Won

• Iran's president declared victory on Friday, claiming the world has approved the country's success following a conflict launched by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28. • Official Shahram stated that Iran increased weapons production and relocated key military assets and facilities to protect them during the hostilities. • The Iranian defense industry reportedly shifted from reverse-engineering foreign technology to developing its own domestic weapon systems.

• The United Indian Nations of Oklahoma will host a quarterly meeting for Tribal leaders and partners on August 27 in Tulsa. • The agenda focuses on critical issues including federal Indian health policy, Tribal sovereignty, and Native voter engagement for the upcoming November election. • Leaders will specifically address emerging threats to Tribal gaming posed by the rise of prediction markets.

• Asian currencies have strengthened following a decline in U.S. Treasury yields, which reduced pressure on regional exchange rates. • The South Korean won notably surged to its highest level in one year as part of this broader regional rally. • This shift matters as easing Treasury yields typically weaken the U.S. dollar, providing relief to emerging market currencies and altering investor risk appetite.

Foreign minister says Australia is ‘outraged’ after Israeli government decided not to pursue criminal proceedings over 2024 triple drone strike on humanitarian convoyFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s foreign minister has expressed “outrage” and will call in the Israel ambassador over the IDF decision overnight not to open a criminal investigation into Gaza strikes that killed Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom.In a statement released on Thursday, Penny Wong called the timing of the decision, on World Humanitarian Day, “ especially insulting”. Australia’s ambassador to Israel has been directed to convey the government’s views directly. Continue reading...

Foreign affairs minister says timing of decision was ‘especially insulting’. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe foreign minister, Penny Wong, says the government is “outraged” over the decision by the Israeli Defence Force not to pursue a criminal investigation into the strike on an aid convoy in 2024 that killed seven people including Australian Zomi FrankcomIn a statement issued this morning Wong says it falls “far short of the accountability we expect” and she will “call in Israel’s ambassador to Australia Hillel Newman and have directed Australia’s ambassador to Israel to convey our views directly to Israel as the Australian government considers next steps”.The Australian government learned of Israel’s decision late last night, moments before it was announced, on World Humanitarian Day - which is especially insulting to Zomi’s loved ones, humanitarians and all Australians.Zomi represented the best of Australia. Her courage deserves to be celebrated. Her family deserves justice.This was confirmed by Special Adviser Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin’s report.Democracies seek and accept higher standards. The Australian government will not stop pressing Israel for justice for Zomi and her colleagues. Continue reading...

The government says it’s stopping ‘the most toxic’ gambling company strategies. Former addicts say it will do ‘absolutely nothing’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJesse Murphy wasn’t sure what to wear when his VIP gambling manager texted him: “Looking forward to having a beer with you!”His frequent betting had just earned the then 25-year-old free tickets to a gambling company’s corporate box at the footy with free food and alcohol. His handler was waiting for him. He told Murphy to wear a shirt before joining for drinks. Continue reading...

• Rohiet Ghildyaal, Head of APAC at Eyeota, argues that the competitive edge in Asia's agency AI race depends on data integrity rather than just tool adoption. • While AI enables faster decision-making, Ghildyaal warns that agencies must ensure their data is trustworthy and accountable to maintain client confidence. • To avoid "black box" accountability, agencies are encouraged to utilize proprietary platforms, identity systems, and partner ecosystems to gain independent views beyond single media platforms.

• Five years after the chaotic US withdrawal, Afghanistan remains gripped by one of the world's most severe humanitarian and human rights emergencies. • The situation has worsened following the US president's decision in early 2025 to terminate nearly all USAID humanitarian and development contracts. • This policy shift resulted in the loss of more than $1.7 billion in planned assistance, further destabilizing the region's impoverished population.

The Reform UK leader will not be present at vote count in byelection he has tried to frame as the ‘people versus the establishment’Nigel Farage set for decisive but arguably empty victory in ClactonHello and welcome to this special UK politics live blog, where we will be bringing you the result from Nigel Farage’s latest vanity parade. Sorry, I mean the 2026 Clacton byelection.Thousands of residents in the Essex seat voted on Thursday in a ballot featuring Nigel Farage and a range of novelty and fringe candidates led by Count Binface, after all the main political parties (and Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain) decided against fielding candidates. Continue reading...

