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• Asian high-yield debt has outperformed most global bond markets so far this year as cheaper borrowing costs in China improve issuer finances. • These junk dollar bonds returned 4.3% year-to-date, more than double the 2% return seen by similar US bonds. • The trend benefits investors in high-risk debt markets as the yield gap between Chinese and US benchmark bonds reaches a record high.

Batteries now meet almost half of the grid’s dispatchable power needs during hours of highest demand Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s dependence on gas for power during the evening, when the grid is under the most pressure, has fallen by almost nearly 70% over the past year as batteries surged in, replacing the fossil fuel.Gas generation during the busy early evening, between 5pm and 8pm, fell by 67% in the year to August, as large-scale batteries continued to come online and half a million home batteries were installed under the government’s subsidy program, analysis by consultancy EnergyEdge found. Continue reading...

• Amazon's market capitalization surpassed $3 trillion after its shares reached a record high following a strong earnings report. • Growth in Amazon Web Services, the company's cloud computing division, was fueled by the integration of artificial intelligence. • This valuation milestone reflects investor confidence in the scalability of AI-powered infrastructure for the broader tech market.

Bloc losing €13bn in revenue with one in 10 cigarettes illegal, watchdog reportsEurope live – latest updatesThe illegal trade in tobacco is booming in the EU, according to a report by the bloc’s financial watchdog, with almost one in 10 cigarettes produced illicitly or smuggled, causing an estimated €13bn loss in tax revenue each year.The European Court of Auditors (ECA) said in a report on Tuesday that the trade had “changed significantly” in recent years as smuggling, while still “a problem”, was overtaken by illicit manufacturing, which has increased dramatically in the bloc. Continue reading...

Exclusive: new data shows poorer pupils and those with Send are disproportionately affected by the measureThe proportion of secondary school students in England removed from class and placed in “internal exclusion” as a disciplinary measure has almost trebled in three years, according to new data.The data shows the proportion of secondary pupils removed from normal lessons went up from 5% in the 2022/2023 academic year to 13% in 2025/26 – a 160% increase. Continue reading...

Study reveals that pesticide poisoning kills 11,000 people each year, with India accounting for nearly 60% of fatalitiesAlmost half of the world’s farmers are poisoned by pesticides every single year, a study has found.Using publicly available data from 2006-2023, the study, which was commissioned by Pesticide Action Network, found there to be an estimated 402-433m cases of unintentional acute pesticide poisoning of farmers and farm workers every year. Continue reading...

• Researchers have developed a new heat-driven, elastocaloric cooling system that leverages waste heat and solar energy. • This breakthrough builds upon alternatives to traditional cooling methods proposed by notable figures such as Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard. • The Einstein-Szilard refrigerator, patented by the duo, was an energy-efficient absorption system with no moving parts, paving the way for innovative cooling solutions.

Increase coincides with proscription of Palestine Action last year which has led to thousands of arrests for allegedly supporting the protest groupAlmost half of all terrorism arrests in Great Britain since the 9/11 attacks on the twin towers in 2001 have come in the past year, official data shows.There have been 6,539 arrests for terror-related activity in Great Britain since the 2001 attacks and 3,021 of those arrests were in the year ending 31 March 2026, according to the Home Office. Continue reading...

Majority of missing Australians were near Gyirong Port minutes before impact. Rescuers say the area is now destroyed, covered in metres of silt and debrisGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIt has been almost a week since the catastrophic floods in Nepal and not even a vehicle can get into the area where the majority of missing Australians were last heard from.Gyirong Port, the border area between Nepal and China, was the first to be hit. Images from Chinese rescue teams who have managed to get in by helicopter or hiking show the area has been completely flattened. The immigration building, the power lines, everything, just wiped away. Continue reading...

Average cost of petrol reaches 161.6p a litre, while diesel costs average of 183.4p, according to the AAUK petrol prices have hit their highest level since 2022, piling more financial pressure on motorists before the bank holiday weekend.The average cost of petrol has reached 161.6p a litre, while diesel costs an average of 183.4p a litre, according to the breakdown company the AA. Continue reading...

