Nation

• Nepal’s opposition parties moved in Kathmandu to block all eight ordinances introduced by the government, escalating political and legal pressure on the ruling side. • The article says the fight centers on measures pushed by the government and now facing an organized effort in the National Assembly to strike them down. • The dispute matters because ordinances are a fast-track tool, and rejecting them would weaken the government’s ability to govern by decree and could deepen parliamentary gridlock.

Home affairs minister Tony Burke says listing will stop group from organising and meeting, and may prevent more ‘horrific bigoted rallies’The government has banned neo-nazi group, National Socialist Network, also known as White Australia, as prohibited hate group, under legislation passed in the wake of the Bondi terror attacks.The listing will mean that activities including supporting, funding, training, recruiting and joining the group will constitute a criminal offence with a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. Continue reading...

Butterfly Conservation poll is open until 7 June with choice of 60 species from small tortoiseshells to purple emperorsWill it be the rapidly disappearing former garden favourite, the small tortoiseshell? Or the poet John Masefield’s “oakwood haunting thing”, the charismatic purple emperor? Or perhaps the brimstone, the ultimate harbinger of spring?The question of which is Britain’s favourite butterfly is being put to a popular vote for the first time. The charity Butterfly Conservation is running the poll, which runs until 7 June, giving people the chance to choose their favourite from the 60 species that fly around Britain every summer. Continue reading...

• Adelaide United beat Adelaide Olympic 1-0 at VALO Football Centre to move into the last eight of the national cup. • Football Australia said the win was the club’s fourth straight quarter-final appearance, extending its record in the competition. • The milestone matters because cup runs can shape club momentum, revenue and qualification pathways in Australian football.

State-sponsored march through Muslim quarter of Old City saw protesters waving flags and chanting ‘Death to Arabs’ on anniversary of city’s annexationIsraeli nationalist demonstrators chanted “Death to the Arabs”, “May your villages burn” and “Gaza is a graveyard” in a state-sponsored march through Jerusalem to mark the anniversary of the city’s capture and annexation.The annual assertion of Jewish control over Palestinian east Jerusalem has grown more extreme in recent years, and Thursday’s event culminated with the national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, unfurling an Israeli flag in front of the al-Aqsa mosque, the holiest Islamic site in the city. Continue reading...

Jim Chalmers’ budget tips the scales in favour of younger and less well-off households – but it’s middle-class gen X that are turning to the rightwing partyExplore all of our 2026 Australia federal budget coverageLabor’s fifth budget will do what it says on the tin: it will benefit the young and the poor at the expense of the older and the rich.This is the most obvious takeaway from distributional analysis conducted by Ben Phillips, an associate professor at the ANU’s Centre for Social Policy Research. Continue reading...

A National Portrait for the National Portrait Gallery aims to bring people together in increasingly atomised countryCan a collective portrait of Britain hold together a country that feels as if it is splintering apart? That is the quietly radical hope behind Es Devlin’s new installation at the National Portrait Gallery: a living portrait comprised not of monarchs, politicians or celebrities but of thousands of ordinary faces drifting slowly into and out of one another.Created in collaboration with Google Arts & Culture Lab, A National Portrait for the National Portrait Gallery invites people across the UK to upload a selfie, which is then transformed into a portrait rendered in Devlin’s smoky charcoal-and-chalk style before joining a constantly evolving and revolving carousel of portraits projected on to a framed screen. Continue reading...

Reform UK leader records video with Essex pastor to support his battle against council banning orderNigel Farage has been criticised for giving his full support to a Christian church leader who preached that homosexuality was an “abomination” and would lead to eternity in hell.The Reform UK leader recorded a video with Stephen Clayden after Colchester council applied for a banning order to limit his street preaching. Continue reading...

• Ukrainian military forces captured an Indian man fighting as a combatant for Russian forces during ongoing conflict operations. • The capture highlights the international dimension of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with foreign nationals recruited to fight for Russian military interests. • The incident raises questions about recruitment practices and international volunteer involvement in the prolonged conflict.

