Confirms

• Andy Burnham has announced plans to establish a "No 10 North" in Manchester to shift political power away from London. • During a major policy speech, the Makerfield MP stated his goal is to achieve the most significant rebalancing of power in UK history. • As part of his vision for regional growth, Burnham advocated for an increase in higher-density residential developments within towns.

• The election campaign for Johor's state seats has officially begun following the filing of nomination papers on Saturday. • A total of 172 candidates will compete for all 56 available state seats in Malaysia's southern state. • Candidates now enter a two-week intensive campaign period to secure voter support ahead of the official polling date.

• 'Avengers: Endgame' is being rereleased featuring a new title, additional footage, and a special end tag. • The update serves as a lead-in to 'Avengers: Doomsday,' which will see Robert Downey Jr. return to the MCU. • Downey Jr. will transition from his former role as Tony Stark to portray the supervillain Victor von Doom, also known as Doctor Doom.

Nine says in a statement it was ‘no longer possible’ for Stefanovic to host Today. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastKarl Stefanovic is leaving Nine immediately, the network said in a statement this morning.It follows days of controversy in which the highly-paid Today presenter used his independent podcast series to interview British far-right activist Tommy Robinson.While Karl and Nine had previously agreed he would leave Today at the end of this year, they have subsequently decided he will leave the Network immediately. Continue reading...

French health ministry says patient’s contacts are being traced and that risk to European public is very lowThe first case of Ebola has been confirmed in France, the country’s health ministry has said, in a doctor who had returned from a humanitarian mission to an area affected by the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.The patient was transferred to a specialist facility and is in a stable condition, the ministry said in a statement. “All precautionary measures, including the patient’s isolation, were taken upon his arrival in the country, with transfer to the hospital under secure conditions to prevent any risk of contamination.” Continue reading...

• Wembley Stadium is relaxing its standard water restrictions for upcoming Harry Styles concerts to protect fans during a forecast UK heatwave. • The rule change allows attendees to bring more water into the venue than typically permitted to prevent dehydration in the scorching temperatures. • This measure is a critical safety response to ensure public health and wellbeing during high-profile events held in extreme weather conditions.

• Stanford's 2026 AI Index suggests that the opportunity window for AI enterprise startups is closing more rapidly than founders anticipate. • The report identifies a critical gap in the market for practical tools focused on policy, auditing, model inventory, incident response, and workflow control. • A related study by the Stanford Digital Economy Lab using ADP payroll data reveals that employment for software developers aged 22 to 25 dropped nearly 20% through mid-2025 in AI-exposed roles.

• Australia has confirmed its first mainland case of the H5N1 bird flu virus after a wild brown skua was found in a remote area of the southwest. • Agriculture Minister Julie Collins announced the discovery on Saturday following positive laboratory test results. • This development is significant as it marks the first time the highly pathogenic strain has been detected on the Australian mainland.

The minister for agriculture, Julie Collins, confirms case of H5N1 bird flu in Western Australia, with another suspectedThe deadly H5N1 bird flu strain has arrived on the Australian mainland with test results confirming a bird found on the Western Australian coast was positive for the disease.The agriculture minister, Julie Collins, confirmed a brown skua found unwell last Sunday at Cape Le Grand national park in southern WA died from H5N1. Continue reading...

Race will be staged over two days on 24-25 AprilMove will enable a record 100,000 runners to take partThe London Marathon has confirmed that next year’s race will be staged over two days to enable a record 100,000 runners to take part and raise tens of millions more for charity.That will be welcome news for the 1.3 million people who have applied through the ballot, although their chances of getting a place on the start line will still be considerably less than 10%. Continue reading...

• The BBC has officially confirmed Dani Dyer and Lacey Turner as the first celebrity contestants for the 2026 series of Strictly Come Dancing. • Dani Dyer, 29, joins the cast following her recent victory on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins and appearances on Celebrity MasterChef and The One Show. • This early announcement marks the beginning of the casting process for the upcoming season of the popular ballroom competition.

• The 2026 Eurovision Song Contest has confirmed a significant decline in viewership, losing 35 million viewers compared to the previous year. • The ratings drop follows a competition mired in controversy, which led to widespread boycotts of the event. • This decline highlights a growing tension between the contest's traditional appeal and the political or social disputes surrounding its recent iterations.

