Race

• De schijnbare neergang van de VS heeft het groeiende Chinese nationalisme aangewakkerd, terwijl de Amerikaanse president zijn nieuwigheidswaarde heeft verloren • Trump in Peking – laatste updates • Vijf kernpunten voor de top tussen Xi en Trump

• Kandidaten strijden om de vertegenwoordiging van het tweede congresdistrict, en de Senaatszetel van een Republikein lijkt klaar om te wisselen. • Amerikaanse politiek live – laatste updates: Democraten in Nebraska zijn optimistisch over Republikeinse verliezen in de rechtsgezinde staat in de Plains – maar hun vooruitzichten hangen af van de Democratische voorverkiezingen van vandaag, waarin beschuldigingen voorkomen van geplaatste kandidaten en het onbedoeld ontnemen van macht aan de Democraten. • Een drukke Democratische voorverkiezing in het tweede congresdistrict van de staat, bekend als de "blue dot", heeft zich geconcentreerd rond de zorg dat als een staatsenator wint, de Republikeinse gouverneur hem zal vervangen door een Republikeaan die zou helpen bij het omverwerpen van Nebraska's verdeelde kiescollege-systeem. Lees verder...

Paarden in beslag genomen en meerdere mensen verhoord nadat dierenrechtenactivist video van race op landwegen deelt

• Groenen zijn in toenemende mate in conflict, maar beginnen te profiteren van het steunen van de 'Make America Healthy Again'-beweging van Robert F. Kennedy Jr. • Milieugroeperingen wezen Kennedy publiekelijk af tijdens zijn presidentscampagne, maar sommigen sluiten zich nu stilletjes aan bij de langdurige milieuadvocaat. • Deze verschuiving is van belang omdat het de kloof overbrugt tussen traditionele groenen en de op gezondheid gerichte agenda van MAHA, wat de invloed op het beleid potentieel kan vergroten.

Temperaturen stijgen in Californië en Arizona, terwijl de stortbuien aanhouden in Western Cape en Northern Cape.

Leden van minderheidsgemeenschappen in Birmingham en elders vrezen dat de resultaten kunnen leiden tot een toename van vijandige retoriek.

• Democratisch kamerlid Ted Lieu omschreef de beslissing van het Hooggerechtshof van Virginia om een staatsreferendum over de herindeling van congreskieskringen te vernietigen als niet alleen fout, maar schandelijk. • De uitspraak verwierp een door kiezers goedgekeurde kaart die de Republikeinen met één zetel zou hebben bevoordeeld bij de tussentijdse verkiezingen, waardoor de huidige voorsprong van de Democraten (6-5) behouden blijft. • De Democraten gaan in beroep bij het Amerikaanse Hooggerechtshof terwijl ze verdere juridische stappen voorbereiden, waaronder een verzoek om de invoering van nieuwe kaarten uit te stellen.

• Het Amerikaanse Hooggerechtshof heeft vorige maand geoordeeld dat kiesdistricten onder de Voting Rights Act van 1965 niet langer op basis van रassenlijnen kunnen worden getrokken, waardoor de focus verschuift naar partijpolitieke overwegingen. • De wet, in 1965 ondertekend door president Lyndon B. Johnson, was oorspronkelijk bedoeld om barrières voor zwarte kiezers weg te nemen, maar de beslissing staat staten nu toe om kaarten te hertekenen op basis van politieke affiliaties. • De uitspraak heeft geleid tot snelle pogingen in verschillende staten om kiesdistricten te herconfigureren, wat de vertegenwoordiging in het congres voorafgaand aan toekomstige verkiezingen potentieel kan hervormen.

Dertig jaar nadat de eerste overdracht van mens op mens werd gedocumenteerd in Patagonië, stellen wetenschappers dat wereldwijde opwarming de blootstelling wereldwijd zou kunnen vergroten. • Een uitbraak in landelijke gemeenschappen 30 jaar geleden in het Patagonië-gebied van Argentinië leidde ertoe dat wetenschappers voor het eerst de overdracht van het hantavirus van mens op mens documenteerden, wat tot die tijd alleen bekend was als een verspreiding via contact met knaagdieren. • Bijna een decennium geleden leverde een andere uitbraak, ook in Patagonië, gedetailleerd bewijs van intermenselijke overdracht toen een besmette 68-jarige landarbeider een verjaardagsfeest bijwoonde in een klein dorp. De infectie verspreidde zich en resulteerde in 11 doden. Lees verder...

