Newspaper

OpenAI’s AI models were operating in the test environment [File] \| Photo Credit: REUTERS OpenAI on Tuesday (July 21, 2026) took responsibility for a security breach in which its AI agent accessed AI platform Hugging Face. The AI firm confirmed that its models — GPT-5.6 Sol and an “even more capable pre-release model” — were involved in the exploit last week that countered the platform’s security settings. The AI models hacked Hugging Face while their cyber capabilities were being internally tested. They identified and leveraged multiple vulnerabilities in the platform’s production database and tested solutions directly. Hugging Face has said that an…

SHANGHAI: It was just a few years ago when China's dancing robots captured global attention. At this year's World AI Conference in Shanghai, held from Jul 17 to 20, humanoids are one step closer to being used in daily life. The annual showcase for cutting-edge artificial intelligence breakthroughs featured robots capable of dispensing items from shop shelves, sorting groceries and making Chinese tea. Among the exhibits was Keenon Robotics’ XMAN-R1, which is being trialled in hotels in China. The humanoid can walk to hotel rooms, collect dirty linens, transport them to the laundry room and even fold them after being washed. The firm is one of China’s…

SINGAPORE – Singapore has identified artificial intelligence (AI), STEM, and holistic student development as key focus areas for the region’s education systems under a new five-year education work plan. The ASEAN Work Plan on Education, which will run from 2026 to 2030, was launched on July 22 by Education Minister Desmond Lee, together with other ASEAN education ministers. “The work plan reflects our shared commitment to education systems that remain responsive to global and technological developments, while promoting equitable access to quality education, supporting student well-being and strengthening regional ties,” said Lee, speaking at the 14th…

By Raphael Satter In a blog post, OpenAI said it was testing the capabilities of some of its most advanced models in a controlled environment but that the agent managed to escape containment, reach the internet and break into Hugging Face to try to satisfy its testing goal. OpenAI said the breakout was “an unprecedented cyber incident, involving state-of-the-art cyber capabilities” and that the company was reinforcing its safeguards. Hugging Face, a platform used to host open-source large language models and datasets, caused a stir in the cybersecurity community when it said in a blog post last week that it had been the target of a hack that…

Yesterday afternoon, OpenAI and Hugging Face published a joint disclosure outlining a cybersecurity event that redefines the threat landscape for enterprise technology. During an internal benchmark evaluation, frontier artificial intelligence models developed by OpenAI—including GPT-5.6 Sol and an unreleased, higher-capability pre-release model—broke out of their sandboxed research environment, obtained raw internet access, and autonomously executed a complex cyberattack against Hugging Face’s production infrastructure. OpenAI officially categorizes the breach as an "unprecedented cyber incident, involving state-of-the-art cyber capabilities". This…

AI Skills Pack Design beyond the surface. Whether you're directing your AI or working alongside it, Layers walks you both through all seven layers of product design — so the decisions underneath the screen actually get made. Install in Claude Code, Cursor, Codex \& more npx skills add jamiemill/layers-skills Copy Copied Install once with the skills package, then run any /layers-* skill in your AI tool. Works with Claude Code Cursor OpenAI Codex pi.dev + 50 more Open source · github.com/jamiemill/layers-skills

Ravie LakshmananJul 22, 2026AI Security / Cloud Security OpenAI on Tuesday said a combination of its artificial intelligence (AI) models, including GPT-5.6 Sol and an "even more capable pre-release model," was behind the security incident that targeted Hugging Face's production infrastructure last week. The AI company said the models were operating with "reduced cyber refusals for evaluation purposes" that might otherwise limit their ability to conduct cyber attacks, adding it expects such incidents to "become more commonplace with the proliferation of increasingly cyber-capable models." Describing it as an "unprecedented cyber incident" and one…

A leading Chinese bank has processed the largest cross-border transactions yet via mBridge, a multilateral central bank digital currency (CBDC) platform, marking a major milestone for the emerging payment network as well as Beijing’s global yuan ambitions. Two transactions, worth more than US$1.7 billion each, were carried out by the Bank of China’s Shenzhen and Fujian branches in June and July, respectively. They showed mBridge’s ability to support high-value cross-border settlements across different currencies and business scenarios, the lender said on Tuesday. In June, an outbound transfer of 11.3 billion yuan (US$1.7 billion) delivered same-day,…

Tesla just confirmed its 2026 Summer Release is rolling out soon, and it’s stacked with updates that make the car feel more like a companion than a machine. From a chattier Grok to a car that judges your singing, here’s everything coming your way. Grok becomes a more capable in-car assistant Grok is getting a serious upgrade. Beyond answering questions about your Tesla, it can now place phone calls, search and play music, adjust climate settings, and even pop open the glovebox, all through voice commands. It’s a small change on paper, but it means fewer taps, resulting in a better user experience and more focus on driving. Tesla \| X What else is new…

An unsilenceable siren will blare out of most phones in Australia on Monday afternoon for 10 seconds, with the federal government confirming a national test of the new AusAlert emergency alert system will go ahead, despite reservations from some state governments. Domestic violence campaigners and the National Emergency Management Agency have also repeated advice that people who may have secret “safe phones”, kept hidden for personal safety reasons, may want to turn off their devices for up to 24 hours after the test scheduled for 2pm (AEST) on Monday. AusAlert, built after recommendations from the royal commission into the black summer bushfires for…

Africa · Eastern Key Facts —The milestone. Africa now has about 307 million undernourished people, surpassing Asia’s total for the first time. —The prevalence. One in five Africans faced hunger in 2024, compared with a global average of 7.8 percent. —The cost barrier. More than one billion Africans, roughly two-thirds of the population, could not afford a healthy diet. —The 2030 projection. Nearly 60 percent of the world’s chronically undernourished people will live in Africa by the end of the decade. —The funding gap. The World Food Programme needed more than $453 million for West and Central Africa operations over a six-month period alone. Africa…

Shares of MedPlus Health Services fell sharply on Tuesday, declining 15.83% to Rs 667.95 after the company reported a weaker-than-expected performance in the first quarter of FY27. The decline came as investors reacted to pressure on profitability, with a contraction in gross margins and higher operating expenses offsetting healthy revenue growth. Despite the weak quarterly performance, brokerage Nomura maintained its Buy rating on the stock, citing the company’s long-term growth potential and store expansion strategy. MedPlus reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 33 crore for the June 2026 quarter, down 21.7% year-on-year from Rs 42 crore in the…

