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- Supermarkets may cap prices of milk, eggs and bread amid inflation concerns
- Farmer discovers live frog in sealed salad bag in Esperance, Australia
- European Commission maintains carbon border tax in fertiliser plan
- Pennsylvania primary election results for governor, lieutenant governor and U.S. House
- Son of Mango founder Isak Andic arrested following his father’s death during hike
- Mike Collins progresses to runoff in Georgia GOP Senate primary
- Angela Merkel receives European Order of Merit, highlights security concerns
- Diplomats finalise EU-US agreement to eliminate duties on US goods
LIVE German 2025 Election Results as they come in and analysi on who will be the next German Chancellor.
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Supermarkets may cap prices of milk, eggs and bread amid inflation concerns
7:00 am
Get you up to speed: Prices of milk, eggs and bread could be frozen over Iran war fears | News UK
Supermarkets in the UK are being asked by Chancellor Rachel Reeves and the Treasury to cap prices on staples like milk, bread, and eggs amid rising cost-of-living concerns. The measures aim to protect British farmers’ incomes while responding to inflation pressures linked to the ongoing conflict in Iran.
The Treasury has requested supermarkets to cap prices on essential items while ensuring British farmers’ incomes are protected. Rachel Reeves is expected to announce a cost-of-living support package this week to address rising consumer costs.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves stated that she will announce a cost-of-living support package this week aimed at alleviating household expenses. The British Retail Consortium has warned against ‘1970s style price controls,’ urging the government to address public policy costs contributing to rising food prices.
What remains unclear — It is uncertain how the proposed price caps will affect farmers’ income if implemented.
Supermarkets may cap prices of milk, eggs and bread amid inflation concerns
Supermarkets could limit food prices from going up by capping groceries like bread and milk.
Cost-of-living fears are growing despite UK inflation falling back to its lowest level for more than a year, pushed by a drop in energy prices which has offset the skyrocketing fuel costs due to the Iran war.
In a bid to tackle rising prices, Chancellor Rachle Reeves and the Treasury are said to have asked major supermarkets to cap the prices of milk, bread and eggs.
In exchange, supermarkets would be offered incentives like relaxing packaging policies and delaying potentially costly changes to healthy food rules, the Financial Times reports.
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An average household might have to dish out an extra £200 on its food bill by the end of the year, according to the latest prediction by the Food and Drink Federation.
However, the retail industry has called on the government to steer clear of ‘1970s style price controls.’
Helen Dickinson, the chief executive of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said: ‘Rather than introduce 1970s style price controls and trying to force retailers to sell goods at a loss, the Government must focus on how it will reduce the public policy costs which are pushing up food prices in the first place.
She continued: ‘The challenge facing retailers is a combination of higher energy and commodity costs resulting from the Middle East conflict, and the soaring cost of the Government’s domestic policies.’
Dickinson argued that the UK has the most affordable groceries in Western Europe because of competition between supermarkets.
Are you worried about affording your food shop?
The Treasury is said to have asked supermarkets to guarantee that British farmers would not lose income from any prie caps, the FT reports.
Reeves is expected to reveal a cost-of-living support package this week to help keep costs down for families, the Treasury said.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: ‘The war in Iran is not our war but one we will need to respond to, and the decisions I took in the Budget last year have kept inflation down as we deal with global instability.
‘We have the right economic plan, and to change course now would risk our economic stability and leave working people worse off.
‘We have already taken £117 off energy bills, frozen rail fares, and lifted the two-child limit, and over today and tomorrow I’ll set out the next phase of how we will support UK households.’
What is the UK inflation like?
The latest Consumer Price Index, which measures the average change in prices paid by consumers over time, fell to 2.8% in April.
This is down from 3.3% in March, and the lowest level since March last year.
The drop took analysts by surprise as the drop was expected to be 3%.
One of the biggest drivers of this was the energy price cap for households using electricity and gas, which kicked in from April.
But the respite could be short-lived as inflation is set to surge back up because of the Iran was and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continuing to hamper fuel prices.