• A super PAC with a $140 million war chest is preparing to challenge Ohio Democrat Senator in the 2026 election cycle. • The funding aims to prevent the incumbent's return, intensifying Republican strategies as reported on May 8, 2026. • This financial firepower underscores the high stakes for Senate control amid Trump's midterm focus.

• Ms Grace Fu, Singapore's Minister, delivered a keynote at the 13th Singapore Dialogue on Sustainable World Resources on May 7, 2026, describing Southeast Asia facing a 'perfect storm' from geopolitical developments and climate change. • She emphasized severe implications for the region, including supply chain disruptions and resource scarcity due to the dual threats. • The speech underscores the need for sustainable resource strategies to mitigate risks to economic stability and security.

Argentina, where the MV Hondius cruise departed, consistently ranked by WHO as having highest incidence of hantavirus in regionOfficials and experts in Argentina are scrambling to determine if their country is the source of a deadly hantavirus outbreak that has gripped an Atlantic cruise ship, amid reports that a number of passengers have already returned to their home countries.Argentina, where the cruise to Antarctica departed, is consistently ranked by the World Health Organization (WHO) as having the highest incidence of the rare, rodent-borne disease in Latin America. Investigators there are working to contact trace the source of contamination. Continue reading...

School said its admission process is ‘based on merit’ and it is committed to complying with state and federal lawsThe US Department of Justice found on Wednesday that the medical school at the University of California, Los Angeles illegally considered race in admissions as the Trump administration ramps up scrutiny of colleges’ processes for selecting students.The finding escalates the Trump administration’s ongoing standoff with UCLA, which has focused mostly on the main campus’s response to allegations of antisemitic harassment. Continue reading...

The Trump-backed biotech entrepreneur will face Democrat Amy Acton in a competitive November contestUS politics live – latest updatesVivek Ramaswamy, a Republican former presidential candidate, won his primary race for Ohio governor on Tuesday, setting up a closely-watched contest in November’s election.The biotech entrepreneur, who was endorsed by Donald Trump and briefly co-led Trump’s so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) with Elon Musk at the start of the president’s second term, beat Casey Putsch, the internet personality, to land the nomination. Continue reading...

Zia Yusuf’s mad idea of building detention centres for illegal immigrants exclusively in areas that vote Green works a treatIt’s a classic from the Donald Trump playbook: everything’s been going a bit tits up, so you create a distraction. Get everyone looking in the wrong direction. Last week was the worst in months for Reform. First the party was pegged back in the opinion polls, then the Guardian revealed Nigel Farage had been given a £5m handout by Christopher Harborne, a Thai-based crypto dealer. A donation that Nige had never thought to declare.Not the best look for a party leader who claims to be a man of the people. I mean why don’t we all get by on multimillion-pound handouts from our friends. The best you can say is that at least Nige wasn’t trying to defraud the state by claiming universal credit. Since then, Reform has been on the back foot. Sending out countless press releases trying to explain the situation away. Ones that often contradicted each other. Continue reading...

Nominations also include recognitions for actors including Nathan Lane and Luke Evans while stars such as Lea Michele and Ayo Edebiri were snubbedThe Lost Boys and Schmigadoon! lead this year’s Tony nominations with 12 nods each.The original musicals, based on the 80s vampire movie and cancelled Apple TV comedy respectively, will face off against each other in the category of original musical up against Titanique and Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York). Continue reading...

Over one million entries received from UK runnersLondon also sets record with 1.3m total applicationsThe London Marathon has set yet more records with organisers announcing that 1.8% of the UK adult population – more than one million people – have applied to run in next year’s race.Running’s boom was also reflected in a world record 1,338,544 global application for the 2027 London Marathon – up from 1.13m for this year’s race and more than double the amount they received in 2024. Continue reading...

• Exit polls indicate uncertainty in Tamil Nadu, with DMK under MK Stalin facing potential disruption from TVK, unsettling pre-election confidence at party headquarters in Chennai. • AIADMK claims underestimation in polls, while voters psychologically lean toward perceived winners in the DMK-TVK battle. • Verdict could reshape Dravidian politics, influence national debates like delimitation, and test dominance of traditional players.

Deputy leader plays down leadership talk and says party must focus on long-term challenges rather than personnelLabour’s deputy leader has warned there will be “no magic bullet” to solve Labour’s problems – or major challenges facing the country – as its MPs grapple with how to navigate the fallout out from the local elections.Lucy Powell told the Guardian she understood there was “huge anger and despondency” from Labour MPs in the aftermath of the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal, but said the prime minister would not make a similar mistake again. Continue reading...

