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• The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.5% this week following the first Federal Reserve interest rate hike since 2023. • August retail sales rose 1.2% to $773.9 billion, surpassing the 0.8% forecast and signaling strong consumer spending. • Market pricing now indicates a 90% probability of another rate hike by December, reducing the likelihood of near-term rate cuts for investors.

• India defeated Malaysia 3-1 in the Junior Asia Cup semi-final to advance to their fourth consecutive final. • Captain Anmol Ekka scored two goals to secure the victory for the Men in Blue. • The result ensures India maintains its streak of reaching the championship match in this regional tournament.

The Liberal MP and former SAS soldier is under attack from One Nation after complying with a subpoena to give evidence in the failed 2022 civil caseGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcast“I don’t dislike Mr Roberts-Smith at all. I pity Mr Roberts-Smith. I pity this whole process. I don’t want to be here.”Andrew Hastie was a reluctant witness in the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation case. Hastie appeared only under force of subpoena in 2022: compelled to attend court, obliged to swear an oath, and to tell “the whole truth and nothing but the truth”.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s Politics, really newsletter here Continue reading...

Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson has faced criticism within party after post about Sagal Abdi-Wali, a former child refugeeLabour has accused Reform’s Zia Yusuf of “straightforward racism” after he suggested the party’s frontrunner to replace Keir Starmer in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection was not British.Sagal Abdi-Wali, a former child refugee from Somalia and the leader of Camden council, has been tipped as an early favourite to contest the London seat for Labour after the former prime minister’s resignation. Continue reading...

• Coach Kim Sang-sik led the Vietnam men's national football team to their second consecutive ASEAN Hyundai Cup title. • Vietnam secured the championship by defeating Thailand with a 4-2 aggregate score in the final. • This victory reinforces Vietnam's dominance in the top Southeast Asian football tournament under Kim's leadership.

• Indian stock markets declined for the seventh consecutive session on August 19, 2026, with the Nifty 50 losing 2.1% over the seven-day period. • The downturn was driven by high long-term global bond yields, which reduced investor appetite for emerging-market equities. • Selling was widespread across the board, affecting 14 of 16 major sectoral indices, including small-cap and mid-cap indices which fell 0.5% and 0.2%, respectively.

• The Indian stock market experienced a downturn on August 18, 2026, with the Sensex falling 493 points. • The Nifty 50 index continued its downward trend, marking its sixth consecutive session of declines. • This prolonged slump reflects ongoing volatility and bearish sentiment across the BSE and NSE.

• A new executive order regarding childhood vaccines has been issued, alongside the appointment of a permanent director for the CDC to fill a year-long vacancy. • The FDA has approved the first mRNA-based flu vaccine, while the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released its official recommendations for the upcoming flu season. • These updates arrive amid a critical public health landscape marked by 20 consecutive months of measles outbreaks across the United States.

• 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.

• Indian equity markets, including the Nifty and Sensex, have declined for five consecutive sessions due to rising oil prices, geopolitical tensions, and persistent foreign institutional investor (FII) outflows. • Technical indicators show continued weakness, with the Nifty currently facing a key support level near 23,600 and resistance around 24,000. • Investors are closely monitoring five critical factors this week to determine market direction: the US Federal Reserve meeting, Q1 corporate earnings, rupee fluctuations, and crude oil trends.

• 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.

• The Sensex and Nifty 50 declined for the fifth consecutive session on July 24, 2026, with auto and metal stocks acting as primary drags on the market. • Geopolitical disruptions in West Asia have stalled flows in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab-el-Mandeb, pushing oil prices back toward US$100 per barrel. • Market analysts warn that Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) will face volatile near-term earnings as they absorb price fluctuations amid record-low global inventories.

• The United States has launched airstrikes across Iran for the 11th consecutive night, marking a significant escalation in the conflict between the two nations. • In response, Tehran has carried out new missile and drone attacks targeting Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan, prompting the Gulf Cooperation Council to condemn the acts as violations of international law. • This escalation occurs amid rising international pressure on the Houthis, with several governments warning that ongoing attacks on merchant shipping could trigger a broader regional war.

• Major stock indexes rebounded on Tuesday, ending a three-session losing streak driven primarily by strong performance in chip stocks. • WTI oil prices rose significantly during the session, reaching their highest trading levels in more than five weeks. • The market shift indicates a recovery in investor confidence following a period of volatility and consecutive declines.

• The U.S. military and Iran engaged in a series of reciprocal strikes for a second consecutive day, escalating regional tensions. • U.S. forces targeted Iranian assets overnight, while Iran retaliated by striking U.S. military bases located in Bahrain and Kuwait. • This exchange marks a significant escalation in direct hostilities between the two nations, threatening stability in the Middle East.

• Global equity funds have recorded their third consecutive week of inflows as investors capitalize on a recent market dip. • The surge is primarily driven by strong confidence in the AI-linked rally, with significant gains seen in European and Asian markets. • In contrast to the global trend, U.S.-based funds experienced outflows during this period.

