Sees

• Scientists used the James Webb Space Telescope to detect the most distant supernova ever seen, which exploded when the universe was less than a billion years old. • The discovery was confirmed after a gamma-ray burst signaled the event, allowing researchers to isolate the blast from its faint host galaxy. • This finding provides a "smoking gun" connection between the death of massive stars and the production of high-energy gamma-ray bursts.

While a survey found Labour, Lib Dem and Green voters to be the strongest backers of such a ban on trade, even Tory and Reform voters were in favour overallUK politics live – latest updatesThere was a time when placing Israel under strict trade sanctions would have been a politically risky thing for a British prime minister to do. Andy Burnham, however, considers it an electoral asset.As Kemi Badenoch attacked him over defence spending at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, Burnham deliberately turned the topic to the trade ban on illegal settlements which he had announced on Tuesday. Continue reading...

• Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) are showing a positive shift toward Indian equities, according to Vikas Gupta, CEO of OmniScience Capital. • Gupta attributes this trend to non-AI diversification and strong growth across various Indian sectors, despite ongoing global inflation pressures. • The shift occurs as other emerging markets, specifically Taiwan and South Korea, currently hold allocations higher than their long-term weights.

• New satellite imagery reveals that Greenland's glaciers are experiencing their most significant loss of floating ice in over a decade. • The imagery specifically highlights a fractured "ice tongue," indicating a severe breakdown of the glacial structures that stabilize the ice sheet. • This acceleration of ice loss is critical as it contributes directly to rising global sea levels and signals destabilization in the Arctic region.

Supermarket’s website and app go offline as customers save more than $100 on some 24-packs The Coles website and app have gone offline hours after a viral Reddit post highlighted a nearly 80% discount on 24-packs of premixed alcoholic drinks.For several hours on Saturday, both the Coles website and app displayed a message advising “we’re currently offline – but not for long”. The website and app came back online before the website went down again on Saturday afternoon. It was back up at around 4pm AEST on Saturday. Continue reading...

• Sunny Deol's film "Batwara 1947" experienced a sharp increase in box office collections on its second day of release, August 15, 2026. • The movie is currently performing strongly and is aiming to reach a significant revenue milestone of ₹30 crore. • This surge in earnings highlights the film's initial commercial success and strong audience draw during its opening weekend.

• Primary elections in Wisconsin and Minnesota saw unexpected upsets in governor races, while the South Carolina GOP Senate primary is heading toward a runoff. • Simultaneously, Democracy Forward, led by CEO Skye Perryman, announced the hiring of J.P. Cooney and Molly Gaston to strengthen its legal efforts. • The organization aims to hold the Trump administration accountable for alleged corruption and the "weaponization" of the Department of Justice.

Evacuations include famed tourist destinations as blaze grew to over 1,700 acres by MondayEvacuations have been ordered for areas along California’s famous Big Sur coast as a wildfire burns in the nearby steep, rugged mountains.The Timber fire in Monterey county started Sunday and grew to more than 1,700 acres by Monday, according to Cal Fire, the state’s fire agency. Continue reading...

• US stock markets opened with muted performance, with the S&P 500 seeing a subdued start and the Nasdaq sliding into the red, dragged down by Intel. • Market volatility is driven by persistent tensions with Iran and rising oil prices as traders seek clarity regarding the Strait of Hormuz. • Uncertainty grew after President Donald Trump told Axios on Sunday that the US is only "semi-negotiating" with Iran to ensure Tehran feels economic pressure.

In a Choice test of 48 products, the Aldi powder also came out on top for top loadersGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastConsumer advocacy group Choice has put more than 40 supermarket laundry detergent products through the wringer, naming two Omo and one Aldi product as its best performers – while some other brands perform barely better than water.In a lab test of 48 laundry powders, liquids and capsules, Aldi Trimat Advanced Laundry Powder Concentrate, Omo Active Clean Powder and Omo Ultimate Powder shared equal-first billing for front loader washing machines, with all three products scoring 82% overall. Continue reading...

• Europe's technology sector raised $35.4 billion in the first half of 2026, marking a 46% increase compared to the $24.4 billion raised during the same period in 2025. • A new report from Tracxn reveals that this growth is driven by a small number of companies securing significantly larger funding rounds. • This trend indicates a shrinking pool of winners, as investors concentrate their capital into fewer high-conviction deals rather than distributing it across the broader ecosystem.

• NASA is scheduled to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on August 30, 2026, using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. • The telescope features a mirror similar in size to Hubble's but possesses a field of view approximately 100 times wider, allowing it to map dark energy and search for exoplanets. • By monitoring roughly 200 million stars for gravitational microlensing, the mission aims to discover over 1,000 planets, specifically targeting cold, distant worlds that current detection methods often miss.

• Twelve leading payment startups in Southeast Asia have collectively raised over $2.7 billion in equity funding to date, according to a Tracxn report released Wednesday. • Airwallex dominates the sector, raising $1.9 billion since 2015—including a $320 million round in June 2026—which accounts for nearly 70% of the total capital. • The funding landscape is heavily concentrated, with the top two companies representing approximately 83% of all capital raised across the 12 firms.

• The US government has signed a letter of intent to provide GlobalFoundries with $300 million in funding under the CHIPS Act. • In exchange, the government will receive a 1% equity stake in the company, valued at approximately $269 million. • This investment aims to accelerate the development of silicon photonics networking technologies, which are critical for scaling AI infrastructure in datacenters.