Foreign affairs minister and first Asian-Australian to serve in federal cabinet to use Lowy Institute address to criticise politicians stoking racial divisionsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLabor has escalated its pushback on One Nation’s surging political support, with the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, labelling Pauline Hanson’s push for a monoculture a “melancholic fantasy” that would harm national security.Wong, the first Asian-Australian to serve in federal cabinet, will use a major address at The Lowy Institute on Friday to criticise politicians stoking racial divisions, insisting the country’s multicultural success remains a national asset. Continue reading...

• Brokerages are lowering price targets for Samsung Electronics and SK hynix due to concerns that semiconductor earnings may peak earlier than expected. • SK hynix is seeing significant divergence in analyst valuations, with price targets ranging widely from 2.7 million to 4 million won. • In separate corporate moves, Thailand's Minor Group is acquiring the Korean-founded chicken franchise Bonchon, providing an exit for private equity firm VIG Partners.

When it comes to the Reserve Bank, there’s a whiff of a parent making a threat they have no intention of carrying outGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastEvery parent makes threats in an effort to get their kids to behave – and every parent hopes they won’t have to follow through.Some (most?) parents even make threats they have zero intention of carrying out. Continue reading...

Burnham has asked the justice secretary Alex Norris to come to parliament in September with solution Good morning. Andy Burnham has been prime minister for three weeks and one day, and arguably he is performing his first U-turn. It is in relation to the prisoner early release scheme and, in particular, finding a way of ensuring that two of the killers of PC Andrew Harper are not included.Burnham has been looking at this for some time. Early last week he announced significant changes to the early release scheme that he inherited and that was due to come into force from September. Around 1,000 fewer prisoners were going to be included. But two of the three Harper killers (Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers) were not affected by the change, and remained eligible. The main perpetrator (Henry Long), who was driving the car that dragged Harper to his death, was not covered by the scheme anyway because his manslaughter sentence was longer than theirs.The prime minister is determined to ensure that there is a solution to this, and I think he’s made that really clear. And he’s tasked the justice secretary to come to parliament in September with that solution. He’s looking at alternatives like the indefinite sentences, like women prisoners and speeding up foreign nationals being deported. So there is a lot of work that’s going on.The prime minister is really clear. He will not just accept that the system says no. He understands the anger and the trauma that PC Harper’s family are going through, and other victims who are seeing this prison crisis unfold. Continue reading...

• OpenAI has paused certain internal activities for its Astra AI model after testing suggested it may have crossed a critical cybersecurity threshold. • The model is under scrutiny because OpenAI cannot rule out "critical cyber capabilities," specifically the ability to identify and develop functional zero-day exploits in hardened, real-world systems without human help. • This development is significant as it marks a potential leap in AI autonomy regarding cyberattacks, triggering the company's Preparedness Framework to tighten security controls.

• A source close to the Saudi army stated on August 7 that the coalition will not "stand idly by" in response to ongoing Houthi attacks in Yemen. • The United States has imposed sanctions on an unlicensed multi-state cryptocurrency exchange for allegedly processing millions of dollars for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). • In Israel, reports indicate the government revoked entry permits for U.S. Jews who volunteered with Palestinians, while former official Horowitz criticized the Prime Minister's Office for eroding judicial checks and balances.

Alaska Republican is concerned that proposed fund to compensate January 6 rioters will proceed even though Blanche confirmed it was deadUS politics live – latest updatesLisa Murkowski, Alaska’s moderate Republican senator, announced early on Friday that she will not vote for Donald Trump’s nomination of Todd Blanche as US attorney general, leaving his elevation from “acting” to official confirmation in the post even narrower.Murkowski issued a statement expressing her concerns that the Trump administration could proceed with its proposed fund to compensate rioters who invaded the US Capitol on January 6 in a failed attempt to overturn Joe Biden’s defeat of Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Continue reading...

Lowe questioned on BBC about definition in report for hard-right party that both parents need to be born in UKRupert Lowe, the leader of Restore Britain, refused to say he believes King Charles can be classified as a “white Briton” in an extraordinary interview on the BBC’s Today programme.Questioning Lowe, MP for Great Yarmouth, over his claims that “white Britons will become a minority by 2063”, the presenter, Nick Robinson, noted that the forecast Lowe referred to defined a “white Briton” as someone whose parents were both born in the UK. Continue reading...

• The world's nine largest cloud providers are projected to increase capital spending by 90% to $886.7 billion (approximately 1,260 trillion won) in 2025. • Microsoft is exceeding spending expectations to maintain its AI lead, while competitors like Google and Meta show signs of hesitation. • This surge in investment is triggering increased scrutiny from the U.S. Congress and state attorneys general regarding AI security and regulatory oversight.

