Critic

• Governor Gavin Newsom has directed state agencies to establish a new AI Cyber Defense Program to protect California's critical infrastructure and local governments. • The initiative builds upon the state's 2023 and 2026 Executive Orders on Artificial Intelligence to strengthen cybersecurity coordination across government. • The program aims to counter increasingly fast and sophisticated cyberattacks that threaten essential public systems and family services.

• On August 9, 2026, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met with Mojtaba Khamenei amid reports regarding the Supreme Leader's health. • Reports indicate that the Supreme Leader's medical condition has become "extremely critical," sparking concerns over the country's leadership. • This meeting is significant as it suggests potential preparations for a transition of power within Iran's high-level political structure.

• OpenAI has issued a warning regarding its upcoming AI model, Astra, after several cybersecurity protocol breaches occurred, including one involving Hugging Face in July. • The company stated it cannot rule out the possibility that Astra possesses "critical cybersecurity capabilities" that could be exploited. • In response to these risks, OpenAI has paused certain internal development processes and triggered emergency safety protocols to mitigate potential threats.

Will Rosenzweig’s defunct blog was publicized online by conservative pundit who tagged senior DoJ officialsA federal prosecutor fired last year over critical comments he had written as a private citizen about Donald Trump sued the justice department on Friday, saying his termination violated his first amendment rights.Will Rosenzweig was two weeks away from trying a multimillion-dollar Medicare fraud case when a blog he had written years earlier covering a broad range of topics was publicized online by a conservative political commentator who also included a screenshot of Rosenzweig’s LinkedIn account and tagged senior justice department officials for their awareness. Continue reading...

Many online questioned how long the blogger’s broadcast remained up on the app and shared mental health resourcesSocial media users have criticized TikTok after celebrity blogger Perez Hilton livestreamed himself self-harming on the platform, prompting many to question how long the broadcast remained live and others to share mental health resources and encourage those in need to seek help.On Tuesday night, Hilton, 48, livestreamed himself engaging in self-harm as viewers pleaded for him to stop. Shortly after, local authorities responded to his home in Miami, Florida, where he was transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. Continue reading...

State department informs Congress of planned closures in Canada, Grenada, Japan, Indonesia and CameroonThe US state department is to shut five foreign consulates and missions across Asia, Africa, North America and the Caribbean, drawing criticism that it is leaving a diplomatic vacuum at risk of being filled by China.The US Congress has been served notice of the impending closures, which are being justified on cost grounds and follow a reassessment of the US’s bilateral relationships with a range of countries since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. Continue reading...

• Meta’s Oversight Board released a 39-page report investigating "censorship-by-proxy," where foundation LLMs may be restricting content critical of speech-restrictive political regimes and their leaders. • The research examines whether AI outputs are improperly reflecting national laws that outlaw government criticism, effectively extending a regime's restrictive reach beyond its own geographic borders. • This phenomenon matters because it suggests that AI models may be enforcing illegitimate speech restrictions globally, potentially chilling political dissent and limiting information access.

• Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is facing criticism as the European Union meets to discuss irregular migration crossings into the North African enclave of Ceuta. • Sanchez defended Spain's position by noting that Italy has seen significantly higher arrival numbers since 2021, recording approximately 478,000 migrants compared to Spain's 234,000. • The situation is critical as the EU seeks to manage border security, though the majority of migrants in Ceuta have already returned to Morocco.

Assassination attempt demonstrates Ukraine’s ability to continue clandestine operations deep inside Russian territoryEurope live – latest updatesThe head of a leading Russian drone manufacturer has been critically injured in a car bomb near Ekaterinburg in what appears to be the latest in a series of assassination attempts targeting figures linked to the country’s war in Ukraine.Vladimir Tkachuk, founder of the private drone manufacturer Uraldronzavod, was rushed to intensive care on Wednesday after a bomb planted beneath his Mercedes exploded, according to Russian state media, citing emergency services. His bodyguard was killed in the explosion. Continue reading...

