Top World News

May 2, 2026 - World

The social and economic impact of people living longer and having fewer babies is hitting countries worldwide. Adaptation is keyIn Japan, there are now companies that specialise in cleaning the apartments of elderly people who have died alone and gone undiscovered for weeks or months, while adult incontinence pads have outstripped nappy sales for more than a decade. In Italy, depopulating villages are selling homes for €1 to attract new residents and keep services running. In the UK, falling pupil numbers are already closing schools and classrooms in parts of London.These are not isolated curiosities, but signs of a broader shift taking place across much of the developed world. “In the EU in 2024, 21 of 27 countries had more deaths than births,” said Prof Sarah Harper, the director of the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing. Across Asia and the Americas, too – from Japan and South Korea, to Cuba and Uruguay – many countries are seeing the same pattern. Continue reading...

May 2, 2026 - World

A small plane carrying pickleball players crashed among trees in Texas Hill Country, killing all five people aboard, authorities said Friday.

May 2, 2026 - World

Gurindji families mourn ‘a life so precious, gone far too soon’Warning: This article contains images of and references to Indigenous Australians who have diedKumanjayi Little Baby’s relatives have released a statement saying they felt “helpless” when they heard she was missing, and hope their community can unite in grief.“A life so precious, so full of innocence, gone far too soon,” the Gurindji families said of the five-year-old Warlpiri girl, who was found dead in Alice Springs on Thursday evening – five days after she had gone missing from her bed in the Old Timers town camp. Continue reading...

May 2, 2026 - World

This live blog is now closed.Iran offers new peace proposal to US but Trump ‘not satisfied’Trump claims hostilities have ended in Iran in letter to CongressSign up for the Breaking News US emailMeanwhile, the White House has said it will not detail private diplomatic conversations when Reuters asked about Iran’s new proposal to the United States that was submitted to Pakistani mediators.“We do not detail private diplomatic conversations. President Trump has been clear that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon, and negotiations continue to ensure the short- and long-term national security of the United States,” spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Reuters.I do have the impression from some of the briefings that I have received, as well as other sources, that an imminent military strike is very much on the table.There really is no coherent strategy, which came across very vividly and graphically in the hearing today with Secretary Hegseth.And it comes across in the president’s comments, which oscillate between seeming open to negotiation and then foreclosing it entirely and threatening destruction of civilizations. Continue reading...

May 2, 2026 - World

The US sanctions target people operating in broad sections of Cuban economy, including energy, defence and miningCuba’s government has said new sanctions imposed on the island by Donald Trump amounted to “collective punishment”, as an enormous 1 May procession outside the American embassy in Havana vowed to “defend the homeland”.In an executive order on Friday, the US president said he would impose sanctions on people involved in broad sections of the Cuban economy, as he seeks to put more pressure on Havana after ousting Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, earlier this year. Continue reading...