Grace

• On August 2, 2026, the European Union's landmark AI law will fully enter into force, granting the Commission the authority to fine developers of powerful AI models. • Providers of models classified as having "systemic risk" must adhere to strict mandates, including rigorous stress-testing, security maintenance, and the mitigation of risks to public health and safety. • These regulations shift the AI Act from a set of deadlines to an enforceable legal framework, ensuring that the most influential AI systems are monitored for societal and security impacts.

• The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the legality of a state grace period that allows mail-in ballots arriving after Election Day to be counted. • Republican Tate Reeves criticized the ruling on social media, arguing that the practice should not be permitted despite the court finding it constitutional. • Reeves announced plans to ask state lawmakers to repeal the grace period during the next legislative session to ensure all ballots are received by 5 p.m. on Election Day.

• The Supreme Court ruled against Republicans in Watson v. RNC, upholding the legality of grace periods for the receipt of mail-in ballots. • During hearings, Mississippi lawyers noted that the federal government failed to provide a single example of fraud resulting from post-Election Day ballot receipts in this century. • This decision arrives as a critical election-related ruling ahead of the November midterm elections, impacting how states manage ballot deadlines.

• The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Mississippi law that permits election officials to count mail-in ballots received up to five days after Election Day, provided they are postmarked by the deadline. • The ruling sides against GOP challenges that sought to invalidate such grace periods for ballot arrivals. • This decision is significant as it preserves the legality of extended receipt windows, ensuring that voters whose ballots are delayed by mail services are not disenfranchised.

• NASA engineers have successfully completed the final inspection of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope's primary mirror, which passed all tests. • Following this final check, the telescope is now being prepared for shipment to its designated launch site in Florida. • This milestone ensures the telescope's optical systems are fully operational before it begins its mission to study dark energy and exoplanets.

• NASA announced in December 2025 that construction of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is complete, with a scheduled launch by May 2027 or potentially as early as fall 2026. • During its five-year primary mission, the observatory aims to discover approximately 100,000 new transiting planets and create the largest catalog of rogue worlds in history. • This mission is significant because it will drastically expand the known exoplanet population and provide unprecedented data on planets drifting without host stars.

• Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu described the Virginia Supreme Court decision overturning a state referendum on congressional redistricting as not only wrong but disgraceful. • The ruling rejected a voter-approved map that would have favored Republicans 1 in the midterms, preserving the current 6-5 Democratic edge. • Democrats are appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court while preparing further legal challenges, including a request to delay new maps.

• Ms Grace Fu, Singapore's Minister, delivered a keynote at the 13th Singapore Dialogue on Sustainable World Resources on May 7, 2026, describing Southeast Asia facing a 'perfect storm' from geopolitical developments and climate change. • She emphasized severe implications for the region, including supply chain disruptions and resource scarcity due to the dual threats. • The speech underscores the need for sustainable resource strategies to mitigate risks to economic stability and security.

Closure comes weeks after former Australian of the Year and advocate for abuse survivors says she lost speaking engagements because of a ‘smear campaign’ against herFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastChild sexual abuse survivor Grace Tame’s foundation has announced it is closing, citing challenges with long-term funding.The former Australian of the Year set up the foundation in 2021 – the year she carried the national honour for her advocacy for abuse survivors and for law reform. Continue reading...

Labour says it is ‘untenable’ for Simon Dudley to continue in his role after he said that Grenfell was tragic ‘but everyone dies in the end’Good morning. One of the big policy decisions for all parties ahead of the next election is whether or not to keep the pensions triple lock. Most mainstream economists and welfare experts think it is overly generous (pensioners used to be significantly poorer than working-age people, but that is no longer the case), and ultimately unaffordable. But it is popular, and pensioners turn out to vote in elections in much higher numbers than younger people.The Conservatives at one point suggested they might drop it, but Kemi Badenoch now defends the triple lock quite strongly. Labour has not said what its election plans are yet. Nigel Farage, the Reform UK, says he will take tough decisions to cut welfare spending, and he was thought to be sceptical about the triple lock. But Robert Jenrick, his Treasury spokesperson, is thought to be in favour, and at a press conference later they are expected to confirm Reform UK would keep it.Reform UK is facing calls to sack its housing spokesman after he said the Grenfell Tower fire was a “tragedy” but that “everyone dies in the end”.Simon Dudley, a former executive at Homes England and the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, said the pendulum had “swung too far the wrong way” on regulation after the deadly blaze at the west London tower block in 2017.If Nigel Farage has an ounce of decency, he will sack his housing chief immediately.These disgraceful comments about those who died in the Grenfell Tower fire are beyond the pale and it is completely untenable for Simon Dudley to continue in his position. Continue reading...

Only half the road network is in good condition despite 1.9m repairs last year, says industry bodyA losing battle with potholes has now seen the backlog of repairs across England and Wales reach a record £18.6bn, according to an annual industry estimate, despite councils filling in about 1.9m holes last year.The “national disgrace” of dangerously pockmarked local roads has been exacerbated by a notably wet winter, with only half of the network now reported to be in good condition. Continue reading...