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• Critics argue that implementing top-down AI safety rules in the U.S. risks mimicking China's state-controlled gatekeeper model. • This approach threatens the open ecosystem required for zero-to-one breakthroughs, which are the initial leaps from nothing to a functioning invention. • A restrictive regulatory environment could prevent unproven or unconventional ideas from people without elite backgrounds from redefining the technological frontier.

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen suggested that Canada could become the first "associate member" of the European Union. • This proposal comes as Europe faces "hybrid attacks" from Moscow, including recent strikes on Lithuania, Denmark, and the Ukraine–Poland border. • The move aims to build a consensus on how to respond to security threats that fall below the level of armed aggression.

• Inter Miami CF will open its new 25,000-seat stadium, Miami Freedom Park, during a match against Austin FC on April 4. • Major League Soccer will halt regular season play for seven weeks from May 25 to July 16 for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. • The league pause allows a record number of players to join national teams for the 104-game tournament hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico.

• The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance released a report stating that the decline of democratic norms and checks in the United States is negatively impacting global stability. • Kevin Casas-Zamora of the institute noted that whatever happens in the U.S. has global ramifications for international rules and alliances. • This trend pressures the global systems other nations rely on and encourages foreign governments to attack their own domestic institutions.

Leaders in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland discuss independence and call for constitutional change at summitWestminster’s time is coming to an end, the first ministers of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have said at a landmark summit aimed at putting the UK’s Celtic nations on the path to independence referendums.The Plaid Cymru leader, Rhun ap Iorwerth; the Scottish National party leader, John Swinney; Sinn Féin’s vice-president, Michelle O’Neill, and the president and leader of the opposition in Ireland, Mary Lou McDonald, met in Cardiff on Monday to sign a memorandum of understanding recognising that “the political landscape across these islands is changing”. Continue reading...

The currency has now reached its highest level against the US and Australian dollars in six monthsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIn the unpredictable world of global currency markets, there has been one safe bet: that the Japanese yen would continue its relentless decline.In recent weeks, that trade has started to unravel after Tokyo and Washington intervened to support the longsuffering Japanese currency. Continue reading...

Some buyers say they are ready to absorb the fallout of housing weakness if it means boosting home ownership across the boardGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFalling property prices have come at the worst possible time for Alex Hogan and his partner. They are now weighing up whether they can afford to have another child.Locked out of the established housing market, the Queensland couple resorted to buying a block of land to build a family home. Continue reading...

• French President Emmanuel Macron hosted global film and television leaders, including representatives from Hollywood and streaming platforms, at the Lumière Summit. • The gathering served as the first event of its scale in a century to address the impact of AI, YouTube, and culture policy on the future of cinema. • The summit focused on the belief that culture is an economic force and a source of soft power that requires active protection to drive growth.

• Holocaust survivor and International Auschwitz Committee president Eva Umlauf wrote an open letter calling for a ban on the far-right AfD party in Germany. • The letter was addressed to North Rhine-Westphalia state premier Hendrik Wüst, who recently proposed creating a working group to evaluate the case for a ban motion. • This push for a ban comes as polling suggests the AfD is maintaining momentum heading into upcoming state elections.

Preppy is back in the zeitgeist, says designer, blending sportswear codes and collegiate chic at New York showTommy Hilfiger’s front row was a slam dunk. The Knicks are the kings of New York right now, so scoring Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns and Miles McBride, three of the team’s stars, for the guest list of his New York catwalk show was a victory. Travis Kelce, who is co-designing another upcoming collection with Hilfiger and had been rumoured to attend this event with his new bride, was a no show, but you can’t win them all.Tommy Hilfiger is all about sport. The design vocabulary of oversized jerseys, team stripes, rugby shirts and letterman jackets draws heavily on the visual language of the stadium. Kelce, whose NFL tunnel walks have become a catwalk of their own, is the latest in a bloodline of sporting ambassadors that includes Thierry Henry, Rafael Nadal and Lewis Hamilton. Hilfiger has long stood for a certain glossy stars-and-stripes Americana – its graphic red, white and blue logo is a riff on the flag – but American identity is delicate cultural territory right now. Sport, which unites audiences across all backgrounds and political allegiances, gives the brand a wholesome place to congregate. “People really like him,” Hilfiger explained backstage of why he chose to collaborate with Kelce. “He’s really humble, down to earth, sweet, fun, and funny. And a superstar athlete.” Continue reading...

• A new poll finds that Americans have become more skeptical of government information over the last few years. • Majorities of respondents now report having little or no trust in federal government data regarding the environment, foreign affairs, and politics. • This lack of confidence extends to the results of the upcoming midterm elections.

Following six years of talks, Pitt Rivers Museum will return body parts collected by British colonial administrators to north-east IndiaAnthropologists and community leaders from Nagaland, a remote state in north-eastern India bordering Myanmar, have expressed joy and relief that human remains belonging to their ancestors that had been on display in a British museum for nearly a century are finally being returned.On Monday, the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford announced that 39 pieces of human remains – including parts of skulls, a finger and a piece of skin with hair – belonging to the Naga tribes, will be returned to Nagaland after six years of negotiation between the community and the museum. Continue reading...

• Spain's far-right party Vox is leveraging a migration crisis in Ceuta to push an anti-migration agenda ahead of the 2027 elections. • Over 50,000 people in Madrid recently shouted slogans such as "Expulsion of invaders" to demonstrate their support for these views. • The situation creates political instability for the Spanish government as far-right groups use the crisis to unite citizens against the party in power.

• Several European nations are updating employment laws in 2025 to address geopolitical disruptions and new pay transparency directives. • Belgium has partially implemented these transparency rules in its French region, while Finland, the Netherlands, and Sweden have proposed drafts for full implementation. • Companies operating in Ireland, Poland, and Lithuania must now adapt their job advertisements and payroll practices to meet these evolving legal requirements.

