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Groups say supreme court justice, who owns oil stocks, may be violating ethics codes by participating in certain casesSupreme court justice Samuel Alito, who owns stock in oil companies, may be violating court ethics codes by participating in certain cases that could benefit big oil, government watchdog groups say.In a Thursday letter, a coalition of watchdog organizations called on the Senate judiciary committee to investigate Alito, the sole supreme court justice with holdings in energy companies. Continue reading...

• Asia has emerged as the new center of the global AI boom, surpassing Silicon Valley, fueled by surging demand for AI chips that propelled Asian tech stocks higher. • The AI-driven rally boosted South Korea's Kospi to a fresh record close of 7,981.41, up 1.8%, supported by technology shares amid robust corporate results in Japan. • Investors monitored U.S. approvals for around 10 Chinese firms, including Alibaba and Tencent, to purchase Nvidia AI chips, highlighted during Trump’s China visit with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.

Human rights experts make rare public appeal as US deportees describe being held in ‘prison-like’ conditionsHuman rights experts at the United Nations issued a rare public appeal to Equatorial Guinea, urging the West African country to halt its plans to return US deportees to their home countries where they face political violence, torture and death.The statement, cosigned by a representative of the African Commission on Human and People’s rights, adds diplomatic pressure on Equatorial Guinea, one of the world’s most repressive regimes, to comply with international human rights standards and avoid refoulement, or the expulsion of people to countries where they face persecution. Continue reading...

• Major tech companies are investing trillions of dollars in infrastructure to develop and run generative AI models, showing signs of a speculative bubble, warns a new Open Markets Institute report by fellow Matthew Sherer. • The report identifies hallmarks of dangerous financial bubbles in the AI boom and calls on policymakers to resist future bailout demands for failing firms. • With trillions at stake, the analysis emphasizes proactive policies to protect the economy from AI sector collapse without taxpayer-funded rescues.

Exclusive: In letter seen by the Guardian, 30 members of Congress warn US president’s Cuba military operation would worsen ‘mass suffering’US politics live – latest updatesMore than 30 members of Congress have urged Donald Trump’s top officials to end the use of the Guantánamo Bay naval base for immigrant detention and rule out any plans for military action on Cuba.In the letter to the secretaries of defense, state and homeland security on Wednesday morning, reviewed by the Guardian, Democratic lawmakers led by Delia Ramirez, a representative from Illinois, linked a rise in migration from the island nation to the heightening US aggression on Cuba. Continue reading...

Party held out prospect of act while in opposition but plan did not make it into election manifestoMinisters should bring forward a new clean air act that would ban wood burning, clear diesel vehicles from the roads and force councils to cut pollution, a group of more than 60 charities have urged before the king’s speech on Wednesday.Labour held out the prospect of a clean air act while in opposition in 2023, but this was dropped from the final election manifesto, and the government has made no move to reinstate it. Continue reading...

• U.S. stock markets declined Tuesday with the S&P 500 falling 0.9% from record highs as technology stocks weakened and oil prices continued rising amid uncertainty over the Iran conflict. • Benchmark U.S. crude jumped $3.43 to $101.50 per barrel, while Brent crude climbed $3.62 to $107.83 per barrel, as President Trump said the U.S.-Iran ceasefire was on "life support" after rejecting Iran's latest peace proposal. • Brent crude has surged 50% from pre-war levels around $70, contributing to inflation pressures globally and straining U.S. households through higher gasoline and goods prices tied to new tariffs.

• Penguins face critical juncture in playoffs, with Madden Monday analysis warning against letting Evgeni Malkin's form slip on May 12, 2026. • Team recalibrates after Aaron Rodgers speculation and recent results. • Veteran leadership from Malkin remains pivotal for postseason success.

The Republican congresswoman says she did not condone radio host’s languageUS politics live – latest updatesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailJen Kiggans, a Republican congresswoman, has faced calls from Democrats to resign for agreeing with a radio host after he said top US House Democrat, Hakeem Jeffries, should get his “cotton-picking hands off of Virginia”.Kiggans, who represents Virginia’s second US House district, has said she was agreeing with the host that Jeffries – who is the first Black American to lead a party in Congress – should stay out of Virginia politics. She also said she did not condone the host’s language, which multiple Democrats criticized as racist. Continue reading...