Farmer discovers live frog in sealed salad bag in Esperance, Australia
6:00 am
Get you up to speed: Farmer opens bag of salad and finds live animal inside | News World
A live frog was discovered in a sealed bag of lettuce by Rhys Smoker while preparing a meal for friends in Esperance, Western Australia. Woolworths, where the lettuce was purchased, stated that this was an isolated incident and is investigating the matter with suppliers.
Woolworths is conducting a priority investigation into the incident, collaborating with its suppliers. The supermarket has indicated that this event is isolated, with no similar cases reported.
Woolworths has described the incident involving a frog found in a salad bag as an isolated occurrence, stating, “Our teams are investigating this with our suppliers as a priority.” The supermarket has apologised to the household and provided a replacement bag of lettuce.
What remains unclear — It is unknown what specific measures Woolworths will implement following their investigation into the incident.
Farmer discovers live frog in sealed salad bag in Esperance, Australia
The little frog was named Greg by the people who discovered him (Picture: Laura Jones, Billy Le Pine, Rhys)
A farmer in Australia was in for a surprise after he found a live frog in a bag of lettuce.
Rhys Smoker had been preparing a steak and salad dinner for his friends in Esperance, Western Australia, when he spotted the frog among the leaves inside the sealed plastic bag he had bought from a supermarket.
His housemate, Laura Jones, said: ‘He’s like, ‘Oh bro, there’s a frog in the lettuce’. And we’re like, ‘No, you’re taking the mick, like that’s not real’.’
Mr Smoker brought the bag into the lounge room to show Ms Jones and her partner, Billy Le Pine.
‘Obviously, there’s a little frog hiding out and, yeah, we all had a little laugh about it,’ Ms Jones said.
Mr Le Pine said they named the frog Greg before releasing it at a pond near the house.
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‘We thought we’d give him a wee send-off tune as we played Crazy Frog for him,’ he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
They played Crazy Frog for him before releasing the animal (Picture: Laura Jones, Billy Le Pine, Rhys)
Crazy Frog is a Swedish CGI-animated character and Eurodance musician.
Mr Smoker and his partner, Lilli Ashby, had bought the lettuce at a Woolworths supermarket in Esperance the same day Greg was discovered.
Five years ago, a shopper confronted a three-metre-long non-venomous diamond python on a shelf of a Woolworths supermarket in Sydney.
Also in 2021, a shopper discovered a venomous pale-headed snake wrapped in plastic with lettuce in an Aldi supermarket in Sydney.
Woolworths said the frog in the salad was an isolated incident and there had been no other similar cases reported.
‘Our teams are investigating this with our suppliers as a priority,’ a Woolworths statement said.
Woolworths apologised to the household and provided a replacement bag of lettuce.
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European Commission maintains carbon border tax in fertiliser plan
5:00 am
European Commission maintains carbon border tax in fertiliser plan
Tax Policy Update
The European Commission announced that it will maintain its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, affecting approximately 45% of EU fertiliser imports.
The European Commission announced that it will maintain its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, affecting approximately 45% of EU fertiliser imports.
Economic Impact
€200 million remains in the EU’s agricultural major fund’s crisis reserve, with plans to at least double this amount to support farmers facing rising fertiliser costs.
€200 million remains in the EU’s agricultural major fund’s crisis reserve, with plans to at least double this amount to support farmers facing rising fertiliser costs.
Official Response
“Scrapping CBAM would be a false good idea,” stated European Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen, emphasising the need for competitiveness against unfair competition from third countries.
“Scrapping CBAM would be a false good idea,” stated European Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen, emphasising the need for competitiveness against unfair competition from third countries.
EU keeps carbon border tax unchanged despite fertiliser price crisis
Published on •Updated
The European Commission kept its carbon border tax unchanged in a fertiliser plan announced on Tuesday meant to support struggling farmers, despite complaints that carbon pricing is also contributing prices amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Fertiliser producers argue that the bloc’s carbon pricing rules at the border protect the European industry from cheaper imports produced under weaker environmental rules, since the rules oblige EU exporters to pay for the pollution linked to their production. But farmers fear they are indirectly paying the bill through higher fertiliser costs.
European Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen said that scrapping the bloc’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which would apply to roughly 45% of EU fertiliser imports, would be a “false good idea” citing competitiveness issues.
“We have a domestic industry for fertilisers in several member states which are under pressure because they’re dealing with a situation of unfair competition coming from third countries if CBAM is not in place,” Hansen told reporters.
With the new plan, the European Commission is seeking to defend the bloc’s flagship carbon border policy while acknowledging that climate costs are increasingly being passed through to farmers and food prices.
the EU executive argues that carbon pricing, such as revenues from the Emissions Trading System and CBAM, are essential to preventing industries moving to locations with less strict environmental rules and maintaining Europe’s climate leadership.
But the Commission also concedes that the fertiliser sector occupies a uniquely sensitive position because higher industrial costs ultimately cascade into farm economics and consumer food inflation.
The Commission is now promising a deeper investigation into how ETS and CBAM costs are passed through the supply chain — from fertiliser factories to farmers and ultimately supermarket prices.
Rather than abandoning carbon pricing, the EU appears ready to pair it with subsidies, state aid, market protections and strategic investment to shield politically sensitive sectors such as agriculture.
Irish MEP Billy Kelleher (Renew Europe) told lawmakers in Strasbourg on Tuesday that rising fertiliser prices are putting huge pressure on farmers and on cost of living through food inflation and backed the suspension of CBAM and “any policy measures that are putting burdens and costs” on fertiliser in the short-term.
“The goal is to have a concrete financial instrument before the summer, when the farmers need to decide which crops to plant for the next season,” Hansen said.
Leon de Graaf, from the coalition if Business for CBAM Coalition said that it was a “relief” to see the EU executive holding the line on CBAM instead of carving out fertilisers.
“Farmers’ concerns about input costs are real, but the answer is not to weaken the instrument that keeps European fertiliser producers and importers on an equal footing,” said De Graaf.
Hansen said that €200 million remains in the bloc’s agricultural major fund’s crisis reserve and expressed intentions to “at least double this amount” to support farmers.
In addition, the Commission will provide targeted “exceptional support” to the most affected farmers and more money will be mobilised under the EU budget “to reinforce agriculture research”.
However, the amount is still under discussion pending political talks between the EU co-legislators, the European Parliament and the Council, the Commissioner said.
Pennsylvania primary election results for governor, lieutenant governor and U.S. House
3:10 am
Get you up to speed: Live updating Pennsylvania 2026 primary election results for governor, lieutenant governor and U.S. House
Pennsylvania voters participated in primary elections on Tuesday, casting ballots for congressional, gubernatorial, and local races. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and Republican State Treasurer Stacy Garrity ran unopposed in their primaries, while various contests unfolded for U.S. House seats in the state.
Polls in Pennsylvania opened at 7 a.m. and closed at 8 p.m., with voters in line permitted to cast their ballots until the deadline. The state’s legislative landscape remains divided, with Democrats holding control of the House and Republicans dominating the Senate.
Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro’s campaign has significantly outperformed Republican Stacy Garrity’s, raising 10 times as much in the first quarter of the year. As results come in, all eyes will remain on the tightly contested Philadelphia’s 3rd Congressional District, which has drawn a crowded field following Rep. Dwight Evans’ decision not to seek re-election.
What remains unclear — Election results and voter turnout data have yet to be reported.
Pennsylvania primary election results for governor, lieutenant governor and U.S. House
Pennsylvania has closed primaries, which means only people registered as Democrats or Republicans can vote in their respective parties’ elections. Polls opened at 7 a.m. and closed at 8 p.m., though people in line before then will be able to vote.
Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro is running unopposed in his primary, as is Republican Stacy Garrity, who is the state treasurer. It sets up an expensive race for governor. In the first three months of the year, Shapiro’s campaign outraised Garrity’s 10 to 1.
While Lt. Gov. Austin Davis is running unopposed, Jason Richey, whom Garrity endorsed as her running mate, beat John Ventre, WTX US News projects.
