Benefit

• Southeast Asia is rapidly expanding its data center infrastructure to support an artificial intelligence boom. • The Asia-Pacific data center pipeline reached a record 26.5 GW in the first half of 2026, with Malaysia leading Southeast Asia at 1,039 MW. • This growth creates a regional division of labor where Singapore handles high-value activity while Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam absorb large-scale physical growth.

Disbanding of department in Trinidad comes after arrest of a resident for posting about issues with local water supplyA police department in Texas that arrested a local resident for complaining on social media about their city’s contaminated water supply has been ordered closed after failing to prove it provided any benefit to the community.State officials stepped in to investigate after Jennifer Combs spent a night in jail in May after a post appeared on her Facebook page suggesting people were hospitalized by bacteria in the water pipes of Trinidad, a municipality in Henderson county about 75 miles south-east of Dallas. Continue reading...

Pauline Hanson’s gas policy and the party’s relationship with Rinehart is examined in a new Guardian podcast series, The PopulistListen: The Populist: Aeroplanes and bulldozers | Episode 1 – podcastGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne Nation has come under fire for quietly shelving support for a new domestic gas reservation policy in preference for a policy that favours the party’s billionaire patron, Gina Rinehart.The Albanese government has announced it will establish a new reservation policy for Australia’s east coast, requiring gas exporters to supply a portion of the gas they produce to the domestic market. The policy is aimed at “modestly” supplying the domestic market to put downward pressure on prices for consumers.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s Politics, really newsletter here Continue reading...

• Southeast Asian nations are navigating the artificial intelligence competition between the United States and China to maximize their own economic and technological gains. • Thailand reportedly paused 166 data center projects on September 4 to establish stricter rules regarding resource use and economic benefits. • Host countries must decide how much land, electricity, and water they should trade for foreign investment to ensure local development.

Latest decision appears to set the stage for the state to use its old electoral maps this yearThe US supreme court again rejected a push backed by Donald Trump to overhaul Missouri’s congressional maps in a bid to hand Republicans an edge in November’s midterm elections.Its latest ruling, after days of confusion following conflicting decisions, appears to set the stage for the state to use its old electoral maps this year. Continue reading...

Mike Rogers has also helped kill other bills that would have provided healthcare to responders and survivorsMike Rogers, a Michigan Republican US Senate candidate, has sought in recent weeks to create controversy over old tweets his Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed posted about 9/11. He has for example, falsely suggested El-Sayed, who is Muslim, said the US deserved the attack.But, as critics have noted, Rogers has twice voted against healthcare and other benefits for 9/11 first responders and survivors, congressional records show. He has also helped kill other bills that would have provided benefits and healthcare to first responders nationwide. Rogers, a former member of Congress, is vying for Michigan’s open US Senate seat in a tight race that could decide control of Congress during the next session. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Claimants could trade part of payment for specialist equipment, services or training under proposalSome disabled people could receive “in kind” support rather than just cash payments under a radical overhaul of the personal independence payment (Pip) proposed by official government advisers, the Guardian can reveal.The proposal, from an expert committee largely made up of disabled people, is one of a number of striking “emerging recommendations” likely to form the basis of the government’s Timms review of Pip, expected to be published in the next two months. Continue reading...

Nearly half of respondents say spending on personal independence payments should be increasedThere is little appetite for cuts to disability benefits even among Conservative and Reform voters, and proposals to reduce spending could prove politically risky, according to an authoritative national survey.The British Social Attitudes (BSA) report found that while support for welfare spending as a whole had dipped sharply in recent years, just 7% of respondents backed cuts to disability benefits – and 49% said they should be increased. Continue reading...

• Morgan Stanley analysts report that banks in Singapore and Hong Kong are positioned to benefit most from the deepening of Asian capital markets in the second half of the year. • Multinational companies are expanding across Southeast Asia due to geopolitical tensions and a desire to diversify supply chains away from a single manufacturing hub. • Foreign direct investment is specifically flowing into electronics, automotive, renewable energy, and digital infrastructure in Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia.