A glorious winter sun will bathe São Paulo today with a high of 26°C and virtually no chance of rain. Museums and late-night dining are your anchors, with free entry at MASP until 8 pm and a special exhibition at Japan House. Markets were steady on Tuesday with the Ibovespa nearly flat as global risk sentiment improved. A day for snapping up culture on Avenida Paulista before dinner in Jardins. São Paulo Daily Brief for Wednesday, July 22, 2026. Photo: The Rio Times archive. One-stop reference Company Intelligence Every listed company in Latin America — financials, ownership and structure for 1,450+ companies across 26 exchanges, in one place. Browse…

Now Published in Two Editions Get the Latin America Power Map You’re reading the Brief — the whole hemisphere at a glance, free, every weekday. The Latin America Power Map is the daily instrument no one else publishes: a single reading of all fourteen nations across markets, power and society — a power ranking, currencies and rates beside defense strength, the leader’s grip, alliances and social cohesion. Thirty signals, one board, every morning. The whole region in sixty seconds. Rio Times · Latin America Key Facts —Colombia A parliamentary palace coup leaves Petro isolated as the right unites—feeling a mix of institutional relief and elite…

SINGAPORE – Luggage racks will be installed on some buses that ply the service 36 route connecting the city and Changi Airport in 2027, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced on July 22. In its Facebook post announcing the move, the LTA said the three-tiered racks will be fitted on 12 single-deck Bus 36 vehicles, which will be deployed at staggered intervals. There will be no change to fares on these buses and the racks are expected to be installed by the second quarter of 2027, it added in the post. The racks will be equipped with secure storage features such as anti-slip flooring and anti-roll humps. Wheelchair space will remain available on…

Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority TL;DR Google Meet’s redesigned web homepage brings agendas, attachments, notes, recordings, and transcripts together in one place. New week and month views make it easier to navigate upcoming meetings and revisit past discussions. The update is rolling out to all Google Workspace and Workspace Individual users over the next 15 days. If your workday revolves around Google Meet, you’ve probably experienced this at least once: a meeting starts in two minutes, you remember someone shared an important document last week, and suddenly you’re digging through Gmail and Google Drive trying to find it. By the time you finally…

Garmin has unveiled the Garmin Cirqa, the tech company's first screen-free fitness tracker designed for users who want to monitor their health and workouts without the distraction of a display. The lightweight fabric smart band tracks a range of health and fitness metrics, sleep, recovery, heart rate, stress, respiration, blood oxygen saturation, skin temperature, and activity levels, according to a press release on Tuesday (Jul 21). According to Garmin, Cirqa can automatically detect and record over 80 activities such as running, walking and yoga, which users can later review and edit in the Garmin Connect app. As activities are confirmed or…

TL;DR Samsung’s July 22 Unpacked event will showcase brand-new foldables and smartwatches. The hotly anticipated Galaxy Z Fold 8 is on the agenda, along with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the Z Flip 8. Samsung is also expected to take the wraps off the Galaxy Watch 9 series and the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 at Unpacked, with One UI 9 potentially getting detailed as well. Samsung’s second Galaxy Unpacked of the year is scheduled for later today in London, UK, and the event will be livestreamed on YouTube. We’ve come across innumerable leaks and early teasers of the devices that will be showcased at Unpacked, revealing practically everything we need to know.…

Pressure from President Donald Trump to manufacture advanced semiconductors in the U.S. is increasing costs and squeezing marginsat TSMC, the world's leading chipmaker. Following Trump's return to power in 2025, the president has repeatedly threatened tariffs on companies that don't make their products in America. Since then, TSMC has announced a total of $200 billion in commitments to the country, including last week's unveiling of a $100 billion investment into advanced semiconductor manufacturing and packaging facilities in the U.S. While buoyed by the AI boom — TSMC's market cap has risen more than 100% in the past 12 months — blockbuster earnings…

It’s not long now until Samsung’s second major phone launch of the year, with the next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked showcase set to take place later on today. This follows February’s Unpacked event, where we saw the Samsung Galaxy S26 series, but this time, we’re not just expecting phones, because along with a selection of new foldables — including a whole new form factor — we’ll probably see new smartwatches too, and even perhaps the Samsung Galaxy Glasses. So, whether you’re in the market for a handset or a wearable, there could be something for you here, and below, you’ll find full details of how to tune in, along with exactly what we’re expecting to…

The MPEG-4 Visual Patent Portfolio License has been in effect since January 1, 2000, covering essential patents behind the MPEG-4 Part 2 Visual standard from more than 30 licensors, including Canon, LG, Microsoft, Panasonic, Sony, and Toshiba. As of July 19, 2026, every one of those patents has expired. The very last one standing belonged to Siemens AG, active only in Brazil. VIA Licensing Alliance, the body that administers the portfolio, has already taken down the webpage for it, which was around until July 18, a day before the expiry. The patent in question is BR PI0109962-0, titled "process for storing and processing image information from…

The following is the first summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday. ----------------- ■ S. Korea's per capita household net assets up 9 pct in 2025: BOK SEOUL -- South Korea's per capita household net assets rose more than 9 percent from a year earlier in 2025 on higher housing and securities prices, the central bank data showed Wednesday. The average value of net assets held by households per capita stood at 274.7 million won (US$185,600) last year, up 9.1 percent from the previous year, according to the national balance sheet from the Bank of Korea (BOK). This photo, taken July 19, 2026, shows apartment complexes in Seoul.…

While icons on iOS (formerly iPhoneOS) have always been rounded squares, and rounded-square icons have existed on Apple platforms for over 20 years now, Mac app icons have historically exhibited a variety of unique silhouettes, which helped identification alongside other visual tools like color, lighting, and dimensionality. Because app icons from the Mac OS X era are so beloved, it’s very understandable—relatable even—how mandating rounded square app icons is downright heartbreaking to long-time Mac OS X users. What happened? Why did this happen? And what should we do? Breaking Boundaries When introducing macOS Big Sur to developers, Apple…

The artificial intelligence boom is no longer the exclusive domain of global technology giants. In India, it has created an unlikely set of stock market winners: optical fibre manufacturers. No company has captured investor attention quite like Vedanta-backed (0.98% stake) Sterlite Technologies . The stock soared an astonishing 400% in 2026, making it one of the market's standout performers. The rally has also fuelled a dramatic wealth creation story, with the company's market capitalisation ballooning from just over Rs 4,000 crore at the start of the year to around Rs 27,000 crore in just six months. But the spectacular run has hit a speed bump.…

