Worried Britons ‘prepping’ for major disruption with stash of tins and cash, survey shows

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Fears over a natural disaster or cyber attack are pushing households into contingency planning, Link survey shows

Millions of Britons are “prepping” for a potential “major disruptive event” by keeping a stash of cash at home, stockpiling tinned goods or ensuring they have a battery-powered torch close to hand, new data suggests.

With war raging in the Middle East and Ukraine, extreme weather becoming more frequent, and warnings that the UK’s critical infrastructure is at risk from cyber-attacks and power outages, many people feel the world has become a more dangerous and chaotic place.

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Most Labour members think Starmer cannot revive party fortunes, poll finds

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Exclusive: Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham is preferred choice of new leader for 42% of those surveyed

The majority of Labour members say they do not believe Keir Starmer can turn around the party’s fortunes, while 45% say the prime minister should step down.

The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, was the first preference for 42% of members, who were asked to rank their preferred successor.

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France has a record number of presidential hopefuls. Will any of them be able to hold back the far right?

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About 30 people – nearly all men – have expressed an interest in taking on the far-right National Rally in next year’s ballot

At a Paris meeting hall this week, hundreds of leftwing voters braved a rainstorm to gather chanting: “Unity! Unity!”

They were celebrating the 90th anniversary of France’s Popular Front, a leftwing alliance that was formed in the 1930s amid fears that the far right could take power. But their concerns were more immediate.

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David Pocock applauds $387m in extra funding for CSIRO after tens of thousands sign petition

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Analysis commissioned by independent senator found national science agency’s funding is at its lowest since 1978

The Albanese government will boost funding to CSIRO by $387.4m in a bid to meet the long-term costs of the national science agency.

It follows months of advocacy by scientists and staff after hundreds of job cuts and cost-cutting measures.

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Russia and Ukraine confirm three-day ceasefire from 9 May

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Both sides also confirm prisoner swap which Donald Trump announced along with suspension of all ‘kinetic activity’ between the warring states

Donald Trump has announced a three-day ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine from 9 to 11 May.

The US president said on social media the ceasefire would include a suspension of all “kinetic activity” and a swap of 1,000 prisoners from each country. It was confirmed by both sides.

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John Swinney urges Starmer to show Scotland ‘greater respect’ after SNP victory

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Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, concedes his party was comprehensively beaten in election as count puts his party on 17 seats, a tie with Reform

John Swinney, the Scottish National party leader, has challenged Keir Starmer to show “greater respect” to the Scottish government after winning the Holyrood elections by a comfortable margin.

The Scottish National party secured a record fifth term in office on Friday after securing 58 of Holyrood’s 129 seats.

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Trump administration relaxing hunting restrictions in US parks and refuges

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After January order from US department of the interior, managers across 55 sites have lifted prohibitions

Donald Trump’s administration is quietly pushing national park, refuge and wilderness area managers to dramatically scale back hunting restrictions, raising questions about visitor safety and the impact on wildlife.

Doug Burgum, the US Department of the Interior secretary, issued an order in January directing multiple agencies to remove what he termed “unnecessary regulatory or administrative barriers” to hunting and fishing, to and justify regulations they want to keep in place.

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Live Updates: U.K. Local Election Results Point to Big Losses for Starmer’s Party – The New York Times

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  1. Live Updates: U.K. Local Election Results Point to Big Losses for Starmer’s Party  The New York Times
  2. Starmer’s Labour suffers huge losses as hard-right Reform gains in U.K. elections  NBC News
  3. Local elections could hasten the exit of Britain’s embattled prime minister  AP News
  4. ‘Leader of the pack’: Reform UK makes election gains, humiliating Labour  Al Jazeera
  5. These election results don’t mean tacking left or right, but delivering for the whole country | Keir Starmer  The Guardian
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Nigel Farage hails ‘historic shift in politics’ after Reform UK election gains

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Party has success in Labour and Tory heartland areas but one pollster says results suggest Reform may have peaked

Nigel Farage hailed sweeping election wins for Reform UK as a “historic shift in British politics” on a day when the populist party made gains at the expense of Labour and the Conservatives.

Reform made advances in heartland areas of both parties, clocking up substantial early results in the English local elections by taking control of Essex county council, Havering – its first London local authority – and Sunderland city council.

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Rubio charms in Rome, but he says Trump’s verbal attacks may continue – The Washington Post

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  1. Rubio charms in Rome, but he says Trump’s verbal attacks may continue  The Washington Post
  2. Rubio Meets Meloni as U.S.-Italy Relations Strained and Trump’s Attacks on Pope  The New York Times
  3. Nato refusing US permission to use bases is ‘a problem’, says Rubio after Meloni meeting – as it happened  The Guardian
  4. Italy-US ties strained as pope and Iran war dominate talks  Al Jazeera
  5. Rubio backs NATO in Rome as US-Italy tensions simmer  politico.eu
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Four south Florida men convicted in Haitian president’s assassination

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Men were convicted in Miami federal court for plotting to kill Jovenel Moïse at his Port-au-Prince home in 2021

Four south Florida men were convicted on Friday of plotting to kill the Haitian president, Jovenel Moïse, in 2021 by hiring mercenaries to assassinate him at his Port-au-Prince home, court records show.

Prosecutors argued during the nine-week trial in a Miami federal court that the men assembled two dozen former Colombian soldiers and supplied them with money, guns, ammunition and tactical vests in a conspiracy to kill Moïse. The 53-year-old president was shot dead in July 2021 at his private residence in the hills above Port-au-Prince, a killing that left a gaping political vacuum in the Caribbean nation and emboldened powerful gangs.

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Meeting ‘Madyar’: the Ukrainian drones boss raining on Putin’s parade – The Guardian

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  1. Meeting ‘Madyar’: the Ukrainian drones boss raining on Putin’s parade  The Guardian
  2. Putin’s scaled down Victory Parade getting smaller by the day  CNN
  3. What Russia's low‑key Victory Day celebrations reveal about Putin and the war in Ukraine  PBS
  4. Many Russians in No Mood for Celebration on Kremlin’s Biggest Day of the Year  The New York Times
  5. Rosenberg: Russia's Victory Day parade with no tanks a sign Ukraine war not going to plan  BBC
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