Worth

• Arcee AI reached a $1 billion valuation after spending $20 million to train four specialized artificial intelligence models. • The company is focusing its strategic efforts on competing with AI developments in China rather than targeting OpenAI. • Rome-based cybersecurity firm Exein raised $270 million in a funding round led by Headline with participation from Goldman Sachs and Sofina.

• The 2026 BMW PGA Championship will take place at the Wentworth Club in Surrey, featuring a comprehensive visitor guide for tourism and travel logistics. • Attendees can use official tournament mobile applications to access live scoring tables, player tracking, interactive site maps, and food vendor queue status. • Mobility-impaired visitors have access to mapped pathways and dedicated viewing platforms located next to major greens.

Australia is being exploited by an ally that could draw it, however unwillingly, into war with China, experts warnGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcast“Physical security matters,” said Kevin Rudd, at his axiomatic best before the National Press Club this week.“Our first responsibility is to secure our people’s future in this most contested region of the world.” Continue reading...

Exclusive: Analysis shows cost of chicken fillets, potatoes and donuts rose during supermarket giant’s three-month promotionGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWoolworths raised prices for popular items – including a 33% mark up on chicken fillets – within days of promising to freeze prices on 300 “family staples” for three months to help customers with the cost of living.Pricing data, compiled by comparison website CW Scanner and provided to Guardian Australia, shows the supermarket chain increasing the prices of at least four key products after starting the three-month “Price Freeze” promotion on 1 May. Continue reading...

School staff tell focus groups they believe school system in England and Wales cannot deal with attendance crisisTeachers have so little belief in the importance of pupils’ full school attendance that they would take their own children on term time holidays if they could, staff have told a three-year research programme.Frontline staff do not believe the school system is set up to deal with an ongoing attendance crisis in England and Wales, where nearly one in five children are now missing at least 10% of school, according to a report based on in-depth conversations with teachers. Continue reading...

Police say two lorries were driven into industrial estate in Runcorn and attached to trailers holding about 800 barrelsThe famous tagline “Guinness is good for you” applies only when the drink is bought and paid for, police have said, after thieves made off with more than 70,000 pints worth.Officers believe two lorries were driven into a depot in Runcorn on Monday, each attached to a waiting trailer holding a combined total of about 800 barrels before being driven away. Continue reading...

Police say the sheep were stolen from a property 830km west of Brisbane between February and MayGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQueensland police are investigating after about 5,500 Dorper sheep worth more than $1.7m were allegedly stolen from a western Queensland farm.Police said the sheep were stolen from a property outside Blackall, about 830km west of Brisbane, between February and May this year. Continue reading...

Exclusive: financial disclosures from Emil Michael – who also reaped millions from xAI stock earlier this year – show he sold his Perplexity stock for up to $25mThe top Pentagon official overseeing military artificial intelligence policy, who reaped profits earlier this year of up to $24m selling his private investment in Elon Musk’s AI company, has now sold his holdings in another AI company for between $5m and $25m, according to records seen by the Guardian. (Federal financial records show ranges of dollar values rather than specific figures.)Earlier this year, the Guardian disclosed that the official, Emil Michael, had profited handsomely from his investment in Musk’s xAI in January, with a gain of between 400% and 4,800%. Continue reading...

Exclusive: FCA pressures firms to do more to sort 760,000 accounts as watchdog urges families to use free tracking serviceChild trust fund providers are being put under the spotlight to check they are treating savers fairly and doing all they can to reunite young people with lost accounts.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said about 760,000 accounts worth an average of £2,000 were yet to be claimed – more than £1.5bn in total – as it launched a review of the market. Continue reading...

About 400,000 juvenile Sydney rock oysters were taken from an oyster farm on state’s mid-north coast earlier this year, police sayGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPolice are on the hunt for a seafood swindler after 400,000 oysters were allegedly stolen from a farm at a river on the New South Wales mid-north coast.About 320 bags of juvenile oysters, worth an estimated $350,000, were taken from an oyster farm in Scotts Creek, Oxley Island, earlier this year, according to NSW police. Continue reading...

• Busta Rhymes has accumulated an estimated net worth of $20 million through touring income, catalog royalties, and licensing agreements. • His financial history includes significant tax troubles that threatened his fortune, though he continues to generate revenue from streaming and his 2020 album, Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God. • Despite receiving 11 Grammy Award nominations throughout his career, the artist has yet to win a Grammy.

• European tech funding saw significant activity last week, with over 45 deals totaling more than €684 million and more than five exits or M&A transactions. • Key acquisitions included digital health startup Aepsy purchasing Kinastic in Switzerland, and German unicorn Dash0 acquiring Berlin-based Polar Signals. • In the seed stage, Berlin-based cybersecurity startup Kazimi raised €2.2 million in an oversubscribed pre-seed round to combat bot activity in mobile marketing.

Coles full-year results show that despite gaining market share over past 12 months, sales fell over four weeks of ‘competitor’s collectables campaign’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWoolworths’ latest Disney “Ooshie” collectables have not only captivated Australian children, they have led to a short-term slump in competitor Coles’ sales.The latest rubber figurine promotion was scheduled to end on Tuesday, but strong customer interest meant Woolworths prematurely ran out of Ooshies a week ago. Continue reading...

• Madonna has secured the lead for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards nominations, continuing a streak of nominations spanning every decade of her career. • To celebrate her 68th birthday on August 16, 2026, an interactive installation titled “C’mon Meet Me On The Dancefloor” was launched at Outernet London. • The event blends music, visual storytelling, and fan participation, highlighting Madonna's enduring influence as a pioneer and former Video Vanguard Award recipient.

