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• Mohsin Naqvi will serve as the chief guest for the closing ceremony of the Women's Asia Cup. • India entered the final stages of the eight-team tournament after defeating Thailand, Hong Kong, and Pakistan during the group stage. • The event highlights the dominance of the Indian team and the individual achievement of Smriti Mandhana, who became the leading run-scorer in women's internationals.

• India Women defeated Pakistan Women by 7 wickets in an Asia Cup 2026 match held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. • The victory was described as dominant, though specific run totals and individual player scores were not provided in the report. • This result improves India's standing and momentum within the tournament's competitive group stage.

As one card recently sold for £12m, opportunistic thefts have surged – envelopes are being opened en route, costing small businesses thousandsPokémon’s success over the last 30 years has seen it grow from a much-loved Game Boy classic, to a world-dominating brand with TV shows, spin-off games, toys and even a theme park. The trading card game is a huge part of that, with more than 85bn cards printed over its lifetime, and the appetite for them shows no signs of slowing down. Packs get snapped up after release so quickly it’s now almost impossible to find them in shops, and a booming resale market is driving the hobby into murky waters.One card recently sold for an eye-watering £12m, and an increasing number of people have gotten into the collecting business on the hunt for huge profits, leading to a rise in thefts targeting card shops. More recently though, some small businesses have reported that their sales have been hit by thieves targeting envelopes within Royal Mail, leading to thousands in lost revenue. Continue reading...

• Actress Hayden Panettiere has died at the age of 36, as confirmed by her representative to ABC News on Sunday. • Panettiere, known for her role in the series "Nashville," was found in cardiac arrest prior to her passing. • While the immediate cause of death is listed as cardiac arrest, a final official determination is still pending.

• Multiple cricket matches are scheduled for August 2026, including the ICC CWC Challenge League B and the Asian Legends League. • On August 14, 2026, Bahrain will face Hong Kong, China at University of Dar es Salaam Ground 1, while Italy plays Singapore at Ground 2. • Additionally, the Pakistan Panthers are set to compete against the Bangladesh Tigers on August 6, 2026, at the Lotus Sports Club Ground in Lusaka.

• The European Union is pursuing financial sovereignty by developing alternatives to US-dominated card networks through initiatives like the digital euro and private interoperability. • Two major payment ecosystems have emerged: EuroPA, which integrates solutions like MB WAY (Portugal), Bizum (Spain), and Blik (Poland), and EPI, which operates the Wero brand across Germany, France, and the Benelux region. • This strategic shift aims to secure payment autonomy for EU citizens both domestically and internationally, reducing reliance on non-European financial infrastructure.

Mortgage and student loan balances saw ‘small decline’ with increases elsewhere, says post alongside Fed reportCredit card debt in the United States is growing close to a record high, having creeped up from $54bn to $1.26tn between April and June compared with the same period last year, according to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.That figure is just shy of last year’s record high of $1.28tn. Continue reading...

• Bangladesh's home minister has accused India of "playing the Hasina card," claiming India is leveraging its relationship with ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. • The tension arises amid political discussions regarding Hasina's planned return to Bangladesh in December of this year. • The home minister asserted that India cannot simultaneously maintain friendly relations with the Bangladeshi people while supporting Hasina's interests.

The MTA will sell its remaining machines that weigh up to 1,050lbs as it transitions to contactless fare payment systemThe Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) of New York City has begun auctioning off its final MetroCard vending machines, offering New Yorkers the chance to own one of the transit system’s most recognizable fixtures as the agency continues its transition to Omny.The auction opened Wednesday morning and will run through 19 August, according to the MTA. The agency is offering a limited number of retired MetroCard Vending Machines (MVM) and MetroCard Express Machines (MEM), which have served subway riders for decades. Continue reading...

