Spark

Prime minister’s plan will create energy regulations for datacentres in AustraliaGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastEnvironmental and community groups have called for a pause on datacentre development until new regulations are in place after Anthony Albanese promised “greater clarity and speed” over their approval.In his landmark speech on artificial intelligence at the University of Sydney on Wednesday, the prime minister said Australia would create a legal obligation for large-scale datacentres to underwrite new power supply, pay their full share of grid connection, and add as much energy to the grid as they take out of it. Continue reading...

• IBM warned that customers are shifting their budgets away from software and toward AI infrastructure, including servers, chips, and data centers. • This shift triggered a selloff in software stocks as investors worry that AI spending is squeezing traditional software budgets. • Market analysts, including IG Group's Chris Beauchamp, describe the situation as an "ugly moment" for the sector, highlighting a pivot toward cybersecurity and hardware.

• Wall Street is poised for a lower open, with S&P 500 E-Mini futures down 0.29% and Nasdaq 100 E-Mini futures dropping 0.94%. • The decline is driven by a chip sector selloff sparked by losses among South Korean peers, specifically impacting SK Hynix. • Investors are awaiting the Federal Reserve's Beige Book and the start of second-quarter corporate earnings to gauge economic health.

Plans to build a NZ$3.5bn datacentre in Makarewa in the country’s south has drawn concern about electricity and water use, and potential noise pollutionPeople living near the site of New Zealand’s first planned AI datacentre are calling for more transparency about the project, especially about how the centre’s huge electricity and water use and potential noise pollution could affect them.Singapore-based company Datagrid has secured approval to build a NZ$3.5bn (US$2bn) AI datacentre on a 49-hectare site in Makarewa, just north of New Zealand’s southern-most city, Invercargill. Construction is due to begin this year, with the centre becoming operational by 2028. Continue reading...

President ordered investigation after fictitious federal body allocated funding and office space, triggering renewed scrutiny of corruption A fictitious federal entity that was allocated 1.3 billion naira (£705,248) in Nigeria’s 2026 budget has precipitated a political storm in Africa’s largest democracy in the run-up to January’s general election.The fake agency came to light last October when Femi Gbajabiamila, the president’s chief of staff, wrote to the police alleging that his signature, along with official seals and reference numbers, had been forged by Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who was claiming to have been appointed by the presidency to head the presidential foreign intervention promotion council (PFIPC). Continue reading...

• NASA and Katalyst have postponed a mission to relocate an aging satellite into a safer orbit, citing technical difficulties and unfavorable weather conditions. • Amazon is preparing to launch its Leo broadband satellite network, while India's Skyroot Aerospace, founded by former ISRO engineers, is gearing up for its first private satellite launch. • In a separate scientific breakthrough, researchers have identified the cause of why Antarctica froze before the Arctic, providing critical new data on Earth's climatic evolution.

Officials also find multiple cracks and sagging floors in building that is being converted into apartmentsA high-rise building in Manhattan was deemed unstable on Tuesday after authorities determined that support columns buckled, spurring evacuation of nearby buildings, according to officials and reports.The former Pfizer pharmaceutical building, which is being converted into residential rentals, also had problematic floors, fire department officials said. Continue reading...

• South Korea is implementing a new law that imposes steep punitive damages on news outlets and social media influencers who spread false information. • Journalist groups and academics, including Professor Kim Hong-yeol of Duksung Women’s University, warn that the measure could stifle public discourse. • Critics argue the law is likely to trigger widespread self-censorship and discourage the reporting of sensitive political or social issues.

• Prince Harry is traveling to the UK starting Tuesday to participate in a series of charity engagements. • The trip has generated significant media speculation regarding whether Meghan Markle and their children will accompany him. • British authorities have stated that Harry is not entitled to blanket security protection since he is no longer a working member of the royal family.

• Asian equity markets mostly declined on Tuesday as a fresh wave of technology sector selling erased the gains from a previous Wall Street rally. • South Korea's KOSPI index suffered a severe 7.76% downturn, driven by investors aggressively locking in profits from recent AI-related surges. • This volatility highlights a shift in investor sentiment toward AI-driven stocks, signaling a potential correction after a period of rapid growth.

