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Cross-party group backs call from science and technology committee to look at alternative options, citing ‘serious mistrust’A second parliamentary committee has urged Labour to scrap Palantir’s £330m contract with the NHS, increasing pressure on the next prime minister over government deals with the US tech company.MPs on the health and social care select committee want the NHS to cut ties with Palantir and find a replacement for its system, which is supposed to unify and analyse huge amounts of often highly sensitive NHS health data. Continue reading...

Meta said it was working with officials to be a ‘good neighbor’ and drinking water supplies were not affectedOfficials in Wyoming said a contractor for Mark Zuckerberg’s tech company, Meta, flushed bacteria-contaminated water into public sewers during construction of a controversial new AI datacenter.The incident prompted water authorities in Cheyenne to implement strict safety regulations on how wastewater from such projects is disposed of, according to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, which first reported the incident. Continue reading...

Ofcom levies largest-ever consumer protection fine after finding firm deliberately mishandled millions of phone callsVirgin Media has been fined £28m by the UK telecoms watchdog for repeatedly preventing customers from cancelling their contracts over a near-three-year period.Ofcom discovered that Virgin Media “likely mishandled” millions of phone calls between the start of 2022 and autumn 2024, with deliberate call-dropping tactics, unnecessary call transfers and putting customers on hold for “no reason”. Continue reading...

• The Euro zone services sector experienced a slowing contraction in June, according to the latest Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) data. • This shift is attributed to a sharp cooling of inflation, which has helped stabilize the sector's performance. • The data is critical for policymakers as it indicates a potential turning point in economic activity and price stability across the region.

• The European Union's economic output contracted in the first quarter of 2026, according to data released by Eurostat on July 1, 2026. • The chain-linked volumes index dropped from 128.669 in Q4 2025 to 120.654 in Q1 2026, while nominal GDP fell to €4,160,507.4 million. • This decline indicates a downturn in the EU's overall economic activity and a reduction in the total value of goods and services produced.

• TechnoMile COO Mick Fox highlights a new Forrester report, "The Contract Lifecycle Management Platforms Landscape, Q2 2026," which analyzes the current state of the CLM industry. • The report confirms a significant industry shift toward post-signature governance, emphasizing that value is created through active contract management rather than just the initial drafting phase. • This trend is particularly critical for federal contractors who must navigate complex regulatory environments and long-term performance requirements.

• A NASA Office of Inspector General audit revealed that canceled hardware contracts for the Artemis program reached a total of $5.9 billion. • The report highlights significant cost overruns and extended timelines, specifically noting a stage adapter that was on track to cost nearly $500 million. • These findings underscore systemic inefficiencies and financial mismanagement within the agency's procurement process for lunar exploration hardware.

Almost £24.4bn of government money went to private equity-run firms in year to April 2025, Guardian analysis shows‘Treating children like cattle’: what happens when private equity takes over a UK care home?Nurseries, vets and shops: the sectors where private equity plays a big roleOne pound in every £11 of UK government spending on contractors went to private equity-controlled companies last year, research shows, including key services such as transport, waste management and healthcare.Politicians and economists have raised concerns over the “financial fragility and sharp cost cutting” created by private equity-backed firms, which often have high levels of debt, and the “conflicting interests” in running public services for maximum profit. Continue reading...

• Micron reported record Q3 2026 revenue of $41.5B, a fourfold increase compared to the previous year, driven by the AI memory cycle. • The company secured 16 strategic "take-or-pay" agreements, locking in approximately $100B in minimum contracted revenue and $22B in upfront cash. • This structural shift in contracting aims to stabilize the volatile memory industry by ensuring guaranteed long-term demand.

Underlying operating profits down 19% with 2019 frigate-building programme making loss, firm reportsOne of the UK’s biggest defence contractors has blamed Brexit and Covid among a catalogue of problems to beset a key contract for the Royal Navy, which led its annual profits to plunge.Annual profits at Babcock International fell by almost a fifth in the year to the end of March, as the firm reported a £140m charge on its contract to build five Type 31 frigates for the Royal Navy. Continue reading...