Soft-left Tribune group issues thinly disguised attack on Keir Starmer, calling for bold policy renewalBusiness live – latest updatesUK politics live – latest updatesAn influential group of MPs has said that Labour needs an urgent renewal of economic strategy to offer voters “more than better management of decline” before the next general election.With Keir Starmer fighting to ward off a leadership challenge, the leading backbenchers from the soft-left Tribune group published a series of essays calling for bolder action to salvage its remaining time in power. Continue reading...

PM on the brink with Yvette Cooper and Shabana Mahmood believed to be among those urging him to set out a timetable for departureStarmer on the brink as cabinet ministers urge him to quitGood morning. “Stories beat spreadsheets,” Keir Starmer declared in his speech yesterday. But yesterday was a day when the spreadsheets had the upper hand. Most news organisations were using them to keep a track of Labour MPs who were coming out and calling for Starmer’s resignation and, after his speech in the morning, the numbers started to escalate. Here is the LabourList one; by the end of last night they were on 77.The sort of names on the spreadsheets changed too. Initially it was mostly leftwingers calling for the PM to go, with the Andy Burnham supporters stressing the need for a timetable for an orderly transition (ie – a slow process, allowing Burnham to win a byelection before a leadership contest). But in the afternoon government loyalists, and some prominent Wes Streeting supporters, started speaking out. And by early evening parliamentary private secretaries (technically, people on the government “payroll”) were joining in too.The Guardian understands that two senior cabinet ministers – Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, and Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary – told the prime minister he should oversee an orderly transition of power after crushing election defeats risked ringing the death knell on his premiership.At least two others – believed to be John Healey and David Lammy – discussed with Starmer how they should take a “responsible, dignified, orderly” approach to what might follow. Several others – including Richard Hermer and Steve Reed – were defiant, urging him to fight on. Continue reading...

More than 100 figures sign open letter criticising closure, just months after MA was launchedMore than 100 academics, writers and activists from around the world have signed an open letter condemning plans to close an MA in Black studies and global justice at Birmingham City University (BCU), just months after it was first launched.The move follows the controversial closure of BCU’s undergraduate course in Black studies in 2024, and has prompted warnings that Black studies are being erased from UK higher education. Continue reading...

• 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...

• iShares MSCI South Korea ETF and iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF have risen 239% and 96% respectively over the past 12 months amid AI mania. • South Korea's KOSPI index hit a record 7,899.32 on Monday with a 4% surge, while Taiwan's TAIEX closed above 42,000 for the first time last week. • Goldman Sachs forecasts South Korea's GDP growth at 2.5% in 2026 with AI-related exports tripling to nearly 30% of GDP; Taiwan's GDP expected to accelerate to 10% with similar export rises.

Backbencher says Keir Starmer’s speech was ‘too little, too late’ but stops short of standing herselfWho are the main threats to Keir Starmer’s Labour leadership?Catherine West, the Labour MP who announced a challenge to Keir Starmer’s leadership, has changed course and said she instead wants the prime minister to set a timetable of September for his departure.West, the MP for Hornsey and Friern Barnet and a former Foreign Office minister, announced on Saturday that she would seek the gather the 81 Labour MPs’ names needed to formally challenge Starmer, while arguing that this was just a device to tempt others to stand, and that she did not wish to take over. Continue reading...

• Akamai Technologies announced a major cloud infrastructure services contract worth $1.8 billion over seven years with a leading frontier AI model provider, identified by Bloomberg as Anthropic. • The company's stock posted its best weekly performance since April 2013, gaining 42% for the week including a 27% jump on Friday to reach a record high. • Akamai provides cloud computing, cybersecurity, and content delivery services critical for accelerating websites, apps, and AI workloads amid surging demand for compute infrastructure.

Members of minority communities in Birmingham and elsewhere fear results could lead to rise in hostile rhetoricConceding defeat at the election count at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena on Friday, the outgoing Labour leader of the city council, John Cotton, made a plea. “What I would encourage the next administration in this city to do, whatever form that administration takes, is that it ensures it champions the diversity of this city,” he said.Labour’s 14-year rule of the local authority had come to a crashing end, with Reform emerging as the largest party with 22 councillors so far, followed by the Greens on 19, albeit both parties a long way off the 51 needed for a majority. Continue reading...

• Chenbro Micom, a Taiwan-based tech firm, posted Q1 2026 sales of TWD 7.1 billion, up 70% year-over-year, with net income doubling to TWD 1.34 billion. • The company achieved annual revenue growth of 31.1% and earnings growth of 32.7%, outperforming industry averages amid Asia's tech momentum. • This performance highlights Chenbro's strong positioning in high-tech sectors like server components, bolstered by resilient Asian demand.

