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Guardian investigation also finds same areas experienced relative decline over same periodLeave-voting areas have seen faster relative growth in foreign workers since the Brexit referendum, a Guardian investigation has found.Data analysis suggests that the decade since the Brexit vote may not have matched the expectations of many Leave supporters, showing their local areas have also become relatively more deprived over the same period. Continue reading...

• Soccer has risen to become the third-most followed sport in the United States, with 10% of Americans now naming it their favorite. • The U.S. is currently co-hosting a major international tournament alongside Canada and Mexico, featuring 48 contending nations. • This shift signifies a diversification of the American sports landscape, traditionally dominated by American football, basketball, and baseball.

Exclusive A vast area of the Bellingshausen Sea should be covered by sea ice by now, with one expert calling the loss of ice ‘depressing’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAntarctica’s west coast is missing an area of winter sea ice the size of France, sparking concerns for threatened penguins other marine life and global sea levels.One expert said the loss of ice in the Bellingshausen Sea was “depressing” and the failure of ice to form could have intensified a heatwave over the continent’s peninsular last week that saw daytime temperatures peak at 15.4C which is more than 20C above average. Continue reading...

• Accenture announced on Tuesday its acquisition of Ammagamma, a Modena, Italy-based firm specializing in helping businesses advance their use of artificial intelligence. • Ammagamma was established in 2013, though Accenture has not disclosed the specific financial details of the agreement. • This acquisition allows Accenture to strengthen its AI capabilities and expand its technological footprint within the European market.

• The European Central Bank (ECB) is introducing new indicators to assess the global appeal of the euro by analyzing currency exposures within the euro area's international investment position. • Data from 2024 reveals that the euro area accounted for approximately one-fifth of global cross-border assets and liabilities, totaling around €175 trillion. • This analysis is critical for understanding the single currency's role in international finance and its ability to maintain price stability and purchasing power.

• The European Central Bank (ECB) reported monetary developments for the euro area as of April 2026, focusing on M3 deposit growth. • Annual growth for household deposits remained steady at 2.9%, while deposits from non-financial corporations slowed to 3.8% from 4.2% in March. • These figures are critical for the ECB's primary mission to maintain price stability and preserve the purchasing power of the euro.

‘Megafires’ in California, Canada, South Korea and Europe in 2025, but changes to farming slowed spread in parts of Africa“Devastating” wildfires ripped across the wealthier parts of the world in 2025, a study has found, even as globally, the area ravaged by flames fell.Catastrophic blazes claimed lives, homes and jobs last year in California, Canada, Europe and South Korea. But the 335m hectares burned was the second-lowest since 2002, the review found, largely owing to the expansion of African farms that have fragmented landscapes and hampered the spread of large savannah fires. Continue reading...

• The European Central Bank (ECB) is analyzing a significant surge in euro area banks' price-to-book (P/B) ratios projected for 2025. • While high valuations may indicate strong earnings power, the ECB warns they could also stem from investor over-optimism and compressed equity risk premia. • This trend matters because it poses potential risks to financial stability if expectations for economic growth or return on equity are not realized.

Research shows cost of crime for each affected business was on average £83,000 in past yearNine in 10 retailers based in rural locations have been victims of crime in the past 12 months, according to research, underlining the widespread impact of the rise in shoplifting and theft even in more remote parts of the UK.Rural retailers include farm shops as well as stores selling machinery and other equipment. The financial cost of crime for each affected retailer was on average £83,000 during the past year, according to a survey carried out by the commercial insurer NFU Mutual. Meanwhile, one in 20 victims said crime had cost them more than half a million pounds. Continue reading...

• The European Central Bank (ECB) has released balance of payments and international investment position statistics for the euro area and its member nations. • The data highlights consistency in financial reporting, with 13 countries showing discrepancies below 1% of GDP and 14 countries maintaining discrepancies below 2% of GDP on the financial account side. • These statistics are critical for monitoring the economic stability and purchasing power of the single currency across the European Union.

• Shanghai unveiled an AI-powered aviation science fiction theme park in its Lingang New Area, opening to media on Monday, centered on China's Nantianmen Project for immersive aerospace experiences. • The park features interactive exhibits simulating moon landings, hypersonic flight, dual-mode propulsion, metamaterial stealth, directed-energy weapons, and AI decision-making, with a full-scale 'Baidi' sci-fi fighter jet model for pre-flight simulations. • General Manager Zhou Yixiao highlighted hidden games, storylines, and upcoming AI-driven interactive content to enhance visitor engagement.