Report finds close ties between the Trump administration and Geo Group, which profits from anti-immigration crackdownJim Jordan is among the most famous names in this stretch of Ohio.The congressman and chair of the powerful House judiciary committee is considered among the most conservative and influential members in Congress, and is a longtime loyalist of Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Bell hotel in Epping was scene of violent protests after asylum seeker living there sexually assaulted girl and womanAsylum seekers have been removed from the Epping hotel that became a flashpoint for anti-immigration protests across England last summer as the Home Office terminates its contract with the establishment.The hotel on the outskirts of the Essex town was the scene of increasingly large protests after an asylum seeker who was living there sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and a woman. Continue reading...

Whistleblowers from Mitie allege some employees have made offensive remarks or liked abusive social media postsOne of the government’s key contractors has launched an investigation into allegations of racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia and hate speech among staff working in immigration removal centres, the Guardian has learned.Whistleblowers from the company, Mitie, have alleged that some staff members working in immigration removal centres and deporting migrants have made offensive comments at work and in social media posts. Continue reading...

US spy-tech company to challenge London mayor’s intervention after he raised concerns over breach of procurement rulesPalantir intends to sue the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, after he blocked a contract between the US spy-tech firm and the Metropolitan police.The Met had planned to use Palantir’s software to automate intelligence analysis in criminal investigations, until Khan intervened in late May, sparking a row between the UK’s largest police force and the mayor’s office. Continue reading...

• European governments are reevaluating their partnerships with US defense contractor Palantir due to security concerns and the company's ties to controversial military and immigration enforcement activities. • A UK parliamentary report warned that Palantir's programs create an "unacceptable point of weakness" for the national government, while Switzerland has rejected the firm's bids at least nine times. • Denmark is actively seeking local software alternatives to reduce its reliance on the US-based technology provider.

• The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) admitted during Senate estimates that it holds eight active contracts with KPMG, including two initiated after an investigation into the firm began. • This revelation comes amid an ongoing audit scandal involving KPMG, raising questions about the regulator's decision to maintain professional ties with a company under scrutiny. • The news coincided with a downturn in the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), as markets lost ground throughout the trading day.

• The European Commission has proposed the Cloud and AI Development Act, which introduces sovereignty tiers for cloud providers to reduce reliance on U.S. tech dominance. • Major U.S. firms, including Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, face potential hurdles in securing sensitive government data contracts due to conflicts with the U.S. Cloud Act. • The legislation aims to triple the EU's data center capacity and prioritize the use of EU-developed hardware and software within strategic sectors.

• Arsenal and Manchester City are both reportedly interested in signing 23-year-old Newcastle United full-back Tino Livramento. • Despite their interest, Mikel Arteta and Arsenal have expressed reservations regarding Livramento's previous injury record. • The Gunners are also considering Sporting CP full-back Ivan Fresneda as a potential addition to their defensive line.

UK government says it would prefer workers to be guaranteed between eight and 20 hours a week based on regular hoursBusiness live – latest updatesMinisters are facing criticism from unions and employers after laying out details of plans for a guaranteed regular working week as part of a ban on zero-hours contracts.Under rules poised to come into force next year, employers will have to offer staff, including agency workers, a contract that guarantees a minimum number of hours each week based on their regular working hours. Continue reading...

Guardian investigation shows how US presidency blurs line between policy and enrichment of American ruling family and those around itOn a graffitied Sarajevo backstreet, a path leads past an overgrown patch of garden to a white door. Beyond is the registered office of a company that is on the brink of winning contracts worth more than $1bn.AAFS Infrastructure and Energy is close to securing a concession to build and operate a pipeline across the Balkans to allow fossil gas shipped from the US to replace supplies that come from Russia. “This could be the most important infrastructure project ever in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” says one of the country’s top officials, who, like others, asks to remain anonymous to discuss sensitive negotiations. Continue reading...

