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• US layoffs reached their highest May level since 2020, with technology giants citing artificial intelligence as the cause for 40% of the cuts. • The trend highlights a growing shift toward automation, particularly in roles involving repetitive, pattern-based tasks. • Chris Hutchins of Hutchins Data Strategy Consultants warns that AI may be used as a convenient excuse for layoffs driven by other underlying economic factors.

Thermometer shows 23.5C overnight in Welsh capital as climate crisis makes such extreme temperatures more severe and more likelyEurope live – latest updatesA sweltering night in Cardiff has broken another new UK heat record as brutally hot conditions continue across England and Wales. Temperatures only fell to 23.5C overnight in the Welsh capital, the Met Office said, making it the highest minimum temperature ever recorded in June.The UK’s high temperature record for June is also likely to be broken on Thursday, just a day after the previous record. The heatwave, supercharged by the climate crisis, drove the temperature to 36.1C at Gosport in Hampshire on Wednesday, beating the previous record of 35.6C set in Southampton in 1976. Continue reading...

• The focus of AI investment is shifting away from Large Language Models (LLMs) toward the development of "Agentic AI" systems. • Industry leaders are now prioritizing technologies that enable autonomous decision-making and real-world application over simple generative text. • This transition is evidenced by recent acquisition trends and investor demand, signaling a move toward more functional, goal-oriented AI agents.

• AI consolidation reached record levels last year, with 33 major acquisitions totaling at least $157 billion in disclosed value. • High-profile deals include Google's $32 billion purchase of Wiz, IBM's $27.8 billion data-stack acquisition, and Salesforce's $3.6 billion purchase of Fin. • These trends indicate a shift in investor demand away from Large Language Models (LLMs) toward specialized infrastructure and data-stack companies.

• According to HSBC research, 86% of high-net-worth individuals in India now utilize artificial intelligence for investing, the highest adoption rate globally. • While Indian investors are leading the world in integrating AI into their financial planning and money management, they still prefer human oversight. • This trend highlights a unique hybrid approach where AI is used for data analysis and strategy, but human advisors are required for final commitment.

• Lionel Messi has become the all-time leading goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history, surpassing the previous record held by Germany's Miroslav Klose. • Messi reached this milestone by scoring a total of 17 goals across his World Cup appearances, further cementing his status as Argentina's greatest football icon. • This achievement is significant as it places Messi above all past legends in the tournament's scoring charts, enhancing his legacy in global football.

• Citigroup's US Economic Surprise Index reached 63.2, marking its highest level since August 2023. • The surge was driven by actual data for retail sales, employment, and manufacturing significantly exceeding Wall Street's median forecasts. • This deeply positive reading indicates that the US economy is performing meaningfully stronger than analysts had predicted.

• Arsenal initially led as the club with the most goals scored by its players during the 2026 World Cup. • This early lead has since been challenged, with two other clubs catching up and Paris Saint-Germain trailing closely behind. • Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves) also held a brief, unexpected lead in the goalscoring tally before being overtaken.

San Andreas and San Jacinto fault systems in ‘critically loaded state’, increasing chance of ‘big one’ quake in futureSouthern California’s San Andreas and San Jacinto fault systems are at their highest levels of tectonic stress in 1,000 years in what scientists describe as a “critically loaded state”, according to a study published earlier this month.“Our results show that stress levels on multiple fault segments are now at or above the highest values seen in the past millennium and that the region may be capable of a large through-going rupture involving both fault systems,” Liliane Burkhard, the lead author of the study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, said in a statement. Continue reading...

• Germany defeated Curacao 7-1 and Sweden beat Tunisia 5-1 during a high-scoring day of action at the FIFA World Cup 2026. • These dominant performances highlighted a significant goal rush, though they did not break into the tournament's all-time top 10 highest-scoring matches. • The results are significant as they spark comparisons to the most explosive matches in World Cup history and solidify the teams' current momentum.

• Global conflicts have surged to their highest levels since World War II, according to data from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program. • Conflict-related fatalities reached a record high in 2025, with approximately 244,600 people killed. • This spike represents the deadliest year for conflict-related deaths since the program began tracking data in 1994.

• Global conflicts have surged to their highest levels since World War II, according to data from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP). • Conflict-related fatalities reached a record high in 2025, with approximately 244,600 people killed. • UCDP senior analyst Shawn Davies notes a significant rise in interstate wars, signaling a shift in the global security order and increasing international tensions.

• A new report from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program reveals that global conflict levels have reached their highest point since World War II. • The data highlights a surge in one-sided violence in Africa, specifically citing massacres in El Fasher as a primary driver. • This escalation marks the most severe level of one-sided violence seen on the continent since the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

• Global conflicts have surged to their highest levels since World War II, according to data from Sweden's Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP). • Senior analyst Shawn Davies notes a significant increase in interstate wars, which had previously been relatively rare for a long period. • This trend signals a shift in the global security order and reflects growing international tensions between sovereign states.

Temperature reaches 35C at Heathrow on Tuesday after 34.8C high at Kew Gardens in London on MondayTell us: how are you coping in the UK heatwave?The UK has recorded its highest-ever May temperature for the second consecutive day, as thermometers hit 35C (95F) at Heathrow and Kew Gardens in London, the Met Office said.The latest high was recorded the day after the country’s provisional hottest meteorological spring temperature of 34.8C in Kew Gardens in south-west London. The previous May peak of 32.8C had stood since 1922. Continue reading...