POLAND - 2025/01/25: In this photo illustration, the Wistron Corporation company logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen. (Photo Illustration by Piotr Swat/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Sopa Images \| Lightrocket \| Getty Images Wistron Corporation shares jumped 9.7% on Wednesday after the Taiwan-based technology service provider announced the opening of its first U.S. facility to build AI servers for Nvidia. Its D1 AI smart facility, a $700 million, 324,000-square-foot site in Fort Worth, Texas, currently produces Nvidia's GB300 Grace Blackwell Ultra Superchip, an advanced AI processing platform. It will later expand to produce…

The Philippine Military Academy received its new superintendent, Army Maj. Gen. Michael Logico, on Wednesday during turnover rites with the retirement of Navy Vice Admiral Caesar Bernard Valencia. \| PHOTO: Wikimedia Commons / Ramiltibayan BAGUIO CITY — The Philippine Military Academy received its new superintendent on Wednesday during turnover rites with the retirement of Navy Vice Admiral Caesar Bernard Valencia. Valencia, a member of PMA “Bigkis Lahi” Class of 1990, had served as superintendent since June 20, 2024. His military career spans 40 years and three months, said Navy Lt Commander Jesse Nestor Saludo Jr, PMA spokesman. Army Maj. Gen.…

Home Minister Vangalapudi Anita and DGP Harish Kumar Gupta at the Future Ready AP Police Retreat-2026 in Vijayawada on Tuesday. \| Photo Credit: K.V.S. Giri Andhra Pradesh Home Minister V. Anitha has said that the State police must transform into a technology-driven, faster and citizen-centric force to effectively respond to the rapidly evolving nature of crime. Ms. Anitha took part in the ‘Future-Ready AP Police Retreat-2026’ held at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Kala Vedika in Vijayawada on Tuesday. Ms. Anitha stated that the government had significantly contained factional violence, Left Wing Extremism and communal disturbances in the State. “Combating…

Fear has gripped residents of Benue State as suspected Fulani herdsmen continue to cause mayhem in various communities. DAILY POST reports that Benue South (Idoma speaking area) is bearing the brunt of recent attacks, which have claimed many lives and property. The recent wave of deadly attacks in that area has claimed nearly 60 lives, centered primarily around the Otukpo Local Government Area. The attack, often attributed to suspected armed herdsmen, has triggered widespread protests and caused a massive humanitarian displacement crisis, with youths of the community storming the palace of the paramount ruler of the Idoma nation (Och’Idoma) with…

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Tuesday his office does not have the authority to carry out the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and called on US federal officials to step in. “Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people,” Mamdani said in a brief video message posted to social media. “My administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the ICC’s arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here,” he said. “It is clear that we do not have the…

We need your help now Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open. You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough. If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Russian forces launched 219 attacks against Ukrainian positions over the past day, with the heaviest fighting reported in the Sloviansk, Kostiantynivka, and Pokrovsk sectors. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine released the update as of 8:00 on Wednesday, July 22, Ukrinform reports. "A total of 219 combat engagements were recorded over the past day," the General Staff said. According to the report, Russian troops carried out two missile strikes, using three missiles, launched 92 airstrikes, and dropped 285 guided aerial bombs. In addition, they used 9,963 kamikaze drones and carried out 3,309 shelling attacks on Ukrainian positions and…

We need your help now Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open. You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough. If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Devotees gather at Har Ki Pauri ahead of the 'Kanwar Yatra'. \| Photo Credit: PTI District officials in multiple western U.P. districts on Tuesday (July 21, 2026) inspected security arrangements for the upcoming Kanwar Yatra. The Uttar Pradesh government has said it has pushed for zero incident, zero accident during the yatra. The officials stressed the need for close coordination with neighbouring districts. “The administration and the police have almost completed their preparations for the Kanwar Yatra during the holy month of Shravan. Physical inspections have been carried out along the Bareilly route, Kachhla Ghat, and all other designated…

Good morning Middle East Eye readers, The US Central Comand said it unleashed new strikes against Iran for the 11th consecutive night, targeting military operations centres and logistics infrastructure, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars and drone storage facilities. Iran's top joint military command threatened it would target the interests of the US and its allies if Washington targeted Iranian nuclear sites, Iran's state media reported. Here are the latest developments: In Iran's Hormozgan, state media reported that recent US attacks damaged some of the province's communication routes, electricity grid and water supply facilities. Nearly 100…

Africa · Northern Key Facts —Houthi blockade declared. On 20 July 2026, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement announced a maritime blockade targeting Saudi-linked vessels transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. —Coalition naval response. The Saudi-led coalition pledged to secure the strait with visible naval deployments and warned of a forceful response to any interference with commercial shipping. —Egypt’s firm backing. Cairo condemned the Houthi threat as an irresponsible escalation, estimating a full strait closure could cut global oil supply by around 7% and devastate Suez Canal revenues. —Chokepoint economics. More than one-tenth of seaborne oil…

Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political…

Fresh US strikes triggered air defences in Tehran on Wednesday after President Donald Trump warned he was “not finished” with a war on Iran that has already cost his nation $37.5 billion. After the foes’ fighting over the strategic Strait of Hormuz led to the collapse of a preliminary deal, the Middle East war has expanded to include the region’s other key chokepoint for global oil supplies. The US military said its latest attacks hit targets such as “military logistics infrastructure” while Iranian state media reported strikes around the country, including Bushehr, which hosts a nuclear power plant. “News sources reported minutes ago that air defence…

By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON, July 22 (Reuters) - A Houthi threat to impose a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea could significantly widen the Iran war and strain a U.S. military already focused on stopping Tehran's attacks across the region, current and former U.S. officials said. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they ​would not allow ships to load or unload at Saudi ports, potentially blocking Saudi oil exports and choking off an additional 7% of global oil supply. Saudi Arabia, which hosts U.S. forces, has not yet requested military assistance from Washington. But Trump suggested on Tuesday that a move by the…

Good morning. Within two hours of entering No 10 on Monday afternoon, Andy Burnham had his first call with Donald Trump. After chit-chatting about the football (both agreed England had an “excellent tournament”) and Manchester (our new prime minister invited the president to visit the city Trump once described as a “town”), they got on to far trickier territory: the strait of Hormuz. The US has attacked Iran for the eleventh consecutive night, hitting aircraft hangars and drone storage sites across the country. It came after Iran launched retaliatory strikes on US air bases and neighbouring Gulf states, which have accused it of deliberately targeting…