Thousands of women are killed in dowry disputes each year, despite the practice being banned in 1961Dowry deaths in India no longer provoke the public anger they once did, despite thousands of women’s lives still being lost every year, according to new research.The killings – women who are murdered or driven to suicide following dowry disputes between families – have also faded from political debate, despite an increase in cases. Continue reading...

Incidents involving California state senator Scott Wiener and New York congressman Dan Goldman underscore Israel-Palestine conflict’s role in US electionsTwo recent incidents involving US congressional candidates on opposite coasts have blown up into major controversies, underscoring how the Israel-Palestine conflict has transformed US elections – and illustrating how aggressive protest tactics can spark backlash that overshadows the issues activists meant to highlight.Scott Wiener, a gay Jewish state senator and trans rights advocate who is currently the frontrunner in the race to replace the longtime representative Nancy Pelosi in California’s 11th district, said he felt forced to leave last week’s annual trans pride march in San Francisco after a group of people ran up to him at a local park where the event was taking place, surrounded him and screamed at him over his positions on Israel’s war on Gaza. Continue reading...

• NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured a new image of the globular cluster NGC 6426, featuring red, white, and blue stars that resemble a sparkler. • The image highlights Hubble's ongoing capability to provide detailed cosmic observations after more than three decades in orbit. • This data complements findings from other NASA missions, including the infrared-detecting James Webb Space Telescope.

• South Korea's early exit from the World Cup has sparked widespread public anger and criticism. • Fans and critics are calling for urgent reforms regarding the governance and leadership of the national football association. • The situation highlights deep-seated frustrations with the management of the national team and the association's failure to achieve competitive success.

• A Polish travel creator, Agni (@the_polishtravelgirl), sparked a viral online debate by criticizing the disparity in how global media covers heatwaves in Europe versus India. • She argued that while European heatwaves are reported as tragedies focusing on infrastructure strain and elderly vulnerability, similar suffering in India is often dismissed or treated as a joke. • The post highlights systemic biases in international news reporting and the perceived devaluation of human life in the Global South.

• Overseas cryptocurrency exchanges, including Binance, are offering high-leverage trading products based on the KOSPI index with multipliers reaching up to 150x. • These synthetic assets, such as KORU, allow traders to speculate on Korean stock markets without using traditional domestic brokerage accounts. • Financial authorities are alarmed by the lack of investor protection and the potential for significant capital outflow from the domestic financial system.

Greens and David Pocock accuse industry of using programs and sponsorships to ‘build social licence’, push for parliamentary inquiryFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Greens and David Pocock have backed calls for a parliamentary inquiry into the alleged “petro-grooming” of children after an investigation exposed the extent of the fossil fuel sector’s presence in schools, sports clubs and other educational institutions.The resources minister, Madeleine King, has defended industry sponsorships of grassroots and elite sports and said it was fortunate so many companies were prepared to support clubs. Continue reading...

• JYP Entertainment has sparked global backlash by splitting presale tickets for Stray Kids' "Run It" world tour opening in Seoul into two stages. • The new policy prioritizes South Korea-based fans for initial access, a move implemented ahead of new anti-scalping laws in the region. • This decision has ignited a debate over fairness, as international fans feel marginalized despite the group's massive global popularity.

• A heartfelt Chinese film by director Lan Hongchun, the final part of a Teochew-dialect family trilogy, unexpectedly triggered intense political and cultural debates in Singapore. • Han Yong May, deputy editor-in-chief of SPH’s Chinese Media Group, analyzes how the film became a catalyst for a cognitive warfare campaign. • The situation is significant because it highlights vulnerabilities in Singapore's multiracial identity and how cultural media can be weaponized for political influence.

Jurors in California deliberated for over 13 hours, before announcing that they were deadlocked A federal judge declared a mistrial in the arson case against the 29-year-old man accused of sparking the deadly 2025 Palisades fire in Los Angeles, after the jury said it could not agree on a verdict.Jurors deliberated for over 13 hours on Thursday on whether to convict Jonathan Rinderknecht on three federal charges, before announcing that they were deadlocked. Continue reading...

