Urge

• Indian environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk has lost 9.1kg after conducting a hunger strike for 19 days. • A recipient of the 2018 Ramon Magsaysay Award, Wangchuk is a prominent public figure in Ladakh advocating for regional environmental and political concerns. • The strike has left the activist visibly weakened, leading to urgent calls from supporters and observers for him to end the fast for his health.

• Indian benchmark indexes opened higher on July 16, 2026, with the Sensex surging 260 points and the Nifty rising 80 points. • The gains follow a positive trend from Wall Street, as investors prioritize strong corporate earnings over escalating geopolitical tensions between Iran and the US. • Market sentiment remained mixed across Asia, with Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rising 1.40% while Japan's Nikkei 225 plummeted 2.84%.

• Asian equities experienced a severe sell-off, highlighted by South Korea's KOSPI index plummeting as much as 7% intraday and triggering circuit breaker concerns. • Memory-related stocks were the hardest hit, though ChipMOS surged nearly 8% as investors sought a safe haven amidst the volatility. • Despite bullish AI-driven outlooks from Barclays and Nanya Technology President Lee Pei-Ing, analysts warn that low trading volume makes a V-shaped recovery unlikely for the Taiwan market.

• SK Automation secured a significant order valued at RMB 4.5 billion from battery giant CATL, while Lingyun Guang reported a nearly six-fold increase in net profit driven by AI investments. • Xingye Silver & Tin, via its subsidiary Xingye Gold (Hong Kong), acquired a 20% stake in Australian-listed Tartana Minerals Limited (TAT) for approximately A$5.1827 million. • These developments, announced after the market close on July 16, highlight a surge in strategic industrial growth and overseas mineral resource expansion for companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges.

Liz Oyer tells of how she refused to ‘rubber-stamp a political favor’ in gun rights case involving Trump ally Mel GibsonFormer pardon attorney Liz Oyer condemned Todd Blanche, Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, over his Wednesday testimony to the Senate judiciary committee. Blanche fired Oyer after she refused to recommend restoring firearms rights to the actor and Trump ally Mel Gibson, who was previously convicted of domestic violence.“I declined to rubber-stamp a political favor for a friend of the president, and it cost me my job,” the former US pardon attorney told the committee on the second day of Blanche’s confirmation hearing. Continue reading...

• The WHO Europe chief warned that while AI solutions are rapidly being deployed across European hospitals, the region is lagging in necessary regulatory oversight. • Only a small number of European countries have established governance frameworks to manage these technologies, creating significant safety risks for patients. • This gap in regulation matters because the uncontrolled surge of AI in healthcare could lead to clinical errors or data privacy breaches without standardized safeguards.

• Luminate's 2026 Midyear Report indicates a significant surge in the popularity of Latin and country music within the U.S. streaming market. • Top-performing albums include Morgan Wallen’s “I’m the Problem” with 2.035 million units, Ella Langley’s “Dandelion” with 1.638 million, and Bad Bunny’s “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” with 1.543 million. • This growth highlights a shift in listener preferences as overall music streaming reaches record highs across the country.

• On July 15, the KOSPI surged 6.24%, triggering a buy-side circuit breaker and a temporary program trading halt due to the rapid market climb. • The rally was led by semiconductor stocks, with SK Hynix jumping nearly 9%, while Samsung Electronics and Kioxia both rose by approximately 6%. • This surge was driven by lower-than-expected U.S. June CPI data, which reduced investor concerns regarding potential Federal Reserve rate hikes.

• Venture funding for fintech startups increased by nearly 23% year-over-year during the first half of 2026, according to data from Crunchbase. • Despite the rise in total funding, the overall deal count dropped by more than 25%, indicating that investors are writing fewer but significantly larger checks. • Investment is becoming more concentrated, with a strategic focus on financial infrastructure, wealth management, and enterprise automation.

Comedian backs LGBTQ+ theatre in ‘David v Goliath’ fight. Follow today’s news live Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.Comedian Josh Thomas has weighed in on the Divine Playhouse saga, a queer-friendly theatre pop-up in Sydney that has been kicked out by its landlord. Continue reading...

• Luminate’s 2026 Midyear Report highlights a significant surge in music streaming trends across the U.S., specifically noting the dominance of Latin music. • Latin music reached nearly 180.3 billion streams in the first half of 2026, far exceeding other major genres such as rock (137.2 billion) and pop (87.8 billion). • This growth underscores an unprecedented shift in listener preferences and the expanding cultural influence of Latin artists within the American market.

Exclusive: allowing firms to dodge biodiversity protections by paying into levy will harm nature and economy, say 100 experts in letterThe UK government has been accused of “rushing through” planning changes that could give developers permission to “trash” nature for as little as £1.A letter signed by more than 100 conservationists, scientists, celebrities and businesses, including the actor and writer Stephen Fry and the broadcaster Chris Packham, has urged the incoming prime minister, Andy Burnham, to immediately halt the rollout of environmental delivery plans (EDPs). Continue reading...

• Asian stock markets declined on Tuesday due to escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, which pushed oil prices toward one-month highs. • The surge in energy costs has sparked fresh inflation concerns and reduced investor expectations for lower global interest rates. • Market participants are maintaining a cautious stance as they await the release of critical U.S. consumer inflation data.

Ex-minister who helped write draft calls for bolder action on voting reform, crypto donations and social mediaThe government was “timid” and “incremental” when deciding what to include in its elections bill, a former minister who helped write it has said, as she urged the incoming prime minister, Andy Burnham, to go further.Rushanara Ali, who resigned as democracy minister last August, said the draft legislation still contained big gaps when it came to voting reform, cryptocurrency donations and social media regulation. Continue reading...

