Tuesday

• Germany is facing a period of extreme weather on Tuesday, August 4th, with forecasts predicting continued high heat and thunderstorms. • Legal professionals, including RAV chair Angela Furmaniak, are urging politicians to immediately initiate ban proceedings against the AfD party, citing mechanisms within the Basic Law to mitigate political risks. • In a lighter news story, a supermarket alarm was accidentally triggered by a hedgehog that was mistaken for a burglar.

In today’s newsletter: A small chorus of right-leaning critics are trying to convince politicians that climate action is deeply unpopular, downplaying its seriousness in the processGood morning. Half of England and all of Wales are officially in drought, wildfires have burned through parts of the Cairngorms, Suffolk and the Isle of Wight, and reservoirs are running low. Farmers have warned that there could soon be food shortages, and the Royal Horticultural Society is considering moving its hydrangeas to cope with the heat. Many people are now asking a question rarely associated with British summertime: when will it rain?The Guardian has been covering how the climate crisis is supercharging wildfires in Europe, the impossible choices firefighters face about which places to save, the number of people who have died in England due to heat, and the air conditioning haves and have-nots. Had you been reading another newspaper, you may have come away with a very different impression of this extreme weather.UK news | Rapists, child sexual abusers and groomers will be excluded from early release plans to ease critical prison overcrowding in a major intervention by Andy Burnham.UK politics | Nigel Farage has made his clearest admission that he was in talks to return to lead Reform UK months before the 2024 general election, casting fresh doubt on previous claims that he was not involved in politics when he received a £5m gift.Spain | A growing chorus of voices has accused Morocco of helping to fuel the crisis in Ceuta, with the leader of the Spanish enclave describing last week’s border crossings as an attack on Spain’s territorial integrity that was seen as being “if not orchestrated, at least encouraged or permitted by Morocco”.Middle East | New talks between Washington and Tehran are the “last chance” for Iran to forge a deal and avoid an escalation of US strikes on the country, Donald Trump said on Monday.Environment | A plastic manufacturer in the north of England is facing potential legal action over emissions of benzene, a carcinogenic chemical with no safe level, the Guardian can reveal. Continue reading...

• Indian equities experienced a sharp rally, with the Sensex gaining 544 points and the Nifty surging 1.6%, adding nearly Rs 5 lakh crore in market value. • The surge was driven by easing crude oil prices following renewed US-Iran talks, alongside a stronger rupee and positive Q1 earnings reports. • Market optimism was further bolstered by significant Foreign Institutional Investor (FII) inflows, signaling strong international confidence in Indian assets.

• EU justice ministers from 22 member states met on Tuesday to address the sudden influx of migrants into the Spanish territory of Ceuta. • The meeting, which lasted one hour, was initiated by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and included leaders from nations such as Germany, Poland, and Italy. • The session served as a critical platform for member states to express collective solidarity with Spain during the ongoing migration crisis.

• EU ministers will meet this Tuesday to address the fallout from a migration crisis in Ceuta, where over 50,000 migrants entered the Spanish enclave from Morocco between Thursday and Friday. • In response to the surge, 22 national leaders called for enhanced border protection, with Italy, Denmark, and Finland specifically requesting the reimposition of internal borders. • Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez criticized the reactions of some European capitals, claiming their actions were driven by "prejudice, fake news, ignorance, or political interest."

• NVIDIA has partnered with Microsoft, IBM, Hugging Face, and Cloudflare to launch the Open Secure AI Alliance. • The alliance focuses on developing and sharing open-source AI tools, agent harnesses, and collaborative defense systems to enhance cybersecurity. • This initiative aims to improve AI trustworthiness and provide defenders with better tools following security incidents, such as the Hugging Face breach.

• South Korea is tallying votes for a presidential election following a coup, a result that will determine the nation's future political direction. • Japan's ruling LDP has begun informal leadership contests after Prime Minister Kishida announced his resignation. • Tensions are escalating in South Asia as Pakistan is expected to respond to a recent Indian missile strike, with retaliation feared.

