• Indian stock markets declined last week, with the Sensex falling 1,733.67 points and the Nifty dropping 499.6 points.
• Analysts identify volatile Brent crude prices and tensions in West Asia as primary threats that could drive up inflation and depress the rupee.
• Investors are monitoring August CPI and WPI inflation data to determine how global commodity pressures are impacting the Indian economy.
• French President Emmanuel Macron hosted global film and television leaders, including representatives from Hollywood and streaming platforms, at the Lumière Summit.
• The gathering served as the first event of its scale in a century to address the impact of AI, YouTube, and culture policy on the future of cinema.
• The summit focused on the belief that culture is an economic force and a source of soft power that requires active protection to drive growth.
• Analysts expect the Indian stock market to be driven next week by the West Asia conflict, crude oil prices, and US inflation data.
• Ajit Mishra of Religare Broking Ltd noted that investors are monitoring how stronger-than-expected US employment data affects the Federal Reserve's September policy decision.
• These global factors and foreign investor activity will directly influence market volatility and asset pricing for Indian traders.
• European healthcare technology is shifting from a speculative, growth-focused environment toward an industrial phase prioritizing capital efficiency and clinical efficacy.
• The sector is currently facing increasingly intense and complex cybersecurity threats, leading organizations to increase spending on security measures.
• This transition toward regulatory defensibility and efficiency is expected to accelerate growth in the lower to mid-market investment banking space from 2026 to 2030.
Landmark lawsuit claims tech company’s pay-setting system has breached privacy laws and pushed down earningsUber drivers have launched a landmark legal action against the ride-hailing company claiming they live in “constant fear” of a “soulless” algorithm it uses to set pay and allocate jobs.Drivers from the UK, the Netherlands and other countries have joined the compensation claim that could run into billions of dollars. It alleges an AI-powered pay-setting system breaches data protection laws and pushes down their earnings. Continue reading...
Julius Mugabo launches landmark case as union says thousands in capital lost incomes due to ‘broken system’An Uber driver who got into thousands of pounds of debt and feared losing his home due to delays in Transport for London renewing his licence to pick up passengers is taking on the organisation in the high court in the first challenge of its kind.Julius Mugabo, 55, has been an Uber driver licensed by TfL since 2016. Under the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998, all minicab drivers cannot work lawfully unless TfL has carried out checks on them and issued or renewed their licences. These licences must be renewed every three years. Continue reading...
Precariousness of living in Devighat by the Trishuli River underlined as waters swell again and residents flee to higher groundNepal-Tibet flash flood – latest updatesThe bodies continue to wash up. But the morgues have already run out of room.Since the deadly floods coursed through the Himalayan valleys of Nepal and Tibet, the numbers of people killed have continued to rise. The bodies have surfaced in their hundreds and continue to be pulled from the thick, tar-like mud that engulfed everything after the flood waters had receded. By Sunday, the death toll stood at 797 in Nepal and Tibet. Continue reading...
Deal agreed between Avanti West Coast and Aslef is first to be approved by Burnham governmentTrain drivers have secured a significant pay rise after the threat of strike action was floated on busy routes across the UK, including those on the busy London-Manchester line.The deal, which was agreed on Saturday between Avanti West Coast and the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (Aslef) union, is the first to be approved by Andy Burnham in his premiership. Continue reading...
The catastrophic flash flood has killed at least 389 people and left more than 1,300 missing, with hundreds of tourists unaccounted forNearly 1,400 missing, mostly tourists, and hundreds killedVisual guide: how the deadly flooding unfoldedTell us: have you been affected by the flash floods?Chinese authorities have warned that an artificial lake formed after a catastrophic flash flood hit the China-Nepal border on Wednesday faces a “high risk of breaching and sending flood waters downstream”, according to state media.“According to forecasts, inflows into the lake could reach about 3 million cubic meters over the next three days amid continued rainfall, increasing the risk of a breach that could send flood waters downstream and potentially cause further damage in areas including Gyirong Port and elsewhere downstream”, state news agency Xinhua reported late Thursday.Rescue teams and military helicopters are searching for hundreds of missing people along the mountainous Nepal-Tibet border after a huge torrent of water and mud swept through communities following a glacier collapse on Wednesday.More than 390 people were killed, authorities in Nepal and China said, and more than 1,400 were missing, including hundreds of foreign citizens and pilgrims.More than 500 foreign citizens were among 826 people missing in Nepal, police and tourism officials said. Among those unaccounted for were 177 from India, 90 from the US, 34 from Australia, 33 from Britain and 25 from Canada.Chinese state media said at least 558 were missing on the Tibet side of the border, of whom at least 260 were foreign nationals.UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said he ordered the release of $2m from the UN’s central emergency response fund to help with medical care, shelter and water.US president Donald Trump said the flooding was terrible to see, describing how “strong, well-built buildings were wiped out like they were toothpicks”.Nepalese officials said dozens of bridges were destroyed and nearly 40km of roads damaged, complicating search efforts.The Nepalese army had rescued more than 100 people by helicopter, an army spokesperson said. Army teams also evacuated people trapped inside facilities linked to the Trishuli hydropower project, he said.Dozens of injured people were transported to Kathmandu for medical care.Rescuers found bodies in Nepal’s Chitwan district, hundreds of kilometres downstream from the hardest-hit areas.The Nepal Red Cross Society said the agency has shifted its focus from rescue to large-scale relief operations in the flood-hit districts.China’s premier, Li Qiang, arrived on Thursday in Gyirong to direct rescue efforts, alongside 500 military and paramilitary personnel. Continue reading...