• Hungarian MPs have voted for a constitutional amendment that allows them to remove the president from office, targeting an ally of former leader Viktor Orban. • The new rules introduce a 12-year or three-term limit for legislators, a move designed to block several prominent opposition figures from seeking re-election. • In an immediate reaction to the change, Fidesz legislator Gergely Gulyas resigned as party leader in parliament because he would be ineligible to run in 2030.

• Major financial institutions saw stock surges after exceeding their Q2 earnings forecasts, while June inflation data showed a cooling trend. • In contrast, IBM shares stumbled following a reduction in the company's future outlook. • Oil prices climbed higher, driven by escalating geopolitical concerns in the Middle East.

• Hansung Enterprise and Monami, categorized as patriotic-theme stocks, experienced a significant surge in share prices despite a general slide in the KOSPI index. • The Korea Exchange issued trading warnings for both companies after their stocks spiked, following a period where they had previously faced delisting risks. • This volatility highlights a speculative trend where specific thematic stocks decouple from broader market downturns, potentially misleading investors.

Government to launch campaign to help people cope with events such as weather emergencies or cyber-attacksThe British public should begin taking “small but important steps” to secure and protect water, power supplies and basic phone signal in case of further severe weather emergencies, national crises or cyber-attacks, Downing Street has said.Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, told MPs “the risks we face from climate change cannot be underestimated”, and warned of the “significant and prolonged disruption to essential services” extreme weather events could cause. Continue reading...

• Money market bets suggest the Bank of England will be forced to raise interest rates by September to combat an energy shock triggered by the war in Iran. • Market volatility is evident as the yield on 10-year gilts surged from 4.87% to 4.97% on Monday, reflecting increased borrowing costs for the UK Treasury. • This trend is part of a broader European sell-off in government bonds, with rising yields also reported in Italy, Portugal, and the Netherlands.

• South Korea's theater market ticket sales have surged by 105%, reaching a record $50 million according to the latest KOPIS data. • The boom was primarily driven by high-demand global productions, specifically the Japanese touring production of Spirited Away and the British stage adaptation of Life of Pi. • This growth signifies a shift in the live entertainment ecosystem, proving that audiences are willing to pay premium prices for well-known international brands.

Former minister says decision suggests ‘intolerance of criticism’ but source says it was for problems with conductThe Conservatives have denied they are purging prominent centrists after Gavin Barwell lost the whip in the wake of warnings from Kemi Badenoch that supporters of policies such as targets for net zero were no longer welcome in the party.Lord Barwell, who was an MP and minister before becoming Theresa May’s chief of staff, said he was saddened at the decision and that Badenoch risked putting off large numbers of potential voters because of her stance. Continue reading...

• Singapore's GDP grew by 5.7% in the second quarter, driven primarily by a surge in manufacturing fueled by AI-related demand. • While goods-producing industries accelerated, the services sector saw a slowdown, edging up only 0.3% sequentially compared to 2% in Q1. • Sector performance was mixed, with real estate expanding due to steady developer activities while the food and beverage services sector contracted.

Rebecca Slaughter, who was fired by Trump from the FTC in 2025, worries agencies will be undermined by threat of removal if a decision is contrary to president’s favorFederal officials fired by the Trump administration are calling the recent supreme court decision a “dagger in the heart” of the civil service that will open independent federal government agencies to corruption and manipulation at the whim of the president.Since Donald Trump took office again in January 2025, he has fired more than 50 officials from federal agencies as the Trump administration openly sought to have the supreme court overturn a landmark 1935 ruling that limited the president’s power over independent agencies, known as Humphrey’s Executor. Continue reading...

• European companies are projected to achieve their strongest profit growth in three years during the second-quarter reporting season. • The surge is primarily driven by expected blowout results from oil majors, banking institutions, and companies benefiting from the artificial intelligence boom. • This trend signals a significant recovery in corporate earnings across the region, highlighting the resilience of key industrial and financial sectors.

• Asian stock markets extended their losses, with Singapore's Straits Times Index dropping 1% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slipping 0.5%. • The decline is driven by a surge in oil prices, which has intensified investor concerns regarding global inflation. • Market participants are now awaiting the release of U.S. consumer price index (CPI) data on Tuesday to gauge the Federal Reserve's future interest rate policy.

• Oil prices surged 2% to a four-week high following the United States' decision to reinstate a naval blockade on Iran. • The price spike is driven by escalating military tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime chokepoint for global energy shipments. • This development raises significant international concerns regarding the stability and security of global oil supplies.

Lobby appeals to prospective PM’s reindustrialisation agenda as it pushes for Rosebank and Jackdaw approvalThe UK’s North Sea oil industry has made a last-ditch attempt to curry favour with the Labour government by appealing to Andy Burnham’s reindustrialisation agenda just days before he is expected to become Britain’s next prime minister.Industry lobbyists have written to more than 400 Labour MPs to call on the government’s new leaders to allow more oil and gas drilling in UK waters to support homegrown energy and show “a commitment to UK manufacturing, industrial capability and the skilled workforce that has powered the nation for generations”. Continue reading...

• Apple stock has surged to new 52-week highs, with share prices reaching near $320. • The rally is primarily driven by the company's strategic focus on custom AI chip deals and significant growth in its services sector. • This historic valuation reflects strong investor confidence in Apple's ability to integrate artificial intelligence into its ecosystem to drive future revenue.