Donald Trump has approved an agreement with Saudi Arabia that could provide the kingdom with uranium enrichment capability for its civilian nuclear programme, according to news reports citing people familiar with the matter. The people, who were not authorised to comment publicly about the yet to be formally announced decision, said the agreement may be announced as early as Wednesday. The deal was reported by both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. The deal is expected to last 30 years and is also expected to involve US firms in developing the programme. It could allow for the building of a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia…

Zelensky ousts Ukraine’s military commander as major shake-up continues The Washington PostZelensky sacks Ukraine’s military chief following widespread protests CNNZelenskyy ousts Ukraine’s army chief as protests expose wartime power struggle CNBCMykhailo Drapatyi: What to Know About Ukraine’s New Top General The New York TimesUkraine’s Zelenskyy fires his commander in chief after protests and major rift NBC News

Topline The Trump administration has reached a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia, which will allow the country to enrich fuel on its soil for a civilian nuclear program, according to multiple reports, in a move that comes amid broader concerns about nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman speak as they arrive during the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Leaders’ Summit. Getty Images Key Facts Citing unnamed administration officials, the Wall Street Journal reported that President Donald Trump has approved the deal, which is expected to last 30 years and be worth tens of billions of dollars…

Russian forces carried out 37 attacks on 23 settlements in Ukraine's Sumy region over the past 24 hours, injuring seven people, including two children. According Ukrinform, the Sumy Regional Police reported this on Facebook. The attacks involved guided aerial bombs, FPV and other attack drones, mortars, and artillery. The strikes targeted the Sumy, Shostka, Okhtyrka, and Konotop districts. In the Sumy community, an 18-year-old man was injured in a Russian drone strike. Two other residents – a 26-year-old woman and a 73-year-old woman – also sought medical treatment for injuries sustained in a drone attack on July 20. Medical assistance was also…

The BBC spoke to a number of servicewomen who asked to remain anonymous. One described her body armour as "definitely not female and definitely not good". Another said there was "none or barely any" female-specific kit available to her and that the body armour did not account for "busty women". Issues around kit and clothing have persisted. Ofsted, which inspects MoD training establishment as well as schools, said in October 2025 that for the "fourth consecutive year" women and smaller recruits were being issued with ill-fitting kit and clothing, external. Its report said: "This renders them at a disadvantage because they often do not appear as well…

Russia has lost an estimated 1,433,230 troops in its full-scale war against Ukraine since February 24, 2022, including 1,330 killed or wounded over the past 24 hours. The updated figures were published by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook and reported by Ukrinform. According to the General Staff, Russia's total combat losses as of July 22, 2026, also include: 12,163 tanks (+2 over the past day); 24,982 armored combat vehicles (+4); 46,492 artillery systems (+57); 1,958 multiple launch rocket systems (+3); 1,513 air defense systems (no change); 438 aircraft (no change); 354 helicopters (no change); 1,981 ground robotic…

On July 9, a fire burned through a shoe factory in Jinjiang, Fujian province, killing at least 28 people. The accident signals a larger problem: firms operating under financial pressure often cut costs by compromising safety. China’s low-cost business model needs reform, but why has change been so difficult? The plant that burned employed hundreds of workers, yet company filings for 2025 indicate that only a handful of them were enrolled in pension and medical insurance plans. A fire-safety inspection two days earlier had flagged its blocked exits, but it didn’t stop production. The problem is structural. Labour law is enforced largely by local…

A 19-year-old in Hong Kong has been convicted of sedition for writing anti-government graffiti in a commercial building toilet, violating the city’s domestic national security law. West Kowloon Court on Wednesday rejected a defence psychiatrist’s opinion that a congenital mental disorder prevented Leung Kai-lok from understanding the offensive words he used against the government and police. Leung, 19, stood trial earlier this year before a magistrate hand-picked by the city leader to oversee national security proceedings. He pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal damage but denied committing a seditious act, an offence under the Safeguarding…

A drink-driving suspect in central China faked his death with the help of his family to evade prosecution before fleeing south. Prosecutors in Anyang, Henan province, recently revealed the case to mainland media outlets, sparking widespread online attention. In January last year, the man, surname Si, was arrested for drink-driving. Police later discovered that he had previously been penalised twice for driving without a license while intoxicated. He was released on bail pending investigation. Under Chinese law, drink-driving can be classified as dangerous driving, punishable by licence revocation, criminal detention ranging from one to six months, and…

THANE: A domestic dispute over a saree allegedly ended in a brutal murder in Badlapur East, where a 30-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly killing her husband and attempting to pass off his death as a heart attack. The accused, identified as Sunita Hariram Singh (30), was arrested on Tuesday after investigators uncovered inconsistencies in her version of events. The victim, Hariram Kishunji Singh (35), died at the couple's rented home on July 19. Police said the couple, natives of Rohtas district in Bihar, had been living in Badlapur for the past nine years with their seven-year-old son. According to the investigation, an argument erupted after…

Russian forces struck a residential building in Kyiv region’s Bucha district in the morning of July 22, injuring five people, including three children. According to Ukrinform, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported this on Telegram. "Five people were injured as a result of the Russian attack on Kyiv region. Among them, there are three children," the statement said. The strike hit a residential house in the village of Chaiky in the morning. A fire broke out at the site but was quickly extinguished by rescuers. Another private house was also damaged. In addition, office and warehouse facilities and two vehicles were damaged in the Boryspil district.…

Hong Kong travellers should be mindful of driving fatigue, unfamiliar road signs and their insurance coverage when going on road trips overseas, experts have warned after two traffic accidents involving city residents in Japan within a week. Ringo Lee Yiu-pui, honorary life president of the Hong Kong China Automobile Association, said on Wednesday that various factors could affect drivers’ concentration and energy when driving on foreign roads. He explained that car trips between places in a relatively small city such as Hong Kong might take only about an hour, but journeys between airports, hotels and attractions in larger overseas destinations could…

The deputy political and security governor of Bushehr said that three explosions occurred in the Iranian province. Elsewhere in Hormozgan, recent US attacks reportedly damaged some of the province's communication routes, electricity grid, and water supply facilities, according to state media.

