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• I funzionari di Hong Kong hanno dato risalto alle partnership per l'innovazione e allo sviluppo dell'AI durante una visita in Svezia, ricercando una più profonda collaborazione internazionale. • Le aree di interesse includono l'intelligenza artificiale e le scienze della vita per rafforzare la posizione di Hong Kong come hub globale di I&T. • Il viaggio sottolinea l'espansione dei legami transfrontalieri di fronte alla crescente domanda di soluzioni tecnologiche avanzate nell'Asia orientale.

• I repubblicani stanno perseguendo aggressivamente l'ottenimento di seggi extra alla Camera attraverso il ridisegno dei collegi, ma la strategia potrebbe rivelarsi contro in modo significativo. • Questa spinta rischia di energizzare i democratici e di alienare nuovi elettori chiave, portando potenzialmente a perdite nette invece che a guadagni. • Ciò assume importanza nel contesto delle battaglie di metà mandato, poiché potrebbe minare il controllo del GOP sulla Camera nonostante le mappe favorevoli in alcuni stati.

• Kevin González, diciottoenne affetto da cancro al colon terminale, è morto poco dopo essersi riunito con i suoi genitori in Messico. • Un adolescente nato a Chicago, che aveva chiesto la liberazione dei genitori dalla custodia delle autorità immigratori statunitensi mentre combatteva contro un cancro terminale, è deceduto poco dopo averli raggiunti in Messico, come riferito dalla famiglia ai media. • I genitori del diciottenne Kevin González erano stati presi in custodia dall'Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Arizona a metà aprile, dopo aver attraversato il confine statunitense dal Messico senza permesso nel tentativo di raggiungerlo a Chicago a causa del suo peggioramento fisico.

• L'Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) si è impegnata ad adottare un approccio di tolleranza zero verso il commercio illecito di stupefacenti nell'ambito di sforzi più ampi per stabilire una regione priva di droga in tutto il Sud-est asiatico. • L'impegno è stato annunciato durante il 48° Summit ASEAN a Cebu, nelle Filippine, riflettendo una politica regionale unificata contro il traffico e il consumo di sostanze narcotiche. • L'iniziativa per una regione priva di droga rappresenta un significativo sforzo coordinato tra gli stati membri dell'ASEAN, tra cui Indonesia, Myanmar, Filippine, Singapore, Thailandia e Vietnam, per combattere le reti della criminalità organizzata e ridurre l'abuso di sostanze.

• Dispute immobiliari, sviluppatori predatori e l'innalzamento del livello del mare stanno mettendo a rischio questa storica comunità nera

• ByteDance ha annunciato un aumento del 25% della spesa per l'infrastruttura di intelligenza artificiale per il 2026, come parte di una importante spinta strategica per rafforzare la propria posizione competitiva nel settore dell'IA. • L'incremento degli investimenti riflette l'impegno di ByteDance nel ridimensionare le risorse di calcolo, i data center e le capacità di sviluppo dell'IA per supportare le sue piattaforme esistenti e i prodotti IA emergenti. • L'aumento della spesa posiziona ByteDance accanto ad altre grandi aziende tecnologiche cinesi nell'accelerare gli investimenti in IA, in un contesto di intensificazione della concorrenza globale con le società tecnologiche statunitensi.

• Il Presidente Trump ha dichiarato l'8 maggio 2026 di sperare che l'incontro di venerdì porti a un secondo colloquio che coinvolga Volodymyr Zelenskyy dell'Ucraina. • Trump ha moderato le aspettative per questa iniziativa diplomatica, in vista delle tensioni persistenti nel conflitto Russia-Ucraina. • L'iniziativa sottolinea gli sforzi degli Stati Uniti per mediare la pace, alterando potenzialmente le dinamiche della sicurezza europea e l'allocazione degli aiuti.

• La senatrice Lisa Murkowski sta guidando un effort bipartisan nel Senato per istituire una commissione indipendente di redistribuzione dei collegi a livello federale, con l'obiettivo di ridurre il gerrymandering partitico nelle elezioni congressuali. • La legislazione proposta richiederebbe agli stati di utilizzare commissioni indipendenti anziché assemblee legislative partitiche per disegnare i collegi della Camera, concentrandosi sull'aumento delle gare competitive e della rappresentanza degli elettori. • I sostenitori affermano che il disegno di legge potrebbe rimodellare il potere politico negli stati fortemente divisi, mentre gli oppositori avvertono che potrebbe violare l'autorità statale sulle elezioni.

Dopo due anni in parlamento, il leader di Reform UK ha incassato 2 milioni di sterline in aggiunta al suo stipendio alla Camera dei Comuni. L'analisi mostra che il reddito di Nigel Farage da quando è stato eletto MP ha raggiunto i 2 milioni di sterline.

