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• U.S. Treasury yields recently declined from their peak levels as traders seek more certainty regarding the Federal Reserve's future interest rate decisions. • The Treasury Department doubled its long-term debt buyback operations to reduce duration pressure, which is the risk that bond prices fall as interest rates rise. • Persistent supply shocks and central bank hawkishness continue to outweigh these federal interventions, leaving financial institutions under increasing regulatory pressure.

Kirsty McNeill reaffirms Labour’s 0.7% of GDP pledge and promises value for money to allay voter concernsThe development minister, Kirsty McNeill, has declared herself “a huge believer in aid”, as she reaffirmed Labour’s manifesto pledge to return to a target of 0.7% of national income spending.McNeill, a former adviser to Gordon Brown and senior executive at Save the Children, declined to give any timetable, repeating the formula that the government would work towards the target “when fiscal circumstances allow”. Continue reading...

Operators blame lack of parking and councils bemoan lack of central regulation, as more than 3,000 badly parked bikes seizedLondon boroughs have seized at least 3,000 ebikes this year, a Guardian investigation has found, as hire companies face growing calls to stop bicycles littering streets and blocking pavements.Local authorities across the capital have seized 3,393 hazardously parked or abandoned ebikes so far this year, 23% higher than the number seized during all of 2025. Continue reading...

Despite its location, the island chain has avoided the worst effects, but Hurricanes Lowell and Lala left a trail of damage this yearHurricane Lowell surged near the Hawaiian Islands this week, leaving a trail of downed trees and power lines, crumbled roads, sunken boats and destroyed piers on the island of Kauai.Residents were left to grapple not only with the damage, but the rising risks to the tropical archipelago as sea surface temperatures climb. Continue reading...

New research shows turbulent flushes create toilet-generated aerosols that can transmit legionella, influenza and norovirusGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFlushing toilets release particles into the “breathing zone” of adults and can remain suspended in the air for at least 20 seconds, a new study has found.And closing the lid might not be enough to avoid a “plume” of potential pathogens. Continue reading...

• Societe Generale economists Anatoli Annenkov and Michel Martinez forecast that Euro area inflation will remain above target beyond 2027. • The analysts project headline inflation will peak near 3.7-3.8% while core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, will reach around 2.7-2.8%. • This persistent price pressure means the European Central Bank will likely raise interest rates this week and again in December.

• Ethiopia has recently concluded two pivotal political milestones: the seventh general election and the Ethiopian National Dialogue Conference. • Dr. Rahel Bafe emphasizes that "implementation is everything," arguing that the success of these events depends on how the outcomes are executed. • These processes are critical because they are intended to define the country's political future and establish a sustainable path toward national consensus.

• German bond yields increased across both short-dated and longer-dated maturities as investors reacted to persistent inflation risks. • The market shift reflects growing uncertainty regarding the European Central Bank's future interest-rate path and fluctuations in French and Italian bond spreads. • This volatility highlights the sensitivity of European debt markets to inflation data and the broader geopolitical economic climate.

• UiPath shares surged 8.85% to reach $18.23, driven by strong buying pressure and trading above key technical support levels. • The stock's upward movement is being closely monitored by analysts to determine if it can break through critical resistance levels. • Separately, the U.S. government is considering the implementation of new semiconductor tariffs targeting servers and electronic devices.

• Merck and Moderna announced that their Phase 3 INTerpath-001 trial met primary endpoints for recurrence-free survival (RFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) in patients with completely resected stage IIB-IV melanoma. • The study found that combining KEYTRUDA with intismeran autogene—an mRNA-based individualized neoantigen therapy tailored to a patient's specific tumor mutations—provided statistically significant improvements over using KEYTRUDA alone. • This marks the first and only combination regimen to demonstrate such clinically meaningful improvements in the adjuvant melanoma setting.

From progressive and moderate to election deniers, state sees wide spectrum of candidates in test of direction for both partiesMinnesota voters on both sides of the aisle are weighing the direction of their parties – and their chances of winning over the general electorate – in marquee statewide races on Tuesday.On the left, Peggy Flanagan, the state lieutenant governor and a progressive, faces off against Angie Craig, a US representative, for the Democratic bid for US senate in a race punctuated by the role of immigration enforcement in the state that saw two residents killed by immigration agents in a winter surge. Continue reading...

• The Justice Department has faced a series of legal defeats, including 20 consecutive losses, in its efforts to obtain state voter rolls as part of a broader "voter fraud" initiative. • Republican Senator John Cornyn recently claimed that Republicans lack power over President Trump, despite the Senate Judiciary Committee voting to advance acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s confirmation. • Concerns have been raised regarding Trump's repeated assertions that he intends to find a way to pay individuals involved in the January 6 insurrection.

Passing of bill gives English same status as Māori and sign language but, with it already spoken by 95% of country, critics call it ‘a pointless exercise’Legislation recognising English as an official language of New Zealand has been passed by parliament, prompting derision from linguists and legal experts and a now-viral broadside from a Māori MP who called it “pathetic”.The English language bill became law on 30 July giving English, which is spoken by 95% of the country, the same official status as te reo Māori (Māori language) and New Zealand sign language. Continue reading...

• The Federal Reserve implemented a "hawkish hold," maintaining current interest rates while signaling a potential for future hikes. • Market uncertainty was high leading into the decision, with Deutsche Bank noting a 36% probability of a rate hike, marking the most uncertain Fed meeting since December 2018. • This stance creates a volatile environment for stocks and bonds as investors struggle to predict the timing of future policy shifts.