Lineup to include pastor who called Democratic platform ‘demonic’, Christian author who said he would die in fight to overturn 2020 election and rabbi who has defended tortureThe defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, will this weekend headline a faith rally on the National Mall in Washington DC hosted by a private foundation operating in partnership with the White House, which includes some speakers that experts have characterized as Christian nationalist or extremist.Rededicate 250, billed as the faith-based component of America’s semiquincentennial, features speakers including a Detroit pastor who has called the Democratic platform “demonic” and launched his own memecoin after praying at Trump’s second inauguration; a rabbi who has defended the use of torture and authored an essay titled “The Virtue of Hate”; and a Christian author and radio host who said in 2020 he would die in the fight to keep Joe Biden out of the White House and was later named in a defamation suit over 2020 election fraud claims. Continue reading...

Queenslander under pressure after YouTube interview where he said he was ‘not ruling it out’ but ‘I don’t have the facts yet’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne Nation senator Malcolm Roberts has caused further confusion in comments about the Bondi beach antisemitic terror attack, clarifying that he thought it was an “absurd proposition” to call the shooting a “false flag” but standing by his claim that he didn’t have “data” to rule it out.Roberts, Pauline Hanson’s fellow senator from Queensland, was interviewed on a YouTube channel, with the clip posted earlier this month. At one point in the 23-minute clip, social media creator Lisa Jane Spencer asked “do you think that Bondi was a false flag?” Continue reading...

Legal and child advocates have criticised the changes, which include eroding the Aboriginal child placement principle, as ‘dangerous, ignorant and wrong’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Northern Territory government is removing a protection introduced to avoid a repeat of the Stolen Generation as part of sweeping reforms to the child protection system.The draft legislation was revealed alongside details of a major review into the Territory’s child protection system, announced in the wake of the high-profile death of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby in Alice Springs. Continue reading...

• The Skechers International Pickleball Tournament attracted a record 1,282 entries across Asia. • The event concluded successfully, marking a significant milestone for the sport's growth in the region. • Competitors from various Asian countries participated, highlighting pickleball's rising popularity.

• China officially launched a global artificial intelligence education service platform on May 12, 2026, to broaden international access to digital learning resources. • The platform integrates AI-driven tools for personalized learning, multilingual content delivery, and interactive modules supporting over 100 languages. • This initiative strengthens China's soft power in education technology amid intensifying global competition in AI applications for Southeast and East Asian markets.

NDIS changes foreshadowed by health minister Mark Butler will drastically reduce access to the scheme, with nearly 700 staff positions to go at NDIAFederal budget 2026 LIVE updates: Australia government budget announcement and speech – latest newsExplore all of our 2026 Australia federal budget coverageGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe government expects to recoup $36.2bn by curbing the national disability insurance scheme’s growth over the next four years as it looks to return to the NDIS’s “original purpose” of supporting people with “significant and permanent disability”.The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said the budget’s savings package amounted to genuine economic reform, beyond the “usual nips and tucks”. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer’s plan for full state ownership marks latest chapter in Scunthorpe plant’s troubled historyFull nationalisation of British Steel expected in king’s speechNils Pratley: More questions than answers on the futureFour queens – blast furnaces named after Anne, Bess (Elizabeth), Victoria and Mary – loom over the British Steel works at Scunthorpe. Within days the queens could be under public ownership, after Keir Starmer on Monday promised legislation to nationalise the plant.“Strong nations in a world like this need to make steel,” Starmer said on Monday in a speech. The prime minister was hoping decisive action would fend off challenges to his leadership. Continue reading...

Farrer win casts shadow over budget as government signals it’s alive to populist rightwing threat Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne Nation has cast a shadow over the federal budget and influenced decisions to reform negative gearing and taxes, with Jim Chalmers admitting many Australians are feeling economic anxieties that are “driving them to consider” rightwing populist parties.The treasurer and Anthony Albanese have conceded that many people are locked out of the housing market and that the problem is getting worse, not better, under Labor. With Pauline Hanson’s party winning a historic byelection in Farrer – its first lower house seat win in its 30-year history – the government was alive to the threat of a populist wave of grievance similar to those in the United States, Britain and Europe. Continue reading...

• The National Endowment for Democracy has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over frozen or withheld federal funds that were previously approved by Congress. • This lawsuit is one of dozens filed against the administration by organizations challenging the administration's decision to freeze congressionally allocated funds. • The legal action highlights tensions between the executive branch's spending authority and Congressional budget appropriations authority.

• On April 24, 2026, the White House dismissed all 22 members of the National Science Board, the oversight body for the U.S. National Science Foundation that funds research nationwide. • The NSF supports science and engineering across all 50 states and territories, with the board providing independent guidance on grants totaling billions annually. • The purge raises alarms about politicization of federal science funding, potentially disrupting peer-reviewed research in physics, biology, and engineering that drives U.S. innovation.

