Gov. Gavin Newsom announces new diaper program for newborns
SACRAMENTO — Newborns won’t be leaving the hospital empty-handed in California.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Friday that the state is partnering with Baby2Baby to provide 400 free diapers to every newborn. Baby2Baby is a national nonprofit based in California that provides clothing and other basic necessities to children.
The governor said it would help families with the rising cost of living.
“Since the pandemic, we have seen the cost of diapers go up by 45%,” said Newsom, speaking at a press conference in San Francisco. “One out of four families skip meals to pay for diapers.”
The new program, dubbed the Golden State Start, will launch this summer. Participating hospitals will distribute the diapers to families at the time of discharge. Forty million diapers will be distributed during the program’s first year, with a goal of later expanding the program to provide 160 million.
Newsom said the state will prioritize hospitals that serve large numbers of parents enrolled in Medi-Cal, California’s version of the federal Medicaid program providing healthcare coverage to low-income Americans. The state plans to later expand to additional hospitals and birthing centers.
The governor described the program as the first of its kind in the nation.
“We are not imitating; we are a model to others,” he said.
Kim Johnson, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, said the initiative would help families enjoy their first few weeks at home with a new baby.
“The first days at home with a newborn should be focused on the love, connection, and joy of an expanded family, not stress about affording diapers,” Johnson said in a statement. “This program helps ensure families can begin that journey with greater stability and peace of mind.”
The National Diaper Bank Network, a national nonprofit that tracks diaper insecurity, found about 60% of low-income families nationwide struggle with the cost of diapers and rely on less-frequent changes to get by. The organization said dirty diapers leave babies at risk of developing rashes or urinary tract infections.
Netball Super League: Leaders Loughborough Lightning beat irmingham Panthers
Netball Super League leaders Loughborough Lightning returned to winning ways with a hard-fought 76-60 victory over Birmingham Panthers on Friday.
Lightning, whose 100% record was ended by defending champions London Pulse last weekend, are now four points clear of second-placed Pulse at the top of the NSL table.
Pulse take on Manchester Thunder, who are six points behind Lightning in third place, on Saturday.
Bottom side Panthers made a quick start to Friday’s game, leading at the end of the first two quarters to take a two-point advantage into half-time.
But Lightning hit back after the break and were four goals ahead at the start of the fourth quarter, before sealing victory with a dominant display in the final 15 minutes of the round 11 match.
3 Australian women linked to ISIS charged after returning from Syria
A group of supporters surround an ISIS-linked family as they arrive at Melbourne International Airport in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday. The group of 13 women and children came home to Australia after years spent in a Syrian refugee camp following the fall of the Islamic State. Three of the women have been charged with crimes. Photo by Joel Carrett/EPA
May 8 (UPI) — Australia has charged three women linked to ISIS with crimes against humanity after they returned home from Syria.
They had allegedly moved to Syria to be part of the Islamic State caliphate in Syria, but once it fell, they were in refugee camps guarded by Kurdish guards. They were part of a group of 13 people who were returned to Australia. It’s not yet clear if other people returning to Australia will face charges.
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in February that he would not allow the refugees to repatriate to Australia.
Kawsar Ahmad, 53, and her daughter Zeinab Ahmad, 31, appeared in a Melbourne court Friday. Kawsar Ahmad was charged with four counts of crimes against humanity. Police allege she went to Syria in 2014 and kept a female slave in her home. Zeinab Ahmad faces two similar charges.
Another adult child of Kawsar Ahmad, Zahra Ahmad, arrived in Melbourne Thursday, but was not arrested.
Janai Safar, 32, appeared in a Sydney court and was charged with entering and remaining in a declared conflict zone and joining ISIS. She returned to Sydney Thursday with her son.
Safar’s lawyer, Michael Ainsworth argued for her release on bail, saying her alleged offenses happened when she was 21, and she has been in a refugee camp for nine years.
“This young lady … lived in truly horrific conditions in these refugee camps for many years,” Ainsworth said. “She has significant community ties here in Australia, she’s one of seven children. There’s a place for her to live.”
The Australian Federal Police said Kawsar Ahmad moved to Syria with her husband and children in 2014 and was complicit in buying a female slave for $10,000, “and knowingly kept the woman in the home.”
Zeinab Ahmad allegedly also traveled to Syria and kept a female slave in the home. A slavery conviction can bring up to 25 years in prison.
Federal police assistant commissioner for counter-terrorism Stephen Nutt said Thursday night that planning for the return of people from the Middle East began in 2015.
“Australian joint counter-terrorism teams methodically investigated all Australians who travelled to declared conflict areas and will ensure those who are alleged to have committed a criminal offense are put before the courts,” Nutt said.
F/A-18 Super Hornet Drops Bombs Down Smoke Stacks Of Iranian Tankers Running Blockade (Updated)
The U.S. carried out new attacks on Iranian targets today, striking several empty oil tankers trying to break the blockade, according to a post on X by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). This latest incident comes as the UAE says it was attacked again by Iran today and hours after the U.S. and Iran exchanged blows in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. forces “disabled M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda, May 8, prior to both vessels entering an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman in violation of the ongoing U.S. blockade, CENTCOM stated. “A U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) disabled both tankers after firing precision munitions into their smokestacks, preventing the non-compliant ships from entering Iran.”
This was the third time that the U.S. has fired on Iranian ships running the blockade. The Navy has used a destroyer’s five-inch gun firing inert rounds to blast the engineering section of one ship to disable it and a Super Hornet’s 20mm Vulcan cannon to disable the rudder on another. So, the use of bombs dropped down a ship’s smokestack to disable but not destroy a ship is new. You can read about these prior instances here.
The weapons used in this latest wave of attacks on blockade runners wasn’t disclosed. 500lb laser-guided bombs are likely what was employed here based on the Super Hornet’s stores options, precision required, and the effects seen. These can utilize high-explosive bomb bodies or inert ones for desired effects, with the latter being most probable in this case.
Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin was the first to report this news.
The blockade on Iranian ports was enforced April 13 to strangle Iran’s economy as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. On Friday, CENTCOM reported that U.S. forces have prevented more than 70 tankers from entering or leaving Iranian ports.
“These commercial ships have the capacity to transport over 166 million barrels of Iranian oil worth an estimated $13 billion-plus,” the command stated on X.
However, “a confidential CIA analysis delivered to administration policymakers this week concludes that Iran can survive the U.S. naval blockade for at least three to four months before facing more severe economic hardship,” The Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing four people familiar with the document.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates claims it was once again attacked by Iranian ballistic missiles and drones on Friday.
“The Ministry of Defense announced that on May 8, 2026, the UAE air defense systems engaged 2 ballistic missiles and 3 UAV’s launched from Iran, resulting in 3 moderate injuries,” the UAE Defense Ministry (MoD) announced on X Friday morning EDT. “Since the beginning of the blatant Iranian attacks on the United Arab Emirates, the air defenses have engaged a total of 551 ballistic missiles, 29 cruise missiles, and 2,263 UAV’s.”
The UAE, located about 60 miles south of Iran across the Strait, claims these attacks have killed 13 and injured 230.
The MoD “affirmed that it remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats and will firmly confront anything that aims to undermine the security of the country, in a manner that ensures the protection of its sovereignty, security and stability and safeguards its interests and national capabilities.”
Tehran did not immediately respond to the claim, which TWZ cannot independently verify.
These incidents follow an exchange of fire last night between the U.S. and Iran. As we reported yesterday, U.S. Central Command said it attacked several locations in Iran after “Iranian forces launched multiple missiles, drones and small boats as USS Truxtun (DDG 103), USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), and USS Mason (DDG 87) transited the international sea passage. No U.S. assets were struck.”
Iran said it launched the attacks in retaliation for “violation of the ceasefire and the aggression by the terrorist US military against an Iranian oil tanker near the port of Jask.”
The extent of the damage to Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island and the Bandar Kargan naval checkpoint in Minab, targets struck by the U.S. on Thursday in response to the attacks on U.S. Navy ships, remains unclear. No images have emerged and neither Iran nor the U.S. have commented.
Last night, Trump called the exchange a “love tap” and said the ceasefire still held.
This is a developing story.
UPDATE: 11:40 AM EDT –
Amid the kinetic activity, diplomacy continues as Trump insists that Iran never develop a nuclear weapon. The status of its ballistic missile arsenal, control of the Strait of Hormuz and support for proxies like Hezbollah and the Houthis are also major sticking points.
The U.S. is awaiting to hear back from Iran about its peace proposal, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
“We’re expecting a response from them today at some point. We have not received that yet,” he said.
The secretary added that he remained concerned that Iran is still trying to maintain control over the Strait.
“We’ve seen the reporting overnight that Iran is trying to establish some agency that’s going to control traffic in the Strait,” Rubio explained. “That would actually be unacceptable.”
Iran, meanwhile, is accusing the U.S. of moving the goal posts in the negotiating process by using force.
“Every time a diplomatic solution is on the table, the U.S. opts for a reckless military adventure,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on X. “Is it a crude pressure tactic? Or the result of a spoiler once again duping POTUS into another quagmire? Whatever the causes, [the] outcome is the same: Iranians never bow to pressure.”
UPDATE: 11:55 AM EDT –
Iran claims that its “naval commandos carried out a special operation to detain” an oil tanker, “which was attempting to disrupt Iran’s oil exports and national interests.”
“Implementing the decision of the Supreme National Security Council and with a judicial ruling, the Army Navy seized the oil tanker Ocean Koi, which was carrying Iranian oil and tried to take advantage of the situation in the region to harm and disrupt the oil exports and the interests of the Iranian nation,” said Iran’s Army Public Relations Office in a statement on Friday.
“The commandos of the Army Navy “directed the violating oil tanker to the southern coast of Iran and handed it over to the judicial authorities,” according to the statement. “The Navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran will “vigorously defend the interests and assets of the Iranian nation in the territorial waters of the country and will not tolerate any violator or aggressor.”
Though Iranian officials identified this ship as the Ocean Koi, it is also known as the Jin Li. It is part of Iran’s so-called dark fleet and was sanctioned by the U.S. in February for transporting millions of barrels of Iranian oil. It is unclear why Iran made a show of this event, though it could have been for domestic consumption in the wake of yesterday’s attacks on several targets.
You can see video of the claimed boarding below.
UPDATE: 12:16 PM EDT –
The CIA recruited sources inside Iran, but flawed covert communications reportedly helped Iranian counterintelligence identify and arrest informants, a new report from Reuters stated.
“In interviews with six Iranian former CIA informants, Reuters found that the agency was careless…amid its intense drive to gather intelligence in Iran, putting in peril those risking their lives to help the United States,” the outlet explained.
“Such aggressive steps by the CIA sometimes put average Iranians in danger with little prospect of gaining critical intelligence,” Reuters added. “When these men were caught, the agency provided no assistance to the informants or their families, even years later, the six Iranians said.”
UPDATE: 12:25 PM EDT –
Iranian officials continue to dismiss the notion that the country will cede control of the Strait.
Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, said on Friday Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz is an asset “on the scale of an atomic bomb”, adding that Tehran would not give up the capability it gained through war.”
12:43 PM EDT –
Hours after launching another attack on the UAE, an Iranian official says that country will remain a target for supporting the U.S. and Israel.
Iran will not leave the Emirates alone, and they are well aware of that, which is why they are trying to maintain tension between Iran, America, and the Zionist entity,” Ali Khodarian, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security Commission, stated on X. “The Americans have realized that their naval blockade parade will henceforth face a military response from the Islamic Republic. No one can now carry out a military operation against our ships without a response.”
