James Murdoch to acquire half of Vox Media in deal reportedly worth $300m

Researchers from watchdog group glued trackers to chain’s cups and found not one ended up at a recycling facilityIf you attach a GPS tracker to a “widely recyclable” plastic Starbucks cup and drop it in an in-store recycling bin, you might expect it to end up in a recycling plant, but environmental watchdog organization Beyond Plastics says that’s not the case in a new report.Starbucks announced that their plastic cups were now considered “widely recyclable” earlier this year, according to How2Recycle, a group affiliated with the consumer packaging industry that helps private companies label their packaging with recycling options. The coffee giant touted the achievement as a “big milestone, with huge impact”. Continue reading...

Clashes between demonstrators and police in La Paz have entered second week, shaking centre-right presidentProtests blocking roads across Bolivia and turning the centre of the capital, La Paz, into a battleground between demonstrators and police have entered a second week.It is the most turbulent moment of the centre-right president Rodrigo Paz Pereira’s mere six months in office since he ended nearly two decades of rule by the leftwing Movimiento al Socialismo (Mas). Continue reading...

Soft power institution faces funding crisis linked to Covid-era government loan soon due to be repaidStaff at the British Council in Italy will go on strike on Thursday over deep cuts that would slash about 80% of its workforce due to a funding crisis facing the organisation.Out of 130 of its teaching staff across Rome, Milan and Naples, 108 are being targeted as teaching activities in Italy face the axe. The move would end 80 years of British Council English language teaching in Italy as part of the organisation’s global mission to promote British culture and education across the world, sources said. Continue reading...

Mandatory cap on top grades at one of America’s most prestigious colleges will go into effect in the fall of 2027Harvard faculty has voted to impose a roughly 20% cap on A grades in an effort to curb decades of grade inflation that, the faculty argues, degrades the value of top-tier academic achievement at the college.The mandatory cap on top grades at one of America’s most prestigious colleges will go into effect in the fall of 2027. Under an agreed “20 plus four” formula, the number of A grades awarded to a class of 100 undergraduates will be limited to 24 students. Continue reading...

Xi Jinping welcomed Vladimir Putin to Beijing with pomp and pageantry, just days after hosting Donald Trump. But as Russia’s war in Ukraine makes Moscow increasingly dependent on China, and western leaders thaw relations with Beijing, what does the power imbalance mean for Xi and Putin’s relationship? Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s deputy head of international news, Devika Bhat Continue reading...

Police said the vehicle became disabled and took on water, prompting the driver and passengers to abandon it before calling for helpAuthorities in Texas have removed a Tesla Cybertruck from a lake after the driver intentionally drove into in an attempt to try the vehicle’s “wade mode.”On Tuesday, the Grapevine police department announced the vehicle’s recovery from Katie’s Woods Park Boat Ramp, adding that the “driver stated he intentionally drove into the lake to use the Cybertruck’s ‘wade mode’ feature”. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer described the agreement, worth double original estimates, as a ‘huge win’ for British businessesKeir Starmer has struck a trade deal with six Gulf states in what he described as a “huge win” for British business, ending four years of talks led by four different prime ministers.The deal will offer £3.7bn worth of opportunities, double original estimates, for exporters, particularly in the food and luxury car sectors but also defence, aerospace, hospitality and other services, the government said. Continue reading...

Eritrean man was due to be forcibly removed to France under ‘one in, one out’ schemeAn Eritrean asylum seeker who was due to be forcibly removed to France today under the “one in, one out” scheme has had his ticket cancelled after making a serious attempt on his life, the Guardian understands.Other detainees said they believed he had made an attempt on his life because he feared he would be in danger in France due to his specific circumstances had he been forcibly returned there. He was discovered yesterday by his cellmate, who raised the alarm. He is now on round-the-clock suicide watch in detention.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Tight primary victory in Philadelphia district bolsters Democrats’ left flank, seen as test of progressive momentumUS politics live – latest updatesChris Rabb, an unflinching progressive state representative, declared his campaign for Pennsylvania’s third congressional district was “indomitable” after winning the Democratic primary in a race that became a proxy battle over the direction of the Democratic party.In a significant victory for the party’s left wing, Rabb took roughly 45% of the vote in Tuesday’s contest, comfortably ahead of early frontrunner state senator, Sharif Street, who fell to under 30%, and surgeon Ala Stanford. Continue reading...

The Amazon founder has denied any personal involvement in the film, which failed to recoup its budget on releaseJeff Bezos has defended Amazon’s controversial Melania documentary as “a good business decision” while denying any personal involvement.The Amazon founder and executive chairman was asked about the film during an interview on CNBC this week. The film, which followed the first lady in the period before Donald Trump’s second inauguration, was purchased by the company for $40m with Melania herself making a reported $28m. Amazon also spent around $35m on marketing. Continue reading...

Bodies of Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walter, 32, and Rebecca Walter, 31, from London, were recovered from sea last WednesdayThree women whose bodies were recovered from the sea off Brighton beach last week have been identified as sisters from London.Emergency services were called after concerns were raised for a person’s welfare at about 5.45am on 13 May, before three bodies were pulled from the water near Madeira Drive. Continue reading...

Top House Democrat calls out SEC schools for silenceCampaign comes as states move to redraw voter mapsHakeem Jeffries, the top US House Democrat, has amplified calls for Black athletes to boycott public universities in states that have moved to limit voting rights, saying an “unprecedented moment, featuring an unprecedented attack on Black political representation” requires an “unprecedented response”.Jeffries’s comments came Tuesday as the NAACP launched its “Out of Bounds” campaign. The campaign targets universities in eight states – Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Georgia – whose athletic programs generate more than $100m in revenue. Those eight states have moved to draw new voter maps after the supreme court’s Louisiana v Callais decision severely weakened the Voting Rights Act. Continue reading...