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In its final report the High Pay Centre says the median remuneration of a FTSE 100 CEO has risen to a record £5.06mThe bosses of Britain’s largest listed companies received record pay last year, fuelling the widest earnings gap with workers in eight years.Median pay for FTSE 100 chief executives hit £5.06m in the last financial year, according to data released by the High Pay Centre, an 8.6% increase on £4.66m the previous year and the highest level on record. Continue reading...

Tom Homan’s comments come amid scrutiny over federal immigration agents’ fatal shooting of two men in six daysUS Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will require its officers to record vehicle stops with at least one body camera, said Tom Homan, the Trump administration “border czar”, on Sunday. The action comes as the agency is under renewed scrutiny after ICE officers fatally shot two men earlier this month.“They exonerate more law enforcement than they convict, and I want officers to wear body cameras because I want the American people to see what the ⁠officers saw when they took that action,” Homan said on the Fox & Friends Weekend program. Continue reading...

• Scientists using Earth's largest particle accelerator have observed a specific phenomenon within a hot, dense particle "soup" that mimics the conditions of the cosmos immediately following the Big Bang. • The discovery is the result of a decades-long quest to understand the fundamental state of matter that existed during the universe's earliest moments. • This breakthrough matters because it provides a rare experimental window into the evolution of the early universe and the behavior of matter under extreme density and heat.

A longstanding bromance means the Liverpool regional major very much has the ear of the soon-to-be PMWhen a new prime minister enters Downing Street, observers usually look to those around the cabinet table to see where influence lies. With Andy Burnham, they should look 200 miles north – not to Manchester, but Liverpool.Steve Rotheram, the mayor of Liverpool city region, may not have a formal role in government but he has a strong claim to having the closest personal bond to the incoming prime minister, a man he calls his “bezzie mate”. Continue reading...

• American television coverage of the World Cup has been characterized by a prevalence of European accents among its broadcasters. • This approach mirrors international standards, such as the BBC's use of global figures like Olivier Giroud and Thomas Frank to provide diverse perspectives. • The strategy reflects the global nature of the tournament, ensuring that coverage remains inclusive of international viewpoints rather than strictly domestic.

• Prime Minister Péter Magyar's administration has implemented sweeping constitutional changes aimed at dismantling the political legacy of the previous government. • Supporters argue these overhauls are essential for restoring the rule of law in Hungary, while critics warn that the methods used could establish troubling legal precedents. • The move highlights the tension between the need for systemic reform and the risk of creating new mechanisms for political instability.

Follow the latest updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIt was a remarkably warm day in the Australian alps yesterday, with several ski fields reaching temperatures that look set to be record-breaking (the records are yet to be confirmed by the Bureau of Meteorology’s climate team).Mount Hotham reached 11.1C. That’s 2.4C higher than the previous July record of 8.7C set in 1994.Big slow moving high pressure systems creating large areas of descending & warming air hitting a radiation inversion = warm air trapped above the ground. Plus climate change… Continue reading...

• Mira Murati has officially launched Thinking Machines Lab, introducing a new AI architecture called "Inkling." • TSMC is significantly scaling its U.S. presence with a massive $100 billion expansion of its facilities in Arizona. • OpenAI has entered the hardware market with its first branded physical device, a $230 developer control pad created in partnership with Work Louder.

Incoming PM must seize chance to stop race discourse deflecting from class inequalities, says David WeaverAndy Burnham has a historic opportunity to shift the national mood on racism, the chair of Operation Black Vote has said.In an interview marking the 30th anniversary of the influential nonpartisan civil rights organisation, David Weaver, the chair of Operation Black Vote (OBV), said Burnham must seize the chance to change a UK political culture where race and migration discourse is used to deflect from class inequalities and ineffective leadership. Continue reading...

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that over 100 aid organizations have launched emergency responses in Venezuela. • These groups have conducted more than 2,200 activities across 14 states, providing hot meals and tents to those affected by earthquakes last month. • This large-scale intervention is critical for addressing both immediate disaster relief and preexisting humanitarian needs in the region.

• Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced on July 17, 2026, that the DHS will penalize states that refuse to cooperate with a new federal election security program. • States that do not participate may be deprived of federal funding used to run elections, and individual state officials could be held accountable. • The initiative aims to ensure election security ahead of the upcoming November midterm elections.

• Federal health agencies, including the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), are requesting significant funding increases to better prepare for future pandemics and public health emergencies. • Concurrent health concerns include a challenging Cyclospora parasite outbreak, with over 1,200 cases reported in Michigan and additional cases in Florida and Georgia. • The situation is complicated by the fact that surveillance of the parasite has been optional for a year, hindering efforts to identify the source of the outbreak.

• President Donald Trump delivered a primetime speech on Thursday night claiming that declassified documents prove the existence of significant vulnerabilities within U.S. election systems. • The administration released documents to support these claims, though the information largely pertains to long-known vulnerabilities that election officials have already been working to mitigate. • The event highlights a contentious debate over the security and integrity of American voting infrastructure and the interpretation of intelligence data.

