System

Political row emerges over state’s failure to tackle sexual violence against children as people protest across FranceA lawyer for the family of an 11-year-old girl whose disappearance and murder sparked protests across France has called for more funding for the struggling justice system, amid a political row over the French state’s failure to tackle sexual violence against children.“Frankly, if the justice system had more resources, this tragedy and all the others wouldn’t have happened,” said the family’s lawyer, François Roujou de Boubée, on Tuesday. “The victim’s family and I trust in the justice system. So enough is enough.” Continue reading...

• A Leamington-based startup has announced its support for UK Small Business Week, a national campaign initiated by Entrepreneurs Circle to honor the impact of small businesses on local communities. • The startup has developed a specialized AI system designed to transform occupational health services, addressing long-standing challenges faced by providers globally. • This initiative highlights the intersection of technological innovation and small business growth, emphasizing how AI can streamline health services for smaller enterprises.

Protectionist measures will deal blow to country’s budget as it defends itself against Russia, says Metinvest chiefNew EU limits on steel imports could destroy Ukraine’s industry and deal a big blow to the country’s budget as it defends itself against Russia, according to the head of its biggest steelmaker.Yuriy Ryzhenkov, the chief executive of Metinvest, said the new EU quota system due on 1 July could “kill the Ukrainian steel industry”. Continue reading...

• President Barrow inaugurated the National Food and Drug Quality Control Laboratory in Brusubi to strengthen the country's health infrastructure. • During the ceremony, the President addressed a previous Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) outbreak, describing it as one of the darkest chapters in the nation's recent health history. • The event highlighted how the AKI tragedy exposed critical weaknesses in the health system, emphasizing that access to safe medicines is a fundamental necessity.

• The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) launched a protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Saturday to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. • The demonstration centers on grievances regarding the NEET 2024 paper leak and alleged irregularities within the CBSE One Mark Question (OSM) system. • Activist Sonam Wangchuk supported the movement, emphasizing that systemic change is required across all Indian institutions, not just within education.

State’s tortoise-like pace is byproduct of system of verifications and opportunities for voters to fix errorsCalifornia’s slow vote counting has frustrated political observers eagerly awaiting results, and handed Donald Trump and others an opportunity to claim “election rigging”. But experts say the system is working as designed: to protect against fraud and assure every vote is counted.Within a day of the polls closing in California’s primary election this week, Trump started accusing Democrats of “trying to steal” the elections for the state’s governor and the mayor of Los Angeles. The justice department sent a federal prosecutor to observe the ballot-counting process in Los Angeles this week. Continue reading...

Experts say dismantling the ocean observation system will ‘severely degrade’ the accuracy of weather predictionsThe Trump administration’s plan to dismantle an ocean observation system vital to understanding the climate crisis and marine ecosystems would “severely degrade” the accuracy of weather predictions and El Niño forecasts, with economic consequences for the US, European and American scientists have warned.Decommissioning the US system, which plays a major part in a global ocean observation network, would lead to a massive increase in error in the annual estimates of ocean heating rates, according to research published last month. Continue reading...

• NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is planning the launch of "NBA Europe," a new 16-team league anticipated to begin operations in 2027. • The league is targeting key cities across Europe, including London, Manchester, Paris, Lyon, Madrid, Barcelona, Munich, Berlin, Rome, Milan, Athens, and Istanbul. • This expansion represents a strategic move to formalize the NBA's presence in the European market through a structured league with a limited promotion system.

The state’s commissioner for children and young people raised the alarm about cycles of ineffective referrals to voluntary services and closed reports in 35 cases of children who died after interactions with the systemFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVictoria’s most at-risk children are falling through the cracks of a child protection system straining under increased demand and funding shortfalls, new reports show, as advocates warn of “stunning” gaps in data and lack of carer support.The state’s commissioner for children and young people has also raised the alarm about cycles of ineffective referrals to voluntary services, and closed reports in 35 cases of children who died after interactions with the system. Continue reading...

• NASA released observations from the James Webb Space Telescope regarding interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, captured in December 2025. • The data reveals that the comet's composition is fundamentally different from any objects previously observed within our own Solar System. • This discovery is significant as it provides rare insight into the chemical makeup of other star systems and the materials that travel between them.