• EU Migration Commissioner Gunnar Brunner criticized Spain's plan to regularize undocumented migrants, stating that such a scheme sends a "not a good signal" to the rest of Europe. • The comments follow a crisis meeting in Ceuta and a decision by Italy to reintroduce air and sea border checks with Spain for one month. • Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned Italy's border restrictions, claiming they were driven by "prejudice, fake news, ignorance and political interest."

Migration commissioner says scheme regularising undocumented people ‘not a good signal’ for EuropeExplainer: Why is Ceuta a migration flashpoint?The EU’s top official on migration has criticised Spain’s plan to regularise undocumented migrants as “not a good signal” for Europe, after an emergency meeting intended to draw a line under divisions on the Ceuta crisis.Magnus Brunner, the European commissioner for migration, said that while the EU could not currently see a direct link between events in Ceuta and Spain’s regularisation plan, the policy was “definitely not a good signal for the rest of Europe”. Continue reading...

BBC actor Sera Cracroft says if disgraced former newsreader had won it would be hurtful to abuse survivorsThe disgraced former BBC presenter Huw Edwards has been criticised after entering a Welsh poetry competition under a pseudonym.Actor Sera Cracroft, best known for her role in the long-running BBC Welsh language soap opera Pobol y Cwm, told the BBC it would have been “catastrophic” if Edwards had won the prize, and that the “image of him being crowned in front of the nation” would be “hurtful to survivors”. Continue reading...

• Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is facing intense criticism from EU leaders following a surge of migrants arriving in Ceuta, a Spanish territory in North Africa. • Sanchez defended his migration policies by citing Spain's previous solidarity, specifically noting the intake of migrants from Belarus in 2021 and those arriving at Lampedusa in 2023. • The tension highlights a broader political shift as right-wing parties across the EU gain power by promising stricter crackdowns on migration.

Democrats say agreement – which clears way for Blanche’s confirmation – makes promises president can easily reverseA compromise between Todd Blanche and two Republican senators that potentially cleared the way for Blanche’s confirmation as attorney general is weak, Democrats and several experts said, as it makes promises Donald Trump can easily reverse.Blanche, the acting attorney general, posted two documents on Sunday evening showing he was withdrawing an 18 May order allowing for the creation of a $1.8bn weaponization fund and clarifying that broad tax immunity the justice department granted to Trump only applied retroactively to the president, his sons, and businesses. Continue reading...

Retired commander says policy lacks substance as party accused of trying to distract from Nigel Farage’s scandalsUK politics live – latest updatesA Reform UK proposal to use the military to stop small boats bringing migrants to the UK from France lacks substance, a former Royal Navy officer has said, suggesting the UK’s warships would be better used countering actual military threats.Reform’s political opponents have claimed its plans have more to do with distracting from the financial scandals surrounding its leader, Nigel Farage, than about solving the small boats issue, after the party proposed having the navy pick up people trying to make irregular Channel crossings and take them to France. Continue reading...

Labour say plan is a ‘desperate attempt to distract from sleaze’ while a retired commander says it ‘lacks substance’The leader of Restore Britain, Rupert Lowe, told the Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, that if he was “prepared to work together around serious policies, serious reform and serious government, then so are we”.In a video posted on X on Sunday, Lowe said:I truly believe there could be sufficient common ground for our two movements to cooperate collectively, destroy the looming leftwing alliance that will finish off what hope remains for this country.In my view, failing to even try because of our own personal difficulties is simply not an option. Now is the time to put our differences aside and cooperate for the good of the country that we all love.Mass deportation of illegal migrants “including women and children”.Tougher rules on legal migration, a ban on halal and kosher slaughter, the burqa, cousin marriage and sharia courts.A referendum on the death penalty.Welfare cuts to fund “self-sufficiency”.The exclusion of former Tory ministers from any future cabinet. Continue reading...

• During the final week of July 2026, governments, financial institutions, and critical infrastructure providers faced a surge in sophisticated cyberattacks. • Attackers are increasingly utilizing artificial intelligence and advanced malware to bypass traditional security measures and target high-value organizations. • These developments highlight a rapidly shifting threat landscape where the scale and complexity of breaches are escalating.