UPDATE: 1:37 PM EDT –
The United States will facilitate two days of intensive talks between the governments of Israel and Lebanon on May 14 and 15, State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott announced on Friday.
UPDATE: 1:48 PM EDT-
CENTCOM released imagery of the Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyers USS Truxtun (DDG 103), USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), and USS Mason (DDG 87) operating in the Middle East. “The three destroyers are currently sailing in the Arabian Sea supporting the blockade against Iran,” the command stated on X. “As of today, CENTCOM forces have redirected 57 commercial vessels and disabled 4 to prevent the ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports.”
The three destroyers were in last night’s exchange of fire with Iran.
UPDATE: 3:32 PM EDT –
The U.S. is denying the latest Iranian claim that it successfully carried out an attack on U.S. military assets.
On Friday, the Iranian Army claimed “while the US Navy was attempting to remove three of its destroyers from the Strait of Hormuz towards the Sea of Oman with air support, we carried out a combined missile and drone operation, during which we targeted this naval group with 8 cruise missiles and 24 suicide drones. As a result of this operation, and despite the extensive attempts by the US Navy to repel the attack, one cruise missile and three suicide drones successfully hit the American destroyers, causing fires to break out on them.”
Asked if any U.S. ships were struck today, a U.S. official offered a one-word response.
“No,” the official stated.
Contact the author: howard@twz.com
Inside Tess Daly and Vernon Kay’s shock split as pals reveal all about ‘tearful heart-to-hearts’
TESS Daly and Vernon Kay tonight announced they had split up “amicably” after 23 years of marriage.
A statement from the showbiz couple, with two daughters, said no one else was involved.
The ex Strictly Come Dancing host, 57, and her BBC Radio 2 DJ husband, 52, had grown apart and become more like “roommates” than a married couple.
A source close to the couple told The Sun: “They are both sad that it has come to a natural end but happy for both of their futures.”
Tess and Vernon — who have daughters Phoebe, 21, and 16-year-old Amber — announced their “amicable” marital split in a joint statement last night.
They posted online: “After much consideration, and with a deep sense of care and respect for one another, we have made the decision to separate amicably.
Read more on Tess & Vernon
“This has not been an easy choice, but it comes from a place of mutual understanding and a shared desire of what is best for both of us.
“We remain great friends and, most importantly, fully committed to our roles as loving and supportive parents, which will always be our priority.
“There are no other parties involved in this decision.”
They are understood to have decided to go public after returning from a Caribbean holiday last month.
Both shared photographs from their sunshine getaway but failed to post snaps of each other.
A friend insisted the pair, who married in 2003 after two years of dating, had simply grown apart.
They said: “They have had many conversations about this and tears were shed.
“It wasn’t a sudden decision but it’s something they have been quietly navigating together for some time. It was very natural in a way, it’s just one of those things.
“Vernon is a real social butterfly, he loves going to parties with Phoebe and hanging out with her doing things, while Tess is a bit more of a homebody.
“They are still such great friends, which is why they went on that family holiday together.
“Amber and Phoebe are Tess and Vernon’s world and their focus is solely on them.
“They’ll continue to co-parent together and keep making happy memories with their girls.”
It was understood they will keep their six-bedroom family home in Buckinghamshire while they work out their future plans.
A pal added: “Tess and Vernon are both being very grown up about this. They became more like roommates in the end.
“Working out how to move forward is what they’re doing now.
“Vernon works in London five days a week so it’s likely he’ll get a place in the city for now until they decide what to do with the house.”
On Thursday the pair reunited in London with Phoebe, who attends university in New York.
Vernon was in a typically upbeat mood on air yesterday hosting his Radio 2 mid-morning show.
The couple both started off as models before breaking into Channel 4 – Vernon with T4 and Tess hosting the Find Me a Model segment on The Big Breakfast.
They started dating after meeting in 2001. Vernon recalled of their initial encounter: “She didn’t know anyone except me because we’d worked together that day – she spotted me in a crowd and we had a laugh.
LOVELIEST COUPLE
By Ellie Henman, Bizarre Editor
ASK anyone in the industry, Tess and Vernon were the loveliest showbiz couple you could ever wish to meet.
Whether together or alone, they’d greet you like family.
I’ll never forget Tess taking time out of her schedule in the middle of a Strictly final to chat with my mum or earlier this year, when I was knocking back booze at a Brits after-party with Vernon where he mocked my table at the ceremony as the “s***test in the house,” as he roared with laughter and gave me a hug.
Both of them are northern, working-class kids who have done bloody good.
And despite the fame and the riches, they’ve never forgotten where they came from.
When Vernon took on his epic ultra-marathon back in 2023, running over 116 miles in four days and raising over £6.1 million for Children In Need in the process, he rang me every single day from the road to update Sun readers on his journey and to urge them to donate.
He was in agony but he never let it show because he knew his struggle was nothing in comparison to those he was helping.
After being sent their joint statement online I immediately felt sad for them both because I know this won’t have been an easy decision.
Ending a marriage of over two decades is never easy.
But when you’re one of the most recognisable British telly couples, having to announce that decision to the nation, knowing the scrutiny they’ll face from online stirrers, would be even more difficult.
But knowing Tess and Vernon, they’ll be facing this together as a family and will shut out the noise and focus solely on their girls.
“I was instantly attracted by how independent Tess was, and that’s not changed at all.”
In 2003, they married at a church in Vernon’s hometown of Horwich, Greater Manchester.
Phoebe was born in 2004 — the year Tess started co-hosting BBC ballroom dance show Strictly, first with Bruce Forsyth.
In 2007, Tess and Vernon worked together for the first time, co-hosting BBC celebrity singing show, Just The Two of Us.
Two years later, Amber was born.
When they celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary in 2023, Tess spoke of how proud she was of hitting the milestone.
She said: “Twenty years is a long time. We still have lots to talk about, the conversation hasn’t dried up.
“That’s a good thing.
“We’ve got lots in common and shared values.
“We just enjoy each other’s company and that’s what it boils down to, really. I’m proud of us.”
Vernon said their marriage got stronger thanks to the Covid lockdowns, saying: “You really get under the skin of your relationship with your kids and your missus.”
Tess also launched her own clothing range, and her bombshell decision to quit Strictly last year along with Claudia Winkleman was supported by Vernon.
Tess and Vernon hosted BBC’s The One Show together in a special episode in February, but those close to them said the cracks in their marriage started to form last year.
A source said: “Vernon is more outgoing than Tess is and he loves nothing more than heading out with his mates.
Last summer he was at loads of Oasis gigs. He loves going to the Brit Awards. He’s so outgoing and he loves that lifestyle.
“After quitting Strictly, Tess has been more keen to enjoy life at a slower pace.
“She’s been working really hard on her swimwear line and has loved not having to jump back on to that Strictly treadmill.
“It became clear after a while that they were becoming more like ships in the night.
“It’s not been easy but, ultimately, if the love they had for each other had gone, what is the point in staying together?”
In California governor race, single-payer healthcare is a litmus test. There’s still no way to pay for it
When Gavin Newsom ran for California governor in 2018, his support for a state-run single-payer healthcare system was considered a risky move and earned him hefty labor endorsements.
Today, leading Democrats in the wide-open race to succeed Newsom have embraced single-payer healthcare as a political necessity, an answer to voters fed up with rising premiums and other spiraling healthcare costs.
But with no clear front-runner, they are sparring among themselves in debates and political ads over who is most committed to a government-run model. No candidate has outlined how California would fund comprehensive health coverage for its 40 million residents, leaving voters unable to discern which candidate has a concrete plan for the nation’s most populous state.
Healthcare and political experts said the concept of single-payer has shifted from progressive pipe dream a decade ago to today’s mainstream talking points in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 2 to 1. Democrats have pledged the model as the best way to lower costs in an attempt to woo voters worried about affordability as ballots arrive for the June 2 primary. The top two Republicans, meanwhile, have dismissed government-run healthcare as a “disaster” and “socialism.”
“In many ways, single-payer healthcare has become a progressive litmus test,” said Larry Levitt, a former White House policy advisor and a healthcare expert at KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News.
Few voters fully understand the term single-payer, let alone expect the next governor to achieve it, Levitt said. Rather, he added, the term has become more of a signal to voters about a candidate’s approach to healthcare reform.
Xavier Becerra, the former U.S. Health and Human Services secretary, who for decades backed single-payer healthcare in Congress, has come under criticism from opponents for a nuanced but clear shift away from single-payer. It came after Becerra secured an endorsement from the California Medical Assn., a powerful group representing doctors and a longtime opponent of single-payer healthcare bills in California.
At a May 5 debate put on by CNN, Becerra declared his support for “Medicare for All,” a proposal for a federally run system that’s been stalled for years, but he declined to say whether he’d pursue a California-led effort. He said his immediate focus would be on mitigating the drastic federal cuts expected to hit low-income and disabled enrollees in Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program, which covers more than a third of residents.
Becerra is counting on voters not to distinguish between the often-confused terms single-payer, Medicare for All, and universal coverage, noting during the debate that “Californians don’t care what you call it, so long as they have affordable healthcare.”
“A lot of people aren’t clear what single-payer is, and they need a metaphor to understand it,” said Celinda Lake, a Democratic strategist and one of the lead pollsters for former President Biden’s 2020 campaign.
Billionaire activist Tom Steyer, who’s touted his self-funding as a signal he can’t be bought, has emerged as the race’s most vocal advocate of single-payer after opposing it during a short-lived 2020 presidential bid. As governor, Steyer has said, he would pass legislation backed by the California Nurses Assn. that has failed to come to fruition under Newsom’s tenure. Pressed on how he would cover the estimated $731.4-billion cost, Steyer told KFF Health News that “God is going to be in the details.”
At a forum last year, former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter said she didn’t believe achieving such a system was realistic in the near term, but the Orange County Democrat later told party delegates that she would “deliver single-payer.” Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, Democrats who are trailing their competitors in the polls, don’t support single-payer. The top two vote-getters — regardless of party — advance to the November general election.
Some of the most seasoned politicians have failed to deliver single-payer. Newsom, who campaigned on the promise of being a “healthcare governor,” dialed back his ambitions upon taking office, choosing instead to pursue “universal access” to health coverage under a series of Medi-Cal expansions and efforts to contain healthcare spending.
The campaign bus for billionaire activist Tom Steyer, who has made single-payer healthcare a central pillar of his run for governor, in downtown Oakland.
(Christine Mai-Duc/KFF Health News)
Vermont, which remains the only state to pass a single-payer healthcare law, reversed course when leaders there couldn’t identify a funding source.
To enact single-payer, California would need permission from the federal government to redirect billions of dollars from Medicaid, Medicare and other funding that currently flows to the system — approval not likely to come from the Trump administration.
More than half of adults nationally say healthcare costs will have a major impact on whom they vote for in November, according an April KFF poll.
Danielle Cendejas, a Los Angeles-based Democratic consultant who works with state legislative candidates, said single-payer healthcare increasingly appears on candidate questionnaires from small-business advocates as well as hyperlocal Democratic clubs, in state legislative races and national union endorsements. What most California voters want to hear, Cendejas said, is how candidates plan to give them more immediate relief from higher premiums, expensive drug costs and long waits to access care.
The high price tag doesn’t faze Jennifer Easton, a 63-year-old Democrat from Oakland, who said other countries with similar models have proved they can lower costs. She said she supports a single-payer health system because it’s clear to her that Americans have reached the limits of working within the existing system. But she isn’t expecting any of the current candidates to succeed in implementing one, and she hasn’t decided whom to support.
“No one can in four years,” she said. Seeing a candidate enthusiastically support the concept gives her a good idea of their philosophy. “It is, if we’re lucky, a 20-year, 25-year plan.”