• Symantec is preparing to showcase advanced AI-powered security capabilities at Black Hat USA 2026. • Key featured technologies include Adaptive Protection to block "living off the land" (LOTL) attacks and Incident Prediction, which forecasts an attacker's next four to five moves. • These tools leverage Symantec's long history with artificial intelligence and natural language processing, dating back to the company's founding in 1982.

Exclusive: Warren Pickering told 2025 podcast mass deportations ‘not a reality’ in Australia and suggested politicians over 55 should ‘handball it to the next generation’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne Nation’s Victorian leader has previously said mass deportations in Australia are “not a reality” and “won’t happen”, in newly unearthed comments which raise further questions about Pauline Hanson’s signature policy to deport 75,000 people she says have overstayed visas.Warren Pickering, on Monday unveiled as the party’s leader for Victoria’s November state election, also previously conceded in niche podcast interviews that the party ran so-called “ghost candidates” who didn’t actively campaign in order to harvest more Senate votes. Continue reading...

• Symantec is preparing to showcase advanced AI-powered security capabilities at the Black Hat USA 2026 conference. • The company will highlight breakthroughs such as Adaptive Protection to block "living off the land" attacks and Incident Prediction to forecast an attacker's next five moves. • These tools aim to prevent lateral movement within networks and stop the misuse of legitimate software by malicious actors.

• Japan's Bank of Japan and South Korea's Bank of Korea have reportedly engaged in a rare joint market intervention to stabilize the yen and the won. • Analysts suggest that because the two currencies are tightly coupled, a coordinated effort could double the impact on the forex market compared to unilateral actions. • This move matters as both nations seek to combat excessive currency volatility and protect their respective economies from rapid depreciation.

Plan set to transform funding so English regions no longer rely on Whitehall handouts for projectsGood morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics. From 2028 English regional mayors, for the first time, will be handed a share of income tax receipts instead of central grants and be less beholden to the Treasury by being able to borrow to invest in big projects.Mayors will also be able to keep a share of business rates totalling tens of millions of pounds by April 2027, and gain greater control over services such as housing and transport, under plans that form part of the government’s devolution agenda.There is already a way that the business rates retention is distributed to correspond with central funding formula to correct for that.Because you wouldn’t want to have it that places like London and Manchester and Bristol were able to retain more of theirs while other areas that weren’t growing at the same rate, were falling behind.Yes, that’s right, and it will have more powers devolved, 16-19 funding, employment support budgets and the ability to tailor their own vocational routes. This will be an important part of developing their own local regional growth strategy as well. Continue reading...

• CBC/Radio-Canada is refusing to disclose the potential financial costs associated with Canada participating in the Eurovision Song Contest. • The broadcaster's lack of transparency comes amid public interest and speculation regarding the feasibility of joining the international competition. • This secrecy complicates the assessment of whether the public broadcaster can afford the entry fees and production expenses required for the event.

• BTS announced on Wednesday that they will not submit their latest album, ‘Arirang,’ for consideration at the 69th annual Grammy Awards. • The decision comes just one month after the Recording Academy introduced a new category specifically for Asian pop music. • The group's seven members shared the decision via a joint statement written in Korean and posted across their individual social media accounts.

• The South Korean Won (KRW) has extended its gains against the US Dollar for two consecutive days, approaching four-month highs. • The currency is on track for a 6.5% monthly rally, driven by strong macroeconomic data and expectations that the Bank of Korea will implement monetary tightening. • These positive factors have effectively offset a simultaneous sell-off in the KOSPI Index.

• Actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Alan Cumming, and Benedict Wong are urging the UK culture secretary to intervene and block the proposed merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. • The group warns that industry consolidation severely limits the breadth of creative work, citing a 50% drop in independent film acquisitions at Sundance between 2019 and 2025. • This trend is critical because it restricts commercial distribution for award-winning documentaries and independent films that may be deemed "inconvenient" by a few dominant buyers.

• The KOSPI closed 0.97% higher at 6,755.75, despite a significant selloff of nearly 2.9 trillion won by foreign investors. • Market gains were driven by Samsung Electronics (+1.80%) and SK hynix (+3.24%) following cooperation plans with Nvidia, Microsoft, and OpenAI announced at the San Francisco AI Summit. • The session remained volatile as the market debut of China's CXMT rattled semiconductor stocks, offsetting some of the positive momentum.