• Citi analysts have identified a basket of European stocks poised to benefit from a strategic "inward turn" toward trade protection and domestic demand. • Despite projected long-term earnings growth approximately 7 percentage points above the broader market, this specific basket has underperformed by about 10% since the start of the Middle East conflict. • The shift signifies a transition where public and private investment spending, rather than exports, are expected to become the primary engines of regional growth.

• A recent disaster in Nepal has highlighted the practical advantages of maintaining strong diplomatic and strategic ties between Nepal, India, and China. • The event underscores how regional cooperation can provide critical support and resources during humanitarian crises, transcending political tensions. • This collaboration is particularly significant as Southeast Asia navigates increasing geopolitical fragmentation and intense competition between the US and China.

Deal that will reportedly see US take control of 65bn barrels of Venezuelan oil has provoked outrage in her countryVenezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, has defended her government’s highly controversial energy deal with Donald Trump, insisting the South American country will maintain ownership and sovereignty over its massive oil reserves.Rodríguez, who assumed power in January after Trump ordered the abduction of the president, Nicolás Maduro, took to the airwaves on Saturday to push back against criticism of what the US president has called “the biggest oil deal in world history”. Continue reading...

• Movie theaters are increasingly diversifying their programming with "alternative content," specifically leaning on concert films from global superstars like Taylor Swift and BTS. • This strategy expands beyond music to include sports events, such as F1 races and World Cup games, as well as live broadcasts from Broadway and the West End. • These screenings provide a critical revenue stream for cinemas while allowing artists to monetize their performances on a massive scale without the overhead of a full tour.

More than 40 charities write to Pat McFadden and review head Alan Milburn over fears of stricter eligibility rulesMore than 40 of the UK’s leading charities have warned ministers against imposing tougher benefit sanctions or cuts on disabled young people, as the government considers how to encourage more young people into work.The charities raised concerns that an imminent review of young people and work by Alan Milburn could bring in stricter eligibility rules for keeping disability benefits – or remove them altogether – as part of a wider plan to boost flagging youth job rates. Continue reading...

Robert Jenrick takes aim at disabled people and foreign nationals after saying UK guilty of ‘suicidal empathy’Reform UK has been accused of excluding the most vulnerable from society and punishing non-Britons living in the UK as it prepared to outline £50bn of cuts to benefits for disabled people and foreign nationals.Robert Jenrick, Reform’s finance spokesperson, will detail the plans for £20bn of cuts to disability benefits overall, as well as another £21bn from stopping foreign nationals – including EU citizens with settled status – claiming almost any benefits, among other cuts. Continue reading...

Retailer expects to end year with pre-tax profit of £1.2bn, about £25m higher than forecast previouslyNext has raised hopes that UK shoppers are still willing to spend despite pressures on household budgets, as it upgraded its profit guidance for the third time this year.The clothing and homeware retailer said it benefited from sunny weather and the release of some “pent-up demand” in the Middle East and northern Europe in the 13 weeks ended on 1 August. Continue reading...

Christopher Phillips, who had been his mother Sylvia’s primary carer since 2008, given two years and four months in prison A man has been jailed for keeping his dead mother’s body in a freezer at their shared home for almost three years, during which time he received more than £70,000 of her benefits and other funds.Christopher Phillips, 60, stored the body of Sylvia Phillips, a retired company secretary, in the chest freezer in the living room of their house in the south Wales seaside town of Porthcawl. Continue reading...

Plan set to transform funding so English regions no longer rely on Whitehall handouts for projectsGood morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics. From 2028 English regional mayors, for the first time, will be handed a share of income tax receipts instead of central grants and be less beholden to the Treasury by being able to borrow to invest in big projects.Mayors will also be able to keep a share of business rates totalling tens of millions of pounds by April 2027, and gain greater control over services such as housing and transport, under plans that form part of the government’s devolution agenda.There is already a way that the business rates retention is distributed to correspond with central funding formula to correct for that.Because you wouldn’t want to have it that places like London and Manchester and Bristol were able to retain more of theirs while other areas that weren’t growing at the same rate, were falling behind.Yes, that’s right, and it will have more powers devolved, 16-19 funding, employment support budgets and the ability to tailor their own vocational routes. This will be an important part of developing their own local regional growth strategy as well. Continue reading...