Cardinal Pedro Barreto received death threats and harassment during his almost 20-year campaign against a US mining company’s operations in the AndesA Peruvian cardinal who received a barrage of death threats when he challenged the firm behind a toxic smelter has called a $150m (£111m) out-of-court settlement to more than 1,000 people who were allegedly poisoned by the plant as children “a historic milestone”.Cardinal Pedro Barreto, 82, was in Rome meeting Pope Leo XIV and other cardinals in June when he received news that the firm that ran the smelter, the Doe Run Company, a subsidiary of Renco Group, would pay $150m to 1,373 Peruvians who have suffered health impacts since childhood. Continue reading...

• Speaker Om Birla warned Lok Sabha MPs that the House is not a forum for slogans or placards as the 2026 Monsoon Session continues. • The NDA Parliamentary Party is conducting its weekly 'Mangal Milan' strategy meeting at Parliament House to coordinate legislative efforts. • Parliament is considering new legislation to modernize the legal framework for banking records, aligning them with current digital banking practices.

• Brokerages have identified several top stock picks for today's trade, including SBI Life, SBI Cards, Adani Energy, Tata Consumer, and Shriram Finance. • ACC is undergoing a merger with Ambuja Cements, where ACC shareholders will receive 328 Ambuja shares for every 100 ACC shares held. • Financial forecasts for an unspecified entity show a significant earnings trim of 28% for FY27E and 2% for FY28E, with the target price lowered to Rs310.

Exclusive: Research shows millions live more than a 1km round trip from 24/7 accessible deviceMore than 16 million people in England and Wales risk dying from a cardiac arrest because they live farther than a 1km round trip from the nearest 24/7 defibrillator, according to exclusive research. Analysis of publicly available defibrillators by the Heart Restart campaign found that in England and Wales alone, 35 million people – more than half the population – do not live within the recommended three- to five-minute brisk walk of a defibrillator. Of these, about half live more than a 1km round trip from a 24/7 accessible defibrillator.There are more than 40,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests each year in the UK, but fewer than one in 10 people survive. However, early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation can more than double the chance of survival. Continue reading...

• The 2026 World Cup has commenced across 16 cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, featuring a record 48 teams and 104 matches. • The tournament has already been defined by significant upsets, including a surprising run by Cape Verde, and a highly competitive race for the Golden Boot. • Major contenders are fighting for glory, with Spain seeking their first title in 16 years and Argentina aiming to become back-to-back champions.

• The UK is initiating a £10bn technology overhaul to implement AI-driven triage and ambient scribing tools on a national scale. • Despite the expansion, the first formal complaints regarding doctors utilizing AI improperly have begun to emerge. • This development highlights the tension between the rapid scaling of healthtech efficiency and the critical need for clinical safety and oversight.

Premium cherry-on-the-vine are poised to take top spot in Britain’s £1bn-a-year tomato marketFor a long time the classic round, red tomato has dominated British salads and sandwiches, but its supremacy is coming under threat as sales of rainbow colours and the upmarket rival “cherry on the vine” take off.“Non-red tomatoes” sales are up 21% this year, a growth rate that far exceeds the overall market, according to Paul Faulkner, of Evesham Vale Growers. Continue reading...

Owner Christina Bluhme feared the worst after Tokyo began to lose consciousness while climbing the UK’s tallest mountainA dog has been rescued from Ben Nevis after falling ill from eating cannabis discarded on the mountain trail.Christina Bluhme was halfway up the UK’s highest mountain last weekend when her black labrador, Tokyo, lost the use of her legs and began drifting in and out of consciousness. Continue reading...

Digital customs declaration to be phased in at all international airports and seaports after successful Qantas trialGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe days of filling out paper arrival cards are to end for millions of travellers arriving in Australia on international flights.The Albanese government has announced it will roll out digital passenger cards to all Australian international airports and seaports after a “successful” trial on Qantas flights into Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Continue reading...

• INCUBASE Studio has launched GochaGocha, a smart photo card machine platform developed by its subsidiary INCUTix, to expand its IP entertainment ecosystem. • The service is making its Asia debut with installations across 23 locations in Hong Kong, Taipei, and Kuala Lumpur as of July 8, 2026. • This initiative aims to accelerate the collectible entertainment market by integrating physical photo cards with smart technology and intellectual property.

