Photo

• GlobalFoundries has signed a letter of intent with the U.S. Department of Commerce to receive a $300 million award under the CHIPS R&D program. • The funding is dedicated to accelerating U.S. leadership in silicon photonics, which provides the critical optical technologies necessary for AI and high-performance computing. • This initiative aims to strengthen domestic semiconductor capabilities amidst volatile geopolitical tensions, including trade conflicts with China and instability in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Pop star aims to use legal process to name ‘wrongdoers who hide in the shadows and wreak technological havoc with impunity’Ariana Grande has filed a lawsuit against hackers who she alleges have stolen unreleased music, as well as private photos and video footage, and sold them online.Grande filed the lawsuit in a Los Angeles court on Monday. It doesn’t name the hackers, who are referred to with the generic name John Doe. Grande will look to have them identified during the legal process “in order to hold them accountable for their invasive and reprehensible conduct”, the lawsuit reads. Continue reading...

• President Lee Jae Myung held a dinner meeting on the 24th in San Francisco with global AI leaders, including NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and heads of Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor Group, and SK Group. • During the event, President Lee announced the ‘San Francisco AI Declaration’ at the San Francisco AI Summit to strengthen South Korea's role in the global AI supply chain. • The meeting brought together industry giants with a combined market capitalization of 1.7 gyeong (approximately 17 quadrillion won), highlighting the immense economic scale of the AI sector.

• Youth-led protesters in New Delhi, known as the "cockroach" movement, were met with police batons and tear gas during a demonstration. • The group attempted to march toward Parliament to demand the immediate resignation of India's education minister. • The crackdown highlights escalating tensions between the Indian government and youth activists over educational policies and governance.

Northern Territory police reopen evidence boxes in bid to close investigation of horrific crimeFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNorthern Territory police have reopened evidence boxes to uncover several previously unseen photographs from the investigation into the murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio and attempted abduction of his girlfriend Joanne Lees.Tuesday is the 25th anniversary of the outback disappearance, which still resonates as one of Australia’s most horrific and culturally defining crimes. It also carries unanswered questions for Falconio’s family. Continue reading...

• INCUBASE Studio has launched GochaGocha, a smart photo card machine platform developed by its subsidiary INCUTix, to expand its IP entertainment ecosystem. • The service is making its Asia debut with installations across 23 locations in Hong Kong, Taipei, and Kuala Lumpur as of July 8, 2026. • This initiative aims to accelerate the collectible entertainment market by integrating physical photo cards with smart technology and intellectual property.

Image of man in underwear, blindfold and bound to iron rod has been widely shared on social mediaMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesAn Israeli soldier’s photo of a Palestinian man from Gaza stripped to his underwear, blindfolded and bound face-down to an iron rod corroborates extensive reporting on Israeli torture of Palestinians in detention and itself may constitute a war crime, rights groups have said.The image was shared on a now-deleted personal social media account, with the Hebrew-language caption “good morning”. It was brought to wider public attention by a Palestinian writer and activist who goes by Tamer. Continue reading...

• China's Tianwen-2 probe has captured and transmitted the first photograph of the asteroid 2016HO3, popularly known as the quasi-moon Kamo'oalewa. • The image provides a rare look at this elusive celestial body, which orbits the Sun in a pattern that makes it appear to orbit Earth. • This discovery is scientifically significant as some researchers believe Kamo'oalewa is a fragment of Earth's moon, blasted into space by a massive impact between 1 million and 10 million years ago.

• 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.

• NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory released a series of cosmic images featuring red, white, and blue phenomena to celebrate the United States' 250th birthday. • The "Space photo of the week" collection showcases high-energy X-ray data from various celestial objects to mirror the colors of the American flag. • This initiative highlights the agency's ability to capture the extreme physics of the universe while engaging the public through a patriotic theme.

• President Donald Trump commemorated the 250th anniversary of America’s independence, though celebrations were hampered by severe weather. • Storms forced a roughly two-hour evacuation of the National Mall and disrupted various festivities across several East Coast cities. • The event marks a historic milestone for the United States, though the weather disruptions impacted the scale of the public commemorations.

• Donald Trump held an Independence Day rally on the National Mall, though his speech was delayed due to inclement weather. • The delay caused some attendees to leave the event before the former president began speaking. • The event is expected to spark crowd-size comparisons with previous July 4 appearances by Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

• A severe heatwave is currently sweeping across Europe, shattering temperature records and crippling regional infrastructure. • The crisis is exacerbated by record-high electricity prices in Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands, driven by a combination of the EU's carbon credit scheme and the phaseout of Russian gas imports. • Critics argue that the European Union is prioritizing long-term climate policies over immediate, short-term solutions to alleviate the energy and heat crisis.

• Celebrities including Dwayne Johnson, Catherine Laga'aia, Rihanna, and Pedro Pascal have been spotted in various global locations, with Johnson and Laga'aia appearing in Sydney for 'Moana' related activities. • In London on June 22, Emma Watson spoke at The Royal Foundation's United for Wildlife event, while Tom Holland and Zendaya attended the 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' photo call in Berlin on the same day. • These updates provide a snapshot of current high-profile promotional tours and philanthropic engagements across major cities like Los Angeles and Berlin.

• Pop star Ariana Grande responded with humor after fans claimed she accidentally posted a photo on Instagram that revealed her breast. • The incident sparked immediate reactions from followers, with many questioning if the revealing image was shared intentionally. • This interaction highlights the singer's tendency to use her trademark wit to manage social media mishaps and fan speculation.