US secretary of state says US is better off than other countries hit by disruption in oil suppliesMarco Rubio has argued the US is in a “very fortunate” position as fuel prices continue to climb nationwide amid disruption sparked by the US-Israel war on Iran.With average US fuel prices now approaching $4.50 a gallon – their highest level in four years – the US secretary of state was asked on Tuesday how long Americans should accept them at such levels. Continue reading...

Authorities investigate leak of 2.9 million voters’ details, adding to turmoil around independence pushAlberta separatists have delivered more than 300,000 signatures to elections officials in western Canada, in support of their attempt to force an independence referendum in Canada’s oil-rich province.But the effort stumbled immediately as a separatist-linked group posted the personal data of nearly three million residents online in one of the largest data breaches in Canadian history, fomenting fears of a possible political interference crisis. Continue reading...

Sightline Intelligence sent AI-supported tool to company that provides drones to Israeli military, research group saysAnti-war activists in Portland, Oregon, are pushing city authorities to ensure no local resources, tax breaks or investments support a local company that appears to be supplying artificial intelligence software to the Israeli military.The company, Sightline Intelligence, manufactures AI-supported video technology that is used in drones to interpret target movements and make quick decisions based on the perceived threat level. Cargo documents appear to show Sightline has shipped its technology to Elbit Systems, an Israeli arms manufacturer that provides drones to that country’s military and exports to others. The activists argue that such sales violate the UN’s arms agreements. Continue reading...

US says it has destroyed six small Iranian military boats – which Tehran denies – while Iran launched barrage of attacks on US-allied United Arab EmiratesDonald Trump sends warships to break Iran’s strait of Hormuz blockadeWe are restarting our live coverage of the US-Israeli war on Iran. The US and Iran launched new attacks in the Gulf on Monday as they wrestled for control over the strait of Hormuz amid dual maritime blockades, taking the region back to the brink of full-scale war.The fresh volleys of missiles and drones came after Donald Trump launched a new effort to get stranded tankers and other ships through the vital energy and trade route that has been virtually shut since the US-Israeli war against Iran began in late February.Trump warned that Iran’s forces would be “blown off the face of the earth” if they attacked US vessels trying to reopen a route through the strait. The president announced the US operation – called Project Freedom – on Monday to help hundreds of ships trapped in the Gulf.Centcom chief Adm Brad Cooper declined to say whether he thought the ceasefire with Tehran that begun on 8 April remained in effect amid Iranian attacks in the region but acknowledged Iran’s Revolutionary Guards tried to “interfere” with Trump’s operation.Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said Monday’s events showed there was no military solution to the crisis. He said peace talks were progressing with Pakistan’s mediation and warned the US and the UAE against being drawn into a “quagmire by ill-wishers”.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Monday that no commercial vessels had crossed the strait in the past few hours, and that US claims to the contrary were false. Iranian state media also denied reports the US had sunk Iranian vessels.The UK and Saudi Arabia both called for de-escalation after Iran’s attacks on the UAE – the first on the US ally since Washington’s ceasefire with Tehran took effect about a month ago.In Oman, two people were injured by an attack on a residential building in Bukha, on the Hormuz strait’s coastline, an Omani state news agency reported.A fire on a South Korean-operated vessel that had an explosion in the Hormuz strait has been extinguished, ship operator HMM said. South Korea’s foreign ministry said all 24 crew on the HMM Namu – including six South Koreans – were unharmed. Trump blamed an Iranian attack.International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva warned that inflation was already picking up and the global economy could face a “much worse outcome” if the war dragged into 2027 and oil prices hit about $125 a barrel. Continue reading...

Foreign minister Penny Wong visits Fiji this week to progress the security and economic agreement Australia looks close to signing a landmark security and economic agreement with Fiji, part of the Albanese government’s efforts to contain China’s growing influence across the Pacific.But, pushback from Beijing has undermined a separate deal with Vanuatu’s government, resulting in a scaling back of a deal aimed at locking in Australia as the country’s primary security partner. Continue reading...

Japanese leader Sanae Takaichi has called for discussions to revise the constitution, saying it should ‘reflect the demands of the times’Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has called for “advanced discussions” on revising the pacifist constitution, as large demonstrations were held nationwide to oppose any changes to the country’s supreme law.Speaking during an official visit to Vietnam, Takaichi said the constitution, which was written by US occupation forces after the second world war, “should periodically be updated to reflect the demands of the times”. Continue reading...

• A new POLITICO‑Citrin Center‑Possibility Lab survey released Friday shows that strong majorities of both Republicans and Democrats favor an independent commission to draw U.S. House district lines, weakening arguments against ending partisan gerrymandering. • The Trump administration is weighing proposals to codify independent redistricting panels by tying federal funds to states that adopt such commissions, a strategy that could reshape battleground districts in 2026 and beyond. • Civil‑rights groups and voting advocates cheered the poll findings, arguing that independent commissions would reduce partisan manipulation of maps that currently skew toward both parties.