U.S. House of Representatives races are also on the ballot. Notably, Philadelphia’s 3rd Congressional District is wide open for the first time in nearly 10 years after Rep. Dwight Evans announced he’s not seeking re-election, but it’s a crowded field.
In the Pittsburgh area, Democratic Rep. Summer Lee, who is running for her third term in the 12th Congressional District, will face off against James Hayes after she beat back a challenge from Will Parker, WTX US News projects. And in the 17th Congressional District, Beaver County Sheriff Tony Guy and local business manager Jesse James Vodvarka are on the Republican ballot to challenge Democratic Rep. Chris Deluzio, who is unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Voters will also cast their ballots in elections for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and state Senate. Pennsylvania currently has a divided state Legislature, with Democrats controlling the House and Republicans controlling the Senate.
Son of Mango founder Isak Andic arrested following his father’s death during hike
3:00 am
Get you up to speed: Son of billionaire Mango founder arrested after dad plunged to death | News World
Police in Spain have arrested Jonathan Andic, son of the deceased billionaire Isak Andic, over claims related to his father’s death while hiking near Barcelona in December 2024. The case, which is under a nondisclosure order, is being investigated as a possible homicide following inconsistencies in Jonathan Andic’s statements.
Police have charged Jonathan Andic, the son of Isak Andic, with possible homicide as the investigation into his father’s death unfolds, following the reopening of the case in March 2025. The investigation is being conducted in Martorell, with the proceedings subject to a nondisclosure order issued by the courts.
Spanish police have arrested Jonathan Andic, the son of the late Mango founder Isak Andic, as part of an investigation into his father’s death, initially ruled an accident but reclassified as a possible homicide. The Andic family has expressed confidence in Jonathan’s innocence and stated they will continue to cooperate with the authorities as the judicial review unfolds under a nondisclosure order.
What remains unclear — It is uncertain what specific inconsistencies in Jonathan Andic’s statements led to the reopening of the investigation.
Son of Mango founder Isak Andic arrested following his father’s death during hike
Mango founder Isak Andic died in 2024 while on a hike (Picture: Reuters)
Police in Spain have arrested the son of Isak Andic, the billionaire founder of the Spanish fashion brand Mango, over claims he may have played a role in his death.
Mr Andic, 71, was hiking with his son, Jonathan Andic,in the mountains near Barcelona when he fell about 500 feet into a ravine and died in December 2024.
The younger Andic, 45, was the only witness. Police opened an investigation but closed it a few weeks later.
However, it was reopened in March 2025, and in October, police confirmed the death was being investigated as a possible homicide.
Inconsistencies in Andic’s statements prompted a judicial review, according to La Vanguardia newspaper.
The family said in October that it was confident that Andic was innocent and that it would ‘continue to cooperate’ with the authorities.
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Andic was taken to court facilities in Martorell, a city in eastern Spain, where the case is being investigated, said a spokesperson for the Catalan regional police, Mossos d’Esquadra.
The case is subject to a nondisclosure order, he added.
Jonathan Andic is the eldest of Mr Andic’s three children and one of his father’s heirs.
He is the vice chairman of the board at Mango, one of Spain’s biggest retailers.
The late Mr Andic, who was born in Istanbul in 1953, emigrated to Catalonia with his relatives in the late 1960s.
The fashion giant began selling clothes in 1984 (Picture: AFP)
The businessman started selling T-shirts to fellow high school students before progressing to running a wholesale business and selling clothes in street markets and eventually opening his first Mango store in 1984.
It became one of Europe’s foremost fashion empires, spread across 120 countries with some 2,800 stores and over 16,000 staff.
At the time of his death, Mr Andic was the non-executive chairman of the fashion brand and was worth £3.35bn, according to Forbes.
In a statement following his death, Mango CEO Tony Ruiz said the late businessman had ‘dedicated his life to Mango’.
He added: ‘His legacy reflects the achievements of a business project marked by success, and also by his human quality, his proximity and the care and affection that he always had and at all times conveyed to the entire organisation.’
