Stories

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shifts House Democrats' focus from the Ukraine impeachment scandal to the economy in February 2020, nine months before the election, after Senate acquittal leaves Trump with 49% approval and 6 in 10 approving his economic handling.

Roughly three-quarters of TMC legislators in West Bengal's state assembly have revolted against founder Mamata Banerjee and her heir Abhishek Banerjee, while 20 of the party's 28 MPs have reportedly sought to break away from the parliamentary group and align with the BJP-led ruling alliance, just weeks after Narendra Modi's BJP ended the TMC's 15-year rule in the state.

Jodi Cowan, 50, was killed on May 19, 2026, on Blue Bonnet Drive in Brevard County, Florida, when her neighbour Linda Cutler's two pit bulls, Max and Mako, leapt over a fence and mauled her while she walked her own dog at 1 a.m. local time; Cutler, who was arrested and charged with manslaughter after claiming a heart attack, is due in court on June 23, while neighbours had made 14 calls to authorities since October 2024 about the dogs, and the animals were subsequently euthanized.

OpenAI has confidentially filed for a US IPO targeting up to $1 trillion valuation as early as September 2026, following a $110bn fundraising at $840bn valuation, a jury win against Elon Musk's lawsuit, and $2bn monthly revenue, joining SpaceX and Anthropic in a wave of landmark AI and tech IPOs.

Billionaire Mike Bloomberg, shifting his rhetoric for the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, now emphasizes economic inequality — declaring in Chicago that 'too much wealth is in too few hands' — after previously defending the rich, vetoing paid sick leave and living wage laws as New York City mayor, and amassing a $60 billion fortune from his media company.

On January 15, 2020, President Trump held a 75-minute White House ceremony with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He to celebrate the Phase One trade deal, while simultaneously the House voted 228-193 to send two articles of impeachment to the Senate.

Armed bandits in north-west Nigeria abducted at least 39 villagers, possibly up to 50, whom they invited to a peace talk meeting on Sunday in the forest near Magamin Diddi village in Maradun municipality, Zamfara state, and are demanding 125m naira (£69,000) for their release, according to police spokesperson Yazid Abubakar and residents.

A Policy Exchange report based on 2022/23 LEO data of 300,000 graduates who left university in 2017 found that 50% earned less than the £35,000 median wage five years on, with 11% earning under £24,000, as politicians including Laura Trott and Suella Braverman criticised 'debt-trap degrees'.

UN High Commissioner Volker Turk on Monday called for US sanctions on Cuba to be lifted immediately, stating that fuel restrictions imposed since early 2026 and tightened extraterritorial sanctions are harming Cubans, as infant death rates doubled to 9.9 per 1,000 births and childhood cancer survival fell from 85% to 65%.

Rita's Cocktail Bar, an award-winning Southampton venue that joined a campaign to ban Labour MPs from its premises, entered Creditors' Voluntary Liquidation on May 26, 2026, with joint liquidators Nicola Meadows and Mark Newton of AABRS Limited appointed to oversee the process.

A seven-year-old girl was gang-raped in a public toilet in West Para village, Faridpur District, Dhaka, Bangladesh, on June 4, 2026, after being abducted from her home by two teenage boys who were arrested on June 7 and sent to the Juvenile Development Center in Gazipur by the Sunamganj Child Court.

The global Economic Policy Uncertainty Index hit its highest level ever in June 2026, surpassing post-9/11 and 2008 financial crisis periods, driven largely by President Donald Trump's unpredictable trade policies and Twitter activity, as U.S. job growth slowed to ~100,000 in August (down from 200,000+/month), GDP grew at just 2% in Q2 with a forecasted 1.5% in Q3, and S&P 500 companies mentioned 'uncertainty' over 250 times between May 31 and Sept. 5.

Nerys Bethan Lloyd, 41, from Port Talbot, whose appeal against a 10-and-a-half-year sentence for gross negligence manslaughter was rejected by three judges at the Court of Appeal, caused the deaths of Paul O'Dwyer, Andrea Powell, Morgan Rogers, and Nicola Wheatley during a Salty Dog Co Ltd paddleboard tour on the Western Cleddau river in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire on 30 October 2021.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced proposed sanctions on 80 new entities and individuals supporting Russia's war in Ukraine, as Western sanctions have already cost Russia an estimated $1.2 to $1.5 trillion, while Hungary dropped opposition to a €6.6 billion EU arms reimbursement fund for Ukraine.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed on Monday, June 8, 2026, that Somali referee Omar Artan—one of FIFA's 52 World Cup officials set to become the first Somali to officiate a World Cup match—was denied entry at south Florida after being deemed inadmissible due to vetting concerns, amid Trump administration travel restrictions targeting Somalia.

Italian prosecutors in Rome have launched an investigation into Israeli far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over his treatment of Italian nationals detained during last month's interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters off Cyprus, making Italy the second European country after France to probe the incident.

Greater Manchester Police seized nine e-bikes and e-scooters during a targeted weekend operation in Hindley, Ince, and surrounding areas of Wigan, citing links to anti-social behaviour and criminal activity.

Former New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas revealed the Southern District of New York, via then-Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey, ordered him to halt a 2019 state investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's Zorro Ranch — where at least 10 girls alleged rape, trafficking, and forced births — promising evidence sharing that never occurred and a search warrant that was never executed.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) has threatened to sue Lagniappe Daily after the publication revealed details from his tax returns, which his campaign accidentally sent unredacted while trying to prove his Alabama residency amid allegations he lives in Florida and may have voted illegally.

University of Aberdeen analysis finds the North Sea could supply fuel for 20 million UK cars until 2030, as Conservative candidate Douglas Lumsden urges Energy Secretary Ed Miliband to replace the 78% windfall tax and end the ban on new exploration licences, warning of job losses in Aberdeen.