Rob Stutzman, a Republican political consultant who advised former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said while Americans may be supportive of single-payer in polls, focus groups suggest that approval drops quickly when voters realize it could mean losing their current doctor or insurance plan.
At the CNN debate, Steve Hilton, the Republican candidate President Trump has endorsed, said Californians would end up with subpar patient care and “taxes sky high to pay for it,” like in his native United Kingdom. Instead, Hilton suggested the state stop providing “free healthcare for illegal immigrants who shouldn’t even be in the country in the first place.”
Mai-Duc writes for KFF Health News, a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism.
Why Kelsey Plum believes this is the Sparks’ year to win big
On a rare off day in Los Angeles, Sparks guard Kelsey Plum settles into a quieter rhythm. She brings a book to a dog park near her home, finds a spot, and reads. But even here, the stillness is partial at best. Her mind keeps working, circling the same question that has followed her through every stage of her career. What does greatness actually require?
Right now, Plum is reading “The Talent Code,” a book that digs into the tension between nature and nurture. It’s not exactly light reading for a day off, but then again, she isn’t really wired for off days.
“Talent,” she says, “takes countless hours of practice. Sure, you have some natural ability, but you have to train it. You look at like a Russian tennis player, why are they good? Is it random? The similarity with greatness is practice.”
That idea, practice as the great equalizer, shapes how Plum sees her career now, in a moment that demands more from her than ever before.
Sparks guard Kelsey Plum moved to L.A. because she wanted to play a bigger role than she did on the Las Vegas Aces title-winning teams.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
In the week before the WNBA season, she’s no longer in the calm of the park but inside the controlled chaos of media day at El Camino College’s gym. Between photo shoots, she sits on a green room couch in a makeshift makeup area, the morning already filled with obligations: a news conference, cameras, questions about what comes next. Beside her earlier was Ariel Atkins, one of the veterans she helped bring to Los Angeles, a signal that this next chapter is meant to be different.
“Have you ever driven a really expensive car, but didn’t have good insurance?” Plum asked. “When you have great coverage, you can relax a little bit. That’s what it feels like now, there’s so many people paddling in the boat with me.”
That sense of shared momentum didn’t come immediately. Not long ago, there was doubt.
Until a few weeks ago, Plum wasn’t entirely sure she had made the right decision to join the Sparks. After being traded from the Aces in 2025, she knew she wanted more responsibility, more ownership and the chance to be the face of a team. But belief in a vision is one thing; living through the roughest stretches of the transformation is another.
The Sparks went 21-23 last season, finishing two wins short of reaching the postseason. There were flashes, particularly late in the year when Cameron Brink, the No. 2 overall pick in 2024, returned from injury. Still, the result was familiar in L.A.: another year without a playoff berth.
For a player like Plum, that kind of outcome lingers.
Sparks guard Kelsey Plum feared she might have made a mistakes during some difficult moments early in her tenure in L.A., but free agents’ decision to join her boosted her confidence.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
“I don’t think that last year I realized how big of a decision I made,” she said. “Obviously there’s a you don’t understand the gravity of it till you’re in it. I think when Nneka [Ogwumike] signed this year, I was like, ‘OK, I’m not crazy. They’re seeing the vision I am seeing.’”
That validation mattered. It reframed the risk as something shared.
The Sparks leaned into the direction Plum believed in during the offseason. Some of that came directly from her influence and some of it came from the example she set.
“KP came here because she wanted to test herself on how she impacts winning,” said Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley. “And there’s a lot of things that go into impacting winning. It’s on the [score]board, but it’s also, are you a leader? Can you influence other people to come along with you? And she’s been able to do that. She’s been a great, great person to partner with.”
Plum understands that distinction well. She’s been on championship teams before with back-to-back titles in Las Vegas in 2022 and 2023, but this is different. In Los Angeles, she’s helping define what the organization will become.
The franchise hasn’t reached the postseason since 2020, the longest active drought in the WNBA. For a team in a major market, the absence has been noticeable, even as individual pieces hinted at potential.
Plum, in her first season away from the franchise that drafted her No. 1 overall in 2017 after her record-setting run at Washington, produced immediately: 19.5 points and 5.7 assists per game. But numbers alone weren’t the point.
“I felt like I can be the connector,” she said. “When you’re part of a championship culture, you get to see what goes into it. And it’s way more than just basketball. It’s like the business, the operations of it all. They all work together. Obviously, what Mark Davis has done is tremendous in Las Vegas, and really investing in that team. So, yeah, coming here definitely, I learned a lot more than basketball, right? About what goes into building a championship team, a roster, what goes into investing in players and making it feel like a destination where players are like, ‘Ooh, I want to go play there.’”
Sparks guard Kelsey Plum accepted a lower salary so that the team could pursue key free agents capable of helping win a championship.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
That perspective shaped her decisions this offseason in tangible ways. Despite being eligible for a $1.4 million supermax contract after her core designation, Plum chose to sign at a lower number, giving the Sparks flexibility to build around her.
They used that space to add Ogwumike and Erica Wheeler, while still leaving $1,468,650 in cap space for a potential in-season move. They also traded for Atkins from Chicago, parting with 2024 first-round pick Rickea Jackson to ease the pressure in the backcourt.
“I want to really help transform an organization,” Plum said. “As a player, you don’t really know how good you are, or how much you can handle, capacity wise, until put in a situation that’s maybe a little over your head.”
Belief, in this case, became contagious. Plum helped recruit Wheeler. Ogwumike, already familiar with the franchise, pointed to broader changes as part of her decision to return.
With key pieces in play, Sparks guard Kelsey Plum said the team must embrace high expectations. “We’re no longer the cute, young tadpole team,” she said. “We have to win.”
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
“The last couple years have strategically been very, very focused with our ownership and improving the player experience,” Pebley said. “We’ve got a practice facility that is being built. … Players are experiencing a much more consistent and high level, just player experience. And I think they can now look at their peers eye to eye and say, ‘This is where you need to be. you’re going to be treated really well here.’”
All of it builds toward a simple, unavoidable truth: this version of the Sparks can’t afford to linger in potential.
Plum’s legacy in Los Angeles will hinge on whether this reset becomes a turning point or just another chapter in a long rebuild. The expectations have shifted, internally and externally.
“Last year was tough,” Plum said. “We were right there at the end. But I think this year is different. Obviously, with all the free agency acquisitions, this is very exciting. We’re no longer the cute, young tadpole team. We have to win.”
Could Labour and Conservative party dominance in UK politics be ending? | Elections News
The UK prime minister is under pressure to quit after huge losses in the local elections.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Labour Party suffered significant losses in local elections, despite his huge majority in parliament.
He’s rejecting calls to resign – but faces new challenges from both the left and right.
So, why is the local vote so important?
Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom
Guests:
Peter Geoghegan – Editor of the investigative news site, Democracy for Sale
Lesley Riddoch – Podcaster, journalist and author of: ‘Blossom: What Scotland Needs to Flourish’
Tim Bale – Professor of politics, Queen Mary University of London
Published On 8 May 2026
Venezuela Reasserts Essequibo Sovereignty Claim at ICJ Hearing
Foreign Minister Yván Gil (left) and former UN Ambassador Samuel Moncada (right) reiterated Venezuela’s longstanding position on the Essequibo dispute. (Archive)
Caracas, May 8, 2026 (venezuelanalysis.com) – The Venezuelan government reasserted its sovereignty claim over the Essequibo Strip during an International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearing aimed at resolving the long-standing territorial dispute with Guyana.
Venezuelan representative Samuel Moncada, defended the country’s “inalienable right” over the 160,000 square kilometer resource-rich territory during his intervention on Wednesday.
The ICJ is holding a week of hearings in The Hague between the two South American nations over the controversy, which in recent years has raised fears of a possible military confrontation. Venezuela has repeatedly stated that it does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction over the matter. However, Guyana unilaterally brought the dispute before the ICJ in 2018.
In this context, Moncada argued that the only valid legal instrument governing the dispute is the 1966 Geneva Agreement, which calls for a practical and mutually satisfactory solution between Caracas and Georgetown.
“Venezuela is here today because it cannot remain silent in the face of a process in which Guyana seeks to use the Court to unilaterally redefine the nature of the controversy,” Moncada said. He added that Venezuelans rejected the ICJ’s jurisdiction over the issue in the December 2023 referendum.
For his part, Guyanese Foreign Minister Hugh Hilton Todd told the judges that the case has “existential importance for Guyana” because it affects more than 70 percent of the country’s territory.
“For Guyanese people, the very idea that our country could be dismembered is a true tragedy because we would lose the vast majority of our land and population. Guyana would cease to be Guyana without them,” Todd argued during Guyana’s hearing session on Monday.
Moncada responded by saying that Guyana’s position implied that decades of mediation efforts by United Nations officials and Good Offices processes were attempts to “dismember” Guyanese territory, when in reality they sought the negotiated settlement that Guyana is now attempting to avoid.
The Guyanese government intends to have the ICJ uphold an 1899 arbitration ruling that awarded the Essequibo to the United Kingdom. However, in 1962 Venezuela filed a complaint before the United Nations seeking to nullify the award after evidence emerged suggesting that the decision had been reached fraudulently.
As a result, in 1966, while Guyana was negotiating its independence from the United Kingdom, the parties signed the Geneva Agreement, establishing that the Essequibo region would remain administered by Guyana while its sovereignty claim by Venezuela remained unresolved until a mutually agreed settlement could be reached.
The accord effectively superseded the Paris ruling and established a four-year framework to resolve the dispute in a “practical, peaceful and satisfactory” manner for both sides. Although no final resolution has been achieved, the agreement is still considered to be in force.
Tensions between the two countries escalated significantly in 2015 after ExxonMobil discovered massive offshore oil reserves in the disputed area, giving Guyana access to one of the world’s highest per capita oil reserves. Though the Essequibo is under Guyanese administration, Venezuela includes the territory in its official map and recently established administrative structures for its eventual 24th state.
The court at The Hague is scheduled to hold four hearings in total, during which both countries will present their legal arguments.
Guyana presented its first round of arguments on Monday, May 4, while Venezuela did so on Wednesday, May 6. Guyana’s second round took place on Friday, May 8, and Venezuela is scheduled to respond again on Monday, May 11.
Although the hearings will conclude that day, a final ruling could take months or even years. While ICJ rulings are legally binding, the court has no direct mechanism to enforce compliance.
According to Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil, regardless of the judicial proceedings, “the inevitable outcome will be Guyana’s return to the negotiating table to definitively resolve the territorial controversy under the framework of the 1966 agreement.”
Edited by Ricardo Vaz in Caracas.
The weird allure of Altman’s ‘Popeye,’ plus the best films in L.A.
Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.
This newsletter is about going to the movies, of course, but it’s about writing and reading about movies, too. And so it was exciting news this week that Film Comment, the venerable but shuttered publication that helped foster cinephilia in America, would return as a quarterly online publication.
A complete archive is now available online, going all the way back to the earliest issues in 1962. Looking for landmark writings by Manny Farber, Paul Schrader, Richard Corliss, Amy Taubin, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Kent Jones or countless others? It’s all there and well worth digging into. I began my career as an intern at Film Comment, publishing some of my own earliest pieces, and still consider it a North Star for writing about movies. Its return is most welcome.
Agnès Varda’s bruising brilliance
Sandrine Bonnaire in the 1985 movie “Vagabond.”
