California governor’s race remains too close to call as vote-counting continues

• India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reaffirmed on June 5 that dialogue and diplomacy are the only viable solutions to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. • The statement comes as a response to an open letter from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposing direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

• Author Lawrence Wittner argues in a June 1, 2026, article that there is a significant disconnect between nationalist political rhetoric and the actual desires of the global population. • The piece highlights a "curious irony" where politicians frequently belittle international cooperation and rail against foreign nations despite widespread public support for solidarity.

• US-Iran war talks remain clouded by uncertainty as both Washington and Tehran issue conflicting messages regarding the status of negotiations. • In Lebanon, fighting persists between Israel and Hezbollah, indicating that the fragile ceasefire agreement is failing to hold.

Announcement that ‘policymakers’ need to be convened by US firm viewed as marketing ploy by some expertsAnthropic has floated the idea of a worldwide “temporary pause” on AI development – and said it was going to convene “policymakers” to discuss the dangers of advanced AI – in its latest release touting the capabilities of its products.In a long post on Thursday, Anthropic detailed the progress of its AI model, Claude, towards “recursive self improvement” – that is, being able to make better and more powerful versions of itself. Recursive self-improvement is a bugbear of AI safety researchers, viewed as the key step for AI to become superintelligent and therefore unleash widespread consequences on humanity. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester mayor’s proposals amount to a notable criticism of Keir Starmer’s policy in the areaUK politics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham has proposed a 20% cut to business rates for pubs with many smaller, family-run enterprises taken out of paying the levy altogether, in his first major policy initiative during the Makerfield byelection.Burnham’s plans amount to a notable criticism of Keir Starmer’s policy in the area, with the Greater Manchester mayor saying: “Labour have got it wrong on small businesses.” Continue reading...

Data discredits claims reawakened by the death of Henry Nowak that UK police actions disadvantage white peopleThe US government has joined criticism of alleged two-tier policing in the UK in the wake of Henry Nowak’s murder. How did the term enter the mainstream, and is there any basis for the claim? Continue reading...

Team now plans to see if they can use yeast strains harvested from Ötzi the Iceman to brew beer tooScientists have baked a sourdough loaf of bread using yeast strains harvested from a 5,000-year-old mummy and now plan to see if they can use them to brew beer too.The yeast came from Ötzi the Iceman, a famous corpse remarkably preserved by being frozen in Alpine ice near the Italy-Austria border until he was discovered in 1991. Ötzi has been the subject of intense study since he was found and has shed much light on pre-historic European people and their way of life. Continue reading...

Most economists believe the chronic undersupply of homes will eventually push prices higher once interest rates ease and the tax changes are priced inGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe government’s property tax changes have become one of the defining political issues of Labor’s second term, drawing fierce criticism from opponents who argue they represent an “assault on aspiration” that will destroy home values.In the three weeks after the negative gearing and capital gains tax changes were revealed in the 12 May budget, housing data has begun to show how they may affect Australia’s property market. Here’s what the data shows, and what could happen next. Continue reading...

Von der Leyen tells Balkans summit that bloc needs to make enlargement process ‘faster and more credible’The EU must prove its willingness and ability to take in new members and speed up its enlargement process, leaders of the bloc have said, as they gathered with their counterparts from six western Balkan countries that hope to join soon.“The European Union has to show that it is capable of enlarging and willing to enlarge, and we want to discuss that here,” Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, told reporters on Friday at the summit in Tivat, a costal town in Montenegro. Continue reading...

Nasa says Russian crew trying to fix worsening air leak in its portion of orbital laboratoryAstronauts onboard the International Space Station have been ordered to shelter in their spacecraft and prepare for potential evacuation as a Russian crew attempts to fix a worsening leak of air in its portion of the orbital laboratory, Nasa has said.More details soon … Continue reading...

Thousands have protested in the capital, Tirana, this week against a planned luxury resort backed by Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.Groundwork has begun on the $1.6bn complex in an area long seen as one of the Mediterranean’s most environmentally sensitive, containing 200 species of birds including flamingos and Dalmatian pelicans.After builders began erecting a concrete-based, barbed wire-topped fence around the site, alarm turned to public outrage at the environmental damage and lack of political transparency around the deal.Lucy Hough speaks to US live news editor Chris Michael – watch on YouTube Continue reading...