• The United States has paused airstrikes on Iran following nearly two weeks of continuous bombardment. • Mediators are currently attempting to revive an interim ceasefire, with specific negotiations focusing on easing transit restrictions for vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. • This pause in military action raises hopes that diplomatic channels can prevent the escalation of a wider regional conflict.

• 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.

Data shows the rightwing party faces an obstacle in the form of urban seats – and the effect of preference flows is harder to predictGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne Nation’s spectacular rise from a distant 6% of the vote in the last election to first or second in some recent polls has upended Australian politics. It has also made it a lot harder to predict what exactly will happen at the next election.Traditionally, pollsters and election experts would look at how preferences flowed in previous elections when estimating two-party preferred numbers, or translating polling into seat projections. This was fairly predictable when almost every seat would come down to a contest between Labor and the Coalition. Continue reading...

• German scholars argue that a commitment to international law is a strategic necessity for "middle powers" with limited global influence to maintain a stable international order. • The authors highlight a contradictory application of legal standards, noting the failure to enforce law during the Ukraine war and the prioritization of Israel's protection over humanitarian law in Gaza. • Critics claim that international law ignores "Realpolitik" and hinders efforts to punish regimes like Iran or prevent nuclear proliferation.

• The Federal Reserve's rate-setting committee decided to keep its key interest rate unchanged during its most recent meeting. • Officials remain deeply divided on the future of U.S. inflation, debating whether it will stay elevated or cool down following the conclusion of the Iran war. • New data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows consumer inflation expectations for one year ahead rose to 3.7%, the highest level in nearly three years.

• The Nikkei 225 index plunged over 800 yen to the 67,400 range on July 8, following a significant drop in South Korea's KOSPI, which tumbled more than 5%. • Trading activity on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market remained high, with a preliminary trading value of approximately ¥7.81 trillion ($48.1 billion) and 1.48942 billion shares traded by 2:00 p.m. • This decline marks the second consecutive day of a "risk-off chain reaction" originating in Asia, triggering sympathy selling across Japanese markets.

• Central banks are reassessing their interest rate trajectories following military confrontations between the United States, Israel, and Iran. • Despite a fragile ceasefire, policymakers are concerned that inflationary pressures are proving more persistent than previously forecasted. • While energy prices have retreated from their peak levels, they remain highly vulnerable to further geopolitical disruptions in the Middle East.

Dan Jarvis, who wants to stay on as defence secretary, says he is confident PM-in-waiting values national securityThe new defence secretary, Dan Jarvis, has called on Andy Burnham to increase defence spending dramatically from 2030 and “evidence the trajectory” towards a Nato target that would mean £25bn a year more for the military by the middle of the next decade.The former paratrooper said he was confident that the prime minister-in-waiting valued national security, as he openly lobbied him for cash that would probably have to come from cuts elsewhere. Continue reading...

• Former OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy warned the AI industry that overemphasizing "agents" over foundation models risks repeating a costly five-year strategic detour. • Karpathy argues that independent developers are currently leading agent capabilities, as major AI labs have not been secretly prioritizing this specific branch of development. • In a separate shift toward AI-for-science (AI4S), Anthropic and OpenAI both launched new tools on June 30, introducing the Claude Science workbench and the GeneBench-Pro benchmark.

• The Supreme Court's conservative majority is pursuing its own judicial path, which occasionally aligns with but sometimes diverges from Donald Trump's specific legal goals. • While Trump experienced several major losses this term, the Court simultaneously granted him new powers and continued shifting legal precedents in a rightward direction. • This dynamic suggests that the conservative wing of the Court operates independently of Trump's personal interests, though his presidency often benefits from their broader ideological shift.

NSW transport minister says growth in shared schemes is a positive development but pedestrians are ‘crying out for order’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastShared ebikes cluttering Sydney footpaths will be kicked to the kerb in the coming months under funding to establish marked parking bays, the New South Wales government says.On Tuesday, the state government announced $6.6m in funding for Sydney local councils to nominate and paint dedicated parking areas. Each council will be given up to $200,000. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Safety campaigners concerned about plan for widespread deployment on already crowded pavementsLarge numbers of autonomous delivery robots could be coming to towns and cities across England after ministers signalled they were likely to support a change in the law allowing their use, prompting concern from safety campaigners.Low-speed robots, which mainly deliver groceries or takeaway food, are already in use in a handful of places but they operate in a regulatory grey area. The 1835 Highways Act bans “carriages” from pavements. Continue reading...

• The Athletic has released a comprehensive guide detailing every possible path to the knockout rounds for all 48 teams competing in the 2026 World Cup. • The analysis breaks down specific scenarios for group finishes, such as how a win against Tunisia could secure a group lead or how a lopsided loss might jeopardize a third-place advancement. • This guide is critical for fans and analysts to understand the mathematical requirements for qualification as teams enter their final group stage matches.

• CSRC Chairman Wu Qing announced at the 2026 Lujiazui Forum in Shanghai that the STAR Market's fifth listing standard will be expanded to include large language model (LLM) companies. • This policy shift creates a formal pathway for AI firms to go public, providing them with critical access to public capital markets. • The move is designed to support China's AI industry during an intense global funding race, ensuring domestic firms can scale their operations and research.