• On July 28, Asian stock markets suffered a "Black Tuesday" crash, with South Korea's KOSPI plunging over 10% and triggering a circuit breaker. • Major semiconductor firms Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix saw shares tumble more than 12%, following a 2.23% drop in the U.S. Philadelphia Semiconductor Index. • Market anxiety was further intensified by the South Korean Financial Services Commission's plan to limit retail investor purchases of single-stock leveraged ETFs.

• South Korea's KOSPI stock market experienced a "Black Tuesday," crashing 11% as semiconductor giants led a massive sell-off. • Samsung Electronics shares plummeted 13.58%, while SK Hynix declined 7.47%, serving as the primary drivers for the broader market rout. • The volatility spilled over into other Asian markets, causing Japan's Nikkei 225 to drop 4.03% and China's Shanghai Composite Index to fall 1.50%.

• Stock futures indicate a mixed opening for major indexes on Tuesday as investors analyze a series of new earnings reports. • The Federal Reserve's policy committee begins its scheduled meeting today to discuss monetary policy and interest rate directions. • A formal decision on interest rates and a press conference with Fed Chair Kevin Warsh are expected tomorrow afternoon.

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived in Washington for a scheduled meeting with Donald Trump on Tuesday. • Reports indicate that Trump initially declined the meeting, only agreeing after Israel made specific concessions regarding the conflict in Gaza. • Simultaneously, the US embassy has extended a travel ban prohibiting American officials from conducting personal travel within the West Bank.

• Indian stock markets broke a five-session losing streak on Monday, with the Sensex climbing 776 points and the Nifty reclaiming the 23,996 level. • The recovery was driven by positive sentiment resulting from lower crude oil prices, upbeat corporate earnings, and easing tensions between Iran and the US. • Market analysts are now monitoring the 24,000 mark for the Nifty, suggesting a potential climb toward 24,250–24,300 if this support level is sustained.

• A Tuesday executive news summary reports on several disparate events, including an anti-ICE protester injuring a migrant and a fatality occurring at the home of Rep. Ayanna Pressley's husband. • The summary highlights political friction involving Talarico and Black voters, as well as a Treasury Department action to halt $100 million in payments to deceased individuals. • These reports reflect a range of social and governmental conflicts, from civil unrest and political clashes to fiscal mismanagement within federal agencies.

In today’s newsletter: As the new prime minister enters No 10, our journalists take you through what it was like covering his first hours in powerGood morning, and let’s abandon all conditional tenses because finally Andy Burnham is UK prime minister and, on a day of ceremony and celebration, he pledged his government would be “a circuit breaker for Britain”.A defining characteristic of Team Burnham thus far has been the concentrated silence at its heart – a vacuum filled by increasingly frenzied speculation in recent days about his cabinet picks and policy priorities. As the black box finally cracked open on Monday, with his first instruction as prime minister – to end rough sleeping – and his surprise choice of chancellor, I was at the Guardian’s head office in London, speaking to editors and correspondents covering the early hours of Burnham’s premiership about what they might reveal for the country.UK news | A 28-year-old man from Rotherham has been charged with the murder of the former MP and Reform UK party spokesperson Ann Widdecombe.Technology | Cases of predators coercing children into harming themselves or producing sexual photos and videos of themselves have surged globally in the past year, child safety experts and law enforcement officials warn.Iran | Nearly 100 US service members have been injured over the last two weeks of escalating strikes on Iran, the Pentagon has said, as Tehran launched a wave of reprisals to the tenth consecutive night of attacks.Ryanair | The airline has reassured travellers that its planes are safe after a passenger was almost sucked out of a window mid-flight this month, and have reported strong summer bookings after a profits slump.UK politics | Reform UK MP, Sarah Pochin, has complained that the standards system investigating Nigel Farage over undeclared gifts is a “kangaroo court” and that “the media, the British state and the old parties have mounted a vicious and desperate campaign to stop Reform UK”. Continue reading...