(Criterion Collection)
Though she became better known for her free-spirited, pixie-ish persona later in life, French filmmaker Agnès Varda was also capable of the bruising emotions of 1985’s “Vagabond,” arguably her greatest fiction feature and winner of the Golden Lion at Venice and the César for best actress for star Sandrine Bonnaire. Opening with the lead character found dead in a ditch, the film flashes backward to piece together her life from the memories of others, creating a fragmented portrait of an enigmatic young woman’s life.
Mezzanine will screen the film on Saturday at 2220 Arts + Archives, followed by a conversation between art critic Megan O’Grady and former Times staffer Carolina Miranda. Writing about the film in 1986, Sheila Benson said, “Just how Agnes Varda has kept ‘Vagabond’ from being a monumental downer is interesting, but she has. It is haunting. It is melancholy … but ultimately, beyond its central tragedy, it is an exhilarating film, the sort you leave burning to talk about with friends.”
A cartoon comes to life
Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall in the 1980 movie “Popeye.”
(Paramount Pictures / Getty Images)
It is one of the most deranged credit blocks imaginable: an adaptation of “Popeye” directed by Robert Altman, produced by Robert Evans, with a screenplay by Jules Feiffer, music by Harry Nilsson and starring Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall. When it was first released in December 1980, it was seen as too weird for kids and too naive for adults, but it has since been reconsidered as a unique snapshot of intersecting talents — a strange, wonderful, one-of-a-kind movie.
Vidiots will screen the film on Saturday afternoon with actors Paul Dooley and Donovan Scott, who played J. Wellington Wimpy and Castor Oyl. In our original 1980 review that is more positive than one might expect, Charles Champlin wrote, “Its difficulties arise not from a lack of ambition and innovation but from excesses of them.”
Neil Young + Devo = gloriously weird
Neil Young in the 1982 movie “Human Highway.”
(Shakey Pictures)
Neil Young’s place as a singer-songwriter and musician is unassailable — he’s an irascible, restless troubadour. But his sidebar work as a filmmaker, typically under the name Bernard Shakey, has had more sporadic and unpredictable output.
Young’s 1982 film “Human Highway” is probably the pinnacle of his work as a director, starring Young himself in an offbeat story of a small community in the shadow of a nuclear power plant. Dennis Hopper, Dean Stockwell, Devo and even former Times music critic Robert Hilburn all appear. Now Instant Image Hall will be screening the film on Saturday and Sunday along with a selection of Devo music videos in celebration of an exhibition at the MutMuz gallery.
After Young premiered a new cut of “Human Highway” a decade or so ago, I somehow found myself sitting across from him at a diner on a rainy midnight in downtown Toronto. (This job does have its moments.)
“My films are not super commercial, but they mean something to me,” Young said.
An Oscar-winning debut
Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger and Jack Nicholson in the 1983 movie “Terms of Endearment.”
(Paramount Pictures)
Part tearjerker, part family drama and part comedy, 1983’s “Terms of Endearment” trademarks a certain bittersweet tone that is still just pure magic. The story of a mother (Shirley MacLaine) and daughter (Debra Winger) across many years of ups and downs in their relationship, the film was the feature debut for James L. Brooks as writer-director and won five Oscars, including three for Brooks. The Academy Museum will play the film in a new 35mm print on Sunday afternoon.
When the movie came out on 4K disc in 2023, I spoke to Brooks about it. He talked about how even though it does have moments of great emotional weight, it was intended to play with a lighter tone overall.
“The whole thing was to make it as a comedy,” Brooks said. “The whole thing was to clock laughs. You had to, in order to do it right. And of course, once the audience leaves and it has its afterlife, it’s a drama because people are watching it alone. But I swear to you, in the theaters it was a comedy.”
A ’90s noir ripe for rediscovery
Jason Patric, left, Bruce Dern and Rachel Ward in the 1990 movie “After Dark, My Sweet.”
(Kino Lorber)
Set in the Coachella Valley with the woozy feel of a day drunk and a sense of uneasy menace, 1990’s “After Dark, My Sweet” is an adaptation of the novel by pulp icon Jim Thompson, directed by James Foley.
Jason Patric, then only 23, stars as Kevin Collins, known as Collie, a former boxer who escapes from a mental institution and is now just drifting. He falls in with Fay (Rachel Ward), an enigmatic, lonely alcoholic widow, who in turn introduces Collie to a shady man known as Uncle Bud (a delightfully sleazy Bruce Dern). Soon Collie is ensnared in a plot to kidnap a sickly rich boy that immediately goes off the rails.
On Tuesday at Vidiots, there will be a screening of Patric’s personal 35mm print of the film — a gift he received some 20 years ago and has never watched before. (It is said to be in pristine shape.) Along with a video introduction from actor and filmmaker Alex Winter, there will be a Q&A afterward with Patric moderated by critic and scholar Travis Woods, who contributed a commentary track to a recent Australian Blu-ray release of the film.
Patric organized the screening as a tribute to director Foley, who died in May 2025 at age 71. “After Dark” landed in between Foley making “Who’s That Girl” with Madonna and the David Mamet adaptation “Glengarry Glen Ross.” Among his other credits are “At Close Range,” “Fear” and the last two “Fifty Shades” movies.
“He was a good friend of mine at the time,” says Patric on a recent phone call from Santa Monica. “I know this was his favorite movie and it was closest to him. It’s the only movie that he had actually written that he directed. And I thought the best way to do that is just to show the movie.”
Patric, who says Collie is his favorite character in a career that also includes “The Lost Boys,” “Rush” and “Your Friends & Neighbors,” was first given the script and in turn gave it to Foley; developed it further together, trying to retain the language of Thompson’s novel. (The screenplay is credited to Foley and Robert Redlin.)
“It’s really a subjective piece of filmmaking,” says Patric. “So as Collie’s figuring things out, the audience is figuring things out.”
In her original review of the film, Sheila Benson wrote that “Collie is one of those roles actors lust after, the damaged dreamer, maybe dumb, maybe dangerous, and Patric demolishes the conventions of the role with breathtaking skill.”
“After Dark, My Sweet” landed just ahead of the Tarantino-inspired crime movie boom of the mid-’90s, alongside such noir-influenced precursors as Dennis Hopper’s “The Hot Spot,” John Dahl’s “Kill Me Again” and Stephen Frears’ Thompson adaptation “The Grifters.”
“This is just such an exciting film to want to reintroduce to audiences,” said Woods in a call. “And to get the opportunity to see this film on the big screen, which most people haven’t had that opportunity for 36 years, it’s just one of those really cool, really only in Los Angeles cinematic moments.”
New this week
Argentinian director Lucrecia Martel, photographed at the Sunset Marquis in April.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
- The unlikely duo of James Cameron and Billie Eilish co-directed a 3D concert film drawn from Eilish’s 2025 tour, “Billie Eilish — Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D).” Film critic Amy Nicholson and pop music critic Mikael Wood traded their thoughts on the movie.
- Argentinian director Lucrecia Martel is among the world’s most accomplished filmmakers and the true crime tale “Our Land (Nuestra Tierra)” is her first documentary. Carlos Aguilar spoke to Martel about it.
- “Mad Bills to Pay” expands to multiple Laemmle venues after a weekend run in the Vidiots microcinema. Carlos Aguilar spoke to director Joel Alfonso Vargas about portraying the Dominican American community in the Bronx.
World’s Best Banks 2026: North America
North American banks accelerated growth by implementing AI and enhancing their client experience.
Across North America, the winners of our Best Banks awards continue to accelerate growth by embedding advanced technology and solutions driven by artificial intelligence throughout their organizations. With the rollout of new platforms and applications, these banks are enhancing the client experience, resulting in increasing levels of digital engagement. Also, partnerships with fintechs and targeted acquisitions are enabling more rapid innovation and expanded service offerings. These efforts are complemented by significant resources allocated to workforce development through enterprise-wide AI implementation, ensuring employees can leverage new technologies to increase innovation and efficiency.
Among the US regional bank winners, large-scale technology initiatives are driving enterprise-wide transformation toward the creation of financial-ecosystem models in which financial services are seamlessly connected across banking platforms. Institutions continue to invest heavily in artificial intelligence, data analytics, and automation to streamline operations and deliver more-personalized client experiences.
Open banking and connectivity enabled by application programming interfaces (APIs) are allowing integration with fintech partners and third-party platforms to expand banking services. With embedded finance, banks are integrating treasury services, payments, and cash management tools directly into client workflows, while partnerships with fintech firms are accelerating innovation.
North America
Bank of Montreal
Bank of Montreal (BMO), with its leading Canadian franchise and its expanding US operations, is a powerful North American universal bank with robust service offerings across its Canadian personal and commercial banking, US banking, wealth management, and capital markets business lines. Part of BMO’s growth strategy involves new behavioral-engagement tools in personal banking, with the introduction of the “My Financial Progress” platform, a digital planning tool to set financial goals with personalized guidance. Complementary services include apps to help build financial literacy, increase savings, manage spending, and monitor cash flow.
For commercial clients, the bank has launched new embedded finance offerings that are integrated into clients’ enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to operate seamlessly. The bank launched application programming interfaces (APIs) for payments, enabling businesses to integrate secure, real-time payment capabilities into their ERP systems, treasury platforms, and customer-facing applications.
Fintech partnerships have contributed to new products such as BMO Sync that integrates BMO’s business-banking services directly into client ERP systems. BMO also has introduced programs to empower its workforce, launching its “AI for All” initiative,which will train an all employees to have a working knowledge of AI. The bank also offers specialized learning paths in AI, cloud technology, and cybersecurity.
Canada
Royal Bank of Canada
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) is driving growth through the development of advanced technologies, platform enhancements, and targeted acquisitions. The bank’s small- and midsize business clients benefit from RBC’s joining the Business Development Bank of Canada’s banking network for access to its 800 million Canadian dollar ($583 million) Business Accelerator Loan Program, which provides added liquidity to business owners via loan guarantees to banks in the program.
RBC is a leader in AI research and implementation across its franchise, through the RBC Borealis research lab.With the development of its NOMI digital platform, RBC provides a suite of retail banking solutions via its mobile app, designed to help retail clients more effectively manage their money through the app’s budgeting, spending analysis, and automation features. For institutional investors, the bank developed Aiden, an AI-powered electronic-trading platform that optimizes trade execution. In addition to these in-house initiatives, the bank supports the advancement of the sector via its RBC’s technology banking and innovation arm, RBCx, which provides startups and VC firms with advisory services and access to financing and capital.
United States
Bank Of America
Bank of America’s growth in recent years has been increasingly driven through its expansion of AI-enabled digital solutions. The bank has focused on continuously enhancing its core digital offerings, resulting in high levels of engagement and client satisfaction. In 2025, digital adoption by consumers and small businesses reached 81% and 86% among wealth and global-banking clients, respectively. Over 20 million clients use Erica, the bank’s AI-powered virtual financial assistant. To support greater scale, the bank upgraded the underlying infrastructure of this service, enabling the rollout of next-generation AI capabilities.
AI is also driving internal productivity and client-service improvements. More than 90% of employees now use the Erica for Employees virtual assistant, which has been enhanced with improved search capabilities and broader functionality. Additionally, AI is supporting workforce development through the Academy, the bank’s internal education and training organization, which utilizes interactive coaching tools to help employees deliver more effective and consistent client interactions.
Mid-Atlantic
Truist
Truist is accelerating its growth strategy with the launch of AI-driven solutions, a refocused branch model, and the creation of a role for a chief AI and data officer. To update its physical footprint with integrated technology and modern layouts, the bank will open 100 new insights-driven branches and renovate 300 more branches in high-growth locations across its markets in Mid-Atlantic states and the Southeast. For consumers and small businesses, a new API-based open-banking platform offers connectivity with Mastercard’s open-finance technology for secure and centralized access to the client’s financial data across a growing network of fintech apps.