• Investment expert Gaurang Shah has identified Indian Bank, State Bank of India (SBI), ICICI Bank, and Federal Bank as his preferred banking stocks for long-term investment. • Within the public sector banking segment, Shah specifically highlighted Indian Bank Ltd and State Bank of India Ltd as top picks. • These recommendations serve as a guide for investors seeking stability and growth within the Indian financial sector over a prolonged horizon.

• Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai for the first time in person to promote AI development cooperation. • The event featured high-level international attendees, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Prime Ministers from Cambodia and Thailand. • Xi's push for "AI diplomacy" is a strategic move intended to challenge the current technological dominance of the United States in the sector.

• South Korean regulators have frozen the issuance of new single-stock leveraged tech ETFs following extreme volatility in the KOSPI index. • The crackdown includes tripling retail margin requirements to curb speculative AI-driven bets that have decoupled from the stable earnings of giants like Samsung and SK Hynix. • This move matters as it aims to protect retail investors from the "Roller KOSPI" effect, where high-leverage trading amplified market swings during the AI chip rally.

Another 22 reportedly wounded while mourning Palestinian killed in Israeli attack earlier the same dayAn Israeli strike on a funeral in the Gaza Strip has killed at least seven people and wounded another 22, according to a local hospital.There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Continue reading...

• President Trump delivered a speech reiterating claims that U.S. voting systems are vulnerable to being "rigged and stolen," though he provided no new evidence of fraudulent votes. • The remarks reference a 2021 report indicating that China likely maintained longstanding efforts to gather intelligence on U.S. voters, political candidates, and senior government officials. • These claims matter as they continue to challenge the perceived integrity of the American electoral process and highlight ongoing foreign interference concerns.

• CCG President Huiyao Wang spoke at the Dubrovnik Forum 2026 regarding the necessity of building a multilateral system tailored for a multipolar world. • Wang emphasized the importance of BRICS and middle powers in reforming global cooperation and argued against the utility of temporary geopolitical alliances. • He positioned China as a peaceful, stabilizing force in the region, citing China's recent role in helping to resolve the conflict between Cambodia and Thailand.

Pollution levels in the city were elevated as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted south across a huge swathe of the USThe sun shone feebly through the thick haze. The smell of burning wood hung thick in the air. Many New Yorkers donned masks as the air quality plummeted amid health warnings.The National Weather Service issued an air-quality alert because pollution levels were elevated as smoke from raging Canadian wildfires drifted south across a huge swathe of the US, reaching all the way to New York City and even beyond out into the Atlantic. Continue reading...

The party’s state executive decided MP’s fate after she withdrew her legal action against the party earlier this weekGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVictorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming has been disendorsed ahead of the upcoming state election despite dropping an eleventh-hour legal challenge against her own party.The state party called a meeting for Friday afternoon where they voted to remove the MP as a candidate for the November election. Continue reading...

• Donald Trump has alleged "shocking vulnerabilities" in U.S. election security and accused China of meddling in the 2020 election, contradicting previous U.S. intelligence findings. • The claims coincide with a partisan divide over new legislation, which Republicans argue is necessary to prevent voter fraud while Democrats claim it disenfranchises eligible voters. • Additional tensions are highlighted by Melania Trump expressing concern over Joe Biden's performance and allegations that Biden improperly referenced classified information during interviews.

• President Donald Trump delivered a primetime speech on Thursday night claiming that declassified documents prove the existence of significant vulnerabilities within American election systems. • The administration released documents to support these claims, though the information largely pertains to security flaws that have been known to officials for several years. • This move is significant as it challenges public confidence in election integrity, despite ongoing efforts by local and national election officials to mitigate these known risks.

• Judicial Watch successfully used a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit to force the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to release eight pages of internal documents. • The released records reveal that an ODNI task force identified specific vulnerabilities within U.S. election systems that could be exploited by foreign adversaries. • The documents indicate that the Intelligence Community intentionally withheld information regarding these security flaws from the American public.

• President Trump announced on Thursday that he has declassified documents detailing "shocking" vulnerabilities within the United States election system. • The move aims to bring public attention to perceived security flaws and weaknesses that could potentially compromise the integrity of American voting processes. • This action underscores the ongoing political tension and debate regarding election security and the reliability of voting infrastructure.

• President Trump delivered a speech using selectively cited documents to claim that U.S. elections have been compromised for years and that officials suppressed evidence. • The President specifically referenced claims regarding Smartmatic, a company frequently targeted by conspiracy theories following his loss in the 2020 election. • The claims suggest that digital methods exist to alter vote totals in ways that would remain undetected by election authorities.

• The Trump administration's cuts to staff and resources have left government agencies underprepared to combat foreign influence and disinformation campaigns. • In 2024, China and Russia expanded their targeting beyond the presidential election to include various congressional races. • These resource gaps are critical because they weaken the institutional guardrails necessary to reduce the reach and impact of foreign interference.

• The Federal Reserve's internal watchdog issued a warning on Thursday regarding the central bank's vulnerability to insider threats. • The report highlights that sensitive economic information is being actively targeted by foreign adversaries seeking an advantage. • This security gap is critical because the leak of non-public economic data could destabilize financial markets and undermine U.S. monetary policy.