NAHT leader says schools watchdog for England does not raise standards, amid opposition to ‘Nando’s-style’ scoringSchool leaders are being pressurised “to the point of destruction”, the head of a teaching union has said, as he put the education establishment “on notice”.During a speech to the union’s annual conference in Belfast, Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), outlined his criticisms of Ofsted, the schools watchdog for England. . Continue reading...

Colombia hosted nearly 60 countries at pivotal time on world stage for fight to transition to a clean energy futureLooking out to sea from the grey sandy beaches of Santa Marta, on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, it is never hard to spot evidence of the country’s thriving fossil fuel export trade. Oil tankers ride at anchor on the horizon, and sometimes, locals say, lumps of coal wash up on the shore, blown off the collier ships that carry cargos from the nearby mines.It was here, on Wednesday evening, that the Colombian government took a bold step to shift its economy – and that of the rest of the world – away from dependence on coal, gas and oil and into a new era of clean energy. With the first ever conference on “transitioning away from fossil fuels”, the host joined nearly 60 countries determined to loosen of the grip of petrostates on the world’s future. Continue reading...

Ed Davey attacks Reform calling it ‘Maga franchise’ and says Elon Musk funnels far-right ideas into UK via XUK politics live – latest updatesThe Liberal Democrats are pushing for a ban on MPs accepting payments from X as part of a proposed wider crackdown on what Ed Davey will call a “serious threat” to UK democracy from Donald Trump’s US and other countries.Announcing the plan on Tuesday, the Lib Dem leader renewed his attacks on Reform UK – a series of whose MPs have taken money from X – calling it “a franchise of Maga politics” rather than a British political entity. Continue reading...

Peers and campaigners say proposal for three-year window to impose controls breaks promise of quick actionPeers will vote on Monday on a government move that could delay action on children’s access to social media for up to three years, which has triggered a backlash from campaigners and senior figures in the Lords.Ministers tabled an amendment to the children’s wellbeing and schools bill that would allow them to wait before introducing new restrictions, Critics warn it risks watering down earlier commitments to act within months and could result in only limited interventions such as parental controls rather than sweeping measures on access. Continue reading...

• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is urging the state House to approve a revived AI Bill of Rights before a special session, following Senate passage of sweeping AI restrictions. • The legislation would remove from office local officials violating the rules and prohibit companion chatbots from interacting with minors without parental consent. • This move addresses rising concerns over AI safety, governance, and potential misuse in public and private sectors amid generative AI's rapid adoption.

• Northland analysts have initiated a buy rating on USA Rare Earth as the U.S. pursues rare earth independence from China. • The move reflects broader geopolitical efforts to establish domestic supply chains for critical materials essential to technology and defense sectors. • Rare earth elements are vital for electronics, renewable energy, and military applications, making supply chain security a strategic priority.

Justice department has already identified 384 foreign-born people whose US citizenship it wants to revokeThe Trump administration is reportedly pushing the justice department to pursue hundreds of denaturalization cases, in which Americans born outside of the US are stripped of their citizenship.The justice department has already identified 384 foreign-born US citizens, whose citizenship it wants to revoke and will begin the process in the coming weeks, according to the New York Times. Continue reading...

• House Republicans openly questioned President Donald Trump's mid-decade redistricting strategy on Wednesday, following a Democratic victory in Virginia on Tuesday that threatens the GOP's slim House majority. • The Virginia vote paves the way for as many as four Republican seats to be lost, intensifying GOP concerns about the redistricting war Trump sparked. • Republican lawmakers are now expressing misgivings about the strategy, signaling potential fractures within the party over Trump's aggressive electoral positioning ahead of the November midterms.

The campaign, fronted by a CGI squirrel, is part of government initiative to boost financial risk taking, amid fears UK growth is being stymiedNils Pratley: the ‘Savvy Squirrel looks a hit too tame’City firms are pinning their hopes on a government-endorsed advertising blitz fronted by a finance “savvy” CGI squirrel to encourage cautious British savers to shift out of cash and start investing.The long-awaited retail investment campaign, which will cost up to £50m, is part of the chancellor Rachel Reeves’ nationwide push to encourage more financial risk taking, amid fears risk-averse consumers are losing out and ultimately stymying UK growth. Continue reading...

House Democratic leader says result should serve as a warning to Ron DeSantis after latest blow to Donald Trump’s redistricting battleHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.The vote to approve new congressional maps in Virgina could embolden Florida’s Republican-controlled state assembly to consider tit-for-tat changes to its own map, the House Democratic leader has said.If Florida Republicans proceed with this illegal scheme, they will only create more prime-pick up opportunities for Democrats.We are prepared to take them all on, and we are prepared to win. Continue reading...

Farmers have been calling for higher prices for weeks, amid soaring diesel and fertiliser costs and limited supplyGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastColes has increased home-brand milk prices by up to 20c a litre, with Woolworths set to follow as war in the Middle East starts to hit Australian grocery costs.The price rise will support the company’s bottom line against pressure from higher fuel and operating costs, while some of the revenue will be temporarily passed on to dairy farmers. Continue reading...