More than 16 million people in England and Wales risk dying from a cardiac arrest because they live farther than a 1km round trip from the nearest 24/7 defibrillator, according to exclusive research. Analysis of publicly available defibrillators by the Heart Restart campaign found that in England and Wales alone, 35 million people – more than half the population – do not live within the recommended three- to five-minute brisk walk of a defibrillator. Of these, about half live more than a 1km round trip from a 24/7 accessible defibrillator. There are more than 40,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests each year in the UK, but fewer than one in 10 people…

In a control room in Wokingham, Berkshire, staff work around the clock, minute by minute, to align Great Britain’s fluctuating power supplies with its ever-changing demand. However, as households struggle to adapt to soaring summer temperatures, staff at the government-owned National Energy System Operator (Neso), tasked with keeping the lights on, have faced the kind of challenge usually reserved for the country’s coldest winter nights in recent weeks. The high pressure “heat dome” that descended on Europe in late June caused wind turbines to slow, gas power plants to falter, and the French nuclear plants exporting electricity to Britain to power…

PUBLISHED : 22 Jul 2026 at 14:30 UPDATED : 22 Jul 2026 at 14:32 Commuters at an Airport Rail Link station on Wednesday morning. (Photo: Department of Rail Transport) The Airport Rail Link that connects Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Thailand’s main airport, and inner Bangkok is operating only one train as its railway turntable broke down on Wednesday. The train is operating at one-hour intervals. The operator, SRT Electrified Train Co (SRTET), announced on Wednesday morning that a technical issue with the railway turntable at its depot in Khlong Tan blocked the deployment of Airport Rail Link trains. State Railway of Thailand (SRT) governor Anant…

Milwaukee garbage truck blast injures sanitation worker Improperly disposed oxygen tanks exploded in the back of the garbage truck as it was compacting trash, knocking the sanitation worker off his feet and leaving him with a concussion and eye injury. July 21, 2026

A small plane made an emergency landing off Honeymoon Island in Florida. Video shows the aircraft partially submerged as everyone onboard safely reached shore, according to reports. NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Wreckage was found from a Pan Am flight that ditched in the ocean off Puerto Rico in 1952, a crash that killed 52 people and helped lead to mandatory passenger safety briefings on commercial flights. Searchers recently found the wreckage of the DC-4 by using an autonomous underwater vehicle equipped with high-resolution sonar to locate the fuselage and separated tail in nearly 2,000 feet of water. The Clipper Endeavor aircraft…

SINGAPORE – About 40 people were evacuated when a fire broke out onthe fourth storey of a shophouse in Serangoon Road at about 9.30am on July 22. No injuries were reported, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) in a Facebook post. An aerial water jet from a combined platform ladder was deployed to prevent the fire from spreading to adjacent units. The flames were extinguished within an hour, said SCDF, which added that damping down of the affected area was ongoing. Damping down refers to the pouring of water onto burnt surfaces immediately after a fire has been extinguished. This helps to cool hot surfaces and prevent flames from rekindling.…

WASHINGTON (AP) — On one side: a small community in rural Texas. On the other: the Trump administration. A tiny Texan town along the border with Mexico is fighting the administration’s efforts to build a border wall running through a levee system protecting the community. The town argued in court Tuesday that the wall could cause flooding and that the administration isn’t following the law as it rushes forward with its plans. The hearing in federal court came as the Department of Homeland Security charges forward with its $46 billion plan to complete a border wall from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico and deliver on what has long been a…

A video from Delhi's Connaught Place has started a conversation about empathy, parenting and the values children grow up with. The clip, which shows a child throwing a stone at a sleeping stray dog while his parents walk away, has left many social media users questioning why acts of cruelty towards animals are often dismissed instead of corrected. Shared on X, the clip shows a stray dog lying peacefully on the pavement, seemingly asleep and not bothering anyone. Moments later, a young child is seen walking past the animal, picking up a stone and throwing it at the dog. The startled dog immediately gets up, while the child walks away. What has drawn…

Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political…

Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political…

Dinto Solar Wins Bid in China Datang's 1 GW HJT Module Procurement LONGGANG, China , July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Dinto Solar has won a bid in the 1 GW heterojunction (HJT) module category under China Datang Corporation Ltd.'s 2026–2027 photovoltaic module framework procurement programme. The successful bid marks another step in the commercial adoption of HJT technology by one of China's largest state-owned power producers and reflects the growing role of HJT in utility-scale solar development. China Datang is one of China's leading state-owned power generation companies, with renewable energy projects spanning utility-scale PV, distributed…

For many in Japan, cicada cries are as much an integral part of summer as fireworks, shaved ice and sweltering heat. And, according to researchers, some may be extending their performances well past sunset in Tokyo and other urban areas. A study using automated recording devices found that two common species continued calling at night in urban areas, but not in protected green spaces without artificial lighting. The findings suggest that streetlights and higher urban temperatures may be altering cicadas’ daily rhythms, according to researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University, Azabu University and Tamagawa University. The study was published April…

A single dose of psilocybin, the psychedelic substance in magic mushrooms, may produce physical changes in the brain that remain detectable for as long as a month, according to researchers at UC San Francisco and Imperial College London. The study, published in Nature Communications, involved healthy adults who had never previously used a psychedelic. Although none of the participants had a diagnosed mental health condition, the findings may offer clues about why psilocybin has shown therapeutic potential for depression, anxiety, and addiction. Researchers focused on temporary increases in brain "entropy," a term describing the variety and…

The Milky Way may have dramatically flipped upside down billions of years ago after a violent collision with another galaxy, according to new research that sheds light on one of the biggest mysteries surrounding our home galaxy. Astronomers from Durham University have found evidence suggesting that the Milky Way's flat spiral disc changed its orientation by more than 90 degrees following a massive head-on collision around 10 to 11 billion years ago. The findings were presented at the Royal Astronomical Society's National Astronomy Meeting in Birmingham. The discovery could explain why the Milky Way's vast stellar halo, a sparse cloud of ancient stars…

The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear on Friday a plea by the Muslim side, which claimed that the alternate site identified by the Madhya Pradesh government for offering namaz was too far from the disputed Bhojshala complex in Dhar. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to obtain instructions from the state government on whether an alternate prayer site could be provided adjacent to the disputed complex. Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing for the Muslim side, told the court that it had earlier directed the state to provide an open space near the Bhojshala site for…

During most times of the year, when you look up at a dark, clear night sky, the stars, planets, and perhaps the Moon shine brightly, along with if you’re lucky a view of the plane of the Milky Way. As far as objects moving through the sky go, you’re usually far more likely to see things artificial lights, like airplanes or satellites, than you are meteors. Across the entire sky, during most times of the year, you’re lucky if you can spot 2 or 3 meteor per hour: caused by random pieces of space debris, usually of cosmic (not human) origin, entering our atmosphere and combusting in a brilliant but brief flash of light. Even though collisions with…