• Indian stock markets closed lower due to negative sentiment driven by rising crude oil prices and escalating tensions between Iran and the US. • Market analysts are closely monitoring geopolitical risks, inflation data, and upcoming central bank actions to determine future trends. • Despite the volatility, resilient Q1 corporate earnings are providing support for selective investment opportunities across the market.

• Rikard Jozwiak's "Wider Europe Briefing" highlights the EU's "Super Tuesday" regarding enlargement and the status of Ukrainian civil detainees held by Russia. • A coalition of nations, including Belgium, Bulgaria, and Sweden, criticized the European Commission for allegedly "sugarcoating" Serbia's progress on necessary reforms. • These countries pointed to the Commission's own rule-of-law report from one month prior, which heavily criticized Belgrade on multiple issues.

• OpenAI has launched an all-in-one superapp, while Meta has introduced the ultra-cheap Muse Spark 1.1, signaling a shift toward product convergence and aggressive market pricing. • Host Alex Kantrowitz and guest Ranjan Roy discuss how these releases impact tech competition and raise ethical concerns, specifically regarding academic cheating. • Expert Abhishek Bhardwaj provides an analytical breakdown of agent sandboxes and their role in enabling sophisticated AI workloads to operate at scale.

• President Trump signed an executive order on Monday, July 13, 2026, reducing the size of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah by over 90%. • The affected areas span more than 3.2 million acres of land in southern Utah, much of which is considered sacred by Native American communities. • Critics argue that the drastic reduction opens thousands of acres of previously protected land to the oil and gas industry and commercial developers.

In today’s newsletter: A new law criminalising public bodies and officials that lie to the British public is expected to complete it final stages in the Commons. Why did it take so long?Good morning. We think we know this story, the one about the 97 who went to watch a football match on a sunny afternoon. Perhaps you remember, as I do, watching footage of the lethal crush at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough stadium, on the evening news in your childhood living room. Or maybe you read later how South Yorkshire police presented a series of false narratives that blamed Liverpool football club supporters, rather than take responsibility for their own catastrophic mismanagement of the FA Cup semi-final.Today, after a decade of campaigning, a new law criminalising public bodies and officials that lie to the British public, and supporting people fighting these authorities for the truth, is expected to complete it final stages in the Commons, pushed through by Keir Starmer as one of his final acts as prime minister.UK news | British counter-terrorism police are now leading the investigation into the death of Ann Widdecombe in a shock development that has renewed the debate over the security of politicians. A 28-year-old man from Rotherham is being held in custody on suspicion of her murder.Middle East | The US has launched its third consecutive night of strikes on Iran hours after Donald Trump said Washington would reinstate a maritime blockade on the country and, in an apparently policy reversal, charge ships for safe passage.UK politics | Andy Burnham is to become Britain’s next prime minister after winning the backing of 349 Labour MPs, including all eligible members of Keir Starmer’s current cabinet, making it impossible for any rival to secure enough nominations to challenge him.Environment | Most of the UK media stories about the record-breaking heatwave that struck in June failed to mention the climate crisis, analysis has found. Even fewer pieces drew a link between the heatwave and government policies designed to tackle the climate crisis.US news | The US government has already paid back tens of billions of dollars in tariffs it collected before the supreme court ruled them illegal, according to budget figures released on Monday. Continue reading...

• The Indian stock market showed a strong intraday recovery, with the Sensex and Nifty 50 ending with modest gains. • Market sentiment was bolstered by attractive valuations and encouraging business updates from the IT sector, according to Vinod Nair of Geojit Investments. • This recovery is significant as investors navigate the Q1 earnings season and assess the overall stability of the IT sector.