• Singapore's Straits Times Index gained 0.3% on May 7 to 4,941.96, led by Venture Corp's 10.9% rise to $18.28, before dipping 0.4% to 4,921.90 on May 8. • The movement reflects selective strength in tech amid broader Asia market caution. • Venture's gains highlight investor confidence in Singapore electronics manufacturing resilience.

• U.S. IPO deal count increased 36% quarter-over-quarter and 78% year-over-year in Q1 2026, with transaction values up 91% from Q1 2025 but flat from Q4 2025. • Top 10 IPOs totaled over $6 billion, led by Forgent Power Solutions at $1.74 billion in industrials, followed by Janus Living at $966 million in real estate. • Healthcare dominated with 40% of top IPO volume including Minimed Group, Generate Biomedicines, Eikon Therapeutics, and Aktis Oncology; industrials claimed three spots.

• Allison Transmission posted an 84% revenue surge in Q1 2026, primarily fueled by a recent acquisition amid macroeconomic uncertainty. • The company reaffirmed its full-year 2026 guidance issued on February 23, factoring in Q1 results and geopolitical risks. • This performance underscores acquisition-driven growth in the transmission sector, with implications for industrial suppliers.

Scottish Labour leader says he aims to hold SNP to account after his party tied for second with Reform in electionsUK politics live – latest updatesThe Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, has warned other Scottish political leaders not to spend the next Holyrood parliament “shouting about Nigel Farage”, saying his job is to ensure there is a credible opposition at Holyrood “that holds the SNP’s feet to the fire”.While the Scottish National party won a fifth successive Holyrood victory and ended up with 58 MSPs, Labour had its worst result since devolution in 1999, tying for second place with Reform UK as both parties secured 17 MSPs. Continue reading...

SS and Glass Lewis back shareholder resolution amid fears over power wielded by Jamie Dimon, who holds both rolesInvestors in JP Morgan have been urged to vote in favour of splitting the role of chief executive and chair at America’s largest bank, amid concerns over the power wielded by its billionaire boss Jamie Dimon.ISS and Glass Lewis, which issue advice to some of the world’s biggest fund managers on how to vote at annual investor meetings, have thrown their weight behind a shareholder resolution that would ensure two separate people hold the office of chair and chief executive “as soon as possible”. Investors are due to vote on the resolution at the bank’s annual general meeting on 19 May. Continue reading...

• Soybean farmers Scott Gaffner from Illinois and Cordt Holub from Iowa pleaded with President Trump to finalize a soybean deal at his upcoming China summit. • They highlighted impacts of high diesel prices and market uncertainty on US agriculture amid trade tensions. • The appeal comes as Trump prepares to meet Xi Jinping, seeking to stabilize farm exports critical to rural economies.

Former Liberal party leader resigned as member for Farrer after she was dumped as opposition leader. Follow updates liveThe upcoming federal budget will include an extra $2bn over four years to fund infrastructure like roads, water, power and sewerage that will help build up to 65,000 new homes, the Albanese government announced on Saturday night.The new funding, to be formally announced on Tuesday, will help fund necessary infrastructure to finish housing projects that would otherwise face expensive hurdles. It will be provided to local governments and state utility providers, and a quarter of those funds, some $500m, will be reserved exclusively for regional Australia.Building more homes is a big focus of this Budget and a big focus of the Albanese Government. …Right now, it’s too hard for too many Australians to get into their own home and get ahead and that’s why we’re investing in supply. Our housing plan is pro-aspiration and it’s pro-investment.We are considering options for the safe repatriation of the four Australians and permanent resident. Our priority is the safety of the community. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer set to face challenge as former minister says she will trigger race if no cabinet minister comes forwardUK politics live – latest updatesMPs from Labour’s left are expected to urge Ed Miliband to consider a leadership bid in the coming days, as Keir Starmer faced the prospect of a definite challenge from his MPs next week.Following grim results for Labour in elections on Thursday, former minister Catherine West said that if no cabinet ministers went public by Monday, she would launch a bid to end the impasse. Continue reading...

• Pop Mart [HKG: 9992] shares jumped 7% in Hong Kong trading after billionaire investor Duan Yongping announced on social media he had swapped all his coal holdings, including China Shenhua Energy, for the toymaker's stock. • The move signals confidence in Pop Mart's business model and reflects a broader shift among major investors away from traditional energy sectors toward consumer discretionary stocks. • The swap demonstrates continued investor appetite for Chinese consumer-focused companies despite macroeconomic headwinds and regulatory scrutiny in the technology and finance sectors.