Drivers concerned that bus operator’s offer to retrofit cabs on 730 buses will not be complete by next summerLondon bus drivers have resumed strike action over having to work in high temperatures, amid fears that proposed improvements to air conditioning will not be complete by next summer.About 1,500 members of the Unite union working across north London and Essex are taking part in the four-day strike from Tuesday to Friday, after industrial action earlier this month. Further stoppages are planned for the coming weeks. Continue reading...
Man failed to stop for officers in Stratford-upon-Avon and collided with another car, leaving female driver in critical conditionA man has died and a woman is critically injured after a crash following a police pursuit in Warwickshire.Officers tried to stop a black Audi on Birmingham Road, in Stratford-upon-Avon, at 5.23pm on Monday, but the male driver made off towards the A46, Warwickshire police said. Continue reading...
In Trump administration’s plan, California, Arizona and Nevada face about a 20% cut to water supply over two yearsNevada filed a federal lawsuit on Monday challenging the Trump administration’s new plan for the imperiled Colorado River, launching what could become the first of many court battles over the waterway that supplies 40 million people, dozens of tribes and 5.5m acres of farm land across the American west.The federal plan, issued Friday, cut roughly 20% from the water supplied to lower basin states – Nevada, Arizona and California – over the next two years, with a potential for harsher cutbacks in the future, based on conditions. Continue reading...
• Washington is investigating a controversial FBI operation known as "Round River," which allegedly reclassified damaging information regarding the Biden family's Ukraine connections.
• The operation reportedly labeled this sensitive information as potential Russian propaganda to shield the Biden family from scrutiny.
• This scandal is now expanding beyond U.S. borders, raising significant political questions and concerns across Europe.
European regulators have imposed billions in penalties on US technology companies due to privacy, competition and digital market rulesThe Dutch data protection authority has fined Uber €825m ($966m) for deactivating driver accounts through automated systems without adequately informing them, according to a 17 August decision.The penalty would be the second-largest issued yet under Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Continue reading...
Image captured in early June shows animal foraging in the waterway in first since early 1900s, signaling its recovery An otter has been spotted in the Bronx River for the first time in more than 100 years, in a further sign that New York’s previously befouled waterways are recovering some of their ecological health.The North American river otter was photographed by a motion-activated camera foraging near some vegetation in the Bronx River, a waterway that flows through New York’s Bronx and empties into the East River. Continue reading...
The Guardian travelled 100 miles along the EU’s longest river, where some residents are struggling to secure drinking waterFor centuries, the rock was seen as a warning. When it began to emerge from the Danube, beneath Gellért Hill in Budapest, it meant the river had fallen so low that floating mills could no longer operate, crops were probably failing, and hunger would almost certainly follow. That is why, in the Hungarian capital, where over time the boulder became little more than a legend, it was named Ínség-szikla – the Rock of Starvation.Today, amid record-low water levels on the Danube, the rock has not only emerged from the water, but surfaced almost in its entirety, along with the sandy riverbed on which it rests, astonishing geologists and government scientists sent to examine it. And, much as the rock was said to warn, Hungary is now facing an unprecedented energy crisis that has forced the country to shut down all but one of its Danube-cooled nuclear reactors for the first time in 44 years. Continue reading...
Cernavoda shutdown poses immediate problems for Moldova, which relies on Romanian power to cover its own electricity shortagesRomania has been forced to shut down the last working reactor at its only nuclear plant after drought caused the Danube river to fall to record lows – a rare move that will immediately affect power supplies in neighbouring Moldova.Drought and record-low water levels have deepened fears of an energy crisis across Europe, which is facing a new summer heatwave. Continue reading...
British driver Andy Green will try to beat his own record, set 20 years ago, with a hydrogen-powered carThe first – and only – person to break the sound barrier in a car hits the track in Utah this week with new wheels and his eye on another record.Twenty years ago, British driver Andy Green set the land speed record for a diesel-powered car, reaching 350.092 mph (563.4 km/h) at Utah’s famous Bonneville Salt Flats. Green will return to the lunarlike landscape Tuesday and try to beat that mark, this time with a hydrogen-powered car. Continue reading...