Transport secretary asks ‘publicly owned operators to lay on extra services where possible’CrossCountry has cancelled almost all of its train services in Great Britain after a power cut in Birmingham hit its control centre on Sunday.Most services have been cancelled until further notice, including routes from Glasgow to Edinburgh, Manchester to Birmingham, Cheltenham to Cardiff and Newcastle to Edinburgh. Continue reading...

Reports say Duke and Duchess of Sussex may have returned to Britain due to ‘top secret’ acting role for Meghan – we try to guess what it might be?In 2022, two years after she and Prince Harry bolted to California in an unhappy exit from the royal family, the Duchess of Sussex was asked if she could foresee ever returning to acting. “No, I’m done,” she told Variety magazine. “I guess never say never, but my intention is to absolutely not.”Well guess what – she’s back! At least according to news reports that claim the couple’s otherwise wholly unexpected return to the UK can be explained by one key factor – a new acting role for Meghan. Continue reading...

Pre-tax earnings slump at chef’s food and media group after one-off costs including for a new cookery schoolJamie and Jools Oliver have paid themselves a £1.7m dividend – more than 40% down on last year – after profits at their cookery and media empire almost halved.Sales at Jamie Oliver Holdings remained broadly steady at £28.4m in 2025, £160,000 less than in the previous year, as a strong performance at the group’s own restaurants, franchise business, cookery schools and TV productions offset a decline in royalties, licensing and endorsements. Continue reading...

Overall results slightly better than last year, with share receiving grades 7, 8 and 9 rising by 0.1 of a percentage point to 23.1%GCSE results – latest updatesAlmost one in four boys in England received top grades in maths while results in English improved across the board, helping to propel improved GCSE results for this year’s cohort of 16-year-olds.The stronger performances in maths helped pupils taking GCSEs in year 11 reach a record level for higher grades in England outside the Covid pandemic years, when exams were replaced by teacher assessments. Continue reading...

Person dies after landslide hits apartment building in southern city of Geoje as torrential rains lead to power cuts and mass evacuationsTorrential downpours that pounded southern parts of South Korea since Saturday have killed one person and injured four others, officials have confirmed.Heavy rains have been recorded in South Gyeongsang province, including the city of Geoje, where an 800mm (31in) deluge over the weekend triggered a landslide, the interior and safety ministry said. The rain continued on Monday, bringing the cumulative rainfall total to 912mm by 6pm. Continue reading...

More than 180 minors among those detained, as firefighters tackle blazes across Europe amid record-breaking heatwaveEurope heatwave – latest updatesAlmost 500 people have been arrested on suspicion of starting wildfires in France since the start of the summer, authorities have said, as firefighters in half a dozen European countries tackle ferocious blazes amid a record-breaking heatwave.With three out of five Europeans facing temperatures of at least 30C on Friday and about 150 million enduring 35C or more, France’s interior ministry said 474 people, including 183 minors, had been detained over wildfires in the country since 1 July. Continue reading...

Local council described incident as ‘worst act of environmental vandalism in Lane Cove history’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIt began with a gardener being hired to trim grass at a harbourside mansion in Sydney – and escalated to payments being left in a shoe for the unlawful felling of hundreds of native trees in protected bushland.Now a court has fined Yi Wang $187,500 for his role in organising and carrying out the destruction of 287 trees from a council-owned foreshore bushland at Woodford Bay in Longueville in late 2023. Continue reading...

• A new study indicates that a significant majority of Americans possess a "legal blind spot," failing to understand the judicial philosophies they claim to support. • The research highlights a disconnect between the political labels citizens adopt and their actual comprehension of the underlying legal theories. • This gap is critical as it suggests that public distrust of the Supreme Court and views on political movements may be based on misconceptions rather than informed legal perspectives.