Data from University of Toronto suggests Canadians are avoiding US cities during the second Trump administrationA new research tool that tracks cell phone activity has found a 42% drop in visitors from Canada to big metropolitan areas in the US that is much higher than official border-crossing data, suggesting Canadians during the second Trump administration are avoiding US cities in particular.Researchers from the University of Toronto said the tool showed a “year-over-year median decline of approximately 42% in Canadian visits to US metropolitan areas – significantly higher than official border-crossing data, which showed a roughly 25% decline”. Continue reading...

US military claims it targeted sites responsible for attacks on its forces and ‘unprovoked’ hostilities by TehranIran has accused the US of violating the ceasefire by targeting two ships at the strait of Hormuz and attacking civilian areas, as the US insists it struck in retaliation.The US military said it targeted sites that it said were responsible for attacking US forces in what it called “unprovoked” hostilities by Tehran. Continue reading...

Pledge ahead of local elections dismissed as ‘not a serious policy’ and ‘profoundly un-British’Coming just days before millions go to the polls, Zia Yusuf’s announcement that a Reform government would ‘prioritise’ the citing of migrant detention centres in areas with Green MPs or councils was certainly eye-catching.“That means areas like right here in Brighton,” Reform’s shadow home secretary said with barely concealed relish in a video in which he paced the beachfront at the constituency which elected Britain’s first Green MP. Continue reading...

Exclusive: 839,000 homes in urban areas face threat of surface-water flooding, with social housing tenants most vulnerable to costsEight in 10 of the homes that are at high risk of flooding in England are now in towns and cities, according to analysis by the National Housing Federation (NHF), which said social housing tenants are disproportionately vulnerable to the financial cost.Research found that 839,000 homes in urban areas are now classed as being at high risk of surface water flooding, a threefold increase since 2018. Continue reading...

The Israeli military began carrying out strikes in eastern Lebanon on Monday, expanding the scope of its bombing campaign during a ceasefire that has failed to fully halt hostilities with Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

Residents must sign in and out at a security gate, and vehicles and bags are routinely searchedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastHundreds of evacuees from remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory have been housed behind temporary fences and denied visitors after being forced to evacuate their homes in the most vicious wet season on record.In March, the Daly River in the NT reached a record peak of 23.93 metres, forcing families from Palumpa and Nauiyu to flee for the second time in four weeks. Continue reading...

Residents and visitors in California alert each other whenever they spot the above average size animal at Pier 39A gigantic 2,000lb steller sea lion nicknamed “Chonkers” has become an unexpected local celebrity after taking up residence in the San Francisco Bay.The massive sea lion swam up to a dock on Pier 39 in San Francisco around a month ago and has remained in the area since, drawing attention from residents, visitors and social media users who have been sharing frequent photos and videos of the animal looming over its peers. Continue reading...

Measure passed 50-49 to overturn a 20-year ban on mining near renowned Boundary Waters Canoe Area WildernessThe US Senate narrowly voted on Thursday to overturn a ban on mining near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, an enormous complex of interconnected lakes, rivers and forests that is among the most visited wild areas in the US.The resolution passed 50-49 to repeal a 20-year moratorium imposed by former president Joe Biden’s administration in 2023 on mining across the 225,000 acres in the Superior national forest. Continue reading...

Map reveals most severe concentrations of ammonia emissions, which are dangerous to health and environmentAmmonia pollution hotspots have been identified in areas with some of the greatest numbers of intensive pig and poultry farms in Britain, research has revealed.A new map for the first time reveals the most severe concentrations of ammonia emissions are clustered in Lincolnshire, Herefordshire and Norfolk. These regions all have a high density of intensive poultry and pig units that drive dangerous levels of ammonia, according to researchers from Compassion in World Farming (CiWF) and Sustain. Continue reading...

• A new study in Big Earth Data introduces CA-MTransUNet, a Cloud-Aware Mixture-of-Experts Linear Transformer U-Net for forest burned area (FBA) detection using Sentinel-1 SAR and Sentinel-2 optical data. • The model attains the highest mean Intersection-over-Union (mIoU) of 87.00% with an inference speed of 6.26 ms, outperforming benchmarks despite cloud contamination. • This breakthrough addresses computational complexity in segmentation models, enhancing post-fire environmental monitoring critical for climate studies.

• Meta is eliminating approximately 200 positions in the San Francisco Bay Area as part of team restructuring. • The layoffs support heavy investments in AI infrastructure and long-term tech priorities. • This reflects broader industry shifts where companies trim staff to allocate resources toward generative AI development.

Moscow appears to step up spring offensive amid concerns international focus on Iran war leaves Kyiv more vulnerableRussia has launched a fresh wave of missile and drone strikes on civilian areas across Ukraine, killing at least five people, as Moscow appears to be stepping up a spring offensive intended to break Ukrainian resistance along the front.Moscow fired nearly 400 long-range drones and 23 cruise missiles overnight, Ukraine’s air force said, marking one of the largest attacks in weeks after a relative lull. Continue reading...