Fair Work Commission issues a new minimum standards order for gig workers to come into effect 17 AugustGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastDelivery drivers in Australia will be paid a minimum rate of $31.30 an hour and insured for injuries on the job under a landmark agreement approved by the industrial umpire.The Fair Work Commission (FWC) on Tuesday issued a new minimum standards order for gig workers who perform on-demand delivery of food, drinks, or groceries, and the operators of the digital platforms who engage their services. Continue reading...
• Former MP Chalong Riewrang has surrendered to authorities following the shooting of the Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organization (PAO) chief and his driver.
• Riewrang claims the attack was motivated by a dispute involving an alleged debt of THB 11 million.
• The suspect further alleged that the conflict stemmed from political tensions, including a request that he not field a parliamentary candidate in direct competition.
• Former Thai MP Chalong Riewrang was arrested after allegedly shooting a local official and a driver in Nonthaburi province, north of Bangkok.
• Nonthaburi police chief Dejrapee Kongdee confirmed the arrest following the attack, which has sparked further security concerns in the region.
• The incident occurs amid heightened tensions over gun violence in Thailand, following a recent school shooting in the same province.
• Former Thai MP Chalong Riewrang was arrested by Nonthaburi police after allegedly shooting a local official and a driver.
• The incident occurred in Nonthaburi province, located north of Bangkok, and was confirmed by police chief Dejrapee Kongdee.
• This attack follows a recent school shooting in the same region, intensifying public debate and scrutiny regarding gun control laws in Thailand.
Levels at reservoir along Arizona-Nevada border dipped below previous record set in 2022, amid water crisis in westLake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States, has plummeted to its lowest water level since it was filled some 90 years ago, the latest sign of a deepening water crisis in the American west.Water levels at the reservoir, which straddles the Arizona-Nevada border outside Las Vegas, hit 1,040.4ft (317.1 meters) above sea level on Friday, according to federal data. That’s just below the record set on 28 July 2022, according to the US Bureau of Reclamation. Continue reading...
Nathan Owen drove his electric Jaguar at up to 86mph and lied to police it was malfunctioning and out of his controlA man who drove his electric Jaguar at up to 86mph on motorways falsely telling police the car was malfunctioning and out of his control has been jailed for four years and three months.Nathan Owen fabricated not being able to brake in a “frighteningly stupid” ploy to avoid paying car finance, Liverpool crown court heard. Continue reading...
Federal government plan outlines cuts to California, Arizona and Nevada but fix is likely to be only temporaryThe US government released its anxiously awaited plan for how to manage the Colorado river crisis on Friday, outlining cuts in water supplied to California, Arizona and Nevada.The proposal from the US Bureau of Reclamation spares Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming from facing mandatory cuts, for now. But it is a temporary fix as the states that rely on the river continue to fight over a long-term management plan for the dwindling resource that supplies huge swaths of the western US. Continue reading...
Roadside safety advocates say some automated license plate readers may not meet highway safety standardsFlock Safety cameras have been pilloried for facilitating the AI-powered surveillance of private citizens and for targeting immigrants for years. But now safety advocates are also claiming that their physical location can pose potential roadside hazards.At the bottom of a tree-lined hill on a narrow, two lane rural road in Greene county, Ohio, stands a black metal rod with a camera and solar panel attached at the top. Continue reading...
Decision to host event on Fitzroy River at Rockhampton, 600km north of host city Brisbane, prompted significant backlashFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart, lobbied for controversial plans to host 2032 Olympic rowing events on the Fitzroy River at Rockhampton, documents released by the Queensland government show.The plans to send rowers 600km north of host city Brisbane – to a river that is natural habitat for saltwater crocodiles, and which prompted significant backlash among the rowing and broader Olympic communities – were announced by the Queensland government in March last year. Continue reading...
Unions say basic needs still not being met a year after regulator told operators to improve facilitiesTrain drivers are considering strike action over a lack of toilets, with unions saying basic needs are still not addressed a year after the rail regulator told operators to provide more facilities and breaks.Aslef said it was “putting the industry on notice”. The train drivers’ union added that companies had failed to deliver adequate toilets and reduce maximum driving times without a toilet break. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Lawsuit filed on behalf of seven protesters alleges ban amounts to ‘a direct, content-based restriction’ on speech, effectively targeting pro-Palestine movementFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA group of pro-Palestine protesters have launched a high court challenge to a Queensland law banning the slogan “from the river to the sea”, arguing that it amounts to a discriminatory and unconstitutional infringement on free speech.The controversial laws, which also ban the expression “globalise the intifada”, were passed by the state’s Liberal National party government in response to December’s Bondi terrorist attack. Continue reading...
• Jhandu Kumar, a determined athlete from Bihar, has become India's first medalist for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
• Kumar overcame severe financial hardships, previously working as a vegetable seller and an e-rickshaw driver during the COVID-19 pandemic to support his family.
• His journey highlights a remarkable transition from manual labor to international sporting success through persistent training and resilience.