Exclusive: state is now without caps on political donations or disclosure requirements, months out from November electionGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast“Unlimited dark money” will keep flooding into Victorian politics after Labor failed to reach agreement with the Liberals or the Greens about donation reforms the Allan government vowed to fast-track through parliament.Victoria is now without caps on political donations or disclosure requirements, months out from the November election after the high court struck down the state’s donation laws last month. Continue reading...

Airport reports 5% decline but transit passenger business rises as fliers use hub to avoid Middle East airportsBusiness live – news updatesThe number of passengers flying from London Heathrow fell last month, as war in the Middle East weighed on demand for international travel.About 6.7 million people flew through the airport in April, a 5% drop compared with the same period last year. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: ​The outbreak aboard a luxury cruise ship​ offers a stark reminder of how easily a deadly pathogen can hitch a ride across borders​, and how fragile global preparedness remainsGood morning. This is Michael Segalov – as of today, I’ll be popping up into your inboxes from time to time.There’ll be no shortage of infighting, intrigue and briefing in Westminster this week, as the dust settles on the government’s disastrous election results. We’ll be bringing you the latest on backbench MP Catherine West’s (likely futile) attempt to topple Keir Starmer, alongside the rest of the fallout.UK politics | Keir Starmer faces a fight for his political life in the next 24 hours as potential Labour leadership rivals from Wes Streeting to Angela Rayner position themselves for a contest.Iran conflict | Donald Trump has rejected an Iranian response to a US peace proposal as “totally unacceptable”, on a day the ceasefire showed signs of fraying as drone strikes were reported around the region and Benjamin Netanyahu warned the war was “not over”.UK news | Labour has accused Nigel Farage of attempting to dodge scrutiny as the Reform leader continued to face questions over the £5m gift he received from a crypto billionaire shortly before the last general election.Business | The full nationalisation of British Steel is expected to be announced in the king’s speech this week, a year after the government took over the daily running of the loss-making business from its Chinese owner.Health news | Experts have called for a four-day week in the UK as research suggests those who work longer hours are more likely to be obese. Continue reading...

Liberal frontbencher says he has ‘no interest’ in forming a coalition with Pauline Hanson’s party – a day after suggesting he might be open to itFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe shadow treasurer, Tim Wilson, has said he would “never, ever, ever” support a coalition government with One Nation, walking back previous comments that left the door open to such an arrangement.Urging the Liberals to “get on with” setting out what they stand for, Wilson joined other senior party figures in rejecting any partnership with the rightwing populist party. Continue reading...

Four Australian citizens and one permanent resident from the MV Hondius to fly home via Perth on TuesdayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia will repatriate four citizens and one permanent resident from the MV Hondius, the ship at the centre of the hantavirus outbreak, on a charter flight due to land in Perth on Tuesday.The ship, carrying 146 people, arrived at Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands, on Sunday morning after three people died of the virus and eight others became ill. Passengers and crew were confined to their cabins to help stop the spread of the virus. Continue reading...

Zsolt Hegedűs’s celebrations since the election of Péter Magyar have sparked joy across the countryAs Hungary’s Péter Magyar took office, ousting Viktor Orbán after 16 years in power, the daylong event on Saturday was laced with symbolism, from the return of the EU flag to parliament to the ringing out of the European anthem, Ode to Joy.But it was the 56-year-old tipped to be the new health minister – and more specifically, his dance moves – that may have become the most potent symbol of Hungary’s new political era. Continue reading...

Officials reportedly drafting legislation likely to safeguard Britain’s last blast furnaces and save thousands of jobs The full nationalisation of British Steel is expected to be announced in the King’s speech this week, a year after the government took over the daily running of the loss-making business from its Chinese owner.The steelmaker, which employs 3,500 people at its plant in Scunthorpe, came under government control last April amid fears that its owner Jingye was planning to shut down the site. Continue reading...

• WESCO International reported Q1 2026 sales of $6,080.1 million and net income of $153.8 million, both higher than the prior year. • Basic earnings per share from continuing operations increased to $3.16, demonstrating stronger profitability. • The results signal robust demand in capital goods distribution, potentially boosting sector confidence amid economic recovery signals.