Parts of Spain could also see the mercury climb to 40C by the end of the weekMore than 20 towns in France have recorded their highest-ever May temperatures and the UK set a national heat record amid an extreme early-summer heat event that could see the mercury climb to 40C in parts of Spain by the end of the week.The UK’s Met Office said the country’s all-time temperature record for May was broken on Monday when a temperature of 33.5C was recorded at Heathrow near London, with highs of up to 35C expected later on Monday and on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Scientists say record-breaking heat is a reminder of how climate crisis is affecting livesThe fierce heat sweeping Europe over the bank holiday weekend has beaten the UK’s all-time temperature record for May, with highs of up to 35C still to come on Monday afternoon.A temperature of 33.5C was recorded at London’s Heathrow on Monday lunchtime, according to provisional data from the Met Offfice, beating the previous May record that was set in Camden Square in 1922 and reached again in Tunbridge Wells and Regent’s Park in 1944. Continue reading...

• Romania has recorded Europe’s highest inflation rate at 9.0%, with Kosovo and Bulgaria following as the next most affected regions. • The data highlights a significant disparity in price stability across the continent, with Eastern European nations facing the steepest increases. • These elevated rates matter as they erode purchasing power for citizens and complicate monetary policy for regional central banks.

Bond yields soar and pound falls against dollar as investors brace for potential Labour leadership changeBusiness live – latest updatesUK politics live – latest updatesLong-term UK borrowing costs have soared to the highest level in nearly three decades while the pound and stocks fell, as investors braced for a potential change of leadership, with cabinet ministers urging Keir Starmer to quit.Starmer is consulting colleagues before a crunch cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning that comes after ministerial aides quit and more than 70 MPs publicly called for him to go. Continue reading...

The honour recognises Albanese’s work ‘documenting and denouncing violations of international law in Gaza’The Spanish government awarded the UN legal expert Francesca Albanese one of its highest civilian honours in recognition of what it termed her “extensive work in documenting and denouncing violations of international law in Gaza”.Albanese, an Italian human rights lawyer who serves as UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, has been vocal in her criticisms of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, which she has described as genocide. Continue reading...

• Average US gasoline prices have climbed to $4.50 per gallon, marking the highest level since 2022 and reflecting broader energy market pressures linked to Middle East tensions and OPEC production decisions. • The price surge comes amid ongoing negotiations between the Trump administration and Iran, which have created uncertainty in global oil markets and affected domestic fuel costs. • Energy analysts attribute the increase to geopolitical risk premiums, reduced supply confidence, and reduced refinery capacity following seasonal maintenance.

Rise in bond yields due to fuel prices and stability concerns will eat away at Rachel Reeves’s fiscal headroomBusiness live – latest updatesThe UK government’s long-term borrowing costs have hit their highest level since 1998, amid rising fuel prices and concerns about political stability.The yield – effectively the interest rate – on 30-year UK government bonds (gilts) hit 5.76% at lunchtime on Tuesday, up 0.11 percentage points – exceeding the 27-year high reached last autumn. Continue reading...

Analysts say Americans have now paid $21.7bn more to fill their tanks since the start of the US war on IranExxon and Chevron quarterly earnings fall despite soaring oil pricesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailThe average price for a gallon of gas in California rose to $6 this week as fuel prices across the US reached their highest level in almost four years.The American Automobile Association reported on Friday that California consumers were paying an average of $6.06, while the national average hit $4.39. The Golden state is the most expensive US market for gas but costs have also risen nationally with a 27-cent rise this week following two weeks of falling prices, AAA said in a statement. Continue reading...

Oil prices surged after negotiators remained gridlocked over reopening of strait of Hormuz, sending prices $1 higher than last yearUS gas prices rose to their highest level in four years on Thursday, reaching an average $4.18 a gallon at the pump as US-Israeli peace talks with Iran remain at a standstill.The last time average US gas prices breached $4.15 a gallon was in April 2022, when oil prices soared shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine. Average gas prices are now $1 higher than just a year ago, when they were closer to $3.15 a gallon. Continue reading...

Resolution Foundation report says ‘crisis’ stems from rising ill-health and a failing system of benefits and job supportBritain has the third-highest rate of young people not in work or education among Europe’s richest countries because of rising ill-health and a failing system of benefits and job support, a report has warned.The Resolution Foundation thinktank said the UK was facing a “crisis” in youth jobs amid a dramatic rise in the number of 16- to 24-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training (Neets) to almost 1 million – the highest level in more than a decade. Continue reading...

Greens criticise premier’s ‘extraordinary attack’ on judiciary and urge him to accept he ‘got it wrong’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe New South Wales premier has doubled down on an anti-protest law struck down in the state’s highest court last week, defending the legislation introduced by his government as “rational and proportionate”.But advocates for protesters charged at demonstrations restricted under the laws have criticised Chris Minns’ comments, calling them a “extraordinary attack” on the judiciary. Continue reading...

• CDC data indicates 71 per 100,000 emergency room visits for tick bites in the most recent week, highest in Northeast followed by Midwest, Southeast, West, and South Central. • Rising tick activity signals increased Lyme disease and other vector-borne risks as warmer weather extends season. • Public health experts warn of prevention needs amid Northeast ER surge.

• California has recorded at least 40 measles cases so far in 2026, surpassing the 25 cases of all 2025 and the highest annual total since 73 in 2019. • San Francisco confirmed its first measles case in 7 years in an unvaccinated infant under 1 year old, infected during international travel and recovering at home. • Outbreaks linked to unvaccinated travelers from South Carolina's 1,000-case surge and other states, with exposures at Sacramento preschools, San Bernardino, San Diego ER, and Bay Area sites.