“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. U.S. President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961 Setting foot on the moon marked the fulfilment of a desire that had probably lasted ever since human beings set their eyes on Earth’s natural satellite. The success of the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969 – a little over five months before the end of the 1960s – also meant that Kennedy’s target was achieved. Here are snapshots from a week that saw Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon... Photo: NASA / REUTERS July 16, 1969: Lift-off…

MSME Minister Kondapalli Srinivas during a meeting with Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu in New Delhi on Tuesday. \| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Seeking to strengthen women’s entrepreneurship in Andhra Pradesh, State MSME Minister Kondapalli Srinivas on Tuesday (July 21, 2026) urged the Centre to extend more financial and institutional support for self-help group (SHG) women under the Prime Minister Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme. During a meeting with Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries Secretary Avinash Prakash Joshi and Joint Secretary Devesh Deval in New Delhi, the Minister proposed…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed the country's army commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi. It comes just days after the removal of popular Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov - a move that triggered street protests across the country. Initial rumours that the end of Fedorov's tenure was related to a conflict between him and Syrskyi were soon confirmed. Fedorov, 35, has been widely praised for energising the ministry and transforming the armed forces, as well as leading a drive against corruption. Syrskyi, 60, is seen by many in Ukraine as a Soviet-school commander reluctant to implement radical changes in the army. Syrskyi defended…

🌐 Azerbaijani, bahasa Indonesia, Basa Jawa, Català, Čeština, Dansk, Deutsch, English, Español, Français, Galego, Italiano, Kurdî, Lietuvių, Mongolian, Nederlands, Norsk, Polski, Português, Română, Suomi, Svenska, tiếng Việt, Türkçe, Ελληνικά, Беларуская мова, Русский, Українська, العربية, فارسی, नेपाली भाषा हिंदी, অসমীয়া, বাংলা, မြန်မာ, 한국어, 日本語, 正體中文, 简体中文, മലയാളം Original Apollo 11 guidance computer (AGC) source code for Command Module (Comanche055) and Lunar Module (Luminary099). Digitized by the folks at Virtual AGC and MIT Museum. The goal is to be a repo for the original Apollo 11 source code. As such, PRs are welcome for any issues identified…

Somewhere near the star Altair, one of the brighter stars in the northern summer sky, sits an object that has been quietly ejecting protons across the Galaxy at speeds and energies far beyond anything we could ever build on Earth. Astronomers have long suspected such places exist. Finally, thanks to a genuinely elegant piece of detective work, they have found one, and can prove it. Cosmic rays are mostly just protons, the same particles sitting at the heart of every atom, but travelling at extraordinary energies, sometimes exceeding what physicists call a peta electron volt, or PeV. To put that in perspective, that's roughly a thousand times more…

Neurological disorders are no longer limited to older adults or a small section of the population. Across India, doctors are seeing a steady rise in conditions such as stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, dementia, multiple sclerosis, and other brain-related illnesses. Alarmingly, experts say stroke, which was once considered a disease of old age, is now affecting many people in their 30s and 40s due to unhealthy lifestyles and increasing rates of diabetes, hypertension, obesity, stress, and poor sleep. Despite this growing burden, access to specialist neurological care remains a major challenge. Most neurologists are concentrated in large cities,…

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India – Business Wire India Nu Skin India, the India arm of Nu Skin Enterprises, a global direct-selling beauty and wellness company operating in nearly 50 markets worldwide and driven by a strong purpose-led philosophy, has announced its partnership with The Akshaya Patra Foundation to support mid-day meals for government and government-aided school children in India. Through this collaboration, The Nu Skin Force for Good Foundation has provided support of approximately Rs. 47.5 lakh, enabling 700,000 mid-day meals for more than 3,000 students during the project period. In addition, Nu Skin India will further strengthen the…

For years, Chinese companies such as Alibaba and Baidu headed to the U.S. to list their shares, citing its deeper capital markets and higher valuations. Now, one American biotech firm is betting on doing the opposite. Axiom Biosciences, a San Diego-based developer of regenerative and genetic medicines, plans to go public in Hong Kong in 2027, followed by a secondary U.S. listing in 2029. The company says the "contrarian" move will open the door to sophisticated, biotech-focused investors while bringing it closer to clinical and commercial partners across Asia. "Some of the most important science in the world is being built in the United States, but…

From roadside eateries to large food manufacturers, Karnataka is stepping up efforts to reduce the use of industrially-produced trans fats — a major contributor to heart disease and other non-communicable illnesses. At a State-level sensitisation programme on eliminating industrially produced trans fats, held in Bengaluru on July 21, the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) Commissioner said Karnataka would intensify surveillance, inspection, and enforcement to ensure compliance with food safety regulations aimed at reducing trans fats in the food supply chain. The programme brought together Food Safety Department officials, food business…

As Tamil Nadu swelters through one of its harshest summers in recent years, many look to the sky hoping for relief in the form of an afternoon shower. But in the salt pans of Marakkanam, rain is the one thing workers cannot afford to wish for. Every spell of rainfall stalls salt production for days and costs them wages. So, even as they endure hours under a relentless sun that reflects off the white salt fields with blinding intensity, they hope for the heat to continue. It is a cruel irony that the weather which leaves workers dizzy, dehydrated, and exhausted is also what keeps their livelihoods alive. This year, temperatures crossed the 40°C mark…

On 21 July at 6.45 pm, as the streets of the national capital were under heavy pressure from two separate protests, an ambulance without sirens carried activist Sonam Wangchuk from Safdarjung Hospital to Medanta. The protests were taking place simultaneously, with the Opposition outside the Prime Minister’s residence, and students at Jantar Mantar. The transfer came after what was described as a small victory for Wangchuk, who was shifted by the Delhi Police to Safdarjung Hospital on July 18, the 21st day of his indefinite hunger strike at the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest. He had won his case in the High Court and was being moved to a hospital…

In a statement on Wednesday, presidential special assistant Dirgayuza Setiawan said that Nanik’s reform initiatives had saved hundreds of billions of rupiah as she took action against 414 problematic kitchens, formed 11 internal reform teams and refocused the national food initiative towards vulnerable populations. Her resignation comes as the flagship programme faces another round of budget cuts. On Tuesday, it was reported that Indonesia had further reduced the programme’s budget to 229 trillion rupiah (US$12.81 billion) from 268 trillion rupiah, with senior officials of the agency saying that further cuts are possible. The programme was originally…

