US to take steps to curb antidepressant prescribing, RFK Jr says

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Admin

Plan promotes ‘deprescribing’ as psychiatrists warn crisis stems from lack of access to care, not overuse

The federal health department will begin a series of steps intended to curb antidepressant use in the US, Robert F Kennedy Jr announced this week.

Antidepressants, specifically selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, have long been a target for Kennedy, the Trump administration’s health secretary, who talked about the plans at an event Monday hosted by the Make America Healthy Again Institute, an organization focused on advancing the MAHA agenda. He has claimed without evidence that the drugs are linked to a rise in school shootings and has expressed concerns about weaning off the medications and withdrawal symptoms.

Alberta separatists submit 300,000 signatures to push independence referendum

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Admin

Authorities investigate leak of 2.9 million voters’ details, adding to turmoil around independence push

Alberta 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.

Four Palestine Action activists convicted of criminal damage

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Admin

Activists found guilty over break-in at Israeli defence firm’s UK site after jury deliberated for more than 14 hours

Four out of six Palestine Action activists who stood trial over a break-in at an Israeli defence firm’s UK site have been convicted of criminal damage.

Charlotte Head, 29; Samuel Corner, 23; Leona Kamio, 30; and Fatema Rajwani, 21, were all found guilty on Tuesday of smashing up property, including drones, manufactured by Elbit Systems and computers at its factory in Filton, near Bristol, on 6 August 2024.

Man and ex-partner killed in Bristol blast after he forced entry into house

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Admin

Ryan Kelly, 41, had ‘explosive device’, say police, who are treating death of woman, Jo Shaw, 35, as homicide

A man forced his way into a house in Bristol with an “explosive device” a few minutes before a blast that killed his ex-partner and himself.

Police said they were treating the death of the woman, whom they believe to be 35-year-old Jo Shaw, as homicide and named the man who died as her former partner, Ryan Kelly, 41.

Barrister in Palestine Action trial facing contempt of court proceedings

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Admin

Rajiv Menon KC accused of defying judge’s orders to not inform jury of right to acquit on basis of conscience

A leading human rights barrister is facing contempt of court proceedings after he was accused of defying a judge’s orders during a trial of Palestine Action activists.

Rajiv Menon KC is accused of breaching the judge’s directions while giving his closing speech in the trial of six people in relation to a 2024 direct action protest at an arms factory of the Israeli subsidiary Elbit Systems UK in Filton, near Bristol.

Hundreds of animals rescued from ‘appalling’ conditions at California sanctuary

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Admin

San Diego Humane Society finds more than 400 animals at Julian facility, with malnutrition and injuries amid bankruptcy dispute

Authorities in California have rescued more than 400 animals, including horses, cats, dogs and goats, from a now shuttered sanctuary in San Diego county.

The San Diego Humane Society conducted the massive operation last week at Villa Chardonnay, a sprawling facility in Julian that had operated since 2003.

Democrats urge Rubio to acknowledge Israel possesses nuclear weapons amid Iran war

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Admin

Letter from House Democrats to secretary of state calls for end to ambiguity over Israel’s nuclear weapons programs

House Democrats have asked the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, to publicly announce that Israel possesses nuclear weapons, arguing that Washington must end decades of ambiguity over the issue amid the conflict with Iran.

In a letter sent on Monday, 30 Democrats wrote that it was unsustainable for Donald Trump to collaborate with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on a military campaign against Iran – with the stated goal of preventing the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon – without publicly acknowledging the US ally’s possession of the bomb.

Israeli army chief says West Bank troops ‘killing like we haven’t killed since 1967’

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Admin

Leaked remarks by Maj Gen Avi Bluth describe fatal shootings of stone-throwers and different treatment for Jewish settlers

The Israeli army chief in the West Bank has said his troops were “killing like we haven’t killed since 1967”, including fatally shooting Palestinian stone-throwers, according to an Israeli report of his comments.

The remarks by Maj Gen Avi Bluth, head of the army’s central command, were made in a recent closed forum but were leaked to Israel’s Haaretz newspaper. Bluth has so far not denied the authenticity of the Haaretz account. The Israel Defense Forces did not respond to a request for comment.

Farage’s partner refuses to confirm how she paid for house in his constituency

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Admin

French publication Le Monde says Laure Ferrari ‘dodged’ question when quizzed over property purchase in Clacton

Nigel Farage’s partner, Laure Ferrari, has refused to confirm how she paid for a house in the Reform leader and MP’s constituency of Clacton, adding “there’s more than one way to pay for a house”.

In an interview with French publication Le Monde, Ferrari was questioned over revelations in the Guardian that she had purchased a house in her name in Clacton after Farage had claimed to be the buyer.

Rescue of Timmy the whale ‘an all-round catastrophe’ after tracker failure

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Admin

Marine experts criticise €1.5m privately funded operation as humpback’s fate remains unknown after release into Baltic

Marine biologists and whale experts have stepped up their criticism of a privately funded operation to release a humpback whale that was stranded for weeks off Germany’s Baltic coast after it emerged that a tracker fitted to the whale was not working.

The whereabouts and health of the young male whale – nicknamed Timmy after one of the sandbanks it was stranded on – remain unknown three days after it was transported in a water-holding barge pulled by a tugboat to waters off the coast of Denmark.

US Secret Service agent placed on leave for allegedly fondling himself in public

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Admin

John Andrew Spillman was part of an external screening security detail for the PGA Championship, which Trump is attending

A US Secret Service officer has been placed on administrative leave after being arrested for allegedly exposing and fondling himself in a public area of a Miami hotel.

Local sheriff’s office deputies say they arrested John Andrew Spillman, 33, on Sunday after he was found naked while off duty on the sixth floor of the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel Miami airport & convention center, according to a sworn law enforcement statement reviewed by the Guardian.

Zelenskyy condemns Russian ‘cynicism’ over parade truce as 23 killed in attacks

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Admin

Kyiv berates Moscow’s request for ceasefire while launching ‘missile and drone strikes every single day leading up to it’

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused the Kremlin of “utter cynicism” for seeking a truce so it can stage a military parade in Moscow as 23 people were killed in attacks on Ukraine.

At least 12 people were killed on Tuesday in a strike on southern city of Zaporizhzhia, the regional governor said. “Russia ended the life of 12 people,” Ivan Fedorov posted on Telegram.

Political row as report calls for sweeping cuts to French public broadcasting

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Admin

Inquiry set up by rightwing politician recommends merging major channels and slashing TV entertainment budgets by 75%

French politicians on the left and centre have criticised a parliament inquiry report that recommends sweeping cuts to public broadcasting, with a row over culture wars building before next year’s presidential election.

State broadcasting is a key topic in the run-up to April’s vote, with the far right, which is leading in the polls, highly critical of public TV and radio and vowing to privatise it.

Carney appoints former war crimes prosecutor as Canada governor general

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Admin

Louise Arbour will serve as Canada’s representative of King Charles and carry out ceremonial and constitutional duties

Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, has appointed a former supreme court justice and war crimes prosecutor as the country’s new governor general, saying her appointment would reflect the importance of global institutions.

Louise Arbour, a celebrated jurist, served as United Nations commissioner and prosecuted war crimes in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, will serve as Canada’s representative of King Charles III.