Ian McKellen ‘emotional’ as he opens County Durham theatre space

• Reuters reported on May 16 that U.S. President Donald Trump’s coercive diplomacy toward Iran has “hit a wall,” with the two sides deadlocked after weeks of public threats and ultimatums. • The standoff is linked to an 11-week-old crisis that has shaken the global economy, with analysts warning that energy supplies and markets could face prolonged disruption if talks do not move forward.

After record losses last year, beekeepers report a warm winter has led to bees ‘waking up earlier’ this yearAfter a series of record-breaking US heatwaves, the 2026 bee swarm season in North America has started 17 days earlier than last year, pushing beekeepers to adapt to a rapidly shifting season while raising new questions about how honeybees are responding to the climate crisis.According to a new report published by Swarmed, a tracking network of more than 10,000 beekeepers, focused on safe and ethical honeybee relocation, this year’s unusually early swarm season follows several years of record colony declines worldwide. Continue reading...

Experts say slashed funding and growing misinformation are some of the greatest challenges facing public healthThe hantavirus outbreak, while unlikely to spark the next big pandemic, is shining a spotlight on the ways public health has deteriorated in the US: its ability to test for rare diseases, its expertise on outbreak prevention and response, its ability to battle misinformation and restore trust.“Assuming everything goes well in containing this outbreak, which I hope it does, the takeaway from that should not be ‘we’re fine,’” said Stephanie Psaki, former White House global health security coordinator. “We’re not ready for this type of threat.” Continue reading...

French police fire teargas and UK shops close for safety reasons as hundreds queue for Royal Pop timepieceThe launch of limited-edition Swatch watches descended into chaos in several European cities and New York, with French police firing teargas to restore order at a store near Paris.Hundreds of people waited through the night from Friday into Saturday – and in some cases for several days – hoping to buy the Royal Pop timepieces, made in collaboration with the luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet. Continue reading...

Lisa Nandy told the BBC she did not understand ‘sudden focus on Europe’ from Labour leadership hopefulUK politics live – latest updatesThe UK culture secretary has dismissed calls for Britain to re-enter the European Union as “odd”, a day after her former cabinet colleague Wes Streeting said the country’s future lies back in the bloc.Lisa Nandy criticised the former health secretary on Sunday, saying his comments over the weekend risked reopening a debate that was settled with the Brexit referendum 10 years ago. Continue reading...

Union representative concerned about safety as workers rush to finish repainting DC pool before 250th celebrationsWorkers renovating one of Washington DC’s most historically symbolic sites in a project ordered by Donald Trump may be risking their safety as they race to finish on time for the US’s 250th anniversary celebrations, a union monitoring the site has warned.Trade union scrutiny has focused on the reflecting pool on the US capital’s National Mall – scene of Martin Luther King’s 1963 “I have a dream speech” – after it was drained of water and fenced off from the public to allow contractors the chance to upgrade it by 4 July. Continue reading...

Wave of almost 600 drones launched across 14 regions, after Moscow’s deadly three-day attack on Ukraine last weekAt least four people have been killed in a large-scale retaliatory strike by Ukraine on Russia’s regions, including Moscow, Russian authorities have said.The wave of almost 600 Ukrainian drones struck overnight across 14 Russian regions, as well as the Crimean peninsula and the Black and Azov seas, the Russian defence ministry said on Sunday, with the region around the capital among the worst-hit. Continue reading...

Naegohyang FC due to play Suwon FC in semi-final of Asian Women’s Champions League on WednesdayA North Korean women’s football club has arrived in South Korea for an AFC Women’s Champions League semi-final, marking the first visit by athletes from the isolated state to the South in eight years.The delegation of 27 players and 12 staff entered the country on Sunday before Wednesday’s match between Naegohyang FC and South Korea’s Suwon FC Women in Suwon. Continue reading...

Despite the ban on disposables, waste professionals say the mountain of discarded devices is a £1bn-a-year issue It is 2pm and Ana, 47, has just started the afternoon shift at the Suez recycling plant near Birmingham city centre, standing beneath a sign reading “Non-ferrous sorting station” with a bucket of vapes in front of her. Sorting and dismantling them is part of her job as a site operative.Recycling them is not simple. Each bucket holds between 40 and 50 devices, and over the course of a shift, she gets through about half a bucket. Using a hammer, she has to smash each vape open, pry out the batteries and separate each component into a different container. Continue reading...

Lisa Nandy says no candidate has launched a challenge to Keir Starmer, despite ‘feverish speculation’ around Andy Burnham and Wes StreetingAsked about former health secretary Wes Streeting’s call for the UK to re-join the European Union, the culture secretary called the stance “a bit odd”Lisa Nandy said the government was “trying to take a far more pragmatic approach” of forming a closer relationship with the EU, “rather than re-opening the Brexit wars”.The sort of fights we have been prepared to have in recent years, the fight for renters, the fight for workers, the fight for football fans – people need to see more of that from us. I think Andy can come and bring that perspective and that fight and that energy to this team.” Continue reading...

‘He’s having a great time with his new 47% equity,’ one entrepreneur jokes, warning that some startups may leave Australia behindGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTech entrepreneurs have mocked the government’s capital gains tax changes by posting AI-generated photos of Anthony Albanese as their “new founder” and warning that increased taxes could push people away from working for new businesses or send startups overseas.Startups and entrepreneurs may yet receive a carve-out in the federal government’s planned changes to the CGT discount, with the prime minister saying he wanted to support innovation and the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, revealing that consultation was continuing with the sector. Continue reading...