• In 2026, NASA successfully flew astronauts around the Moon for the first time in over fifty years, marking a major milestone in human space exploration. • Simultaneously, the White House proposed some of the deepest budget cuts in the agency's history, specifically targeting science and climate research programs. • The proposed cuts would disproportionately impact robotic probes and telescopes, which are the most cost-effective tools for NASA's scientific discoveries.

• The article argues that while frontier LLMs like Claude, Gemini, and GPT-5 can technically perform every Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) task, relying on a single general-purpose model is inefficient for enterprise-wide strategies. • Over-reliance on these large models for code generation, testing, and documentation leads to excessive consumption of LLM inference and compute resources. • The author suggests that AI-native software delivery requires a shift toward specialized models, dedicated AI control planes, and a more modular architecture.

• Actress Bhumi Pednekar faced significant online backlash after criticizing student protests and remarks directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that such behavior is not part of Indian culture. • A former teacher of the actress publicly condemned her comments on August 4, 2026, describing Pednekar's stance as "disrespectful" and "almost disdainful." • The controversy highlights the ongoing tension between celebrity political commentary and the right to student activism in India.

• Ars Technica published a curated research roundup featuring six overlooked science stories, including studies on cyborg diving suits for cockroaches and the behavior of sperm whales. • The collection highlights diverse discoveries, such as the identification of a companion star for Betelgeuse and the reasons why sleepy sperm whales blow bubbles. • These summaries bring attention to niche scientific breakthroughs that often go unnoticed in mainstream media, bridging the gap between complex research and public awareness.

• Thousands of Moroccan citizens recently attempted to enter the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, triggering a migration crisis and widespread political instability. • The event sparked condemnation from far-right groups, including Spain's Vox party and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who called for Spain's suspension from the Schengen area. • Twenty-two EU leaders signed a letter criticizing Madrid's perceived failure to combat illegal migration, reflecting a broader lack of solidarity within the European Union.

Official figures expose widening gap in road casualty rates between poor and wealthy postcodesThe number of children killed or seriously injured crossing roads is almost five times higher in the most deprived postcodes than the wealthiest areas, official analysis suggests.The figures from the Department for Transport show a widening gap over the past 10 years in road casualties between those living in the poorest 10% of postcodes of England and the most affluent 10%. Continue reading...

UKHSA estimates 2,877 heat-associated deaths during heatwaves in May and June, almost twice the number in summer 2025The number of excess deaths caused by heatwaves has almost doubled so far this year in England compared with 2025, the UK Health Security Agency, has said.There were 2,877 heat-associated deaths during the heatwaves in May and June this year, a report has estimated, almost double the figure reported from the UK heatwaves in June to August last year. Continue reading...

Robert Bush, owner of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors, left bodies ‘rotting away’, family members sayA fraudulent funeral director broke the trust of families on an “almost industrial scale” as their loved ones’ bodies were left “rotting away”, a court has heard.Robert Bush, owner of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull, appeared at Hull crown court on Monday for a five-day sentencing hearing. He previously pleaded guilty to 67 offences, including 30 counts of preventing lawful and decent burial. Continue reading...

More electric vehicles sold in first half of 2026 than whole of last year, new data showsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralians bought more electric vehicles in the first six months of 2026 than the whole of the previous year, new data shows, as the ongoing crisis in the Middle East causes uncertainty about petrol prices.There were 103,855 battery electric vehicles (EVs) sold nationally between January and June, compared with 103,269 in 2025, according to data from VFacts and the Electric Vehicle Council. Continue reading...

• U.S. military operations in Iran are reportedly "on a hold" following nearly two weeks of consecutive strikes. • Trump administration officials have expressed concerns regarding further escalation, while Iran's Foreign Ministry reports constructive talks with Oman concerning the Strait of Hormuz. • The conflict is creating a political divide in the U.S., with Democrats shifting away from traditional support for military interventions and arguing that the public opposes the war.