Doubles

• A study by the PopuList Project reveals that over 23% of Europeans voted for far-right parties in their most recent national elections, nearly doubling support over the last decade. • These populist parties are currently integrated into ruling coalitions in Italy, Finland, Czechia, and Croatia, while providing support to Sweden's right-wing minority government. • The trend highlights a significant ideological shift across Europe, with far-right parties leading polls in major nations including Germany, France, the UK, Belgium, and Austria.

Allison Kirkby pocketed the payment after BT’s share price surged nearly 80% since she became chief executiveThe chief executive of BT saw her pay and bonus package more than double last year to £5.6m, the biggest pay award to a boss of the telecoms company in more than a decade.Allison Kirkby, who stepped up from the board to take the helm in February 2024, received a pay, bonus and share award package of £5.58m for the year to the end of March. Continue reading...

Debbie Crosbie receives £3.2m in bonuses after mutual building society’s takeover of Virgin MoneyNationwide building society has nearly doubled the pay packet of its chief executive, Debbie Crosbie, a year after the board pushed through a controversial bonus scheme for its top boss. The mutual, which is owned by its members, released its annual report on Monday, showing Crosbie was handed £3.2m in bonuses – a combination of payouts for annual and longer-term performance – up from £1.1m a year earlier.It pushed her overall pay packet to £4.7m for the year to March 2026, marking an 88% jump on the near-£2.5m she earned for the previous year. Meanwhile, eligible staff within the wider 26,890-strong workforce will see their pay rise by an average of 3.8% from 1 July. “These changes reflect a significant investment in our people, recognising the contribution and commitment of those at the heart of serving our customers and delivering our strategy,” Nationwide said. Crosbie’s £1.2m annual salary was increased a further 2.9% in April this year. Continue reading...

• Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu was defeated by world No. 1 An Se Young at the Indonesia Open. • The loss marks a challenging streak for Sindhu, representing her tenth consecutive defeat against the Korean athlete. • In a contrasting result, Indian men's doubles pair Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun secured a major upset victory.

• PV Sindhu and Ayush Shetty have been eliminated from the Indonesia Open after losing in the pre-quarterfinals. • Shetty's defeat came via a 16-21, 21-13, 21-14 loss to a Hong Kong opponent, marking the end of India's singles campaign in Jakarta. • This follows earlier first-round exits by Indian shuttlers Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy.

Greater working from home and hot summer temperatures believed to be driving increase in ownershipAn estimated 4m homes in the UK now have air conditioning, double the figure from three years ago as Britons complain of “unliveable” conditions during high temperatures.Portable units with power ratings around 1kW are slightly more common than the more powerful built-in versions that can guzzle 2.7kW of power – more than an electric oven. Continue reading...

• Anduril Industries announced a $5 billion Series H funding round, doubling its valuation to $61 billion just one year after its previous multibillion-dollar raise. • The late-stage funding was jointly led by Thrive Capital and Andreessen Horowitz, demonstrating strong investor confidence in the defense and autonomous systems company. • The massive valuation increase reflects growing demand for advanced defense technology and autonomous systems in the current geopolitical environment.

Ceremony organisers taking event procedures ‘extremely seriously’ after broadcast of racial slur in February Continue reading...