Ocean Observatories Initiative, $368m network that has provided crucial climate data, latest victim of Trump cutsThe Trump administration plans to dismantle a $368m deep-sea observation system that has for more than a decade provided crucial data on ocean systems and climate change.In a notice, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced that it had “initiated descoping of the Ocean Observatories Initiative” (OOI), a vast ocean observation network comprising more than 900 instruments that collect data on ocean health, including current patterns, climate variability and marine biodiversity. Continue reading...

Experts say deluge of last-minute absentee ballots and notoriously slow system could delay results in tightest racesCalifornia’s primary elections, including its fiercely fought gubernatorial contest, will be at the mercy of a notoriously slow vote-counting system after the polls close on Tuesday, and it could be days or even weeks before the outcomes of the tightest races become clear.Voting experts expect the state’s 58 county elections offices to be deluged with last-minute absentee ballots, as they have been in the last few election cycles, and spend weeks undertaking a painstaking ballot-by-ballot verification process. Continue reading...

Officials say law will improve migration management by allowing more deportations of undocumented people EU politicians have promised to increase deportations of undocumented migrants, under a new law that critics say mimics elements of the Trump administration’s brutal immigration crackdown.Finalising a key element of an overhauled EU asylum and migration system, politicians have agreed a regulation that will enable national authorities to raid people’s homes to enforce deportation orders. Continue reading...

• Over €3.1 billion was invested across more than 60 tech funding deals in Europe during the final week of May. • The UK led investment totals with €2.6 billion, largely driven by the Pure DC round, followed by Germany (€226.5 million) and Ireland (€94.4 million). • Energy emerged as the top-funded industry at €218.6 million, followed by fintech (€94.4 million) and semiconductors (€93.5 million).

• Europe is facing a systemic crisis as businesses increasingly relocate overseas, a trend the article attributes to the U.S. intentionally fostering an energy crisis by disconnecting the continent from Russian resources. • The economic instability is driven by high energy costs and a loss of competitiveness, leading to a "business flight" that threatens the region's industrial base. • In response, a group of nations including Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Austria, and Denmark are proposing new strategic partnerships with a dozen non-EU countries.

• Community Financial System said it completed its acquisition of ClearPoint Federal Bank & Trust, a deal it valued at about $39 million and announced through a Business Wire release carried by Morningstar. • The transaction expands Community Financial’s trust and wealth-management footprint, with the acquired business focused on federal banking and trust services. • The deal adds scale to a regional U.S. bank at a time when lenders are still using M&A to deepen fee income and broaden their customer base.

Stew Peas focuses on obeah, an enduring African magic practice in Jamaica banned by colonisers in the 1700sA new movie from award-winning Jamaican film-maker Sosiessia Nixon shines a spotlight on Jamaica’s enduring west African-based magic and spiritual healing tradition known as obeah.Nixon’s tense, feature-length suspense, Stew Peas, tells of the story of Jamaican detective Tessa, who is obsessed with an old murder case. Continue reading...

Tribunal decision on Geoffrey Dalton comes as advocacy group releases data showing 30 greyhounds have died at or after Victorian races this yearGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA veteran greyhound trainer whose dog was found to have cocaine in its system at a race has avoided a temporary ban despite the industry regulator calling for one.The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (Vcat) on Thursday decided not to impose tougher penalties on Geoffrey Dalton, who was fined $300 after the dog tested positive for cocaine before a 2024 race. Continue reading...

• CERT-In has warned of AI-assisted adversaries amplifying lateral movement, exploitation, and data exfiltration across critical systems. • Organizations are advised to establish continuous security validation mechanisms to assess cybersecurity controls and incident response readiness against evolving AI-assisted threats. • The growing use of AI technologies and publicly accessible AI platforms is introducing new cybersecurity risks, including governance, privacy, operational, and supply-chain risks.

Employment minister Amanda Rishworth plans to move system from a ‘one size fits all’ employment services model to three streams of supportGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Albanese government has flagged a major overhaul of Australia’s employment system, with minister Amanda Rishworth on Wednesday expected to outline plans to ease Centrelink’s much-maligned mutual obligations regime.Rishworth is expected to tell the National Press Club that mutual obligation requirements were not helping Australians find work in a system that was “ill-equipped” and wasting the time of people who use welfare. Continue reading...