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Mike Collins progresses to runoff in Georgia GOP Senate primary
2:55 am
Get you up to speed: Mike Collins advances to runoff in Georgia GOP Senate primary
Rep. Mike Collins has advanced to a runoff in the Georgia GOP primary for Senate, as projected by WTX US News. He will face either Rep. Buddy Carter or former college football coach Derek Dooley, both of whom are in a tight race for second place.
The runoff for the Georgia GOP primary is scheduled for June 16, with Collins advancing but no clarity on his opponent yet. Meanwhile, allegations surrounding Collins’ misuse of congressional funds are under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, adding complexity to the primary race.
Rep. Mike Collins has advanced to a runoff in the Georgia GOP primary, set for June 16, amid a competitive race against Rep. Buddy Carter and former coach Derek Dooley for the second spot. The Democratic Senate Majority PAC announced a $20 million investment in television ads, while the Senate Leadership Fund has committed $44 million, highlighting the critical nature of this election for both parties.
Mike Collins progresses to runoff in Georgia GOP Senate primary
Washington — Rep. Mike Collins has advanced to a runoff in the Georgia GOP primary for Senate, WTX US News projects, as Republicans vie for an opportunity to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.
In Georgia, the top two vote-getters in the primary advance to a runoff if no candidate clears 50% of the vote. It’s not clear yet who Collins will face in the runoff, which is set for June 16. Rep. Buddy Carter and former college football coach Derek Dooley remain in a tight race for second place.
A handful of Republicans have been seeking the nomination as the GOP eyes a chance at flipping a Senate seat in Georgia. With Ossoff being the sole Democrat seeking reelection in a state President Trump won in 2024, the race has been seen as a key pickup opportunity for Republicans. But a messy primary, and the inability to coalesce behind a candidate has complicated their path forward.
Ossoff, who was unopposed in Tuesday’s primary, has been in the Senate since 2021 when he delivered Democrats one of two runoff victories in Georgia, which secured their majority in the upper chamber. A formidable fundraiser, the 39-year-old has amassed a significant warchest to fight back against an inevitable GOP onslaught and improve his outlook despite the state’s rightward shift during the last election.
Two members of Congress, Collins, 58, and Carter, 68, had been gunning for the GOP nomination. Collins, the owner of a trucking business, has represented Georgia in the House since 2023, while Carter has been in Congress since 2015, after serving as mayor of Pooler, Georgia and in the Georgia General Assembly. Both men have strongly tied their campaigns to the president, although Mr. Trump hasn’t endorsed a candidate in the primary.
Dooley, 57, was also seeking the nomination. An attorney who coached football at the University of Tennessee, Dooley is the son of legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley and was endorsed by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who passed up on a Senate bid himself. Dooley hasn’t embraced the president as readily as the other two men, and has positioned himself as a political outsider.
Polls showed Collins leading Carter and Dooley heading into the primary, despite his opponents’ efforts to highlight allegations that Collins misused congressional funds, which is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee. Collins has denied the allegations.
Carter argued ahead of Tuesday’s primary that he’s the only GOP candidate who can defeat Ossoff, citing the Ethics Committee investigation into Collins and suggesting Dooley is insufficiently conservative.
“If those two are our candidates, we lose,” Carter said on “The Takeout with Major Garrett.” “And the reason why is the focus is removed from Jon Ossoff’s voting record, where it should be.”
The prolonged GOP primary fight, with attention and resources diverted from the general election, is a boon for Ossoff, who has brought in a massive fundraising haul as the Senate’s most vulnerable Democrat. Ossoff raised $14 million in the first quarter, and has more than $32 million in cash on hand.
On Monday, the Democratic Senate Majority PAC announced an initial $20 million investment in television ad reservations in the state. The Senate Leadership Fund, the leading Senate GOP super PAC, has also announced an initial $44 million advertising investment overall.
Despite Mr. Trump’s 2024 victory in Georgia, the state hasn’t elected a Republican to the Senate since 2016. And after a special election in Georgia in April saw a massive leftward swing, Democrats appear more confident that they can hold the seat that’s critical to regaining the majority.
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