Hopes

Rhun ap Iowerth says he hopes his party’s programme for government will get backing from across the SeneddUK politics live – latest updatesThe leader of Plaid Cymru is hoping to become Welsh first minister as early as Tuesday after his party won a historic victory in the Senedd elections, soundly beating Labour and holding off Reform UK.Plaid fell short of winning a majority in the Welsh parliament but Rhun ap Iorwerth said on Sunday he hoped that other parties would work with him and told UK Labour not to punish Wales over the result. Continue reading...

• Indian equity indices surged sharply on May 6, 2026, with Sensex gaining 940.73 points (1.22%) to close at 77,958.52 and Nifty rising 298.15 points (1.24%) to 24,330.95, driven by optimism over potential US-Iran peace negotiations and declining crude oil prices. • Banking stocks led the rally following the Union Cabinet's approval of an emergency credit guarantee programme worth Rs 15,800 crore to support businesses facing liquidity stress, with Hero MotoCorp climbing 2.6% and Mahindra & Mahindra advancing 3.1% on strong quarterly earnings. • Broader market indices also gained traction, with Nifty smallcap100 and midcap100 rising 0.9% and 1.1% respectively, though FMCG stocks declined amid easing geopolitical tensions in West Asia that had previously pushed Brent crude to $115 per barrel.

Trump-endorsed candidate facing a long-shot challenge from car designer and YouTube provocateur Casey PutschHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is hoping to lock in his position as candidate in the race to become Ohio governor.Donald Trump has threatened that Iran will be “blown off the face of the earth” if it attacks US vessels trying to reopen a route through the strait of Hormuz. The US launched an operation to help hundreds of ships trapped with their crews in the Gulf, dragging the region back to the brink of full-scale war. While the US military claimed to have destroyed six Iranian small boats and intercepted both Iranian cruise missiles and drones, this was denied by Iran. More here.The Trump administration moved to block a lawsuit Minnesota officials filed almost six years ago alleging oil companies and a petroleum trade group deceived state residents about climate change. The justice department, the administration’s law enforcement arm, filed an action in federal court in Minneapolis arguing that the federal government has the authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, not states, and that Minnesota officials are trying to improperly impose their policy preferences on the rest of the country.The US supreme court went out of its way to help Louisiana Republicans redraw their congressional maps ahead of this year’s midterm elections. The procedural move comes less than a week after the court’s landmark decision striking down Louisiana’s congressional map and gutting section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.The Trump administration is continuing to pressure the United Nations and the international aid sector more broadly to adopt trade-focused policies to benefit US firms – or face the threat of further budget cuts. Donald Trump’s second term has already seen USAID suffer mass layoffs and have its remaining operations folded into the state department, with a ripple effect across the globe that has many experts warning will cost thousands of lives as vital programs are cut. More here.The Trump administration’s attack on the 87-year-old food aid program that supports tens of millions of low-income Americans escalated last week as the agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, claimed that 14,000 Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (Snap) recipients included owners of luxury vehicles such as Ferraris, Bentleys and Teslas. More here. Continue reading...

The treasurer also says May federal budget will play ‘helpful not harmful role in fight against inflation’Jim Chalmers has warned there will be little room for more cost of living support in his fifth and “most responsible” budget yet, as he ruled out an immediate extension of the 26-cent cut to the fuel excise and downplayed hopes for additional tax relief for workers.The treasurer also said Australian voters would forgive Labor for breaking a pre-election vow not to touch negative gearing rules for landlords, which is set to form part of a package that would also scale back the capital gains tax discount in the name of intergenerational fairness. Continue reading...

Nearly 60 countries back voluntary roadmaps to wean world off coal, oil and gasGovernments have been asked to develop national “roadmaps” setting out how they will end the production and use of fossil fuels, after a landmark climate meeting involving nearly 60 countries.The voluntary plans will form the bedrock of a new initiative to wean the world off coal, oil and gas, the focus of two days of intensive talks in Colombia this week. Continue reading...

Results suggest radiotracer maraciclatide can ‘light up’ condition on scan and reduce need for investigative surgeryA non-invasive scan for endometriosis has shown promising results in a trial, boosting hopes for far quicker diagnosis.The trial, which included 19 women with the condition, suggests that an experimental radiotracer, called maraciclatide, can “light up” endometriosis on a scan. The current need for a surgical investigation is seen as a major obstacle to timely diagnosis, with women in England typically waiting nearly a decade. Continue reading...

