Top World News
Ahead of papal visit, Spain pushes forward with reparations for church sex abuse victims
Spain is addressing sexual abuse within the Catholic Church with a new reparations program
How Voodoo overcame suppression and became a democratic force in the West African nation of Benin
Benin recently inaugurated President Romuald Wadagni as its new leader in the latest transition in the West African nation
Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan
New Zealand's government plans to express concern to Beijing after four lawmakers were banned from visiting China for a year
Mitch McConnell statement suggests he considers Bill Pulte unfit for national intelligence director role –as it happened
This live blog is now closed.Sign up for the Breaking News US emailIowa voters cast their ballots in yesterday’s heated primaries, setting up for months of fervent campaigning ahead of the November midterms in contests that could determine the balance of power in Congress.A red state that the GOP has dominated for the past decade, Democrats believe they can be competitive in three of its four House races, its Senate election, and the contest to replace Kim Reynolds, the retiring Republican governor. Continue reading...
Karen Bass heads to LA mayoral runoff but challenger yet to be determined
Incumbent leads in primary, but with less than 50% of votes must face either Spencer Pratt or Nithya RamanLos Angeles’s high-profile mayoral contest remained unsettled Wednesday evening as the city waited to learn who will join incumbent Karen Bass in November’s general election.Bass came out ahead in Tuesday’s heated primary but, after securing less than 50% of the vote, she’ll have to defend her seat against either Spencer Pratt, a former reality TV star, or progressive city council member Nithya Raman. As of Wednesday evening, with more than 60% of votes counted, Pratt had secured just under 30% of the vote, while Raman had won nearly 23%. Continue reading...
Tech industry wins big in California primary election with millions spent paying off
Silicon Valley is fighting against regulation, taxes and growth of AI and will benefit from having political leverageSilicon Valley had a big night in California’s primary election, proving that the tens of millions of dollars funding candidates across the state was money well spent. While the tech industry’s preferred candidate for governor came in a scant sixth place, donations to smaller elections proved to be a successful strategy.Tech billionaires have in past months thrown their full weight into politics as the industry fights regulations, taxation and promotes the unfettered growth of artificial intelligence. Getting the right candidates in office, especially in its home turf of California, is existential. With favorable candidates, tech companies can gain both political and regulatory leverage to maintain their dominance in business. Continue reading...
Wim Wenders withdraws 1975 film featuring 13-year-old Nastassja Kinski topless
German director says he recognises actor should have been better protected during filming of Wrong MoveGerman director Wim Wenders has withdrawn from circulation his 1975 film Wrong Move, because of a scene featuring a child actor topless who was 13 at the time of filming.The director said in a statement released on Wednesday: “Streaming, TV and distribution partners have been instructed to no longer make the film publicly accessible.” Continue reading...
Hollywood legend issues ominous warning: 'We’re living in the darkest moment'
Actor Richard Gere described how America was facing a dark time in history and called President Donald Trump a "maniac," according to reports on Wednesday.Gere was speaking at the Oslo Freedom Forum in Norway with Thor Halvorssen, a Venezuelan-Norwegian human rights activist, and discussed politics, history and freedom, The Daily Beast reported. The actor, who has criticized Trump in the past, revealed a dark parallel between the current United States and the past."We’re living in the darkest moment that I’ve experienced on this planet," Gere told the audience.“How is this even possible? Because we went to sleep. We didn’t care. We didn’t vote. We didn’t really listen,” Gere said.He believes he also "didn’t do enough work to skillfully convince people around me, close to me, not close to me, that this was insane to elect this person as president of the United States."And in his comments, Gere described how on the "first day, this guy dismantled almost everything that was good about the U.S. government and the U.S. people."He warned that people must act — before it's too late.“We have to see the cues, this dictatorship of the monsters, how quickly it happens," Gere said. "We have to be vigilant."He referenced a trip to Dachau, a Nazi concentration camp in Germany, and what he walked away thinking about after the visit and seeing an exhibit that showed "the transformation of German society and German government and how quickly it happened there.""Good people turned into monsters," said the Golden Globe-winning performer."But you see how quickly our world can be taken from us if we fall asleep. And we have to see the cues," he added, saying that people must be aware of how fast "this dictatorship of the monsters" can happen."We can’t sit back and go, ‘Ah, life is good. I’m fine. You know, I’ve got food. I got money. Blah blah blah. I got my house. I got another car. I’m thinking about this. I’m OK. I know he’s a bad guy, but it’s OK,'" Gere explained."But it’s not OK. It’s not OK. It’s never OK," he said.Richard Gere with a word.. pic.twitter.com/joMqYz3ETe— Loni Love (@LoniLove) June 3, 2026
Canadian government endorses plan to move whales from Marineland park to US, Spain
The Canadian government has endorsed a plan to move the last remaining captive whales from a shuttered theme park and zoo in Ontario to aquariums in the U.S. and Spain
‘Of course we will give it back’: Bayeux tapestry set for secret journey across Channel
Operation will use specially built container to protect fragile 11th-century embroideryAs the Bayeux tapestry wends its way across the Channel in a top secret operation there will be no jolts, no bumps, no shakes or vibrations – unlike the voyage of William the Conqueror whose 1066 victory at Hastings the artefact recounts.“Nothing has been left to chance,” Catherine Pégard, the French minister of culture, told a gathering to mark the historic loan, which will be physically achieved with the tapestry, which is really an embroidery, transported in a specially constructed cradle within a container, the minister said. Continue reading...
Protesters clash with police in Chile's capital over President Kast’s education cuts
Thousands of students, teachers and activists have clashed with police in Chile's capital during a massive march against President José Antonio Kast’s education cuts and austerity measures
Dead but deportable: US immigration judge signed order to eject teen murder victim
North Carolina judge said Levi Mendez-Maldonado failed to show up in court – even after being told he had died in 2024An immigration judge in Charlotte, North Carolina, recently ordered the deportation of a young man who was killed in 2024, citing his failure to appear in court.Judge Amy Lee ordered the removal of Levi Mendez-Maldonado in absentia on 21 May. Mendez-Maldonado, originally from Honduras, came to the United States as an unaccompanied minor at age 17 and was murdered in a shooting in November 2024. Continue reading...