• The James Webb Space Telescope captured a detailed image of OMC-2, a massive cosmic cloud of creation located within the Sword of Orion. • The photograph reveals newborn stars, glowing gas, and sculpted jets, providing a glimpse into the early stages of stellar formation. • This discovery is significant as it allows astronomers to study the complex environments where stars are born and how they interact with surrounding gas.

Spain’s leading festival of photography showcases the work of more than 300 visual artists in nearly 100 exhibitions across the countryPhotoEspaña, Spain’s leading festival of photography, held its official opening in Madrid this month and by September nearly 100 exhibitions will have showcased the work of more than 300 visual artists in the capital and across the country. Loosely corralled under the theme of reimagining, the exhibitions feature work by major figures in Spanish and international photography and less well-known emerging artists.From the series Invisible Line. Photograph: Alejandro Cartagena Continue reading...

US president provokes outrage as PM says he ‘totally invented’ story in interview with Italian mediaItaly’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has said Donald Trump “totally invented” a story about her after the US president claimed she begged him to take a photo with her during the G7 summit.The two former allies had appeared to be getting their relationship back on track by having several one-to-ones on the sidelines at the gathering in Évian after falling out in April over the US-Israeli war in Iran. Continue reading...

• Singaporean man Andie Tan Kok Yong faces potential jail time for posting an edited image of Marina Bay Sands on fire to Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s Facebook page. • The post included a mention of a "bomb," leading to charges of communicating a false threat and obstructing justice after Tan performed a factory reset on his phone. • This case highlights the severity with which Singapore treats threats against national landmarks and public officials, as well as the legal consequences of tampering with evidence.

Pictures from photographer’s return to Lacock after 40 years were taken months before his death last DecemberThe images are colourful, characterful and thought-provoking. They capture a flower show, a Women’s Institute meeting, a scarecrow festival. A local vicar features, resplendent in a union jack bowler hat, as does a band of bellringers and a bulldog called Billy.Four decades after chronicling life in the picture-postcard English village of Lacock in Wiltshire, the photographer Martin Parr returned to document what had changed – and what had not. Continue reading...

• A man is facing potential jail time after sending a doctored image of Marina Bay Sands on fire to Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong's Facebook page. • The message accompanying the edited photo mentioned a "bomb," prompting an administrator of the page to lodge a police report immediately. • The suspect claimed the incident was intended as a "prank," though the nature of the threat triggered a serious legal response.

Exclusive: The work will feature some of the photographer’s most powerful images from his 70-year careerAfter more than seven decades of covering conflicts around the world, Don McCullin will return to Vietnam and his best-known images for his final book.The photographer, who got his start aged 23 when his image of a gang in Finsbury Park was published in the Observer, has decided to revisit the war and his 12-day stint with US marines during the battle of Hue in 1968. Continue reading...

• A new 30-day photographic collage documents the gradual approach of Venus and Jupiter in the western sky. • The visual sequence captures the planets appearing to move closer together from Earth's perspective, despite actually drifting further apart in space. • This celestial alignment serves as a buildup to a climactic close conjunction scheduled for June 9.

President steered no-bid contract for project that he said would cost $1.8m to company that worked on his golf resortThe final drops of water have been added, and the nanobubbler switched on. Donald Trump’s “beautiful” makeover of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, one of Washington DC’s most historically symbolic attractions, is officially complete, and the public is getting its first glimpse of how the project’s $14.2m was spent.Contrary to the president’s predictable assertion that it was receiving “rave reviews”, however, early impressions are decidedly mixed. Some of the first visitors declared themselves underwhelmed by the 2,000ft pool’s somewhat dull color – American flag blue, according to the specifications. Continue reading...

• Stargazers worldwide captured spectacular photos of a rare Blue Moon, the second full moon of the month, which occurred on May 31. • This specific lunar event was notable for being the smallest full moon of 2026, offering a unique visual perspective for skywatchers. • The event matters as Blue Moons are infrequent astronomical occurrences that draw global attention and provide opportunities for high-quality astrophotography.

‘Backward’ photo panned for display of patriarchy, signaling that ‘women’s voices don’t matter in shaping global order’By the time Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Thursday, the bilateral had featured all the expected pomp and pageantry: a meticulously choreographed display of Chinese soldiers, children waving American and Chinese flags, and rows of senior officials and the US’s top business executives.Conspicuously absent at the table, however, were women from either delegation – a stark visual that quickly drew criticism from observers who saw it as an unmistakable display of patriarchal power. Continue reading...

Guess the Party challenges players to pin candidates’ politics to their appearances, with guess rates varying wildlyIs a bristly grey moustache a telltale sign of a Reform candidate? Is pink hair a giveaway for the Greens? Perhaps a sharp suit is the best telltale for the Tories – or spectacles and a rucksack for Labour?Players of a viral politics game have been finding out that it’s never that simple to judge the colour of a candidate’s rosette just by how they look. The game, invented by Sam Hamill-Stewart, challenges players to look at pictures of local election candidates and guess their party affiliation. Continue reading...

Exclusive: The collection, including donations from Paul McCartney’s brother Mike, shows band’s development in early 60sA rare set of letters and photos from the early days of the Beatles, in which they write about feeling like stars for the first time, is to go on display in Hamburg.The collection, from an influential period when the band lived in the German city, includes the only letter in existence with words from both Paul McCartney and John Lennon, which was written to the bassist’s brother, Mike McCartney. Continue reading...