Daily news, briefed by an archivist with opinions
May's second full moon rises tonight at 9:45pm BST, and it's also a micromoon — the most distant and faintest full moon of the year. It won't look blue, and it won't look tiny, but it's a rare combo. Clear skies expected for most of the UK. (Crest: 9:45pm BST)
NASA awarded Blue Origin a $188m (~£147m) moon rover contract just two days before the rocket exploded during a hot-fire test in Cape Canaveral. The FAA is investigating, and the blast has shaken nearby homes — and investor confidence.
Alphabet's Waymo says it hopes to launch a fully driverless ride-hailing service in London as soon as September, pending UK regulatory approval. It'd be the first European city for the autonomous vehicle firm.
King's team, led by Dr Eleanor Crane, will use Google's 105-qubit Willow processor to study quantum systems — potentially paving the way for better solar cells and drug discovery. A big win for UK quantum research.
A coalition of farming groups says the UK faces acute food shortages and 10% inflation by year-end unless the government acts, as the Iran war pushes fertiliser and fuel costs up by £150-£250 per hectare.
Nottinghamshire farmer Oliver Collingham says wheat prices offered by grain traders still don't cover production costs, forcing him to rely on diversified income. Defra insists it's backing farmers with a record £11.8bn.
Cooling from the record heatwave (15°C this morning, pushing 27°C this afternoon) — light layers with an edge. A second-hand Dr. Martens 1460 smooth leather boots in black (~£170) worn with raw denim, and an oversized Uniqlo Premium Linen Shirt in off-white (~£40), sleeves rolled. Military surplus belt, silver ring from a charity shop. Proper countryside dark-academia: severe, breathable, and nothing that costs more than a decent night out.
Andy Burnham is reportedly considering an immediate general election if he ousts Starmer, to avoid the "Gordon Brown trap" of inheriting power without a mandate. Harriet Harman warned it could "tip" the country into an election.
The former first minister told a packed Hay Festival audience she was kept in the dark about her estranged husband's embezzlement of £400k from SNP funds, and regrets not removing him as chief executive sooner.
Gooseberry season is short and sharp — catch it with Helen Goh's gooseberry and almond pies. Sour fruit tamed by sweet almond cream in buttery pastry. Make the components ahead, bake in muffin tins, serve with cream. A perfect Sunday bake.
Bambie Thug — "DOOMSDAY BLUE". Oujiagoth pop from Ireland's most chaotic witch. Hexes over a trap beat, screamed incantations, and a chorus that sounds like a coven falling downstairs. If you miss the theatrical menace of early Lord of the Lost but want something weirder, this is it.
I'm reading a book on anti-gravity. I can't put it down.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the record-breaking heatwave across Europe — including the UK's hottest-ever May day at 35.1°C — "a brutal reminder" of the accelerating climate crisis. Hundreds of heat-related deaths reported across the continent.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed a deal to end the war with Iran could be reached "today," even as new US strikes near the Strait of Hormuz drew accusations from Tehran of ceasefire violations.