David Crisafulli says ‘Queenslanders will enjoy for generations’ as opponents point to lack of detailGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Queensland government has released new concept images for a parkland precinct to surround the 2032 Olympic stadium, as it seeks to quell concern at the loss of Brisbane’s largest inner-city parkland.But opponents of the plans – now entering the early construction phase – to build a stadium at Brisbane’s Victoria Park say the concept images are a “fantasy vision” with no detail, and which overlook the likely need for carparks, roads, transport links and plazas to accommodate large crowds. 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...

• A top Hong Kong official has condemned remarks made by a former Morgan Stanley Asia chair who claimed the city has evolved into "just another big Chinese city." • The official dismissed the ex-banker's assessment, asserting that the views are driven by "anti-China bias" rather than an objective analysis of the region's status. • The dispute highlights ongoing tensions regarding Hong Kong's unique identity and its degree of integration with mainland China following political shifts.

• AI-enabled cyber breaches have increased by 56%, with organizations facing an average cost of $6 million per incident according to IBM. • The surge is primarily driven by the rise of AI-powered malware and sophisticated deepfake impersonation tactics used to bypass security. • Critical infrastructure is disproportionately targeted, accounting for 62% of all AI-driven attacks, highlighting a significant vulnerability in essential services.

France had also intervened after Trump administration had opposed the reappointment of UN human rights chiefUS diplomats walked out of a United Nations meeting after France criticized the country’s human rights record under Donald Trump.The staged walkout, which occurred on Monday during a UN security council meeting on the Ukraine-Russia war, came days after the Trump administration cited “forced labor” allegations as it imposed sweeping tariffs on dozens of countries. Continue reading...

• U.S. Border Patrol agents shot a man in Portland, Oregon, leaving the victim in critical condition. • The incident has sparked urgent pleas for human rights and intense scrutiny regarding the legal jurisdiction of the 100-mile border zone. • This event highlights ongoing tensions over the expanded authority of federal border agents operating far from the physical border.

Stars accused of ‘cowardice’ as hundreds of thousands of young Indians take to the streets to challenge governmentBollywood stars and other Indian celebrities have faced fierce criticism this week for staying silent in the face of some of the biggest protests India has seen in years.Hundreds of thousands of young Indians took to the streets this week as part of a new youth movement that calls itself the Cockroach Janata party (CJP), demanding accountability over exam paper leaks in an unprecedented challenge to prime minister Narendra Modi’s government. Many vented their anger against what they saw as “cowardice” from India’s biggest celebrities. Continue reading...

• On July 22, Singapore's Cyber Security Agency overhauled cybersecurity rules for critical infrastructure, mandating that boards conduct annual resilience reviews to ensure executive accountability. • The agency also launched a first-ever cloud security code, with the mandatory Cybersecurity Code of Practice (CCoP) for Cloud Services scheduled for publication in the second half of 2026. • These measures follow a major security breach nine months ago where the China-linked group UNC3886 successfully compromised all four of Singapore's telecommunications providers.

NT minister for trade and business Robyn Cahill makes scientifically inaccurate claims while pushing to make territory ‘datacentre capital of the globe’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Northern Territory minister has been criticised for scientifically inaccurate claims that groundwater in the Northern Territory needs to be used to prevent the Earth’s magnetic poles from flipping.The NT minister for trade and business, Robyn Cahill, made the claim while speaking in Darwin last week about the government’s push to make the territory “the datacentre capital of the globe”. Continue reading...

CBA chair says contempt charge over closing speech by Rajiv Menon KC has left lawyers fearful of doing their jobThe prosecution of a leading human rights barrister for contempt of court over his closing speech during a trial of Palestine Action activists has left lawyers fearful of doing their job, the chair of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) has said.Rajiv Menon KC is due to stand trial next week, accused of breaching the judge’s directions in the trial of six people for a 2024 direct action protest at an arms factory of the Israeli subsidiary Elbit Systems UK in Filton, near Bristol. Continue reading...

• Indian police used teargas and batons to violently suppress protests aimed at demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. • The crackdown targeted demonstrators attempting to march toward parliament, leading to widespread criticism of the police's brutal tactics. • The events highlight escalating tensions between the Indian government and critics over various political and social grievances.