The bank is introducing scalable solutions to modernize business banking and boost client engagement. In collaboration with global fintech firm Pollinate, Truist introduced Truist Merchant Engage, an integrated merchant-services platform that benefits small- and midsize-business clients through a unified platform combining core banking services with merchant solutions. The result is an improved digital payments experience that includes an intuitive dashboard and tools for data-driven insights to streamline clients’ operations. In payments services, the bank has developed multiple options for commercial and corporate clients. The bank introduced an AI-based receivables platform that uses machine learning for greater simplicity and efficiency through automated payment reconciliation. The resulting accelerated process eliminates invoice errors and improves client cash visibility and fraud protections.
Additionally, Truist partnered with fintech Koxa to introduce Truist One View Connect. Currently a pilot program with an official launch later in the year, this service is an embedded banking solution allowing seamless management of treasury workflows, payments, and cash positions through integration with a client’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) infrastructure. This new product is a new feature of Truist One View, the bank’s flagship digital platform for business clients.
Northeast
Citizens Bank
To improve client service and engagement, Citizens Bank, our winner for the Northeastern region, has launched a multiyear transformation through its “Reimagine the Bank” initiative aimed at implementing advanced technology to modernize its operating model toward a more digitally integrated bank. The program focuses on leveraging generative AI, data analytics, and automation, across the bank’s retail and commercial business lines, standardizing and streamlining internal operational processes and workflows to improve efficiency and drive growth.
As part of the bank’s progress toward open finance and embedded banking, Citizens now offers an open-banking API allowing businesses and third-party applications to connect directly into Citizens’ banking systems to access client data and initiate transactions. The bank has implemented upgrades to its core digital mobile and online banking platform with new direct deposit options. Its new features make it easier to manage and update client payment methods across a range of accounts, including subscription services and online merchant sites.
For commercial clients, accessOPTIMA is the bank’s flagship digital treasury management solution designed to provide a centralized, real-time view of liquidity, cash positions, and payments activity across the organization. New services for commercial clients include the Citizens Payee Select platform, which more efficiently and securely manages business transactions and payment disbursements by shifting payment control to the recipient. This capability was developed in partnership with Verituity, a fintech that creates leading cloud-based payment solutions, a company in which Citizens holds an equity investment
Midwest & Southwest
Fifth Third Bank
With the completed acquisition of Comerica Bank, Fifth Third Bank has solidified its leading franchise in the Midwest and expanded significantly in the Southwest. Fifth Third now ranks as the ninth-largest bank in the US, with $294 billion in assets. The merger combines Fifth Third’s leading retail and digital bank with Comerica’s strong middle-market commercial banking capabilities over a footprint that covers 17 of the 20 fastest-growing markets in the country.
Significant growth opportunities exist with the addition of Comerica’s Technology and Life Sciences business that involves deep relationships with venture-backed and startup companies providing specialized banking, treasury, advisory, and funding solutions through locations in all major technology hubs. Fifth Third Bank’s digital strategy is focused on the enhancement of its mobile platform, expansion of embedded finance capabilities, and the deeper integration of AI-based solutions in its consumer and commercial banking segments. Through Fifth Third’s Provide platform, the bank offers specialized services to health care practices and medical professionals, with valuation advisory services, acquisition loans, and equipment finance. The bank is expanding its services through a partnership with Brex, a fintech specializing in corporate cards and expense management. The solution gives commercial banking-card holders greater efficiency through automated expense management with secure, real-time payments, as well as improved visibility to company spending. The bank expects this initiative to generate upward of $5.6 billion in annual commercial card-payment volume.
Southeast
Regions
Regions, our Best Bank in the Southeast, is in the midst of a multiyear technology-transformation program that includes the expansion of embedded banking capabilities to improve the customer experience across the bank’s retail commercial and specialty-client segments. Enhancements to the bank’s mobile app incorporate client feedback and include a redesigned interface for easier navigation, with shortcuts to features like funds transfer and credit card locking to prevent fraud, as well as new financial planning and budgeting services. The bank offers new capabilities with open-banking services to allow client financial information to be shared securely with third-party service providers.
On the commercial side, Regions has ramped up its treasury management solutions through its Embedded ERP Finance platform that allows clients to access their financial data through their own ERP systems to better manage cash flow, optimize liquidity, and reduce risk. Specialty services to niche industries are a competitive advantage for Regions. Home improvement contractors can offer financing options to their homeowner clients to pay for projects. For health care clients, a new treasury management service is powered by MediStreams, a health care platform focusing on payment automation and reconciliation. Additional specialized services include a digital portal that allows real estate banking clients to more efficiently manage their construction projects. The portal is supported by Built, a real estate and construction-finance platform that streamlines project financing, development, and management, with client access through a centralized hub.
West
BMO Harris Bank
BMO’s growth strategy in the United States is fueled by the bank’s “One Client” coverage model to ensure customers experience BMO as one integrated bank. This involves technology alignment and use of shared data across business units to better identify client needs and deliver more-personalized service. With new digital services and AI-led advancements, the bank is positioned to build on its significant and growing US franchise that accounted for 42% of group revenue in fiscal year 2025. The franchise is bolstered by an expanding top-15 consumer bank with over 850 banking centers in the Midwest and Western US regions, as well as a top-5 commercial business.
As part of BMO’s branch rationalization to exit low-return markets in favor of higher growth areas, the bank sold 138 branches in the central US. The bank aims to foster closer client engagement through tailored financial solutions with access to in-person financial guidance. BMO is moving to capture more clients in fast-growing markets in the Western US with a multiyear strategy involving the modernization of existing locations and expansion of its footprint through the opening of 130 new community banking hubs in California and 15 in Arizona over the next five years.
On the commercial side, new product launches include BMO Sync, an embedded solution that integrates BMO’s full range of business-banking services directly into client ERP systems to streamline workflows. Payment APIs enable commercial clients across the US to add secure, real-time payment capabilities into their ERP systems, treasury platforms, and customer-facing applications for efficiency and transparency. A key driver of the bank’s progress is its commitment to a unified corporate culture. With the launch of its “AI for All” initiative, an enterprise-wide foundational training program, BMO ensures that all employees develop a working knowledge of AI. The bank also offers specialized learning paths in AI, cloud technology, and cybersecurity as well as the opportunity to develop technical skills through Pluralsight, a digital learning platform.
Rubio presses Europe on Iran action as he seeks to mend ties with Italy and Vatican
ROME — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged European allies Friday to move beyond rhetoric and take concrete action against Iran, even as he sought to repair strained ties with Italy and the Vatican during a two-day visit following tensions over the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran.
Speaking after meetings with Premier Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Rubio warned that Tehran was attempting to assert control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, calling the move “unacceptable” and a threat to global security.
“Everybody says Iran is a threat. Everybody says that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon … but you’ve got to do something about it,” Rubio told reporters in Rome. “If the answer is no … then you better have something more than just strongly worded statements to back it up.”
Clear ‘red line’
Rubio said Iran was trying to normalize control over an international waterway, a precedent he warned could encourage similar actions elsewhere. He also cautioned Tehran against targeting U.S. maritime assets, saying the United States had thwarted attacks on three Navy ships in the strait.
“The red line is clear. They threaten Americans, they are going to be blown up,” he said.
Rubio said Washington was pursuing a diplomatic track, including a proposed U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at preserving freedom of navigation. He added the U.S. was awaiting Iran’s response on Friday to ongoing diplomatic efforts.
Rubio’s visit comes after weeks of sharp disagreements between Washington and Rome over the Iran war, tariffs and President Trump’s criticism of both Meloni and Pope Leo XIV.
Differences remain over Iran war
Meloni described her meeting with Rubio as “constructive, frank and productive,” focused on both bilateral relations and major international issues. She said the talks covered strategic topics, including the Middle East, freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, Ukraine, China and areas of Italian interest such as Libya and Lebanon.
“We both understand how important the trans-Atlantic relationship is, but we also understand that each country must defend its own national interests,” Meloni stressed after the meeting.
Tajani struck a more conciliatory tone after meeting his U.S. counterpart, reaffirming the importance of the trans-Atlantic alliance.
“I am convinced Europe needs America — Italy needs America — and the United States also needs Europe and Italy,” Tajani said, adding he hoped “tensions have been calmed.”
He said discussions covered the Iran conflict and its spillover into Lebanon, as well as Venezuela and Cuba. The U.S. State Department said Rubio also raised the need to protect economic interests and end the war in Ukraine.
Despite the effort to ease tensions, differences remain over the Iran conflict. Italy has opposed the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign, with Meloni calling it “illegal,” and has resisted involvement in offensive operations.
Tajani said Italy would be prepared to contribute naval forces to demine the Strait of Hormuz once a permanent ceasefire is reached, and would maintain its role in the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. He also stressed the importance of continued U.S. troop presence in Europe amid concerns about possible reductions.
No final decision on NATO troops adjustments
Rubio said “no final decision” had been made on NATO troop adjustments, noting that any changes would depend on U.S. national interests and global priorities.
The U.S. has announced a decision to pull 5,000 military personnel from Germany and Trump has threatened to withdraw more troops from Italy and Spain over their stance on the war.
Italy, a key logistics hub for U.S. and allied operations in the Mediterranean and beyond, has already signaled limits to its cooperation. In March, it declined to allow U.S. bombers bound for the Middle East to use a base in Sicily without parliamentary approval, reflecting constitutional constraints and strong domestic opposition to the war.
Meloni, weakened by a recent referendum defeat and facing public unease over the conflict, has insisted that any use of Italian bases for offensive operations would require parliamentary backing.
The war has also raised economic concerns in Italy, with Meloni warning that disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz risk driving up energy costs and inflation, while U.S. tariff threats weigh on the country’s export-driven economy.
An attempt to de-escalate at the Vatican
Rubio also sought to ease tensions with the Vatican following Trump’s criticism of the pope’s calls for peace. After a lengthy meeting on Thursday with the pontiff and Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Rubio said Washington remained committed to a “productive and fruitful” relationship with the Catholic Church.
“The president’s perspective is clear. He thinks that Iran is a threat, and it needs to be addressed. And that position remains unchanged,” Rubio said.
Rubio confirmed that Cuba was also discussed at the Vatican, with Washington hoping the church’s Caritas charity organization would continue distributing humanitarian aid.
Rubio said the U.S. has provided about $6 million in humanitarian aid to Cuba, to be distributed through Caritas, should the Cubans allow it. He added Washington has also offered up to $100 million in additional aid, but the Cuban government has not accepted it so far. Rubio blamed Cuba’s government for blocking assistance and worsening conditions, describing it as “incompetent.”
U.S. officials said the Vatican talks underscored strong bilateral ties and a shared commitment to promoting peace, even as differences over the Iran war persist.
Zampano and Winfield write for the Associated Press.
NFL, referees good to go with new collective bargaining agreement
There will be no replacement referees — and therefore, hopefully, no “Fail Mary” repeat — in the NFL this fall.
The league and the NFL Referees Assn. have avoided a work stoppage by agreeing on a new collective bargaining agreement that runs through the 2032 season.
The current deal was scheduled to expire May 31. The sides having been negotiating since the summer of 2024, and the NFL had begun the hiring process for replacement officials last month.
“This agreement is a testament to the joint commitment of the league and union to invest in and improve officiating,” NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent said in a statement. “It also speaks to the game officials’ relentless pursuit of improvement and officiating excellence. We look forward to working together for the betterment of the game.”