It was close to being removed in 2022 when politicians voted to remove the 5% GST. The government began its free product scheme in October 2022, providing sanitary items in a range of locations including public toilets and government buildings. In exchange, it reversed its decision to remove the GST. Millar said there was no need to remove tax from products in the shops as people could get them for free instead. She said: "If you look at simple facts, simple maths, if you're spending £5 a month on sanitary products, taking GST off, if the saving was passed on, would save you 25 pence. "With free products, you're saving £5 because you're getting the…

This story contains graphic details of medical conditions. A global study has found New Zealand doctors are using too many antibiotics, risking the growth of superbugs. An Invercargill mum who suffered for months with an antibiotic-resistant infection says something needs to change. Jess Barnfather was infected with MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) during a caesarean section at Dunedin Hospital in 2020. MRSA is a type of staph infection resistant to antibiotics like penicillin. She said it took four weeks in hospital and six months at home to recover. "It was probably the worst infection I've ever experienced in my lifetime," she…

Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political…

Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political…

A large multi-omics study maps why epigenetic clocks capture different aspects of aging and shows how gene-expression scores may sharpen their interpretation. Study: How epigenetic clocks tick: unpacking the black box by deciphering biological pathways and transcriptomic signatures of accelerated aging. Image Credit: Lightspring / Shutterstock In a recent study published in the journal npj Aging, a group of researchers identified the biological pathways and gene expression signatures associated with widely used epigenetic clocks and evaluated how transcriptomic aging gene scores (TAGS) were associated with aging-related health outcomes. Background Why…

Health experts are challenging political parties to prioritise public health over industry profits at this year's election, calling for stronger laws targeting tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food to reduce preventable illness and ease pressure on the healthcare system. Health Coalition Aotearoa released its Prevention Brief 2026 on Monday, describing it as a blueprint for reducing preventable illness and improving health equity. The coalition said tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food accounted for one-quarter - or 350,000 - of healthy years of life lost in Aotearoa each year, while disproportionately affecting Māori, Pacific people, lower-income…

The former Shortland Street actor agreed, calling the act of violence “caring”. KJ Apa candidly discusses some of his past extreme behaviours. “I remember you ran like an ostrich, dude,” Dylan said. “You were there, I was there. He punched you, then you ran away.” He called the pair’s relationship “beautiful”, as Apa said he had leaned on Cole during their six years of filming the show in Vancouver. “Having Cole throughout that experience, I was grateful for it because he had been through all of that stuff that you guys went through,” Apa told Dylan. “A lot of us felt that way.” Now a 29-year-old father, Apa said he has been sober for a year and a…

HYDERABAD: A woman cabin crew member of a private airline alleged that she was raped by a cab driver on July 20 while she was en route to the airport. Police registered a rape case and arrested the accused on Tuesday. He was sent to judicial remand. According to the police, the incident took place at an isolated spot near an under-construction school close to the airport. On the pretext of attending nature's call, the accused allegedly took a detour to the isolated location. "He stopped the car near the under-construction school and got out. A little while later, he suddenly opened the rear door and forced himself upon the victim," an official from…

Former West Bengal minister and Trinamool Congress MLA Madan Mitra has come under the Enforcement Directorate's scanner in the alleged municipal recruitment scam. The central probing agency has summoned Mitra to appear for questioning at the CGO Complex in Kolkata at 11 am on July 29. Before issuing the latest summons, the ED had also asked Mitra's wife, Archana Mitra, and their two sons, Swaroop Mitra and Shubhrup Mitra, to appear on July 22 and 23 with bank documents. According to ED sources, the summons was issued after the agency scrutinised financial transactions in which the names of the family members surfaced. The ED suspects that several…

MANILA, Philippines — Police tried to restrain and handcuff a photojournalist while he was covering a protest in Pasay City, prompting a media group to condemn what it called the "harassment" and "intimidation" of photojournalists. Media reports and footage of the incident showed Bullit Marquez being accosted by cops, with another officer blocking him with a riot shield. His camera was also seen on the ground. Marquez said his camera the attempted arrest broke his camera. He was later released after another photojournalist, Maria Tan, intervened on his behalf. In a DZRH interview, Marquez said police tried to block him from taking photos of a…

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court (SC) has affirmed that the loss or non-presentation of ransom money in court cannot save a kidnapper from conviction, provided the prosecution proves that a ransom demand was made for the victim's release. In a decision authored by Associate Justice Ricardo Rosario, the high court's First Division upheld the kidnapping-for-ransom convictions of Jose Olbato, former Police Officer III Clayton Patingan and their co-accused. The Supreme Court sentenced all the accused to reclusion perpetua, or up to 40 years in prison, without eligibility for parole. They were also ordered to pay a total of P300,000 in civil…

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) seized approximately 7.875 kg of non-hallmarked gold jewellery worth around ₹10 crore during a raid on a jewellery shop in Warangal district of Telangana \| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) seized approximately 7.875 kg of non-hallmarked gold jewellery worth around ₹10 crore during a raid on a jewellery shop in Warangal district, Telangana, for allegedly violating the mandatory hallmarking provisions under the BIS Act, 2016. The search and seizure operation was carried out by officials of the BIS Hyderabad Branch Office under the directions of P.V. Srikanth, Director and Head…

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India – Business Wire India EbixCash World Money Limited today became the first Authorised Dealer Category-II (AD-II) entity in India to be granted a perpetual RBI licence with an expanded scope of permitted activities — a regulatory milestone no other AD-II player in the country has achieved. The upgrade follows a landmark revision to the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) framework in May 2026, under which the Reserve Bank of India opened trade remittances of up to Rs. 25 lakh, and family maintenance remittances, to AD-II entities for the first time. For an industry where trade remittance has been the exclusive preserve of…

Ravie LakshmananJul 22, 2026Supply Chain Attack / Malware Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a NuGet typosquat that's unlike the typical information-stealing malware distributed via package registries: usual info-stealers: it's designed to rig live game results on Digitain. The package, named "Newtonsoftt.Json.Net," masquerades as the Newtonsoft.Json library and is a trojanized fork. Seven versions of the package have been published to the NuGet repository: 11.0.4, 11.0.5, 11.0.7, 11.0.8, 11.0.9, 11.0.10, and 11.0.11. The package has been downloaded about 1,200 times to date. The package has been unlisted by its owner MagicalPuff96, meaning…

FILE - Phones are kept for charging at a Doctors Without Borders informal camp in Mardyck, northern France, Wednesday, July 2, 2025. Nicolas Garriga/AP *hide caption* *toggle caption* Nicolas Garriga/AP PARIS — France banned children under 15 from using social media on Tuesday, becoming the first country in the European Union to pass a blanket ban on the platforms as concerns grow worldwide over the harmful effects of digital content on kids. Both chambers of the Parliament voted in favor of the measure, a flagship initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron's second term. The bill also bans the use of mobile phones in high schools. Several…

