Landmark

Trump energy secretary hails agreement that could potentially allow kingdom to enrich uraniumThe US has signed a landmark nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia that could potentially allow the kingdom to enrich uranium.In a statement on Wednesday, the US Department of Energy said its secretary, Chris Wright, and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, signed a “peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement”, along with a “bilateral safeguards agreement”. Continue reading...

• UK artificial intelligence companies received a record £4.6bn in investment during Q2 2026, according to data from Beauhurst. • AI dominated the funding landscape, capturing 57% of all equity investment during this period. • This surge highlights the UK's growing role as a hub for AI development and the sector's immense appeal to investors.

• 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 concluded a historic term characterized by landmark opinions and a heavy reliance on the "shadow docket" for emergency rulings. • Key legal battles focused on the intersection of gun rights and property rights, specifically through cases such as US v. Hemani and Wolford v. Lopez. • The term's decisions are significant as they address critical national issues, including the definition of U.S. citizenship and the impact of political policies on judicial rulings.

• A Guardian investigation reveals that a landmark AI development project in rural Lanarkshire misrepresented its ability to provide renewable energy to its data center site. • While billed as a driver for jobs and prosperity, government officials and developers privately acknowledged a significant "issue" regarding the site's power provision. • The project had claimed it could channel an amount of power equivalent to a nuclear reactor, a promise that now appears to have no prospect of being met.

• The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a landmark review focusing on the integration and use of artificial intelligence within the retail finance sector. • This regulatory move follows specific criticism from Members of Parliament regarding the effectiveness and oversight of financial regulators. • The review is critical as it addresses the rise of "non-human intelligence" and the growing influence of big tech companies within the UK's financial ecosystem.

Exclusive: Government and developers privately acknowledged Lanarkshire datacentre site had power provision ‘issue’‘It’s smoke and mirrors’: hope turns to fear in Scottish village chosen for AI datacentreWhat are Britain’s AI growth zones and are the plans feasible or ‘complete bunk’?A landmark AI development billed as delivering jobs and prosperity has misrepresented its plans to channel a nuclear reactor’s worth of power to a site in rural Scotland, a Guardian investigation has found.When it was announced in January, the government promised that an £8.2bn AI datacentre complex in Lanarkshire – built by the US firm CoreWeave and the Scottish company DataVita – would be powered entirely from on-site renewables and built by 2030. Continue reading...