Department of Agriculture ays new cases in Texas and New Mexico as officials move to combat parasite’s spreadThe US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Monday confirmed three additional cases of New World screwworm – two more in Texas and the other in New Mexico, according to the agency’s animal health arm.The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said the two Texas cases affected a calf in La Salle county and a goat in Gillespie county. Continue reading...

• NASA confirmed that a massive sonic boom heard over the northeastern US on May 30 was caused by a meteor explosion. • Satellite footage revealed the event released energy equivalent to 300 tons of TNT, creating a powerful shockwave. • The explosion is significant as it provides data on atmospheric entries, though the space rock likely disintegrated during the blast.

Spokesperson says function is in line with official guidance as scrutiny of papers relating to Peter Mandelson continuesUK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer’s WhatsApp messages automatically delete from his smartphone, Downing Street has confirmed, calling into question how full a picture emerged of his role in the appointment of Peter Mandelson from a recently released tranche of government documents.Asked at a briefing whether Starmer uses the function on his WhatsApp messages, the prime minister’s spokesperson said he “does use disappearing messages”, adding that this was in line with official guidance on the use of so-called non-corporate communications. Continue reading...

The person was on board the MV Hondius, the center of the outbreak that has claimed three livesCanadian officials said oon Saturday that one of the four Canadians currently quarantining in British Columbia after being exposed to the hantavirus while on board the cruise ship where the outbreak occurred has presumptively tested positive.Speaking at news conference, Dr Bonnie Henry, British Columbia’s provincial health officer, said the individual developed mild symptoms, including fever and headache, two days ago, and that the individual and their partner, who had also been on board the cruise ship where they had been isolating together, were transferred to a hospital in Victoria for assessment and testing. Continue reading...

• The CDC confirmed 51 additional measles cases, bringing the nationwide U.S. outbreak to 1,893 infections as of May 16, 2026. • The agency said all but nine cases were locally acquired, 27 outbreaks have been reported this year, and 92% of patients were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status. • The outbreak is significant because measles spreads quickly in under-vaccinated communities, and the U.S. is now on pace to exceed last year’s 2,288 cases if transmission continues.

• The Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh as Federal Reserve chair nominee, resolving a weeks-long standoff over Republican demands for a probe into outgoing Fed Chair Jerome Powell's conduct. • Warsh's confirmation represents a significant shift in Federal Reserve leadership as the administration prioritizes new economic policy direction amid ongoing inflation concerns. • The confirmation eliminates a major partisan bottleneck that had delayed central banking leadership decisions during a period of elevated business costs and consumer price pressures.

Warsh will serve four-year term as chair, taking over amid rising inflation and pressure from Trump to lower ratesThe US Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh as chair of the Federal Reserve, one of the most powerful roles in the federal government that holds enormous sway over the economy.The 54-45 Senate vote on Wednesday was split along party lines, with the exception of Democratic senator John Fetterman from Pennsylvania, who joined the Republican majority. Warsh was confirmed for a four-year term as chair and a 14-year appointment on the Fed’s rate-setting board. Continue reading...

• Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated on 'Face the Nation' that the U.S. military paused its ship escort operation in the Strait of Hormuz after Iran requested a halt to pursue peace talks. • President Trump announced the operation last week amid Iran's blockade, but suspended it two days later following Tehran's signal to 'make a deal.' • The pause supports a fragile ceasefire, with the U.S. now clearing the strait without active escorts, aiming to de-escalate tensions.

• Director Denis Villeneuve confirmed production on "Dune: Part Three" has officially begun, with filming taking place in Morocco and Jordan through October 2026. • Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Oscar Isaac are set to return, with newcomers Rebecca Ferguson and Austin Butler joining the expanded cast for the concluding installment. • Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have greenlit a 2027 release date, with Villeneuve stating this final chapter will "definitively conclude Frank Herbert's epic saga."