• Samsung Electronics reported a record operating profit of ₩89.5 trillion (€54 billion) for the April-to-June period, marking a 56% increase quarter-on-quarter. • The company's semiconductor division saw a massive surge, with operating profit jumping to ₩89.2 trillion (€53.8 billion), which is 223 times the ₩0.4 trillion recorded a year earlier. • This growth is driven by the global AI boom, which has significantly increased the demand for high-performance memory chips and infrastructure.

Analysis finds more than 4 million Americans lost Snap benefits, or food stamps, from July 2025 to March 2026More than a million children across the US have lost access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) food benefits since Congress approved the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in July 2025, according to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).The analysis found that more than 4 millions Americans were removed from Snap from July 2025 to March 2026, marking a significant decline in participation in the federal food assistance program. Continue reading...

Family and friends of residents eligible for dining and hotel packages as city spurned by visitorsMiddle East crisis – live updatesDubai is offering to pay family and friends of residents to visit in an effort to revive tourist numbers that have plummeted since the city was drawn into the US-Israel war on Iran.The Dubai Invite scheme, an initiative of the department of economy and tourism, allows residents of the United Arab Emirates to nominate friends and relatives to receive benefits worth more than 3,000 UAE dirham (about £610) for their visit. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Work and pensions secretary signals possible reform to welfare as ministers await key reviewsLabour must stop “simply writing a cheque” for health and disability benefit claimants and will provide more job support instead, the work and pensions secretary has said.Pat McFadden said the government was preparing to launch a renewed effort at welfare reform with a focus on encouraging more people with health conditions to get into work and off benefits. Continue reading...

Interim report into Pip found process had systematic and deep-rooted problems and required bold and radical overhaulA landmark government review of disability benefits has warned “challenging discussions” remain on how to overhaul and pay for a system it concludes is unfit for purpose and too often leaves vulnerable claimants dehumanised and degraded.The Timms review of the personal independence payment (Pip) concluded the benefit, claimed by nearly 4 million people in England and Wales, suffered from systematic and deep-rooted problems that had undermined public trust in the benefits system. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Landmark review by disability minister will call for ‘dehumanising’ assessment system to be redrawnWhat is the Timms review into Pip and what is it likely to conclude?Disability benefits in England and Wales are “not fit for purpose” and the entire assessment system must be redrawn as part of a radical welfare overhaul, the government’s landmark review of personal independence payments will say.The Guardian understands the review will conclude that the points-based system of assessment is in effect worthless because of the rising number of new conditions – particularly relating to mental health – that can fluctuate considerably in severity. Continue reading...

• A U.N. independent scientific panel consisting of 40 leading experts released its first report on July 1 regarding the rapid development of artificial intelligence. • The report highlights that while AI offers enormous potential benefits for people and nations globally, it simultaneously poses significant risks. • This assessment matters as it provides a high-level scientific framework for understanding the dual nature of AI's impact on society.

NAO inquiry follows suspension of payments after erroneous records that claimants had emigratedAn HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) anti-fraud crackdown that stripped 23,000 families of their child benefit failed to “adequately consider” the policy’s impact on claimants, an official report has found.The report by the National Audit Office followed HMRC’s decision to suspend payments after flight records provided by the Home Office purportedly showed thousands of parents had emigrated. Continue reading...

• Rahul Chadha suggests that South Korea's regulatory crackdown on AI may trigger a "healthy correction" in semiconductor valuations rather than ending the overall market rally. • Market analysts are closely monitoring the AI capital expenditure of major tech firms and the risks associated with leveraged ETFs. • Additional concerns include South Korea's failure to secure developed market status from MSCI due to unresolved currency convertibility issues and potential taxes on unrealized gains.

• Growing hopes for improved diplomatic relations between Iran and the United States are sparking discussions across global financial markets. • The potential for eased tensions is expected to significantly influence commodity prices, investor confidence, and overall economic growth. • Market analysts are currently identifying specific stocks and sectors that could benefit from a reduction in geopolitical conflict.