• Major US stock indexes declined on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, as a downturn in AI-related stocks dragged down overall market performance. • The S&P 500 fell 0.4% for the day, despite the fact that the majority of individual stocks within the index actually saw gains. • This volatility highlights the disproportionate influence of a few high-profile AI companies on broader market trends and investor sentiment.

In today’s newsletter: Former Reasons to Be Cheerful guests on the challenges facing the presumptive next occupant of No 11 Downing StreetGood morning. Does anybody else remember Reasons to Be Cheerful? The podcast was hosted by radio presenter Geoff Lloyd and Ed Miliband, during what has been unkindly described as his wilderness years, after he stepped down as Labour leader in 2015.I flipping loved that podcast. It started in 2017, soon after my son was born, and I have fond memories of driving across the country with a pooping infant, listening to Ed and Geoff discuss ideas to fix the world. It gave me hope my kid might grow up into a half-decent future.UK politics | Nigel Farage has been accompanied by his friend George Cottrell, a convicted fraudster, to numerous Reform events and fundraisers and on a trip to Abu Dhabi, raising questions about the claim that he has no official role in the party.World Cup | Donald Trump said he personally asked Fifa president Gianni Infantino to review the red card shown to USA striker Folarin Balogun, saying he believed the dismissal was unfair but insisting he did not pressure football’s governing body to overturn the suspension.UK news | One of the UK’s most horrific and shocking child custody scandals was collectively ignored for decades because the victims were working-class boys from the north of England, a government minister has said.Immigration | A Jamaican man who has lived more than half his life in the UK is facing deportation to his home country in one of the first cases since new anti-immigration measures were announced in last week’s immigration bill.Israel | A British charity is funding a religious school at the heart of expansion plans for the illegal Israeli settlement in the Palestinian city of Hebron. Continue reading...

• Indian stock markets extended their winning streak for a fourth consecutive session, with the Sensex jumping 521 points and the Nifty closing above 24,430. • Market sentiment was bolstered by improved monsoon prospects, stable crude oil prices, and a return of Foreign Institutional Investor (FII) buying. • Investors are closely monitoring corporate earnings optimism and the strategic acquisition trends of industry giants like Reliance and L&T.

• Major market indexes experienced a rally on Tuesday, June 25, driven primarily by a surge in semiconductor and chip stocks. • The rally reflects a continued investor focus on AI-related infrastructure spending, though some analysts suggest the buying may be partly "cosmetic" for end-of-month window dressing. • This trend is significant as it highlights the market's heavy reliance on AI growth to sustain current high valuations.

• China's quarterly economic data revealed a stark contrast, with factory growth driven solely by the chip sector while retail and property markets remained weak. • Japan is facing a critical fiscal challenge as a bold new spending plan clashes with a national debt level that is currently the highest among developed nations. • The Philippines has reached a critical stated limit regarding its oil supply, highlighting regional energy vulnerabilities.

• Stock futures remain steady on Tuesday as investors aim to conclude the second quarter of the year with strong gains. • Markets are rebounding from a previous slump caused by the Iran war, though concerns regarding an AI bubble and potential Federal Reserve rate hikes persist. • Current growth is being driven by solid corporate earnings, a resilient U.S. economy, and significant investments in artificial intelligence.

• The FIFA World Cup 2026 continues on Tuesday, June 30, with a series of Round of 32 knockout matches. • Tournament favorites France face Sweden for the first time in the finals, while co-hosts Mexico and a Norway team returning to the knockouts since 1998 also feature. • Key storylines include Kylian Mbappé's pursuit of the Golden Boot and Côte d’Ivoire's struggle after exiting the group stage for the first time in history.

• The Swedish government has launched a formal inquiry aimed at improving due process and legal protections within social services cases. • Defense contractor Saab has signed a contract with Poland to supply three A26 Blekinge-class submarines, a deal expected to trigger a significant hiring surge for engineers in southern Sweden. • These developments highlight a dual focus on domestic legal reform and the expansion of Sweden's international defense exports.