There is no evidence Elliott Broidy’s links to Trump helped AI company win contract to monitor prisoners’ phone callsThe day before Donald Trump’s first term ended in 2021, he inked a pardon for Elliott Broidy, a scandal-plagued Republican fundraiser and former Republican National Committee official who had pleaded guilty three months earlier to trying to illegally lobby Trump and his administration.Last month, a company headed by Broidy won a $106m contract from the Department of Justice, according to federal contracting records. Continue reading...

Sharyn Alfonsi confirms contract expiration after decrying network over ‘the spread of corporate meddling’ last monthThe Veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi has accused CBS News of penalizing her for “refusing to sanitize factually accurate reporting” and sending a “chilling message” to the newsroom by declining to renew her contract for the show.Alfonsi was at the center of a national firestorm after the CBS News editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, shelved a segment she had reported on a notorious prison in El Salvador. She confirmed to the Guardian that she had not been offered a contract to return for the show’s 59th season, which begins in the fall. Continue reading...

Company founded by Yaron Finkelstein received contract to advise on antisemitism under a limited tender ‘due to an absence of competition’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe antisemitism envoy, Jillian Segal, hired Scott Morrison’s former principal adviser on a $200,000 contract without a public tender process, with department officials saying his skills could not be provided by any other business.Society Advisory Pty Ltd, the company founded by Yaron Finkelstein – Morrison’s former principal private secretary – received the 12-month contract to work with Segal until April 2027, coinciding with the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion. Continue reading...

Campaigners reject claims that tougher rules will deter hiring – and lock young people out of jobsMinisters should press ahead with a ban on zero-hours contracts, campaigners say, despite claims by business leaders that it would deter hiring and lock out more young people from the labour market.Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) and the union umbrella organisation the TUC were among eight signatories to a letter to the department of business and trade, calling on the government to “ignore the noise” from businesses, which want zero-hours contracts to remain. Continue reading...

London mayor accused of ‘putting politics above public safety’ for rejecting deal to use AI in intelligence analysisPalantir has accused Sadiq Khan of “putting politics above public safety” after the London mayor blocked its £50m contract with the Metropolitan police in a move that has also led to tensions inside Labour over its involvement with the US tech company.Louis Mosley, who heads Palantir in the UK and Europe, accused Khan of politicising procurement after he rejected a two-year deal for Scotland Yard to use AI to process intelligence in criminal investigations, as first revealed by the Guardian. Mosley said: “What Londoners value is not being mugged, not being raped by a serving police officer.” Continue reading...

Dr Peter Stafford’s wife and four children are also being monitored for symptoms amid Ebola outbreak in the DRCAn American doctor who contracted Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been flown to Germany for treatment, along with his wife and four children, as the World Health Organization warned of the “scale and speed” of the outbreak.Authorities have reported at least 134 suspected deaths and more than 500 cases of the hemorrhagic Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved treatments or vaccines. The outbreak, which has spread into urban areas, has been declared a public health emergency requiring international response. Continue reading...

Health officials to take ‘proactive measures’ in response to the ongoing Ebola virus epidemic in the DRC and UgandaSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailUS health authorities confirmed on Monday that an American has developed Ebola after being exposed during their work in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); officials also said that they are taking “proactive measures” to protect US citizens in response to the ongoing Ebola virus epidemic in the DRC and Uganda.Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the case on Monday and said the individual was being evacuated to Germany. They developed symptoms over the weekend and tested positive late Sunday, said Satish K Pillai, an incident manager for the CDC’s Ebola response in a press conference. Continue reading...

Carmakers aim to expand into UK defence sector, exploiting spending boom by Nato countriesJaguar Land Rover and General Motors are considering an expansion into UK defence via a £900m military contract, as carmakers seek to exploit a spending boom by Nato countries racing to rearm.The manufacturers are among a group of automotive firms vying to make thousands of 4x4s for the armed forces to replace an ageing fleet of Land Rovers that have been out of production since 2016. Continue reading...