• OpenAI is launching three new tiered models—Sol, Terra, and Luna—this coming Thursday. • The Terra model is generating significant developer interest by offering performance comparable to GPT-5.5 at roughly half the cost, priced at $2.50 per million input tokens and $15 per million output tokens. • In contrast, the high-end Sol model is priced higher at $5 and $30 per million tokens, respectively.

Andrew Giuliani claims actions of referee Raphael Claus over US player Folarin Balogun ‘very, very highly suspicious’Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House’s World Cup taskforce, has defended Donald Trump’s lobbying of Fifa to lift the suspension of US player Folarin Balogun for Monday’s game against Belgium.The US president claimed that Brazilian referee Raphael Claus, who showed Balogun a red card in the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, was “a little bit suspect, if you check his past”. This was apparently a reference to a match-fixing investigation by Brazil’s senate in 2024 that examined how referees were assigned to games but did not accuse Claus of wrongdoing. Continue reading...

Estonia, Luxembourg and UK are the top three in biennial Yale University index in tackling pollution and other issuesMuch of the world has made encouraging strides in reducing toxic problems such as water and air pollution that have long plagued communities. But there is still a widespread lack of progress among countries in dealing with the climate crisis, according to the latest edition of an influential environmental scorecard.The biennial Yale University index again ranks Estonia as the best-performing of 177 assessed countries, after strong recent efforts to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and protect its ecosystems. Luxembourg is second, and the UK is third, having moved up from fifth place in the 2024 index. Continue reading...

The fearless 23-year-old is determined to keep a level head as he prepares to face Flavio Cobolli on WednesdayA week ago, very few people knew who Arthur Fery was. But he has been propelled into the limelight as the last man standing after a disastrous start to Wimbledon for British players.Fery, who is ranked No 114 in the world, defied expectations on Monday night when he triumphed on Centre Court over one of the top players for most of the past decade, the former world No 3 Grigor Dimitrov. Continue reading...

• Members of the European Parliament are calling for an investigation into FIFA President Gianni Infantino regarding the reversal of a red card suspension for U.S. striker Folarin Balogun. • The probe seeks to determine if the U.S. administration exerted undue pressure on FIFA to allow Balogun to return to play. • This controversy highlights concerns over political interference in international sports governance and the integrity of FIFA's disciplinary processes.

• The House of Representatives released a legislative scorecard detailing the performance of the 10th National Assembly over a three-year period. • Between June 2023 and June 15, 2026, the House introduced 2,747 bills, of which 363 were successfully passed into law. • The data was unveiled during a media briefing led by the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Parliamentary Affairs to provide transparency on legislative output.

De-escalation of war in the Middle East has lowered oil prices and eased fears of economic downturn but households are still feeling the pinchGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFears of a recession have fallen away, with economists saying that Australia is set to safely navigate the biggest global oil supply shock in history even as they warn of sub-standard growth in the year ahead.The de-escalation of the Middle East conflict has been accompanied by a major retreat in global oil prices back to prewar levels, essentially removing the worst-case scenarios contemplated before Donald Trump’s wobbly ceasefire with Iran was announced in mid-June. Continue reading...

Red Devils beat USA to advance to World Cup last-eightTeam had been angered by suspension of red cardFor Belgium, Monday’s 4-1 victory over the United States was doubly sweet. They advanced to the World Cup quarter-finals, as well as overcoming what they saw as injustice off the field.The buildup to the match had been tinged with controversy after Fifa had suspended the red card US striker Folarin Balogun was given in the last 32 against Bosnia and Herzegovina. That meant Balogun was free to play against Belgium instead of serving a one-match ban. When it emerged that Donald Trump had lobbied for Balogun’s red card to be overturned, Belgium – and other nations – were outraged: Uefa called the decision “incomprehensible and unjustifiable”. Continue reading...

• England secured a victory against Mexico at the Estadio Azteca during the 2026 World Cup on July 6. • In a surprising development, Donald Trump claimed he spoke with FIFA President Gianni Infantino regarding a "review" of a red card issued to England's Timothy Balogun. • The incident highlights unusual political interference in match officiating and refereeing decisions during a major international tournament.