Seven people seriously injured and 22 hurt after bus rolled off road in Whitsundays region

Burnham’s backers understood to be lobbying Labour’s NEC who warn against Wes Streeting ‘coronation’UK politics live – latest updatesThe rules governing Labour party leadership contests should “not be tweaked” to allow Andy Burnham to run, a member of the party’s National Executive Committee has said.With the health secretary preparing to launch a leadership challenge against Keir Starmer on Thursday, if he can secure the support of enough MPs to trigger a contest, allies of Burnham have warned against a “coronation” for Wes Streeting as the next prime minister. Continue reading...

Merged insistutions, whose name has not yet been formally decided, will be second largest mainstream university in UKKing’s College London has signed an agreement to merge with Cranfield University, creating a new UK “super-university” that would rival many of its international competitors in size and research output.The merger would result in KCL taking on another 5,000 mainly postgraduate students and become the second largest mainstream university in the UK, with about 47,000 students, overtaking the University of Manchester and behind only University College London. Continue reading...

American zeal for ‘the Hamptons of England’ has rubbed off on sales with luxury British fashion house back to a full-year profitThe luxury fashion brand Burberry has said a new £2,000 handbag named after the Cotswolds has boosted sales, as the English region becomes increasingly popular with wealthy Americans.Joshua Schulman, the boss of the British brand, said its tote bags – which mix leather and the signature Burberry check – had helped drive the company’s best performance in bag sales since 2023. Continue reading...

Environmentalists hail decline but warn weakened laws could reverse gainsBrazil’s Atlantic forest, the country’s most threatened biome, last year recorded its lowest level of deforestation since monitoring began 40 years ago, a new report shows.The forest is Brazil’s most populous biome, and home to 80% of the population and major cities such as Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. In 2025 it recorded 8,658 hectares of deforestation, marking the first time it has fallen below 10,000 hectares since 1985. Continue reading...

Wall Street has proved incredibly resilient to instability, and while consumer confidence has dipped, shares have soaredIt was a dark Friday for Wall Street on 27 March. Oil prices were climbing and the war with Iran raged on. Markets responded accordingly, with the Dow and Nasdaq entering correction territory, falling more than 10% below their peak, after a month of selloffs.Fast forward seven weeks later to 13 May, and the situation in Iran only looked marginally better. Oil prices were high, and the strait of Hormuz was still closed. Peace talks with Iran seemed tenuous, even with the pressures of high gas prices. Donald Trump on Wednesday said he is “not even a little bit” motivated by Americans’ financial situation to end the war. Continue reading...

Designer suggests decision to stage show in Los Angeles is part of strategy to deepen label’s cinema presenceLike Christian Dior, the founder of the house he now leads, fashion designer Jonathan Anderson’s ambition is to be not just a Parisian couturier but a Hollywood power player. “We think of Dior as this romantic character, but he was also a very savvy businessman,” said Anderson before a blockbuster catwalk show in Los Angeles. Stage Fright, the Hitchcock caper-noir for which Dior dressed Marlene Dietrich, was the show’s origin story. “There is all this amazing correspondence between Dior, Dietrich and Hitchcock, which shows how he navigated the money that it cost to make that film. I think we underestimate how much negotiation Dior did with studio executives. He was very smart in that way.”Anderson, 41, who was born in Northern Ireland but since being appointed to Dior splits his time between London and Paris, has his own Hollywood side hustle as the costume designer for Luca Guadagnino’s films, and is set on reinvigorating Dior’s relationship with the film industry. Continue reading...

A Kitt lookalike was filmed speeding in Brooklyn but the fine was sent to a museum where a replica is on displayA replica of the talking car Kitt from the 1980s US television action series Knight Rider for years has been parked in a museum about an hour’s drive north of Chicago, so how did it get a speeding ticket in New York City?That is the question the Volo Museum is asking after it says it was recently mailed a $50 fine by New York City for a violation caught by traffic camera, alleging that its Knight Industries Two Thousand – Kitt for short and a black Pontiac Trans Am– got busted going 9mph over the speed limit in a 25mph zone on 22 April. Continue reading...

Whoever wins the Labour leadership tussle, the chancellor’s prospects for staying inpost have risen given the surprise GDP boostBusiness live – latest updatesUK economy records surprise 0.3% growth despite Iran warThe message from Rachel Reeves is clear. After Britain’s economy defied the predictions for a slump in March, despite the fallout from the Iran war, why put things at risk with a roll of the dice in domestic politics?Responding to bumper growth of 0.3% in March – much stronger than City economists’ forecasts for a 0.2% contraction – the chancellor said the figures showed she had the right economic plan, in a comment laced with subtext. Continue reading...

Impact of disruption caused by US-Israeli war on Iran may be felt into 2027 even if strait of Hormuz reopens, says aviation body headIncreases in air fares for travellers in Europe are “inevitable” over the peak summer period because of the high cost of jet fuel, according to the head of the international aviation body.While some airlines faced with weak demand have reduced their European fares recently, Willie Walsh, the former British Airways boss who leads the International Air Transport Association, said there was no way carriers could absorb the extra costs in the long run. Continue reading...

Findings of inquiry into stamp duty paid on Hove flat crucial to any leadership bidUK politics live – latest updatesAngela Rayner has been cleared by HMRC of deliberate wrongdoing or carelessness over her tax affairs, the Guardian reported, paving the way for a potential leadership bid as Keir Starmer’s grip on power unravels. Continue reading...

Russia has deployed more than 1,500 drones in the last two days, according to Ukraine’s president Volodymyr ZelenskyyAfter a tense day of intense attacks on Wednesday, Russia has continued its strikes on Ukraine overnight, with at least one dead and 40 injured in the capital, Kyiv, after reported hits on civilian infrastructure.Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the strikes, saying:“These are definitely not the actions of those who believe the war is coming to an end. It is important that partners do not remain silent about this strike.” Continue reading...