• Over 2,900 UK technology firms have been acquired since 2021, according to new research from Tracxn. • The surge in acquisitions is driven by a decline in IPOs and a strategic shift by buyers targeting high-value businesses in fintech, cybersecurity, healthcare tech, and enterprise software. • While the overall volume of deals has dropped from the 2021 peak, rising deal values indicate sustained investor confidence in Britain's most promising tech sectors.

• A recent Gallup poll indicates a significant shift in the Supreme Court's approval rating among Republicans. • The Court issued several rulings against former President Trump, including blocking an executive order and ruling that he lacked the authority to impose sweeping tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. • In a further blow to Trump's legal standing, the Court blocked the firing of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.

• South Korea's benchmark KOSPI index crashed nearly 11% on Tuesday, marking its worst single-day session in almost five months. • The decline was driven by a global rout in semiconductor stocks, which severely impacted industry giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. • Market volatility was further exacerbated by the stock market debut of China's CXMT, heightening investor fears regarding increased competition from Chinese chipmakers.

• NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory detected a "wandering" or "orphan" mega black hole as it shredded and consumed a star on the outskirts of a distant galaxy. • This rare event, known as a tidal disruption event, occurred when the black hole's gravity tore the star apart, creating a massive flare of light. • The discovery is significant because it identifies a black hole that is not located at the center of its galaxy, challenging typical models of galactic structure.

• Global markets saw a significant drop in oil prices and short-term bond yields following signs of de-escalation in Iran. • Investors showed limited interest in new circular AI financing, while the CMXT CN IPO experienced a surge in demand. • Political and economic focus shifts to a Japanese cabinet reshuffle and upcoming policy meetings from the FOMC, BOE, and BOJ.

Adrian Howe’s family believe that fears his deal would be financially ruinous led him to kill himselfThe family of a former mobile phone store manager who was found drowned days before his new Vodafone franchise was to open its doors is pressing the government to introduce a new franchising law in his name.The call comes a week after Vodafone settled a long-running legal claim filed by 62 of its former franchisees who alleged that the company “unjustly enriched” itself at their expense by up to £85m. Continue reading...

• Approximately 85% of S&P 500 companies have beaten profit estimates during the current US earnings season, marking the highest beat rate in five years. • Despite these strong corporate results, investment funds have seen outflows for the second consecutive week as investors flee the market. • Market instability is being driven by escalating geopolitical tensions between the US and Iran, which have pushed international oil prices higher.

After the US military confirmed that a service member had been killed in Iraq – the third in recent days – Donald Trump said the new attacks were ‘in honour’ of the deadMiddle East crisis live: follow latest updatesThe US launched a ninth night of strikes targeting Iran early Monday, after announcing the death of another American service member, as the price of Brent crude oil climbed above $90 a barrel, the highest level since June.The US military said the service member was killed on Saturday in northern Iraq, where the US has military bases, during a controlled detonation of what was called unexploded ordnance on a downed Iranian attack drone. Continue reading...

Agreement, without admission of liability, ends 19-month high court dispute that small-business owners said left them with large debtsVodafone has settled a long-running legal claim filed by 62 of its former franchisees who alleged the mobile phone group “unjustly enriched” itself at their expense by up to £85m.The small-business owners – some of whom said they had suffered suicidal thoughts because of the pressure exerted by the telecoms group – launched the high court claim in 2024 after running up large personal debts they said had been caused by their deals with the company. Continue reading...

• Stock futures rose Wednesday, driven by gains in technology shares and a positive sales outlook from chip-equipment maker ASML due to surging AI demand. • PayPal shares also jumped following reports of a potential takeover, adding to the bullish momentum in the tech sector. • Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh testified before the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday, emphasizing the central bank's independence from political influence.

Daily realities of healthcare, prices and Gaza driving wave of anti-establishment sentiment among Democratic voters in closely watched contestIn Macomb county, Michigan – a blue-collar Detroit suburb that twice voted for Barack Obama before backing each of Donald Trump’s three runs for the US presidency – residents are exhausted.Time and again, township trustee Shannon King, a Democrat still making up his mind, hears similar complaints. “You’re going backwards in your paycheck. You’re going backwards in your healthcare,” he said. “You go to work every day. You might have a side hustle. Your significant other has a side hustle, too. And you’re still struggling to do childcare.” Continue reading...

• Shinhan Securities predicts the KOSPI will remain range-bound between 7,550 and 8,400, cautioning investors against expecting a rapid V-shaped recovery. • Market focus is shifting away from Samsung Electronics' recent strong earnings toward the long-term semiconductor chip cycle projected for 2027-2028. • The index's future trajectory will depend heavily on whether corporate earnings forecasts continue to be revised upward.

• Alia Bhatt's latest film, *Alpha*, experienced a significant box office jump over the weekend as of July 6, 2026. • By its third day of release, *Alpha* has already surpassed the total lifetime earnings of Bhatt's previous project, *Jigra*. • This surge highlights the film's strong commercial momentum and positive audience reception during its opening window.

• The low-budget Chinese family drama "Dear You," performed in the Teochew language, has unexpectedly become a major box office hit in China. • The film explores themes of migration and identity, resonating with audiences despite being spoken in a dialect that many mainland Chinese viewers struggle to understand. • Beijing views the film's success as a strategic opportunity to strengthen cultural ties and court Chinese diaspora communities living abroad, such as those in Malaysia.