• Japan's manufacturing sector expanded for the sixth consecutive month in June, according to the latest S&P Global Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI). • The PMI rose to 54.8 in June from 54.5 in May, aligning with previous preliminary flash estimates. • This growth is significant as any reading above the 50.0 threshold indicates sector expansion, while readings below signal contraction.

Average price of typical home little changed at £277,484 in June, says Nationwide, while housebuilder shares fallBusiness live – latest updatesUK house price growth stalled for a second consecutive month in June as rising interest rates triggered by the war in Iran hurt homebuyer demand and agents warned of a summer slump.The average price of a typical UK home edged down to £277,484 last month from £278,024 a month earlier, after a 0.6% month-on-month fall in May, according to the lender Nationwide. Economists had forecast a small monthly rise of 0.1% in June. Continue reading...

• The S&P 500 and Nasdaq declined for the third consecutive day on June 24, 2026, driven by renewed selling pressure in the technology sector. • AI chip designer Cerebras (CBRS) saw its shares tumble 20% following its first public earnings report, which forecast a gross margin contraction of up to 10 percentage points this quarter. • Oil prices dropped to their lowest level since the start of the war, while FedEx (FDX) shares dipped slightly despite reporting quarterly results that beat Wall Street estimates.

Rochford LGBTQ+ community say Reform council’s ban on flying pride flags or holding events states they’re not welcomeBefore Reform gained control of Essex county council in the May elections, Chris Taylor and members of the Rochford LGBTQ+ community already felt they were witnessing a growing tide of political rhetoric around identity.But they were still shocked when the county’s new leadership moved to ban Pride events in 74 libraries, scaling back events of “any particular groups or themes”, a decision they said was “straight out of Trumpland”. Continue reading...

Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of 1990s leader Alberto, is vying with a congressman to become country’s ninth president in a decadePeruvians go to the polls on Sunday in an election runoff that pits a perennial rightwing candidate, Keiko Fujimori, against a leftist congressman, Roberto Sánchez. Amid rising crime, chronic political instability, corruption scandals and voter apathy, they are vying to become Peru’s ninth president in a decade.Fujimori, who is the daughter of the late president Alberto Fujimori, won 17% of the vote in the first round in April. Sánchez, a former trade and tourism minister, took 12 % of the vote, edging out Rafael López Aliaga, an ultra-conservative former Lima mayor. The stage is set for a polarised left-right replay of the country’s last election in 2021. Continue reading...

• Indian badminton star PV Sindhu was eliminated from the Indonesia Open 2026 after suffering a straight-games defeat against An Se-Young. • The women’s singles second-round clash took place on June 3, 2026, at the Istora Senayan. • This loss marks the end of Sindhu's campaign at the tournament, highlighting the competitive challenge posed by An Se-Young.

• Indian badminton veteran Srikanth Kidambi was eliminated from the Indonesia Open 2026 after a straight-games defeat to Yushi Tanaka on June 2 at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta. • Tanaka secured his place in the next round of the BWF Super 1000 tournament by winning the second game 21-15, outperforming the former World No. 1 in crucial moments. • This result marks a disappointing streak for Kidambi, who suffered back-to-back first-round exits following a loss to Loh Kean Yew at the Singapore Open Super 750 last week.

• Indian badminton duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the Singapore Open 2026 final after defeating the pair of Kim and Seo in a straight-games semi-final victory. • The match took place on May 30, 2026, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, marking a dominant performance by the Indian pair. • This win is significant as it secures a spot in the championship match, keeping the duo's hopes alive for a major title.

• Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen advanced to the round of 16 at the BWF Super 750 Singapore Open 2026 after defeating Lu Guang Zu in straight games. • The victory marks a resurgent performance for Sen, who dominated the first-round match to secure his spot in the next stage of the tournament. • This win is significant as it sets up a high-stakes clash against world number two Kunlavut Vitidsarn.

Boys, aged 15, given youth rehabilitation orders for two separate attacks against two girls in Hampshire A judge’s decision not to jail two teenage boys who raped two girls has been described by one of the victims as a “rock straight in my face”.A trial at Southampton crown court heard the girls were raped in two separate attacks in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, the first attack on 26 November 2024 and the second on 17 January 2025. Continue reading...

• Indian doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty finished as runners-up at the Thailand Open Super 500 after a straight-games defeat. • The duo lost 12–21, 23–25 to Indonesia's Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin in a match that lasted 53 minutes, despite saving four championship points. • This result marks a strong return for the pair following Satwik's recovery from a shoulder injury and represents their first final appearance of the current season.

While interest rate rises can’t affect the surging price of oil caused by Middle East turmoil, they are still the Reserve Bank’s best – and only – tool to fight inflationFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne economist is calling it the “Hormuz hike”.There’s a nearly 80% chance that the Reserve Bank will deliver a third straight interest rate rise on Tuesday, according to financial markets.Patrick Commins is Guardian Australia’s economics editor Continue reading...