Project

• ProjectDiscovery, een leider in kwetsbaarheidsdetectie en autonome beveiligingstests, is op 12 mei 2026 door Notable Capital opgenomen in de Rising in Cyber 2026-lijst. • Het bedrijf voegt zich bij 30 startups die volgens gegevens van PitchBook collectief meer dan 6,9 miljard dollar hebben opgehaald, met een focus op het definiëren van cybersecurity-oplossingen van de volgende generatie. • De opname onderstreept de rol van ProjectDiscovery bij het bevorderen van geautomatiseerde threat detection te midden van een snelle sectorale groei naar 250 miljard dollar tegen 2029.

De stap van de grootste donor van het milieuprogramma zorgt voor verdere onzekerheid voor de reeds moeizame onderhandelingen. De grootste donor van het United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) heeft de financiering aan het orgaan stopgezet voorafgaand aan de herziene begroting op 12 mei, wat zorg heeft gewekt bij lidstaten en ngo's. De nieuwstocht zou van groot belang kunnen zijn voor de reeds problematische onderhandelingen over het plasticverdrag onder toezicht van Unep. Sinds 2022 worstelen landen met een overeenkomst over hoe om te gaan met de hoeveelheid plastic die wordt geproduceerd en gebruikt, een onderwerp dat algemeen wordt erkend als een van de ernstigste milieuproblemen van deze tijd, maar ondanks zes gespreksrondes is er nog geen overeenstemming in zicht. Lees verder...

• CVB Financial (NasdaqGS:CVBF) finalized its acquisition of Heritage Commerce Corp on May 10, 2026, forming a combined mid-sized bank with pro forma assets of US$21.5 billion. • The merged entity released pro forma financials projecting 2025 net earnings of US$241 million, or US$1.36 per share, offering investors visibility into future performance. • This deal transforms CVB from a smaller regional player into a more substantial competitor, potentially enhancing its market position and dividend capacity in the banking sector.

• China is aggressively scaling its AI-driven cyber defense market as US developers Anthropic and OpenAI unveil new models with enhanced cybersecurity capabilities, intensifying competition in AI security innovation. • IDC projects China's AI cybersecurity industry will reach 59.35 billion yuan ($8.7 billion) by 2030, representing a more than 37-fold increase from 1.58 billion yuan ($230 million) in 2025. • Anthropic's Mythos model, launched in April, sparked rapid global response due to its unprecedented speed and efficiency in discovering and exploiting cybersecurity vulnerabilities, prompting competitive responses from Chinese developers.

President indicated that deal had materialised, but truth was that Saudi Arabia had stopped US use of its basesWhen Donald Trump abruptly pulled the plug on “Project Freedom”, the scheme to open the strait of Hormuz, barely a day after it had been announced, he gave the impression that an opportunity for a peace deal had materialised that could not be missed.To the surprise of nobody who has been following the US’s recent adventures in geopolitics, Trump’s spin concealed a lot of the underlying reality. It turns out that Trump suspended Project Freedom after Saudi Arabia stopped the US military from using its bases or airspace to carry out the operation, which involved giving air cover to commercial shipping sailing through the strait. Continue reading...

Riyadh told White House it would deny access for operation to provide tankers military escort through strait of HormuzMiddle East crisis – live updatesA refusal by Saudi Arabia to allow the US to use its bases and airspace to provide a military escort for oil tankers passing through the strait of Hormuz lay behind Donald Trump’s decision to shelve the plan days after it had been launched.Riyadh told the White House it would not allow its Prince Sultan airbase to be used to mount the operation billed as Project Freedom, which the US presented as the successor to the bombing campaign called Operation Epic Fury. Continue reading...

• US President Donald Trump announced a pause on 'Project Freedom,' his plan to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, following 'great progress' in talks with Iran announced on May 6, 2026. • Trump cited 'very good talks' with Iran in the last 24 hours and hopes for a permanent peace deal, with Iran reviewing a US proposal via Pakistani intermediaries. • The decision came after backlash from Gulf allies notified in advance, amid Trump's prediction that the war in Iran 'will be over quickly' while insisting Tehran cannot have nuclear weapons.

• TikTok has received approval from Thailand’s Board of Investment for three data centres in Bangkok, Samut Prakan, and Chachoengsao provinces valued at $25 billion or 842 billion THB. • The facilities will serve as regional hubs to store and process data, supporting TikTok's expanding user base across Southeast Asia. • This massive investment underscores TikTok's commitment to infrastructure growth amid rising demand, alongside other approvals like DAMAC Group's $1.4 billion and Bridge Data Centres' $746 million projects.