• The US Dollar experienced high volatility last week, dropping from three-week highs to multi-day lows. • Market fluctuations were driven by a combination of bond market movements, geopolitical tensions, and actions by the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan. • Traders and investors face increased uncertainty as the currency remains tilted toward the negative side.

• Updated COVID-19 vaccines are approved for the fall, with insurance coverage for the 2026-27 season depending on recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). • Under the Affordable Care Act, insurers must cover vaccines recommended by ACIP, but the panel has faced turmoil after HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. replaced all 17 members in June 2025. • A federal judge has since stayed Kennedy's appointments, creating uncertainty regarding the committee's current composition and decision-making process.

Ukrainian president says aviation industry needs to take account of growing number of Ukrainian attack drones in Russia Europe live – latest updatesVolodymyr Zelenskyy has said Russia’s airspace is becoming unsafe for commercial airlines, as Vladimir Putin promised to step up strikes against Ukraine’s energy facilities in the run-up to winter.The Ukrainian president said there was no intention to directly threaten civilian flights, but the growing number of Ukrainian attack drones flying into the country would have to be “taken into account” by the aviation industry. Continue reading...

Prime minister will bring upbeat message to adversarial Commons after a summer of policy announcements and improved poll ratingsGood morning. Andy Burnham became prime minister six weeks ago, but today will be the first time he addresses MPs in the Commons. It will be the first time he has spoken as a minister from the dispatch box in more than 16 years. As MPs return to Westminster, they will be telling each other about how they spent the summer holiday and, for Burnham, it has undoubtedly gone well. He has unveiled a blitz of announcements which, broadly, have gone down quite well and he has delivered the kiss of life to Labour’s poll ratings.Today Burnham will chair cabinet in the morning and then make a ministerial statement in the Commons after 3.30pm. Normally a prime ministerial statement has a specific focus; it will be about a major policy decision, or a foreign affairs crisis. From the briefing that we have had so far, it sounds as if Burnham’s will be more of a wide-ranging rehash of all the things that he has been talking about this summer. In her preview, Jessica Elgot says he will talk about his intention to bring more essential services back into public control. Continue reading...

• Industry leaders, investors, and founders gathered at the annual Nordic TechBBQ conference to discuss the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence. • Central conversations focused on the critical issue of human agency and determining who maintains actual control over AI systems. • The event featured high-profile participants and sponsors, including Nvidia, OpenAI, AWS Startups, HSBC, and Lovable.

• AI experts and researchers warn that a "cybersecurity apocalypse" could occur within months as threats evolve. • Researcher Vangelis Stykas revealed that North Korean hackers have maintained extensive access to global systems through server intrusions. • Recent criminal activity in California highlights a growing trend of physical thefts targeting data center servers and specialized hardware.

• OpenAI and over 100 companies have issued a formal warning to governments and businesses regarding an imminent surge in AI-powered cyberattacks. • The group cautions that within a few months, hacking attempts will become significantly more advanced, widespread, and difficult to defend against. • This alert highlights the critical need for a global defense push to strengthen cybersecurity infrastructure before these AI-enabled threats scale.

• Investors are facing mixed signals as private market managers' stock prices have performed poorly in 2026 despite solid returns from the underlying assets and funds. • Morningstar’s listed private equity index has shown some recovery after early-year losses, while firms like Blackstone continue to report solid earnings. • This disconnect highlights a gap between the valuation of asset management companies and the actual performance of the alternative investments they oversee.

• Preparations for the 2026-2027 vaccine season are underway, marked by major industry acquisitions and a critical upcoming FDA panel vote. • New data on influenza vaccine effectiveness is being analyzed, though experts warn that real-time tracking of variant evolution is becoming increasingly difficult. • Dr. Jill Roberts of the University of South Florida attributes this data gap to reduced government surveillance staffing and significant cuts to academic research funding.

Streeting says role is chance to show strength and challenge stereotype that ‘persists in dark corners of internet’Wes Streeting has described receiving a mass of homophobic abuse since he was made defence secretary last month, while also saying his appointment had been welcomed by some in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) as a sign of change.Until 2000, gay men and lesbian women were banned from serving in the UK military, with about 200-plus personnel thrown out of the forces each year due to their sexuality – an estimate, as proper records were not kept. Continue reading...

Regulations will require new sites to avoid pushing up power prices by building renewable energy plants and minimising water useGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPlanned datacentres around Australia may avoid strict new rules being proposed by Anthony Albanese if they can secure approvals in the coming months, amid growing calls growing for a moratorium.The prime minister is aiming to come to an agreement with national cabinet on federal regulations for datacentres at a meeting on Wednesday. Continue reading...

• Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada is entering a trade war with the U.S. after the Trump administration implemented a new wave of 50 per cent tariffs. • Canada plans a "concentrated" retaliatory response targeting U.S. sectors including steel, dairy, electronics, agricultural equipment, and pulp and paper. • The conflict highlights escalating trade tensions, with Carney criticizing the U.S. for inconsistently changing the rationale behind its tariff agenda.

• The POLITICO environment team is transitioning its coverage as Greenwire pivots to a new format called Morning Environment. • Team members, including Alex Guillén, are expanding their focus to include broader legal coverage and ongoing monitoring of the EPA. • A primary point of focus will be tracking major deregulatory actions, specifically the repeal of the power plant climate rule, which has faced unexpected delays.

• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced plans to expand the government's efforts to buy back costlier debt to manage federal liabilities. • The administration is preparing to unveil a new fiscal initiative specifically designed to address the highest borrowing costs seen in several years. • This strategy aims to reduce the overall cost of servicing U.S. debt by replacing expensive older bonds with more favorable terms.