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• Indonesia, the world's third-largest democracy, is set to import Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and technical expertise from India's Election Commission (ECI). • The move aims to support Indonesia's massive electoral process, which involves approximately 200 million voters. • This partnership positions the ECI as a global consultancy for democratic infrastructure, challenging the traditional dominance of Western institutions and UN bodies.

Exclusive: Bankers have raised potential money-laundering concerns over loans and donations involving senior party figuresUK politics live – latest updatesA host of transactions involving Reform UK’s most senior figures and donations to the party caused bankers to report potential money-laundering concerns to the National Crime Agency, a Guardian investigation has found.On Tuesday, the Guardian revealed that the undisclosed £5m gift provided to the Reform leader, Nigel Farage, by a cryptocurrency billionaire shortly before the 2024 general election was reported to the NCA.One relates to a £1m donation made to Britain Means Business, a fundraising organisation for Reform UK, before the last general election. Half of the £1m was then transferred by Tice, as director of the company, to Reform UK. Renamed from Leave Means Leave, Britain Means Business is a company that is used to help fund Reform. The £1m seemingly came from the aristocrat and Reform UK donor Fiona Cottrell. In this instance, the Guardian understands bank staff were not satisfied that the funds had ultimately come from her. The NCA has sought help from a foreign partner agency to trace the original source of the funds.Two other SARs relate to a loan from George Cottrell to Tice. The loan was made shortly before Tice finalised a property purchase and made a party donation, and was not repaid until after those two transactions were completed, according to sources. George Cottrell is the son of Fiona Cottrell, and is a convicted fraudster, former deputy treasurer of Ukip and close associate of Farage.A fourth relates to the £5m gift from the Thailand-based businessman Christopher Harborne to Farage, which was first revealed by the Guardian in April. Continue reading...

• The European Union has delayed the launch of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) until 2027. • This postponement affects several Schengen nations, including France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece, and Portugal, following technical failures with the Entry/Exit System (EES). • The decision stems from biometric system chaos and slow implementation that have already caused significant disruptions for millions of international visitors at airports and land crossings.

• Expeditions, a venture capital firm backed by BAE Systems and the NATO Innovation Fund, has raised a €197 million ($225 million) fund. • The capital is specifically earmarked for supporting defense-tech startups focused on developing sovereign military technologies across Europe. • This initiative matters as it aims to strengthen European security autonomy and accelerate the deployment of advanced defense innovations.

• Taylor Swift recently married in a lavish ceremony at Madison Square Garden, with reports estimating the event's cost at $20 million. • The wedding is being framed as a "Trojan Horse" that symbolizes a broader cultural shift in how modern women approach marriage and financial independence. • This event matters as it reflects evolving societal expectations regarding wealth, autonomy, and the traditional structure of matrimonial unions for a new generation.

• Japan's Hayabusa2 asteroid probe captured high-resolution images of the double-lobed asteroid Torifune on July 5. • The spacecraft approached the two-headed space rock from a distance of approximately 62 million miles to document its unique structure. • This mission follows the probe's previous success in 2020, when it famously returned samples from the asteroid Ryugu to Earth.

• Certain stockholders of Sun Life Financial (SLF) filed a notice on July 6, 2026, regarding the potential sale of approximately 3.28 million common shares. • The filing indicates a significant divestment by specific shareholders, though the exact identities of the sellers were not detailed in the announcement. • This move matters as a large-scale sale of shares can influence the company's stock price and signal a shift in investor confidence or portfolio rebalancing.