Terms of the agreement have not been released, but the Associated Press reported in March that the league had increased its offer to a 6.45% annual growth rate”growth rate” = increase? in compensation over a six-year labor deal.
“We see this new CBA as a partnership with the league that benefits our membership but also seeks to make our game better,” NFLRA president Carl Cheffers said in a statement. “It is good to get these negotiations behind us so we can focus on preparing for the 2026 season.”
No such agreement between the sides was reached during the 2012 offseason, leading to a lockout that lasted 110 days. It all culminated in Week 3 of that season with the notorious “Fail Mary” call at the end of the Green Bay Packers-Seattle Seahawks game on “Monday Night Football.”
With the Seahawks down by five in the closing seconds, quarterback Russell Wilson threw deep to receiver Golden Tate in the end zone. Green Bay defender M.D. Jennings appeared to come down with the ball first, with Tate attempting to wrestle the ball away.
Two officials stood above the players, with one signaling touchdown (meaning Tate caught the ball, Seattle wins) and the other signaling touchback (meaning Jennings caught the ball, Green Bay wins). The final call on the field was a touchdown, which stood after a lengthy review.
It got worse. The next day, the NFL released a statement saying the officials missed a pass interference call on Tate that would have negated the touchdown. A day after that, the NFL and the referees union announced a new collective bargaining agreement that brought the regular officials back for that weekend’s games.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump announces three-day ceasefire in Russia-Ukraine war | Russia-Ukraine war News
BREAKINGBREAKING,
Truce will also include swap of 1,000 prisoners of war from each country, US president says.
Published On 8 May 2026
United States President Donald Trump says there will be a three-day ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Posting on Truth Social on Friday, the US leader said the truce would last from Saturday to Monday.
“I am pleased to announce that there will be a THREE DAY CEASEFIRE (May 9th, 10th, and 11th) in the War between Russia and Ukraine,” Trump posted.
“The Celebration in Russia is for Victory Day but, likewise, in Ukraine, because they were also a big part and factor of World War II. This Ceasefire will include a suspension of all kinetic activity, and also a prison swap of 1,000 prisoners from each Country,” he added.
Russia had previously announced a two-day unilateral ceasefire to mark its May 9 World War II Victory Day on Saturday.
Ukraine previously stated that it too had offered a truce but that this had been ignored by Moscow.
“This request was made directly by me,” Trump said on Friday, thanking his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy for agreeing to it.
“Talks are continuing” on ending the war, Trump said, adding that “we are getting closer and closer every day”.
“Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought War.”
More to come…
Four convicted in US related to killing of Haitian President Jovenel Moise | Crime News
Prosecutors charge Florida served as central hub in 2021 assassination of Moise, which sparked ongoing political crisis.
Published On 8 May 2026
Four people have been convicted in the United States in connection with the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise.
Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla and James Solages were found guilty on Friday of conspiring to kill or kidnap Moise, whose assassination left a political vacuum in the Caribbean nation that has compounded overlapping security and humanitarian crises.
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They were also convicted of providing material support for the plot in violation of US law. All four face possible life sentences.
US prosecutors have said that the south of Florida, the closest US state to Haiti, served as a central hub for planning and funding Moise’s assassination.
During the trial, which began nearly two months ago, the defence argued that the defendants were scapegoats.
They claimed they had instead been involved in a plan to serve Moise an arrest warrant, amid a dispute about whether the president had overstayed his term.
They further maintained that Colombian mercenaries involved in the assassination were meant to accompany Haitian police to execute the warrant, but that Moise was killed by his own security forces before they arrived.
“This is a Haitian plot, and it is a Haitian conspiracy,” defence lawyer Emmanuel Perez said, as reported by the Miami Herald.
US prosecutors, in turn, charged that the men initially sought to remove and replace Moise, but the plan eventually escalated to assassination.
A fifth defendant, Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a Haitian-born doctor who allegedly wanted to be named president after Moise was killed, was set to be tried at a later date due to health issues.
Eight other individuals accepted plea deals as part of the US investigation.
No national elections have been held in Haiti since Moise’s assassination, although a provisional council was appointed in September 2024 to organise new polls.
The council has since been replaced by US-backed Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime, who has said elections will be held by the end of the year.
The UN has said a stable government is essential to restoring order in Haiti, which has been beset by a series of natural disasters and rising violence, with criminal gangs controlling large swaths of territory.
At least 8,100 gang killings were documented in 2025, with insecurity displacing about 1.5 million people, according to the UN.
Tess Daly shared pic posing with lookalike daughter Phoebe, 21, day before announcing shock split with Vernon
TESS Daly shared a picture with her lookalike daughter Phoebe just one day before announcing her shock split from husband Vernon Kay.
Phoebe Kay, 21, is the spit of her mother in the snaps, which show the pair posing together on a sunny bridge.
Posted the day before Tess, 57, and Vernon, 51, sensationally announced their split, the mother and daughter duo were all smiles in the photo.
The former Strictly Come Dancing presenter captioned the happy photo: “Got my Phoebe back for a few days and making the most of every moment.”
Phoebe has followed in her mother’s footsteps and moved to New York to pursue a career in modelling.
In March, the pair’s eldest daughter revealed on TikTok she had made the big move across the pond.
In the clip, Phoebe can be seen dancing with the New York skyline and the Empire State building in the background.
The nepo baby captioned it: “NYC has my hearttt! Lucky to call it home for a while.”
Phoebe hasn’t disclosed the reason for her move to the Big Apple but it appears that it’s only a temporary stay.
Interestingly, her mum Tess also lived in New York for five years while working as a fashion model in the 90s.
The former Strictly Come Dancing host and the Radio 2 DJ visited their daughter last month as they gave a peek into their whirlwind trip.
Tess took to Instagram to share various snaps of their trip, including standing in front of the New York skyline, eating pancakes and visiting art galleries.
She captioned it: “I love NYC. Maximised every minute on a whirlwind half term trip and fell in love with this magical city all over again.”
Tess and Vernon tied the knot in 2003 and share two daughters – Phoebe and Amber, 16.
The pair met while working as up-and-coming TV presenters for rival channels in 2001, crossing paths at a BBC Christmas party.
But the pair revealed on Instagram today that they had separated after two decades of marriage.
She wrote: “After much consideration, and with a deep sense of care and respect for one another, we have made the decision to separate amicably.
“This has not been an easy choice, but it comes from a place of mutual understanding and a shared desire for what is best for both of us.
“We remain great friends and most importantly, fully committed to our roles as loving and supportive parents, which will always be our priority.
There are no other parties involved in this decision.
“We kindly ask for privacy during this time as we navigate this transition together.
“We will not be making any further public comments.”
World’s Best Banks 2026: Western Europe
Western Europe’s banks were well capitalized, digitally evolving, and strategically acquisitive—despite rate headwinds.
After the exceptional windfall years of 2022 and 2023, when aggressive rate hikes fattened net interest margins, most Western European banks had a strong 2024, particularly the larger players with extensive branch networks and franchises. Fast forward to 2025, and a more sobering reality dawned. The European Central Bank’s (ECB’s) easing cycle was well underway, and with it came the question that had been quietly forming in the minds of analysts and investors alike: Could Western Europe’s banks sustain their profitability once the rate tailwind turned to a headwind? The evidence now clearly answers that question in the affirmative—though not without adaptation, and not without some pointed lessons along the way.
The headline story is one of structural resilience, corroborated at the highest levels: In the ECB’s Annual Report on Supervisory Activities published in March 2026, the bank confirms that banks under its direct supervision “remained resilient in 2025,” with the aggregate Common Equity Tier 1 capital ratio (CET1 ratio) of “significant institutions” climbing to 16.1% in the third quarter of 2025, driven by strong profitability and retained earnings. Return on equity (ROE) stabilized at around 10% across the sector—modest by the standards of the best performers in our latest Best Banks ranking.
Separately, the European Banking Authority’s (EBA’s) Autumn 2025 Risk Assessment Report affirms that European banks “remain strong in capital, liquidity, profitability and asset quality,” even as the report urges “continued vigilance” in the face of geopolitical uncertainty and rising operational risks. This picture is richly illustrated by the individual performers in this year’s awards, where CET1 ratios frequently exceed the European average by a wide margin.
Yet the year was not without its disappointments. Margin pressure was real, and pockets of weakness were visible. The EBA itself warns that declining net interest income has been a systemic challenge, offset only where banks had successfully diversified into fee and commission income.
That diversification imperative made M&A one of the defining strategic trends of the period—and it shows no sign of abating. DNB’s acquisition of Nordic asset manager Carnegie Holding and Bank of Cyprus’ purchase of Ethniki Insurance, for example, reflect a sector in active pursuit of scale, complementary revenue streams, and fintech capability.
KPMG 2025 Banking and Capital Markets CEO Outlook, published January 2026, adds important context here, however: “The vast majority of CEOs surveyed expect to be active in the deal market over the coming three years, although fewer envisage ‘high-impact’ deals (down from 48% to 41%). Instead, 46% favor ‘moderate-impact’ acquisitions, primarily targeting fintechs, digital lending platforms, and RegTech [regulatory technology] firms to accelerate innovation without overextending capital.” Overall, European banks recognize a strategic need for scale, with momentum toward both domestic consolidation and cross-border deals and are hoping that a more favorable regulatory environment may emerge to support this.
In Western Europe, technology and ESG have become structural pillars rather than peripheral initiatives. Danske Bank has leaned into generative AI (Gen AI) to support retail investment growth, while UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti highlights the role of transformational AI projects in bolstering operational resilience as the Credit Suisse integration approaches completion. Swedbank’s 99.9% digital uptime across Swedish and Baltic operations is now as commercially significant as any lending figure. On sustainability, Eurobank leads its Greek peers with over €6.9 billion ($8.1 billion) in sustainable financing; UniCredit has issued €6.5 billion in green bonds since 2021; and CaixaBank has become the first Spanish bank to receive a Sustainable Finances certification from AENOR, the Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification.
But the technological evolution carries a shadow. According to the KPMG CEO Outlook, cyber risk is now the number-one factor that could slow growth—cited by 86% of banking CEOs, up from 81% in 2024—and cybersecurity ranks as the top challenge facing banks globally, ahead of every other sector in KPMG’s survey. This reflects the uniquely exposed position of banks, whose large customer bases and access to highly confidential data make them prime targets. As digital-banking platforms, open-banking APIs, and AI tools expand attack surfaces, hackers are increasingly deploying AI to pursue payment fraud and install ransomware. It is little surprise, then, that 57% of banking CEOs are “prioritizing cybersecurity above all other investments.” The EBA echoes this concern, warning that elevated geopolitical risks are amplifying operational and cyber threats, and that banks must invest continuously in resilience infrastructure.
As we publish our annual Best Banks award winners, the outlook is cautiously optimistic. Rate normalization will continue to test income generation; geopolitical friction shows no sign of resolution. But the weight of evidence—from individual bank results, from the EBA, and from the ECB itself—points consistently in the same direction: Western Europe’s leading banks have diversified their revenues, fortified their capital, and earned ratings improvements to match. Resilience, it turns out, is not merely a buzzword for these banks—it’s a strategy.
Western Europe
CaixaBank
Once again, CaixaBank has secured a dual victory as the Best Bank in Western Europe and the premier financial institution in its home country, Spain—a distinction the bank has now achieved for a remarkable eight consecutive years.
A domestic market leader, CaixaBank operates a “socially responsible universal banking model with a long-term vision, based on quality, proximity, omnichanneling, and specialization.”