• The report analyzes the diverse approaches U.S. states take toward election policies and administration, noting significant variations in how systems are managed. • Key examples of this divergence include North Dakota, which operates without a voter registration requirement, distinguishing it from other state models. • This complexity is framed as a strength, as it allows states to act as laboratories for policy, fostering the development of national best practices.

Kobe, 18, who made discovery on site of former brewery in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, at first thought trove was €1 coinsFor a student with a summer job working on a Belgian building site, “money down the drain” has taken on a whole new meaning: excavating the trenches for a sewage system, he stumbled across a hidden trove of gold worth an estimated €9m (£8m).“We suddenly saw something lying there,” 18-year-old Kobe told the Belgian news network VTM. “At first I thought it was €1 coins. So we started digging them up. Then we saw a gold bar. It turned out to be a bit more than we thought.” Continue reading...

• The pan-European STOXX Europe 600 Index recently rose by 1.70%, driven by resilient corporate earnings and an improved appetite for risk among investors. • This growth occurs despite persistent geopolitical uncertainties, creating a climate of cautious optimism across European equity markets. • The current market environment presents a strategic opportunity for investors to identify value stocks that are currently trading below their estimated intrinsic worth.

• FinancialContent highlights three S&P 500 stocks poised for growth, focusing on industry leaders that consistently outperform the broader market. • ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) is featured as a key pick, leveraging its operations in the Prudhoe Bay field and global production of crude oil and natural gas. • The company demonstrates strong financial momentum with 8% annual revenue growth over the last decade and a massive revenue base of $60.5 billion.

• India approved only one Chinese Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) proposal worth ₹1 crore and 13 proposals from Hong Kong totaling ₹610.42 crore during the last financial year. • These investments require prior government clearance under Press Note 3 of the DPIIT, a regulation implemented in April 2020 for countries sharing a land border with India. • The restrictive policy was established to prevent opportunistic takeovers and acquisitions of Indian firms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• India approved only one Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) proposal worth Rs 1 crore and 13 applications from Hong Kong totaling Rs 610.42 crore during the last financial year. • These approvals are subject to strict government scrutiny under Press Note 3 of the DPIIT, which requires prior clearance for investments from countries sharing a land border with India. • The restrictive policy was implemented in April 2020 to prevent opportunistic takeovers and acquisitions of Indian companies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• India approved only one Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) proposal from China worth Rs 1 crore during the last financial year. • In contrast, the government cleared 13 FDI applications from Hong Kong totaling Rs 610.42 crore. • These figures highlight the strict regulatory environment for investments from countries sharing a land border with India, which require prior government approval.

Transport for London claims polluting diesel vehicles had been able to enter clean air zone without having to payTransport for London is pursuing a potential £1bn legal action against car manufacturers over vehicles that it argues should not have been allowed to drive freely in the capital’s clean-air zone.The high court heard that TfL was making allegations of “fraud and negligence” against manufacturers including Stellantis, Jaguar Land Rover, BMW and Nissan over their vehicles’ levels of diesel emissions. Continue reading...

• A proposed White House rule under the "America First" administration seeks to grant political appointees unprecedented control over the distribution of scientific funding. • This shift would replace the current merit-based peer-review system, where subject-matter experts—such as physicists and oncologists—vet proposals to ensure scientific rigor. • Experts warn that such political interference could stifle major breakthroughs, citing the discovery of the Higgs boson as a prime example of a project that required steady, non-political funding.

• Lam Research is scheduled to report its Q4 earnings on July 29, with analysts highlighting unique strengths compared to its semiconductor equipment rivals. • The company has maintained growth despite export controls, reporting a 23.76% year-over-year revenue increase, with Korea and Taiwan each contributing $1.34 billion. • China currently accounts for 34% of total revenue, and prediction markets suggest a 71% probability that this concentration will remain below that level in Q4.

Family and friends of residents eligible for dining and hotel packages as city spurned by visitorsMiddle East crisis – live updatesDubai is offering to pay family and friends of residents to visit in an effort to revive tourist numbers that have plummeted since the city was drawn into the US-Israel war on Iran.The Dubai Invite scheme, an initiative of the department of economy and tourism, allows residents of the United Arab Emirates to nominate friends and relatives to receive benefits worth more than 3,000 UAE dirham (about £610) for their visit. Continue reading...

• South Korea's nonfinancial corporate net worth has plummeted to a record low despite a recent surge in the KOSPI stock index. • The decline is driven by a paradoxical effect where the rising KOSPI has swelled firms' equity liabilities, offsetting the gains from the stock boom. • This trend highlights a critical vulnerability in corporate balance sheets, as increased market valuations are being countered by rising liabilities.

• The US Central Command conducted airstrikes for the ninth consecutive night, targeting Iranian missile sites, air defense systems, and military command centers. • Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei dismissed the interim ceasefire deal signed by Donald Trump as "worthless and invalid," while Iranian negotiators announced the suspension of their commitments. • The conflict escalates as Tehran rejects the current terms, signaling a breakdown in the immediate truce and increasing regional instability.

• More than 60 European tech funding deals totaling over €2.7 billion were tracked last week, alongside more than 10 exits and M&A transactions. • Notable investments include Denmark's Visibuilt raising €3.3M for fungi-based road construction and the UK's Juno Bio securing $3.8M for a women's health sequencing lab. • Other key deals featured Belgium's Sightera Biosciences closing a €3M pre-seed round for AI drug discovery and Spain's Sensesbit raising €1M for international expansion.