Ambitious plan to phase out single-use plastic opposed by chemicals industry – while green groups say law too timidA groundbreaking California law that compels packaging producers to phase out single-use plastics is already sparking anger from the chemicals industry and environmental groups just weeks after going into effect.The law, which was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2022 but only took hold in May, requires plastic and packaging companies to use less single-use plastic, and ensure by 2032 that all packaging is either recyclable or compostable. The big idea is to incentivize producers of plastics to consider the end of their products’ life in order to create better, more sustainable bottles, containers and wrappings. Continue reading...

• China’s Zhipu AI has released GLM-5.2, a cost-effective coding model designed to challenge global leaders in artificial intelligence. • The model marks a significant milestone as the first Chinese release to rank in the top three globally on a major industry benchmark. • This achievement is being described as a new "DeepSeek moment," signaling China's growing ability to produce high-performance models with lower computational costs.

• The Chinese box office hit "Dear You" has sparked a wider conversation among Singaporeans regarding cultural identity and the preservation of heritage. • The film's themes of family and hardship have resonated with viewers, highlighting the decline of traditional coming-of-age rituals, such as the Teochew "leaving the garden" celebration. • This trend reflects a growing movement among young Singaporeans to reconnect with their roots by learning dwindling dialects and visiting ancestral hometowns in China.

• The EU has sparked outrage among Afghan women by initiating talks with the Taliban, signaling a shift in how the bloc balances security concerns against human rights. • This diplomatic engagement occurs amidst a broader climate of rising anti-immigration rhetoric across Europe. • Separately, France's health ministry confirmed the country's first case of Ebola in a doctor who recently returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

• Dow futures rose on June 25, 2026, driven by an AI-focused rally sparked by Micron. • S&P Dow Jones Indices announced that Alphabet (GOOG) will replace Verizon (VZ) in the Dow Jones Industrial Average before the market opens on June 29. • This change aims to broaden the index's exposure to high-growth sectors, including cloud computing, AI, and autonomous vehicles.

In today’s newsletter: Amid rising anti‑immigration rhetoric across Europe, the decision to engage with the Taliban signals a profound shift in how the EU balances security and human rightsGood morning. It’s a slap in the face. That’s the phrase I kept hearing – in furious overnight messages, in blazing opinion columns – as Afghan women responded to the meeting between EU officials and the Taliban that took place in Brussels on Tuesday.The talks, to discuss how to scale up the deportation of Afghan migrants, were met with widespread outrage, and disbelief that Europe would countenance offering legitimacy to a regime that affords a bird better protections than a woman.World news | Venezuela’s interim leader has declared a state of emergency after the country was struck by two powerful earthquakes that collapsed dozens of buildings and killed at least 32 people, with experts warning the death toll could rise significantly.Heatwave | The UK has broken its all-time temperature record for June and France has recorded its hottest day ever for the second day running, as a heatwave affecting more than 90 million people sweeps across swathes of Europe.UK politics | Donald Trump has labelled Andy Burnham “extremely liberal”, in his first public comments about the former Greater Manchester mayor since he emerged as the frontrunner to replace Keir Starmer.Europe news | The first case of Ebola has been confirmed in France, the country’s health ministry has said, in a doctor who had returned from a humanitarian mission to an area affected by the outbreak in the DRC.UK news | A little-known system in which US military personnel are tried through a court martial for alleged crimes committed in the UK is under growing scrutiny. Continue reading...

British disinfectant brand withdraws advert about a man’s efforts to find a ‘clean and untouched’ womanThe British hygiene brand Dettol has apologised after an advertisement released in China, which it said was intended to criticise “toxic men”, was widely condemned on social media as offensive to women.The five-minute advert for a multipurpose disinfectant, released across many online platforms at the end of May, features a man comparing his girlfriend with his former partner. Learning that his former girlfriend had previously lived with someone else, the man likens their relationship to a “secondhand service”. He then tells his friends that he intends to find a “clean and untouched” woman with whom he can be the first sexual partner. Continue reading...

• FIFA is facing backlash after television broadcasts showed large sections of empty seats during South Korea’s 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic at the 2026 World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico. • The organization defended the attendance figures by claiming that some ticket holders chose to remain standing in the stadium concourses rather than in their assigned seats. • This incident has sparked widespread online criticism from fans who are now questioning the accuracy of official attendance reports and the fairness of ticket pricing.