The bank reports a net attributable profit of nearly €5.9 billion for 2025, net interest income of almost €10.7 billion, and an ROE of 14.9%. Revenues from services—including wealth management, protection insurance, and banking fees—were up 5.4% to nearly €5.3 billion. New loan origination to individuals grew 12.4% to almost €2.6 billion. New mortgage lending rose 6.5% to reach nearly €8.5 billion, while lending to businesses increased 7.6% to reach about €12.4 billion.
Exceeding both targets and expectations, CaixaBank has raised the growth and profitability targets set out in its 2025-2027 Strategic Plan.
CaixaBank’s commitment to the communities it serves was evident once again last year, with initiatives encompassing financial-inclusion solutions with a social impact, regional social projects, and a steadfast commitment to the environment. The bank is an Iberian and European leader in sustainable and socially responsible investment.
Reflecting the strength of the bank’s performance, Fitch Ratings revised CaixaBank’s Outlook to Positive from Stable in October while affirming both its Long-Term Issuer Default Rating and its Viability Rating at A-. Fitch also upgraded the bank’s Short-Term IDR to F1 from F2.
The agency says its outlook reflects its “expectation that CaixaBank’s leading domestic position and diversified business profile will enable it to capture additional growth opportunities stemming from Spain’s economy, rising credit demand and favorable business trends,” adding that these factors will “gradually strengthen CaixaBank’s earnings resilience through the interest rate and economic cycles.”
Andorra
Creand Credit Andorra
The winner for the eighth consecutive year, Creand Credit Andorra (formerly Credit Andorra) boasts over 75 years of experience in the principality, offering a comprehensive suite of global private banking, asset management, and insurance services. The bank posted a robust 2024 profit of €70.9 million, representing a solid performance following its exceptional 60% profit surge in 2023. Business volume reached €30.7 billion, an 11.1% year-on-year (YoY) increase. Beyond the group’s financial strength, it remains a key local employer with 508 staff in Andorra, where women make up 48% of the workforce.
Austria
UniCredit Bank Austria
One of the largest retail banks and best-capitalized major financial institutions in Austria, UniCredit Bank Austria is a leader in corporate banking, wealth, and private banking. As of September 2025, the bank’s key performance indicators included a return on allocated capital of 23% and a cost-income ratio of 39%—demonstrating best-in-class cost efficiency compared to its peers. The bank’s CET1 ratio of 18.6% reflects a prudent capital base. Revenues came in at €2 billion, while gross operating profit stood at €1.2 billion. UniCredit serves around 15 million clients through its corporate, individual, and payment solutions groups in Austria, Germany, Italy, and Central and Eastern Europe. Reporting its 20th consecutive quarter of profitable growth in the fourth quarter, the group says its vision is to be “the bank for Europe’s future.”
Belgium
KBC
In the beating heart of Europe, KBC wins the laurels as our Best Bank in Belgium. Net income at the end of June 2025 was €1.6 billion, up 9% YoY. Total assets were €390.7 billion. The group reported a strong capital base with a 14.6% CET1 ratio and an ROE of 15% for the period. A FTSE4Good Index Series constituent, the bank continues its sustainability journey, receiving recognition annually in the S&P Sustainability Yearbook of top performers.
Cyprus
Bank of Cyprus
It was another year of robust performance for Bank of Cyprus, which saw total assets rise 8% to €28.6 billion in 2025. While profit after tax moderated slightly to €481 million (down 5% YoY), the bank’s 37% cost-income ratio and strengthened 21% CET1 ratio underscore its market-leading efficiency and capital discipline. The bank’s €29.3 million acquisition of Ethniki Insurance Cyprus marked a significant step in diversifying its business model and bolstering noninterest income streams.
Denmark
Danske Bank
Offering a full range of retail, corporate, and institutional services, Danske Bank returns as our Best Bank in Denmark for the third time in a row. In 2025, a resilient Danish economy contributed to a 5% growth in business lending and a surge in retail investment activity that pushed assets under management (AUM) across the group to over 1 trillion Danish kroner (more than $157.3 billion). The bank’s Danish operations served as the primary engine for a group ROE of 13.3%. Growth was also supported by new partnerships and digital rollouts, including platform enhancements and the use of Gen AI. The bank maintained a robust CET1 ratio of 17.3% and a CAR of 20.9%, reflecting highly disciplined capital management by both European and Nordic banking standards.
Finland
Nordea
Returning to the top spot as our Best Bank in Finland, Nordea reports a record €478 billion in AUM in 2025, up 13% YoY. With an ROE of 15.5% and a CET1 ratio of 15.7%, this profitable, efficient universal bank drew its 2022-2025 strategy to a successful close. That included receipt of approval from the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority for a partnership with domestic rival OP Financial Group to combine efforts in solving consumer and business payments challenges.
France
Groupe BPCE
Groupe BPCE’s net banking income was up an impressive 10% YoY to €25.7 billion in 2025; while gross operating income rose some 22% to reach some €8.4 billion. Bolstered by a CET1 ratio of 16.5%, the banking group employs 100,000 staff, serving 35 million customers worldwide, including consumers, professionals, companies, investors, and local authorities. The banking group says it plans to recruit 16,000 employees in 2026, including 10,000 in the Banques Populaires and Caisses d’Epargne networks. Nearly half of these recruitments will target young people, as part of the bank’s partnership with state-run agency France Travail.
Germany
Commerzbank
Another year, another record net income, and another win for Commerzbank—our Best Bank in Germany for the fourth year running. Net income for the first half of 2025 was up 0.9% to €1.3 billion; while total assets reached €582 billion, and total revenues rose 12.5% to €6.1 billion. Despite a dip in the bank’s CET1 ratio to 14.6% and its ROE to a low 8.1%, Commerzbank improved its cost-income ratio to 56% while absorbing €534 million in restructuring expenses. The Frankfurt-based financial institution continues to fend off a UniCredit takeover, a move the Italian giant has pursued since 2024. With almost 40,000 employees, Commerzbank’s ESG goals include net-zero operations by 2040 and portfolio neutrality by 2050.
Greece
Eurobank
Our winner continued its run in Greece; Eurobank achieved remarkable growth across loans, deposits and AUM in the first half of 2025—rising YoY by €5.3 billion, €4 billion, and 30%, respectively. Domestic assets reached €62.8 billion, supported by €37.3 billion in gross loans and €45.2 billion in deposits. Beyond the balance sheet, the group leveraged its performance to drive social impact, strengthening its startup incubator and funding significant public-school renovations. Notably, Eurobank leads its peers with over €6.9 billion in sustainable financing and an upward trend in Article 8 AUM, now exceeding €230 million. Article 8 funds are predominantly ESG compliant. The bank’s market-leading position was further solidified in 2025 through its acquisition of Eurolife’s life insurance business.
Iceland
Arion Bank
Arion Bank may be on the smaller side of the three major Icelandic banks, but what it lacks in size it made up for in efficiency and performance in 2025. The bank reports group AUM of 2 trillion Icelandic kronur ($15.9 billion), net earnings of 30.6 billion kronur, an ROE of 14.9%, a cost-income ratio of 42.3% and a CET1 ratio of 18.4%. Arion Bank’s service offering creates a broad revenue base, with a loan portfolio that is well diversified between retail and corporate customers. The bank is in merger discussions with Kvika Bank, currently the country’s fourth-largest bank, under which terms Arion Bank’s existing shareholders would hold 74% of the combined entity. The merger, which is expected to complete in late 2026, would be one of Iceland’s largest.
Ireland
AIB
AIB returns for a third year running as our Best Bank in Ireland. Serving a customer base of over 3.3 million, the Emerald Isle’s biggest bank posted a solid first half, with a €927 million profit after tax and a 21.4% return on tangible equity (ROTE), bolstered by a robust 16.4% CET1 ratio. 2025 saw the bank return to full private ownership, as well as the launch of its new slogan, “For the life you’re after,” encapsulating its commitments to customers, community, and sustainability.
Italy
UniCredit
Our Best Bank in Italy for the third consecutive year is UniCredit. While gross revenue moderated 3.1% to €11 billion, Italy remains the undisputed earnings powerhouse of the UniCredit group, contributing 41% of the total €10.6 billion net profit. With a unique Pan-European footprint and group assets reaching €870 billion at year-end 2025, UniCredit leverages its stability and low risk exposure to lead the continent’s green transition. The bank is making significant strides toward its 2050 net-zero target, notably through its €11.3 billion in environmental lending and the issuance of €6.5 billion in green bonds since 2021. In 2025, UniCredit deepened its domestic ESG impact through initiatives like Salotti Energia to build ESG awareness among Italian corporates and the One4Planet, Water Management loan. Furthermore, its Banking Academy Italy continues to drive social value, launching the Conta per Me primary school program and advanced fraud prevention training to protect the domestic retail base.
Lichtenstein
LGT
Liechtenstein’s largest player, LGT, continues its six-year unbroken winning streak. Total operating income increased 10% YoY to over 1.4 billion Swiss francs (more than $1.7 billion) in the first half of the year, group profits surged 38% to 240.6 million francs, and AUM reached 359.6 billion francs. While the bank trimmed its cost-income ratio to 75.7%, the figure remains high. Offsetting this is an impressive 18.5% CET1 ratio, reflecting the superior capital strength of this bank owned by the country’s royal family.
Luxembourg
BGL BNP Paribas
Our winner in Luxembourg, BGL BNP Paribas, reported first-half 2025 revenues of €315 million, up from €300 million for the same period in the previous year. With almost 2,100 employees in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the bank provides universal services with a strategic emphasis on corporate and institutional clients. With deep regional roots dating back over a century, BGL BNP Paribas remains a cornerstone of Luxembourg’s economic landscape. Looking ahead, the bank is set to be a key driver of the group’s transition strategy, targeting 90% low-carbon energy financing by 2030.
Malta
Bank of Valletta
Malta’s banking sector remains highly concentrated; and with a 41% market share and total assets of €15.6 billion as of first-half 2025, Bank of Valletta is the most dominant domestic and commercial player in the sector—as well as our 2026 Best Bank in Malta. While the group registered a first-half profit before tax of €135.1 million (slightly down from €148.2 million in first-half 2024), return on average equity stood at 18.9% and CET1 ratio at 21.3%—a breakwater typical of the Mediterranean island.
Monaco
CFM Indosuez Wealth Management
Although its net income for 2024 fell slightly to €59.4 million, a 2.4% decrease from 2023, CFM Indosuez Wealth Management remains the leading player in Monaco. Despite lower interest rates and an unstable geopolitical context, wealth under custody grew 8.4%. “Customer business grew significantly, underpinned by strong new business momentum, a satisfactory performance in market activities and continued robust loan production.” Revenue increased 1.1% to €199.4 million driven by dynamic transactional business, though performance was impacted by a 2.1% rise in operating expenses due to inflation.
Netherlands
ING Group
Amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, the CEO of ING Group, Steven van Rijswijk hailed 2025 as a year in which the major global bank consistently executed its “strategy of accelerating growth, increasing impact and further diversifying income by doing more business with more customers and clients.” And so, returning for a third consecutive year, ING is once again our winner in the Netherlands, delivering strong commercial growth in its European base while achieving €23 billion in total income across the group. This was supported by an uptick in the bank’s customer base and a 15% rise in fee income to €4.6 billion. Commercial net interest income meanwhile came in at €15.3 billion. Achieving €56.9 billion in lending growth—more than double that of the previous year—ING’s net result for the year was broadly stable at €6.3 billion. The bank reports a 13.2% ROE and a 13.1% CET1 ratio. Of all its major markets, the Netherlands was a key driver and contributor to the bank’s growth in 2025.