• A newly formed super PAC aligned with Republicans has amassed a $140 million war chest aimed at defeating an incumbent Ohio Democrat seeking to return to the Senate in 2026, according to campaign‑finance disclosures. • The Democrat, who previously served multiple terms in the Senate and is viewed as a key target in the GOP’s strategy to expand its majority, faces a crowded primary and is under pressure on several policy fronts. • Democrats warn that the spending could overwhelm small‑donor‑based campaigns and reshape the state’s media landscape, while Republicans argue the money will keep the candidate’s record under scrutiny.

While Charles and Camilla were on a three-line whip, MPs watched the excruciating discomfort of civil servants We don’t often get to see senior civil servants out and about in the wild. They are kept away from the public gaze, sat behind a desk trying to persuade their ministers not to do something too catastrophic to their government department. Quite why they have been been made a knight or a dame just for doing their jobs is one of life’s mysteries. The rest of us have to make do with the occasional email from the boss. But in the last week, two top civil servants have been reluctantly made to give evidence on Keir Starmer’s decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador before the foreign affairs select committee and very instructive it has been, too. Not least to see how much they dislike any extra attention from the public. Their obvious discomfort at being held to account was excruciating to watch. Continue reading...

• In New York City Council race, Zohran Mamdani's endorsement faces doubt as the incumbent struggles with low polls and a split base. • The defiant candidate refuses to step aside for a centrist challenger despite poor numbers. • This local race signals shifting Democratic dynamics in urban politics for national implications.

Patrick Vallance says government working with Chinese officials to remove postings from Alibaba after Biobank data breach last weekThere have been further listings of confidential health records of UK volunteers on the Chinese website Alibaba since the breach reported last week and the government is braced for further leaks, the science minister has said.Addressing a House of Lords debate on the attempted sale of data belonging to 500,000 UK Biobank volunteers, Patrick Vallance said the government has worked with Chinese officials to remove additional postings on the online marketplace. Continue reading...

TPOR poll of 1,018 likely voters puts Talarico ahead of John Cornyn by three percentage points and Ken Paxton by fiveUS politics live – latest updatesDemocrats’ hopes of winning control of the US Senate in November’s midterm elections have been boosted by a poll showing James Talarico, the party’s candidate in Texas, leading in a head-to-head matchup against two potential Republican opponents.The Texas public opinion research (TPOR) survey has Talarico, a Democratic state legislator, ahead of the GOP incumbent senator, John Cornyn, and his internal party challenger, Ken Paxton, in one-on-one contests. Continue reading...

‘Critical debate’ about party’s identity and direction looms if it loses control of Senedd next month after 27 years in powerWelsh Labour is the democratic world’s most successful election-winning machine, coming first in Wales in every general election since 1922 and every devolved election since 1999. Come next month’s Senedd election, however, this history-making run is expected to end.Labour’s collapse has left a vacuum, and former Labour voters are going to opposite ends of the political spectrum. Plaid Cymru and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK are neck and neck in the latest poll, although coalition maths make it highly unlikely Reform would be able to form a government. Continue reading...

• Google unveiled seventh-generation TPUs on April 27, boasting 4.7x performance gains over prior versions for AI inference. • The chips support Google's $175-185 billion 2026 CapEx, aiming for margin expansion through in-house silicon. • Analysts note reduced reliance on Nvidia GPUs, potentially shifting U.S. AI hardware market dynamics worth $100 billion annually.

• Carson Hocevar secured his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory at Talladega Superspeedway, marking a major breakthrough moment in his racing career. • The win came following a dramatic race that featured a major crash, demonstrating Hocevar's ability to overcome adversity and capitalize on opportunities. • This maiden Cup Series victory represents a significant milestone for Hocevar as he continues to establish himself as a competitive force in NASCAR's top series.

The rival superpowers are ramping up preparations for a crewed lunar landing nearly six decades after the first moon walkThe world watched earlier this month as Nasa sent four astronauts around the moon – but to actually land on the surface the US is once again in a space race, this time with China. And China may well win.Both countries plan to build inhabited lunar bases – the first settlement on another celestial body – as well as searching for rare resources and using the deep space environment to test technology for future crewed missions to Mars. Continue reading...