Peter Kyle did not dispute Times’ report that under a ‘reasonable worst-case scenario’ supermarkets might start running out of some itemsGood morning. ‘We don’t comment on leaks,’ is the usual government response to an unsanctioned lobby scoop. But this morning Peter Kyle, the business secretary, took a different response. Asked about a Times splash saying the government is making plans to deal with possible food shortages in the summer, caused by the Iran war, he told Sky News:It is difficult for me, because, of course, these leaks are very unhelpful. But when people do read it, they need to be reassured that we are doing this kind of planning, and we are doing this kind of scenario planning.Britain could face shortages of chicken, pork and other supermarket goods this summer if the war in Iran continues, a secret government analysis has found.Officials have drawn up contingency plans for a “reasonable worst-case scenario” amid fears that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz will lead to shortages of carbon dioxide (CO2) which is critical to the food industry …I can tell you, because I’m in these meetings, the prime minister has been there since the very start, and he is going through personally and driving deep dives into lots of areas of resilience throughout our economy.People should be reassured that we are doing this kind of action behind the scenes to keep resilience in our economy, so that when the full extent of what may or may not emerge, because this situation is still unfolding in the Middle East, you have a government that is acting with creativity and boldness.If any of these things change, I will be up front with the public about it in advance so that we can prepare. But right now, people should go on as they are, enjoying beer, enjoying their meats, enjoying all the salads.But also there are critical uses for CO2 – MRI scanning, for example, water purification; it’s involved in our nuclear industry, our civil nuclear power industry, some defensive uses for it as well. Continue reading...

• Researchers published the most thorough study of cosmic expansion in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics on April 10, combining decades of research to derive the most precise Hubble constant yet while confirming that tension between early and late-universe measurements persists. • The study, launched at an International Space Science Institute Breakthrough Workshop in Bern, Switzerland in March 2025, expanded the cosmic distance ladder into a comprehensive survey called the Local Distance Network, achieving a goal considered 'potentially unreachable' a decade ago. • Study co-author Richard Anderson from the University of Göttingen stated that the Hubble tension reveals that 'something's missing' in the current understanding of basic physics on cosmological scales.

PM says opening waterway is ‘vital’ as he rules out any UK involvement in US moves to blockade straitGood morning. The parliamentary recess is over, the Iran war disaster isn’t, campaigning is ramping up because the May elections are less than four weeks to go, and there will be plenty for MPs to discuss as they meet in the Commons this afternoon. The full timetable, as usual, is down below.Keir Starmer is in Greater Manchester this morning, on a visit linked to the English local elections. But he is expected to be in the Commons later giving an update on the UK response to the Iran war, and in an interview on Radio 5 Live a few minutes ago he confirmed that Britain will not join the US in enforcing the new blockade of the stait of Hormuz proposed by Donald Trump.We’re not supporting blockade.The strait is shut or not free for navigation in the way it should be. That means that oil and gas is not getting to market. That means the price is going up. That means everybody listening to this is facing higher energy bills. And I don’t want that to happen.I want their energy bills to be stabilised and lower. And so it is, in my view, vital that we get the strait open and fully open. Continue reading...

Visit with Camilla to take place in late April despite calls for it to be delayed because of US war against IranUK politics live – latest updatesThe king’s state visit to the US is to go ahead next month as planned, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.Charles and the queen’s long-expected trip to see Donald Trump will take place in late April, despite calls for it to be postponed because of the ongoing war in the Middle East. Continue reading...

• President Trump extended the strike deadline on Iran's energy sector while warning that failure to accept current negotiation terms would result in "far greater military consequences," according to White House statements. • The White House confirmed ongoing negotiations with Iranian leadership despite military operations continuing at historic levels, with Iranian leadership described by Trump as "desperate to negotiate."

• The Kennedy Center confirmed comedian Bill Maher as the 2026 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor recipient on March 26, 2026, days after White House denial labeled reports fake news. • Maher becomes the 27th honoree following Conan O'Brien and Kevin Hart; he quipped, 'It's like an Emmy, except I win,' in a Kennedy Center release. • White House communications director Steven Cheung called prior Atlantic reporting 'Literally FAKE NEWS,' and press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated Maher would not receive the award.

Mohammed bin Salman said to consider war a ‘historic opportunity’ to remake Middle East. Plus, Senate passes funding package for Homeland Security that excludes ICEGood morning.Saudi Arabia has urged Washington to intensify attacks on Iran, a Saudi intelligence source has confirmed, while it considers whether to join the war directly.Have there been reports of active Saudi military involvement? Not so far. But a Saudi analyst said the kingdom was likely to intervene if peace efforts led by Pakistan failed. Mohammed Alhamed said: “If [Iran] rejects the conditions and continues its attacks, the threshold for Saudi action will be crossed.”What is the latest on the strait of Hormuz? On Tuesday, Tehran said it would permit “non-hostile vessels” to pass: here is a visual guide.For the latest updates, follow our live blog.Why has there been no DHS funding? Democrats have blocked it as they demand changes to its immigration crackdown, particularly after agents in Minneapolis killed the US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Continue reading...