Norway
DNB
Keeping its crown as the Best Bank in Norway for the fourth year in a row, DNB remains the dominant player in its home market, balancing massive scale with high profitability. Offering a full suite of retail, corporate, and investment banking, DNB maintained a strong reputation over the year, reporting an annualized ROE of 15.6%. Profits rose by 1.5% in the first half of 2025 to 21.3 billion Norwegian kroner ($2.1 billion), driven by solid performance across the group, and supported by a Norwegian economy that held up well in an unpredictable global environment. In 2025, the bank completed its 12 billion Swedish kronor ($1.2 billion) acquisition of Carnegie, a Nordic asset manager with 850 employees, strengthening DNB’s position in investment banking and wealth management.
Portugal
Banco Santander Totta
In Portugal, it is another consecutive win for Banco Santander Totta, which continued its growth strategy in 2025 via rigorous commercial and operational optimization. In a year defined by falling interest rates, it remained the most profitable bank and a benchmark for efficiency, posting a 31.8% ROTE and a 28% efficiency ratio while achieving a net profit of €963.8 million.
During this time, the bank continued to grow its customer base, particularly in high-value segments. Active customers increased by 40,000 to more than 1.9 million; while digital customers rose 5.1% to over 1.3 million, now representing 68% of the total base. This growth translated into a growth in commercial activity, with over 100,000 new accounts opened, 1.3 million daily transactions (up by 9.7%), and more than 327,000 new cardholders added.
Sweden
Swedbank
Swedbank had another successful year, with an ROE higher than the bank’s target of 15%—and according to president and CEO Jens Henriksson, “proof that our business model works.” The bank’s Swedish operations account for 71% of the group’s customer base; overall it serves a total of 7.3 million private customers and 545,000 corporate customers across Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—offering loans, savings, payments, insurance, and daily banking services. In 2025, digital investments contributed to uptime of 99.9% for Swedbank’s app and internet bank for Sweden and the Baltic countries. This is a key focus for the bank as it sets out to improve its customer experience, with the aim “to make it easy to manage everyday matters digitally.”
Switzerland
UBS
For the sixth consecutive year, UBS has earned our Best Bank in Switzerland distinction. Throughout 2025, the bank remained laser focused on the Credit Suisse integration, which is slated for substantial completion by the end of 2026. A disciplined approach yielded a $7.8 billion net profit, supported by a solid 14.4% CET1 ratio, despite an 81.1% cost-income ratio.
CEO Sergio Ermotti attributed this performance to a “global, diversified franchise” that helped clients navigate market volatility. He further highlighted the bank’s digital evolution, noting that transformational AI projects are successfully bolstering operational resilience and improving client experience. As the Credit Suisse integration enters its final stages, industry attention is shifting toward the leadership transition following Ermotti’s planned 2027 departure.
United Kingdom
HSBC
HSBC is our Best Bank in the UK for the second consecutive year. HSBC UK employs 18,000 full-time staff across the country, serving over 15.3 million customers. For the year ending December 31, 2025, it posted a profit before tax of £5.6 billion ($7.5 billion). Revenue increased by £489 million, or 5%, to £10.5 billion, driven by higher net interest income. The bank’s ROTE of 19.2% was one percentage point lower than 2024, driven by growth in commercial lending. Supported by a 13.2% CET1 ratio and an 175% liquidity-coverage ratio, the its balance sheet remained resilient against a challenging economic backdrop.
Friday 8 May Anniversary of the election of Pope Leo XIV in Vatican City
This collection of news excerpts commemorates the anniversary of Pope Leo XIV’s electionwhile detailing the biography and international engagements of the Catholic Church’s 267th leader. As the first American pontiff, Leo XIV is described as a Chicago-born former missionary with dual Peruvian citizenship who spent decades advocating for marginalized communities in South America. Recent reports highlight his global diplomatic influence, including high-level meetings with United States officials and a pastoral visit to Cameroon that drew massive crowds. The text also places his papacy within a contemporary 2026 landscape marked by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and shifting economic trends. Together, these summaries provi …
Disney’s ABC challenges FCC, escalating fight over free speech
Walt Disney Co.’s ABC is forcefully resisting Federal Communications Commission efforts to soften the network’s programming, accusing the federal agency of an overreach that violates 1st Amendment freedoms.
Last week, the FCC took the unusual step of calling in the licenses of eight Disney-owned television stations for early review. The move — widely interpreted as an effort to chill the network’s speech — came a day after President Trump demanded that ABC fire late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel over a joke about First Lady Melania Trump.
The FCC separately has taken aim at ABC’s daytime discussion show, “The View,” which delves deeply into politics.
The FCC has questioned whether the show, which prominently features Trump critics Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar, could continue toclaim an exemption to rules that require broadcasters to provide equal time for opponents of political candidates.
In its filing this week with the FCC, Disney’s Houston television station raised the stakes in the dispute over “The View,” calling the commission’s actions “unprecedented” and “beyond the Commission’s authority.” The ABC station’s petition for a declaratory ruling said “The View,” has long qualified as a “bona fide” news interview program with freedom to conduct interviews of legally qualified political candidates.
“The Commission’s actions threaten to upend decades of settled law and practice and chill critical protected speech, both with respect to The View and more broadly,” the Houston station KTRK-TV said in the filing.
The network’s firm stance sets up a clash with the Trump administration, including the president’s hand-picked FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who has made no secret of his disdain for Kimmel and other ABC programming. Earlier this year, Carr announced that decades-old exemptions from the so-called “equal time rule” for news programs, including “The View,” were no longer valid.
ABC’s strenuous arguments mark a departure for the Disney-owned outlet.
In December 2024, a month after Trump was elected to a second term, the network quickly settled a lawsuit over statements made by news anchor George Stephanopoulos that Trump found offensive. ABC agreed to pay Trump $15 million to end his legal fight — sparking an outcry among free speech advocates, who accused the network of caving on a case it could have won.
“Some may dislike certain—or even most—of the viewpoints expressed on The View or similar shows,” the station said in its filing. “Such dislike, however, cannot justify using regulatory processes to restrict those views. The government does not get to decide ‘what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion.’”
The station noted that, while the FCC has questioned the exemption for “The View,” which dates back to 2002, the FCC hasn’t showed interest in regulating programs on other networks, “including the many voices — conservative and liberal — on broadcast radio.”
“The danger is that the government will simply decide which perspectives to regulate and which to leave undisturbed,” ABC said.
On April 28, Carr called for a review of Disney’s broadcast licenses two years before any of them were set to expire, citing the agency’s year-old inquiry into Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies and whether they violated federal anti-discrimination rules.
I stayed at the cosy English hotel with a ‘Best of British’ menu
IF you are wanting a beautiful hotel stay with some fantastic classic British food, we’ve found just the place.
Here’s everything you need to know about staying at the Pheasant Inn.
Where is the Pheasant Inn?
The hotel is a minute’s drive from the M4 in the Berkshire Downs Area of Outstanding National Beauty.
What is the hotel like?
This 450-year-old Young’s inn was the perfect R&R for my wife and I on our way home after rainy camping in Wales.
What are the rooms like?
As we entered our room, birdsong through the window competed check with Classic it out FM humming from a Roberts radio.
Egyptian cotton linen with a Hypnos mattress, carefully curated books and minibar snacks including gourmet crisps, nuts, olives and Smarties, along with Bramley bath products, completed the welcome.
Double rooms from £98 on a room-only basis. See thepheasant-inn.co.uk.
What is there to eat and drink?
Head chef Santosh and his team “bring their own secrets” to the Pheasant restaurant’s “best of British” menu – and they work magic.
I dined on crayfish with Bloody Mary sauce and caper berries, rump steak then chocolate cheesecake with vanilla ice-cream, cherry hazelnut and honeycomb.
My wife enjoyed salmon pate with pickled veg, herbcrusted lamb cutlet with carrot puree, broad-bean mousse, king oyster mushroom and jus, then sticky toffee pudding.
It was a miracle we could face the banging Full English brekkie the next day.
What else is there to do there?
You may spot a jockey or three at the bar, as Lambourn is famed for its racehorse training and nearby Newbury Racecourse.
Great trekking and cycling abound, or browse antique shops at Hungerford, ride a narrowboat on the Kennet and Avon Canal and venture into Marlborough.
Is it family friendly?
Families can pay an extra £15 a night for beds that sleep ages 2-14, while those under two stay for free.
They also have ‘Borrow Boxes’ in the room with activities for kids to use while there.
Is the hotel accessible?
There is wheelchair access to the restaurant and some of the rooms are on the ground floor.
Bruno Fernandes: Man Utd and Portugal midfielder wins Football Writers’ Association men’s Footballer of the Year award
There is no doubt Manchester United have given Bruno Fernandes a push to get this award.
United have been playing up Fernandes’ claims and also ensured the Portugal playmaker was promoted through some recent media engagements.
However, this would have been pointless had Fernandes not delivered at a time in the season when United needed him to deliver.
In October, when Fernandes spoke about qualification for the Champions League, few thought it was likely.
In January, when technical director Jason Wilcox told the United squad that was the aim despite Ruben Amorim’s dismissal, it seemed a tall order.
That they have achieved it with three matches to spare and could yet end the campaign nearer in points terms to the eventual champions than in any other season since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement 13 years ago, owes a huge amount to Fernandes.
Since returning from a rare injury against Burnley, Sunday’s victory over Liverpool was only the third match out of 16 in all competitions when Fernandes has not either scored a goal or created one.
His performances across the season have been consistently high and worthy of wider recognition.
Twelve months ago, when the debate over Fernandes’ United future raged, the question being asked was simply this: where would they be without him? The suspicion was they would have been much closer to relegation than they actually were.
The same could be asked now. The answer? They surely would not be looking forward to a Champions League return.
Real Madrid fine Valverde and Tchouameni for dressing-room fight | Football News
Real do not impose sporting sanctions saying 500,000 euro fines concludes the ‘internal procedures’ against the pair.
Published On 8 May 2026
Real Madrid have fined Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde 500,000 euros ($588,000) each after a training ground clash that left the latter needing hospital treatment.
The club did not impose any sporting sanctions on the two players, saying in a statement that the fine “thereby concludes the internal procedures” launched against them.
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Valverde will miss Sunday’s Clasico against Barcelona as a result of the head injury he suffered during the altercation. The club said he would be out for up to two weeks.
Tchouameni took part in training on Friday and could feature at Camp Nou this weekend.
Madrid said on Friday that both players “expressed their complete remorse for what happened and apologised to each other” while taking part in a club investigation.
“They extended their apologies to the club, their teammates, the coaching staff, and the fans, and both have made themselves available to Real Madrid to accept whatever sanction the club deems appropriate,” read a club statement.
Uruguay international Valverde was accompanied to the hospital facility near the club’s Valdebebas training complex by Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa, according to Spanish reports, which said the player needed stitches to treat a facial wound.
Valverde sought to downplay the severity of the altercation with the France midfielder.
“The strain of the competition and frustration caused the situation to escalate,” Valverde wrote on social media, expressing regret at the media coverage of the incident.
“I accidentally hit a table during the argument, causing a small cut on my forehead that required a routine visit to the hospital,” he said.
“At no point did my teammate hit me, and I didn’t hit him either.”
According to reports, the two players quarrelled on Wednesday during training, and their argument continued on Thursday during and after the session.
Spanish media reported Valverde refused to shake Tchouameni’s hand and later fouled him in Thursday’s training session, with the pair scrapping afterwards in the dressing room when the injury occurred.
Tensions are running high at Real Madrid with the club on the verge of a second consecutive season without a major trophy.
Los Blancos trail Barca by 11 points at the top of La Liga, with Hansi Flick’s side able to clinch back-to-back league titles on Sunday if they do not lose.