Alan Milburn, who is leading review commissioned by government, says current strategy ‘going in wrong direction’Labour has failed to tackle soaring youth unemployment and must launch a “system reset” involving a fresh attempt to overhaul health and disability benefits, a report commissioned by the government is to warn.Alan Milburn, who is leading a review into why almost a million young people are not in education or work, said ministers had so far responded with a series of disjointed jobs programmes. Continue reading...

Charter to be adopted along river’s entire catchment from Cambrian mountains to Chepstow and Bristol ChannelThe entire catchment of the River Wye has been formally recognised as a living ecosystem with intrinsic rights in a charter, a UK first that campaigners hope will help save the highly polluted river.The charter was celebrated at a community event at the Hay-on-Wye literary festival on Sunday. It includes the right to flow, to biodiversity, to be free from pollution, to be supported by a healthy catchment, to regenerate, and the right to be represented, described as a “significant step” towards protecting and restoring one of the UK’s most beloved rivers. Continue reading...

Global events and the climate crisis have left Britain’s food system dangerously exposed and in desperate need of an overhaulThe news that the Treasury was asking UK supermarkets to cap price rises on essential foods was greeted with predictable squeals of horror this week. Supermarkets were reportedly “furious”, while luminaries from the former head of the Institute for Fiscal Studies to the former chair of M&S could be found harrumphing about the evils of price controls.But this caterwauling is a distraction from two unpleasant facts. Firstly, the food price surge over the summer and beyond is likely to be significant – and will come on top of a near-40% rise in the price of food since 2020 – due to a devastating combination of the Iran war and a forecast record-breaking El Niño, which will hammer global food production. And secondly, Britain’s food system is painfully exposed to such shocks. The long-held assumption that a global food system can be relied on to meet the nation’s needs, at a reasonable price, no longer applies. Continue reading...

• Singapore’s Ministry of Digital Development and Information announced new AI collaborations with Google and OpenAI to accelerate real-world deployment and strengthen the country’s applied AI ecosystem. • The initiative includes a National AI partnership with Google and an “OpenAI for Singapore” memorandum of understanding, alongside work focused on embodied AI and manufacturing use cases. • The government said the effort is meant to bolster Singapore’s position as a regional hub for AI innovation and to support practical deployment in industry and public services.

Disruption of Long Island Rail Road continues into second day after workers went on strike as Monday rush hour loomsThe shutdown of the Long Island Rail Road, North America’s largest commuter rail system, continued into a second day on Sunday after unionized workers went on strike for the first time in three decades a day earlier.The railroad, which serves New York City and its eastern suburbs, ceased operations just after midnight Friday after five unions representing about half its workforce walked off the job. Continue reading...

Worker at the Long Island Rail Road, serving the eastern New York metropolitan area, walked off the job on SaturdayNorth America’s largest commuter rail system was shut down on Saturday after unionized workers in the New York City area went on strike .The Long Island Rail Road that serves the city’s eastern suburbs ceased operations on early Saturday morning after five unions representing about half its workforce walked off the job. Continue reading...

Celeste Calocane gives evidence for first time at inquiry into Valdo Calocane’s 2023 attacksThe mother of the man who killed three people in an attack in Nottingham in 2023 has told an inquiry that the mental health “system is broken” and until there is a crisis “no one listens to you”.Valdo Calocane, who has paranoid schizophrenia, was sentenced to a suspended hospital order in January 2024 after killing students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and Ian Coates, a 65-year-old caretaker, on 13 June 2023, and attempting to kill three others. Continue reading...

• RISC-V pioneer SiFive raised $400 million in an oversubscribed Series G funding round led by Atreides Management with backing from Nvidia, valuing the company at $3.65 billion. • The funding enables SiFive to expand into AI data centre CPUs through Nvidia's NVLink Fusion ecosystem, positioning the company to compete in high-performance AI infrastructure. • The investment reflects growing demand for specialized processors tailored to AI workloads and data centre operations beyond traditional CPU architectures.