Reform UK spending on Facebook ads surged before May elections

• A Horn Institute publication says the U.S.-Israel war on Iran has widened into a broader conflict with effects that are now reaching Africa. • The analysis describes mounting diplomatic and security dilemmas for African states as regional shockwaves spread beyond the Middle East.

• The United States has paused its participation in the Permanent Joint Board on Defense, the long-running U.S.-Canada military consultation forum, according to a CSIS analysis published this week. • CSIS says the pause comes about six weeks before the mandatory USMCA joint review, which makes the timing politically sensitive for both countries.

More Americans are using small solar panels in their back yards or balconies as a clean way to cut their electric billsIf you feel like your electricity bill just keeps climbing, you aren’t imagining it. Since 2020, US residential energy prices have surged by about 30%, making power the largest household energy expense behind gasoline, according to the US Energy Information Administration.But for residents like Alex Curtis, the days of feeling powerless against rising costs are coming to an end. Curtis is waging a war on his electric bill, and his new weapon of choice is a lightweight, thin-film solar panel. Continue reading...

Paxton’s win, despite his history of scandals, signals the president’s enduring grip over the state. Plus, one sex educator on why she doesn’t define sex at allGood morning.Ken Paxton, the scandal-ridden Texas attorney general who was backed by Donald Trump, beat the incumbent, John Cornyn, in the Republican primary runoff for senator, signaling how much sway the president still has in the deep red state.And Paxton’s new opponent? As a Democrat, Talarico faces long odds in Texas, but has built a groundswell of popularity through his message of peace and populism. Ahead of the primary, Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, a former Democratic candidate for the Senate and a partner at Ascend Strategy Labs, a social justice consulting firm in Austin, said that “if Ken Paxton becomes the candidate, Talarico has a shot”.How much has funding declined? The WFP’s funding was cut last year by a third, with the US, the largest donor by far, decreasing its contribution by more than half.How does the US-Israel war on Iran affect famine? Most directly, it drives up food prices, mostly because of transport costs, but some aid routes have also been blocked. Continue reading...

UK private equity investor with reputation for hard-nosed restructuring says it is backing existing managementBusiness live – latest updatesFlying Tiger is the latest retailer to be snapped up by Modella Capital, the British investment firm which already owns the former high street arm of WH Smith, now called TG Jones.The Danish company, known for its cut-price homewares and craft kit, operates about 1,000 stores worldwide, including 80 in the UK, where it employs more than 1,000 people. Continue reading...

Video appears to show divers discovering group sitting on a rock surrounded by flood water, as search efforts continue for the missingFive villagers stuck in a flooded cave in central Laos for more than a week have been found alive, rescuers said on Wednesday, but two others are missing.The villagers entered the cave in Xaisomboun province on 19 May, but heavy rain triggered flash flooding that blocked the exit and trapped seven people, according to Lao and Thai rescue teams involved in the operation. Continue reading...

Scientists warn of ‘new reality’ of heat extremes that claim three times more lives than car crashes and 16 times as many as murderersMalcolm Mistry knew it was going to get “very warm, very quickly” on Monday morning but a slow start out of bed delayed his plans for an early game of cricket with his son. It was already 10am by the time the pair arrived at the sun-soaked nets of their local club in south-west London, and to the embarrassment of the 48-year-old scientist, who played cricket in his youth, his body was struggling after just half an hour of bowling.Had he continued for another hour, Mistry reckons he would have probably suffered from heatstroke. Had he and his son stayed until noon, they would have found themselves straining their bodies in direct sunlight while a nearby weather station logged the UK’s hottest May temperature since records began. Continue reading...

Albert Manifold says he was removed without warning and ‘will not allow a false narrative to go unchallenged’The ousted chair of BP, Albert Manifold, has accused the oil company of firing him without warning and disputed reports about his conduct, amid the latest boardroom turmoil to rock the company.In an emailed statement, Manifold said he was “removed without warning and without explanation” by the FTSE 100 company. Continue reading...

The heritage site was destroyed by contractors building transmission lines for the Central-West Orana renewable energy zoneGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIndigenous community members have described their shock and anger after an Aboriginal rock shelter was “damaged beyond recovery” by contractors building transmission lines for a New South Wales renewable energy zone.The heritage site was destroyed by bulldozers in March during the construction of access tracks for the Central-West Orana renewable energy zone, a transmission line project located about 300km north-west of Sydney. Continue reading...

Victor who secured Republican nomination for Senate seat praises president after defeating incumbent CornynSign up to the Breaking News US emailHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.Texas attorney-general Ken Paxton said Donald Trump’s endorsement is “the most powerful force in politics” as he comfortably won the Republican nomination for the Senate last night.Christian Menefee defeated Al Green to represent Texas’s newly redrawn 18th congressional district. Green, 78, had served 11 terms as a Democrat, earning a reputation as one of Donald Trump’s top critics, when he became the first member of Congress to call for his impeachment, as early as 2017. Menefee, 38, began serving in Congress earlier this year after he won a special election. The two Democrats faced off against each other in this year’s election after Republican redistricting saw their home districts near Houston redrawn.Two Republican-led efforts to redraw congressional maps in Alabama and South Carolina hit setbacks. In Alabama, a federal court said the proposed map could not be used because it was drawn to intentionally discriminate against Black voters. The South Carolina Senate voted against redrawing the state’s congressional map due to political and administrative reasons.Construction is under way on the White House lawn for a UFC arena that will host a cage-match next month to mark the United States’s 250th anniversary and Donald Trump’s 80th birthday. The mixed martial arts fight is planned for 14 June.Donald Trump completed his annual physical after year of public attention to health issues. Trump, the oldest inaugurated president in US history, completed a physical exam on Tuesday at Walter Reed national military medical center, amid questions around his health. “Everything checked out PERFECTLY,” the US president declared in a social media post.The Trump administration considered asking federal workers to sign NDAs. The goal of asking federal employees to sign nondisclosure agreements is to prevent them from sharing confidential information with journalists. Continue reading...

Former Scottish first minister says scandal cast ‘massive shadow’ over his time as leader, after former party chief executive pleaded guilty to stealing £400,000UK politics live – latest updatesHumza Yousaf, Scotland’s former first minister, has called for Peter Murrell to get a “hefty” jail sentence after he admitted stealing £400,000 from the Scottish National party.Yousaf had been serving as first minister for just eight days when Murrell was arrested in April 2023 at the home he then shared with Nicola Sturgeon, Yousaf’s ally and mentor, in a police fraud investigation. Continue reading...