Strike

• The Taliban-led government of Afghanistan launched airstrikes against ISIS militant facilities in Pakistan's Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. • These operations targeted sites used for planning assaults and occurred shortly after Pakistan conducted its own cross-border airstrikes. • Pakistan has condemned the actions, claiming to have intercepted drones and accusing the Taliban of misleading Afghan citizens.

Unions reject proposed below-inflation increase which comes as corporation prepares to cut thousands of jobsBBC staff fear a strike is on the horizon at the broadcaster after anger over a below-inflation pay rise offer made amid plans to cut thousands of jobs.There is widespread consternation among staff at the offer of a 1% increase, seen as derisory given that inflation is running at almost three times that level. It also comes with staff across the BBC worried about their jobs, as the corporation is in the process of rolling out cuts and redundancies that could result in as many as 2,000 people leaving over the next three years. Continue reading...

• In a 6-3 landmark ruling on Tuesday, the US Supreme Court struck down campaign spending limits, citing protections under the First Amendment. • The decision overrules a 2001 precedent involving the Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee and reverses a 2024 ruling by the US 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. • This shift follows arguments from plaintiffs that evolving campaign finance jurisprudence over the last two decades had eroded the original rationale for the spending caps.

• CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks reported their strongest quarter to date between April and June, with their valuations rallying 95% and 113% respectively. • The surge in growth is attributed to an increased demand for sophisticated cyber defenses as organizations face new threats from agentic AI. • This trend is significant because the rise of AI-driven automation is expanding attack surfaces, necessitating a shift toward identity-first security strategies.

• The Supreme Court struck down a 50-year-old federal election law on Tuesday, removing limits on how much political parties can spend in coordination with candidates for president and Congress. • The ruling follows a Republican-led lawsuit involving Vice President JD Vance, with the court's conservative majority deciding to upend congressionally enacted spending restrictions. • This decision expands the precedent set by the 2010 Citizens United ruling, which previously allowed for unlimited independent spending in federal elections.

• The Supreme Court struck down Watergate-era limits on campaign funds for political parties, ruling that such funding is protected free speech under the First Amendment. • This decision follows a recent conservative court ruling regarding the Voting Rights Act, which allowed Republican-controlled Southern states to redraw congressional districts. • The combined legal victories are expected to provide a significant election-year boost for the GOP, potentially flipping several seats in Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida.

• The Supreme Court has struck down long-standing campaign finance restrictions that limited the amount national political party committees could spend in coordination with individual candidates. • The legal challenge was brought forward by Vice President JD Vance and other plaintiffs who argued against the existing spending caps. • This ruling significantly alters the financial landscape of federal elections by allowing parties to provide more direct financial support to their candidates.