• Pakistan's Prime Minister expressed gratitude to President Trump for pausing a military operation dubbed 'Project Freedom' targeting Iran, signaling diplomatic progress in ongoing Middle East tensions. • Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the operation is 'over' but emphasized that addressing Iran's nuclear material remains a critical priority for the administration. • The pause reflects Trump's broader strategy to negotiate a comprehensive deal with Iran while maintaining pressure on its nuclear program, with discussions ongoing about reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

• President Trump announced Tuesday evening that he is pausing 'Project Freedom,' the operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, citing 'great progress' toward a complete agreement with Iran and requests from Pakistan and other countries. • Trump stated the pause would last 'for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed,' while maintaining the US naval blockade of Iranian ports remains in effect. • The move represents a significant shift in Trump's confrontational posture toward Iran after months of military escalation, though Secretary of State Marco Rubio continued criticizing Iran for effectively closing the strategic oil passageway.

• President Trump directed U.S. Central Command to initiate Project Freedom, a defensive operation to restart free flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz amid Iranian threats to commercial shipping. • Secretary of War Pete Hegseth clarified the mission is temporary, focused solely on protecting innocent vessels, distinct from Operation Epic Fury, with U.S. forces establishing a protective zone as shown on operational maps. • The announcement follows President Trump's notification to Congress on Friday that hostilities starting February 28 had terminated, coinciding with the 60-day War Powers Resolution deadline.

Originally envisioned to run 1,700km from Melbourne to a port near Brisbane, the mega infrastructure project will now only connect Beveridge in Victoria to Parkes in NSWGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Albanese government will drastically scale back the beleaguered inland rail project, abandoning plans to connect country NSW and Queensland by rail, as the price tag blows out to more than $45bn.Originally envisioned to run 1,700km from Melbourne to a port near Brisbane, the mega infrastructure project will now only connect Beveridge, on the outskirts of Melbourne, to Parkes in central-west New South Wales – about half the distance – with the government reallocating $1.75bn of the funding to other national rail upgrades. Continue reading...

• President Trump's Project Freedom initiative launched Monday with U.S. military operations to guide stranded ships through the Strait of Hormuz, with Trump reporting U.S. forces struck seven Iranian boats during the operation. • The military action represents a significant escalation in Middle East tensions as the U.S. Navy intervened to escort vessels through contested waterways controlled by Iranian forces. • The operation marks the implementation of Trump's declared strategy to secure maritime passage and demonstrate U.S. military commitment to protecting commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf region.

After banging the battle drum, the US president is now in Nobel Peace Prize mode, promising to free marooned ships“Project Freedom” has all the trappings of a classic episode of the Trump Show, the reality series that the rest of the world does not just have to watch, but live through and survive. It has a dramatic plot twist, it is bathed in a self-projected beatific light, and the trailer looked far more promising that the reality.Trump spent a long weekend in Florida banging the war drum. Iran had not “paid a big enough price” for its past misdeeds, he wrote in an online post before spending Friday afternoon revving up a cheering crowd at America’s largest retirement community. Continue reading...

Trump warns any interference with US operation in Hormuz will ‘have to be dealt with forcefully’ while providing few details about how the plan will workTrump says US navy will ‘guide’ trapped ships from strait of Hormuz amid ‘very positive’ talks with IranA tanker reported being hit by “unknown projectiles” in the strait of Hormuz soon after Donald Trump announced the US would help trapped ships through the waterway.The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said all crew were reported safe in the incident, which occurred 78 nautical miles north of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.Iran said on Sunday it had received a US response to its latest offer for peace talks a day after Trump said he would probably reject the Iranian proposal because “they have not paid a big enough price”. Iranian state media reported that Washington had conveyed its response to Iran’s 14-point proposal via Pakistan, and that Tehran was now reviewing it.“At this stage, we do not have nuclear negotiations,” state media quoted Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying, an apparent reference to Iran’s proposal to set aside talks on nuclear issues until after the war has ended and the foes have agreed to lift opposing blockades of Gulf shipping. Iran has been blocking nearly all shipping from the Gulf apart from its own for more than two months. Last month the US imposed its own blockade of ships from Iranian ports.Israel on Sunday ordered thousands of Lebanese people to leave 11 towns and villages in southern Lebanon, an escalation of a war between Israel and Iran’s Hezbollah allies there that has run in parallel to the Iran war and could further complicate wider peace efforts. Continue reading...

• Asia-Pacific's cross-border payments market, valued at $13.5 trillion in 2025, is forecast to surge to $24 trillion by 2033, fueled by QR payments and digital adoption.• Thailand ranks second in regional economic optimism, supporting robust growth in transaction volumes across Southeast Asia.• Expansion driven by e-commerce boom and fintech innovations enhances trade efficiency in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam.• Regulators eye next steps in harmonizing standards to sustain projected CAGR amid rising geopolitical tensions.

• The United States national debt has reached $38,967,833,861,543 as of May 1, 2026, driven by continued spending by the White House and Congress. • The debt is on track to double over the next three decades amid fiscal pressures and ongoing government expenditures. • This trajectory reflects a critical macroeconomic challenge as American taxpayers face increasing obligations tied to the nation's long-term fiscal sustainability.