FTSE 100 slides and UK gas prices up amid fears strait of Hormuz will be closed for extended periodBusiness live – latest updatesOil prices rose sharply and European stock markets fell on Monday, after the US seizure of an Iranian vessel hit hopes for a peace deal.Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, rose by as much as 5% on Monday to $95.50 (£70.75) a barrel. Continue reading...

Transfer of medical services from hospital to former Wilko store is improving healthcare access and boosting footfallIt is a revolution that might just save the NHS – and the high street. Imagine being able to have your eyes tested, mole examined or get an appointment with a consultant without going to your local hospital – and maybe fit in some shopping or a cinema visit afterwards.That, increasingly, is what people in Barnsley are doing after an unprecedented relocation of medical services from the district general hospital into a purpose-built outpatients centre in the Alhambra shopping centre, which is getting a new lease of life thanks to the experiment. Continue reading...

• Asian equity markets surged following signals from Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian indicating willingness to pursue a ceasefire with the United States, with Trump stating military action could conclude within two to three weeks. • South Korea's Kospi jumped 8.1% to 5,461.51, Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 4.5% to 53,352.96, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 2% amid improved investor sentiment. • The geopolitical shift triggered broad rallies across Asia-Pacific exchanges including Australia's ASX 200 climbing 2% and Taiwan's Taiex jumping 4.4%.

Markets in Asia and Europe move higher, while crude hovers at about $100 a barrel amid cautious optimismBusiness live – latest updatesThe price of oil has dipped and Asian stock markets moved higher after reports that Donald Trump has sent a 15-point framework for peace to Iran, amid hopes of a ceasefire in the Middle East.Oil prices had fallen by 4% in the early hours of Wednesday, with brent crude futures sinking below $100 a barrel and even moving as low as $97.57 as trading was influenced by the prospect of an end to the conflict easing the squeeze on oil supply. Continue reading...

• President Donald Trump extended his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by five days on Monday, saying the U.S. will delay striking Iranian power plants to allow envoys to hold talks with Tehran leadership. • Trump stated his government was holding "productive talks" with Iran, but Iran denied any negotiations were occurring and fighting showed no signs of slowing. • An Iranian warhead with approximately 100 kilograms of explosives struck central Tel Aviv on Tuesday, causing significant damage, while Iranian missile attacks also hit Kurdish positions in Iraq, killing 6 Peshmerga fighters and wounding 30 others.

Long-awaited Alexa+ aims to get Britons re-engaging with their devices – but it may have its work cut out“Commiserations, mate, Chelsea lost 3-0 in the Champions League last night against Paris Saint-Germain,” says Alexa as it attempts to break the news gently to an awaiting Blues fan. Such is the injection of personality and understanding that Amazon hopes will lead to Britons re-engaging with their millions of Alexa devices, restoring it to the cutting edge of voice assistants rather than resigned to being a glorified egg timer.After its early access launch last year in the US, the long-awaited generative AI upgrade Alexa+ is finally making its debut in the UK, supporting eight years of existing devices strewn through more than half of UK households. With the UK being Amazon’s most engaged market and more than 40 accents to contend with across the UK and Ireland, the “next-generation ambient AI assistant” has its work cut out for it. Continue reading...

Experts say attacks on Afghanistan are ‘defensive, not offensive’ but carry a risk of spiralling cycle of violenceAn escalating Pakistani campaign of airstrikes against targets in Afghanistan is aimed at forcing the Taliban authorities to abandon their support for Pakistani militants, according to officials and experts.The strategy is to impose such a steep cost on the Taliban administration that they act to prevent attacks emanating from Afghanistan. Yet it carries the risk of spiralling violence. Continue reading...

• West Texas Intermediate crude topped $100 per barrel for the first time since 2022 in early Monday trading, while Brent held above $102, driven by ongoing Middle East conflict in the Strait of Hormuz entering its third week. • Several tankers successfully transited the waterway over the weekend, lifting market sentiment; however, WTI pulled back to $95 by late trading, down over 3%, as President Trump pressured NATO allies to help break Iran's blockade. • The Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq rose as investors weighed the dual impact of potential Hormuz reopening against inflation concerns; Federal Reserve officials begin a two-day policy meeting this week amid uncertainty over rate path decisions.