racing event, in one of Australia's most audacious organised crime killings in recent memory.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer survived an immediate threat to his leadership on Tuesday after a potential challenge from Health Secretary Wes Streeting failed to materialise, but analysts warn the reprieve is likely temporary as his authority within the Labour Party continues to erode and underlying problems with his premiership remain unresolved.
Catherine West, an Australian-born Member of Parliament representing a London constituency, has found herself at the centre of a political storm in the United Kingdom following allegations of involvement in a coordinated effort to remove the British Prime Minister from office, according to reports published on 12 May 2026.
An ultra-Orthodox Jewish political party within Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition has called for parliament to be dissolved, potentially triggering the collapse of the government over the long-standing and deeply divisive question of whether ultra-Orthodox men should be required to serve in the military.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced a $27 billion investment package for Africa at the Africa Forward summit in Nairobi, Kenya, on Monday, calling for a 'fundamental reset' in relations between France, Europe, and the African continent — a signal that Paris recognises its influence across the region has weakened significantly in recent years.
Ukraine launched drone or missile strikes against Russian gas facilities deep inside Russian territory on Monday, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky, framing the attack as direct retaliation for Russian strikes that killed at least six people in Ukraine.
Peruvian presidential candidate Roberto Sanchez has been formally charged with financial crimes, with prosecutors calling for a prison sentence of five years and four months over allegedly false financial disclosures, adding fresh legal turbulence to Peru's already volatile political landscape.
Electric vehicles now account for 16 per cent of new car sales in Australia, a significant milestone that coincides with record fuel prices, according to reports published on 12 May 2026. However, data suggests that high fuel costs have done little to deter buyers of larger, traditionally fuel-hungry vehicles.
A man has been sentenced to five years in prison after smashing into a vehicle belonging to members of Beyoncé's team and stealing luggage containing hard drives loaded with unreleased music, an incident that occurred on July 8, 2025, ahead of the singer's 'Cowboy Carter' tour dates in Atlanta.
FBI Director Kash Patel appeared before a Senate budget hearing on Monday and denied under oath allegations that he had engaged in excessive drinking and unexplained absences from the job, dismissing the claims — first reported by The Atlantic in April — as 'baseless' during a heated exchange with Democratic lawmakers.
Jason Collins, the NBA player who made history in 2013 as the first openly gay active athlete in a major American professional sport, died Tuesday at the age of 47 following an eight-month battle with an aggressive brain tumour, his family announced.
The ongoing Israeli military campaign in Lebanon has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and is severely disrupting the country's education system, raising fears among aid workers and educators that an entire generation of Lebanese children may lose critical years of schooling, according to reporting by Al Jazeera.
South Africa's highest court has ruled that asylum seekers may not submit repeat applications for refugee status, in a decision the Home Affairs Minister has praised as a victory against exploitation of the country's immigration system.
A moderate earthquake shook Tehran late Monday night, local time, adding to the anxieties of a population already living under the strain of wartime conditions, according to Iranian media reports.
A 41-year-old man was fatally struck by a Frontier Airlines jet on a runway at Denver International Airport on Friday after breaching a perimeter fence and making it through several layers of airport security, officials confirmed.
Representative Jen Kiggans, a Virginia Republican facing a competitive re-election fight, came under sharp criticism on Monday after she appeared to agree with comments made by a local radio host that included a racist remark targeting House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the top Democrat in the House of Representatives.
Kuwait's interior ministry has accused Iran of attempting to infiltrate its territory after a group of armed Iranians allegedly arrived at Bubiyan Island in the Persian Gulf aboard a rented fishing boat on May 1, exchanging fire with Kuwaiti soldiers in what officials described as a deliberate incursion.
Classified U.S. intelligence assessments conclude that Iran retains operational control of 30 of its 33 missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz, a finding that directly contradicts President Trump's public assertions that Iran's military capabilities have been substantially degraded, according to a report by The New York Times published Monday.
Brandon Clarke, a forward for the Memphis Grizzlies, has died at the age of 29, the team, his agency Priority Sports, and the NBA confirmed on Monday. No details surrounding the circumstances of his death have been released.
The South Carolina Senate on Tuesday failed to advance a measure that would have allowed lawmakers to redraw the state's congressional maps before the legislative session ends this week, with five Republicans joining all Democrats to block the effort — a direct rebuke of President Donald Trump, who had personally lobbied state senators to eliminate the district held by Rep. Jim Clyburn, the state's only Democratic congressman.
More than 110 Nobel laureates issued a joint statement on Tuesday calling on Iranian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Narges Mohammadi, the jailed human rights activist and 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, after she was transferred from Zanjan prison to a Tehran hospital amid serious concerns about her rapidly deteriorating health.
The head of the World Health Organization has called on countries to prepare for further hantavirus cases following an outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship, as French health authorities confirmed that one infected passenger — a French woman — is now on a ventilator in intensive care in Paris with the most severe form of the disease.
France hosted African leaders in Kenya in May 2026, marking the first time such a summit has been held outside traditional Francophone circles since the meetings began in the 1970s — a symbolic shift that signals Paris is attempting to reframe its relationship with the African continent beyond its colonial-era ties.
An upcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing has reignited debate among diplomats and analysts about whether the world's two largest economies could establish a formal 'Group of Two' framework — a concept that envisions the United States and China as co-managers of global affairs.
The United Arab Emirates covertly launched a major attack on Iran during the recent conflict, according to reports, raising fears that Gulf states could be drawn into a direct war with Tehran — particularly if the fragile US-Iran ceasefire collapses.
Israel has sent Iron Dome anti-missile defence batteries and military personnel to the United Arab Emirates, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee confirmed on May 12, 2026 — a significant development in Israel-Gulf security cooperation as tensions between Israel and Iran continue to escalate.
Sudan's humanitarian catastrophe is significantly more severe than international coverage and official acknowledgements suggest, with even Khartoum — where active fighting has largely subsided — continuing to face dire conditions for millions of civilians, according to a report published by Al Jazeera on May 12, 2026.
A newly formed super PAC with ties to Republican operatives has been quietly intervening in Democratic primary elections, including backing a Texas sex therapist facing accusations of antisemitism, raising fresh concerns about outside interference in opposition party nominating contests.
The United Nations reported Monday that more than 370 Afghans were killed in fighting between Taliban and Pakistani forces in the first three months of 2026, as a separate explosion at a market in northwestern Pakistan killed at least nine people and wounded around 30 others, underscoring the persistent instability gripping the region.
Australia's Labor government has announced a sharp increase in funding for the Australian Submarine Agency, with its budget set to rise by a third — from $385 million to $512 million — in the next financial year, as part of a more than $430 million blowout over four years, even as concerns mount that the promised sovereign nuclear-powered submarine fleet may never materialise.
Marty Makary resigned as commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday after 13 months in the role, concluding a turbulent tenure during which he clashed with the White House, Congress, industry groups and the public — most recently over the regulation of fruit-flavored vaping products.