Exclusive: Government should back projects that prioritise renewables to protect consumers from ongoing price shocks, they sayGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFormer oil and gas industry leaders, including senior executives from BP and Shell, are warning the Albanese government that Australians risk ongoing price shocks and higher costs if it prioritises fossil fuel development in response to the global energy crisis.Sixteen ex-executives and professionals – who had worked for companies including Woodside, Inpex, Exxon Mobil and Esso – have urged the government to reject calls for fast-tracked gas and coal extraction, arguing it would do nothing to improve the nation’s liquid fuel security. Continue reading...

Latest ONS figures also suggest lower population growth in coming decades than previously expectedDeaths are projected to outnumber births in the UK every year from 2026 and the population is expected to grow at a slower rate over the next few decades than previously reported, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).About 1.7 million people are projected to join the population between 2024 and 2034, pushing the total up 2.5% from 69.3 million to 71.0 million, before it starts to decrease in the mid-2050s. Continue reading...

US representatives Jared Huffman and Jamie Raskin earlier this month called agreements outrageous and unlawfulSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe Trump administration blocked two permitted US wind energy projects from development this week, with an agreement to pay millions of dollars in refunds to the companies behind them if those funds are reinvested in oil and gas.US Department of the Interior officials framed the canceled agreements as a way to “promote US energy security and affordability” by funneling funds “away from intermittent, higher-cost energy sources toward proven conventional solutions”, in an announcement issued Monday. Continue reading...

• Elon Musk announced that Tesla will utilize Intel's advanced 14A process technology for its Terafab chip manufacturing project at Giga Texas, representing a major partnership between the two companies. • The complex will produce semiconductors for Tesla vehicles, Optimus robots, and AI data centers, with initial research fab construction already underway on the Giga Texas campus. • This initiative signals Tesla's push toward vertical integration in chip production to support its expanding autonomous and AI capabilities.

Thousands of research papers have been published based on participants’ data, but there are questions over protection of private informationWith the revelation that the confidential health records of half a million British volunteers have been put up for sale on a Chinese website, we take a look at what the UK Biobank project has achieved – and why concerns have been raised. Continue reading...

The injunction pauses policy giving senior Trump official direct sign-off on federal clean energy projectsA federal judge in Massachusetts on Tuesday struck down several Trump administration actions slowing down development of clean energy, including a requirement that all solar and wind energy projects on federal lands and waters be personally approved by the interior secretary, Doug Burgum.Denise J Casper, chief judge of the US district court for Massachusetts, ruled that a coalition of plaintiffs representing wind and solar developers were likely to succeed on the merits of their claims that the administration’s actions violate federal statute and will cause irreparable harm if the court did not intervene. Continue reading...

Advocates expressed alarm as new project drills deeper into ocean bed, pointing to company’s failures at Deepwater Horizon spillSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxEnvironmental groups have sued the Trump administration over its approval of BP’s huge new ultra-deep oil drilling project in the Gulf of Mexico, 16 years to the day since the company’s Deepwater Horizon disaster caused the worst oil spill in US history. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Experts say scheme will help repair damaged marine ecosystems while sequestering large amounts of carbonMore than 15m juvenile oysters are to be released into the North Sea in one of the biggest rewilding projects in UK waters.The scheme, which will use a unique rearing process, hopes to re-establish a huge oyster bed around Orkney that experts say will create a “trophic cascade” of climate and ecological benefits. Continue reading...

Eluned Morgan says US under Donald Trump is ‘not partner it once was’ with Iran threats and ‘contempt’ towards UKWales’s first minister has called on Keir Starmer to suspend a big joint defence project with the US, saying that under Donald Trump the country is “not the partner it once was”.In a statement on Wednesday, Labour’s Eluned Morgan cited the US president’s “contempt” towards the UK and his threat to “annihilate” Iran as reasons to halt the development of the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (Darc) programme in Pembrokeshire, part of the Aukus defence partnership between the UK, US and Australia. Continue reading...

Tech company has signed on to nine deals as it aims to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAmazon has entered power agreements with nine new renewable projects in New South Wales and Victoria, as the technology company seeks to source renewable power for its datacentre operations in Australia.The nine deals, including one windfarm and 10 solar and battery projects, will take the amount of renewable energy Amazon is sourcing in Australia from 430MW to nearly 1GW. Continue reading...

• Anthropic announced Project Glasswing, a collaborative initiative involving Amazon Web Services, Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, CrowdStrike, Google, JPMorganChase, the Linux Foundation, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Palo Alto Networks to secure critical software infrastructure. • The initiative provides select firms access to Claude Mythos2 preview model for defensive cybersecurity work, which has reportedly identified thousands of severe vulnerabilities in major operating systems and browsers. • The program aims to give defenders a durable advantage in the AI-driven cybersecurity era while controlling access to prevent misuse by attackers.