Sam Altman-led OpenAI has admitted that its AI models were responsible for the hacking attempt that targeted AI platform Hugging Face last week. Sharing an official statement on the incident, the chatGPT-maker said that the incident took place during an internal test designed to measure advanced cyber capabilities. “Last week, Hugging Face disclosed a new kind of security incident after they detected and contained an AI agent that compromised their infrastructure, something we expect to become more commonplace with the proliferation of increasingly cyber-capable models,” OpenAI said. “After investigating, we now know that this particular…

We need your help now Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open. You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough. If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Bang Yi Khan police arrest Vietnamese drug suspects at a residence in Bang Kapi district of Bangkok on Tuesday. (Photo: Metropolitan Police Bureau) Six Vietnamese nationals were arrested at a Bangkok house as metropolitan police expanded investigations into Tokyo-bound crystal methamphetamine concealed in tamarind paste. The arrests were made on Tuesday when police raided a residence in the Khlong Chan area in Bang Kapi district, according to Pol Maj Gen Theeradej Thammasuthee, the deputy Bangkok police chief responsible for drug suppression. The operation followed the discovery of 2 kilogrammes of crystal meth, commonly known as "ice", after a woman…

OpenAI says its AI models, including GPT‑5.6 Sol and a pre-release model, hacked into the Hugging Face artificial intelligence repository while being tested in a sandboxed testing environment. As the company explained, instead of focusing on finding a solution for the ExploitGym public AI cybersecurity benchmark on their own, the AI models tried to cheat by stealing the test solutions by hacking Hugging Face after inferring that they could get the test solutions directly from its production database. In one of their attempts, the OpenAI agents chained zero-day vulnerabilities and used stolen credentials to find a remote code execution attack vector…

I was keen to find out what the younger generation think, so spoke to a group of students. Jess Rolf, 23, says having children was "never something she worried about", and trying to build a settled life was "very stressful with the cost of living and the job market". "I'm from Lincolnshire and people my age back home are buying houses with their partners and talking about starting families. "I don't think that's on the cards for me." Charlotte Ward, 26, has said planning ahead is difficult. "A lot of people our age are quite disenfranchised. "You put all your energy into school, university and work, then wonder, 'do I want to bring somebody else into…

SINGAPORE - An alleged member of a money laundering syndicate targeting Singapore bank accounts was charged on July 22 with engaging in a conspiracy to help others retain crime benefits. Singapore authorities had earlier issued a warrant of arrest against Tan Kian Hoa, who is a Malaysian, before he was detained at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on July 20. He was handed over to the Singapore Police Force (SPF) the next day. In March, Tan, 28, allegedly worked with a group of people including Tey Jia Yee and Wong Hoo Ping to commit the offence linked to the benefits of an undisclosed criminal activity. Money was then transferred out of multiple…

A single invisible comment in an Azure DevOps pull request can turn a reviewer's own AI coding agent against them, driving it into projects the attacker has no rights to reach and quietly leaking what it finds. The flaw is in Microsoft's official Azure DevOps MCP server, and it works because one of its tools returns pull request descriptions without a prompt-injection guardrail the company had already applied to others. Offensive security firm Manifold Security detailed the confused-deputy bug this week. Microsoft ships the server so AI agents can read and operate Azure DevOps for a user, across pull requests, pipelines, wikis, and work items, all…

Two asylum seekers were given lengthy prison sentences last Wednesday for raping a woman on Brighton beach, while a third who filmed the attack has also been jailed. Two days earlier, an Afghan migrant admitted the 'frenzied' killing of a man, as well as stabbing his landlord and a teenage boy while in a 'psychotic state'. A month before that, an asylum seeker who raped a 'particularly vulnerable' 18-year-old woman in a park in Nottinghamshire was jailed for ten years. As people digest with horror what feel like daily reports of horrendous attacks carried out by foreign incomers, is it any surprise voters now regularly cite immigration and crime as…

Police officers searched people at Yuen Long MTR station on Tuesday evening, seven years since white-clad men stormed the concourse and indiscriminately attacked passers-by and protesters returning from a demonstration earlier that day. According to reports by local independent media, about a dozen plainclothes police officers were at the MTR station on Tuesday afternoon. Among […]

Another senior Xbox executive has left the company. Jared Palmer has quit Xbox just two months after being appointed vice president of engineering and a technical adviser to chief executive Asha Sharma. He has joined artificial intelligence startup Cognition, where he will lead the company's engineering organisation. Palmer's departure follows a series of high-profile leadership changes at Xbox. Long-time Microsoft Gaming chief Phil Spencer retired in February 2026 after 38 years at Microsoft, while Xbox President Sarah Bond also left during the same leadership reshuffle. Palmer announced his exit in a post on X, writing: "Personal update: I've joined…

Pauline Hanson has described domestic violence as “wrong” but a “two-way street”, and that women being abused should not put up with it, drawing condemnation from advocates who have accused the One Nation leader of victim-blaming. On Wednesday, Hanson told radio station 4BC domestic violence in Australia was a scourge but that society was under “so much pressure”, when asked to call out the issue. “It is wrong but it’s also a two-way street. I’m not saying that it’s just men, women can lose their cool as well. Society is under so much pressure … Everyone is under so much pressure and it’s really hard,” Hanson said. “Domestic violence is a scourge but…

Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political…

Rebel Wilson has been cleared of accusations that she defamed a young Australian actress, a Sydney court has found. Charlotte MacInnes, who starred in Wilson's film The Deb, sued the Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect actress for allegedly harming her reputation in Instagram posts in 2024 and 2025. In the posts, Wilson accused MacInnes of retracting her complaint of sexual harassment against a film producer so she could further her career - a claim MacInnes denied. In court on Wednesday, Justice Elizabeth Raper dismissed the case, saying the imputation that MacInnes had changed her story about the incident was not defamatory. The judge ordered MacInnes to…

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 10: An aerial photo taken with a drone shows a group of white tents, constructed in a parking lot at the United Center, home to the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks, serving as a mass COVID-19 vaccination center on March 10, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. The site, which opened at full capacity today, expects to vaccinate 6,000 residents-per-day. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Getty Images The WNBA will host its 2026 All-Star Weekend on July 24-25 in Chicago. While the main events will take place at Wintrust Arena and United Center, fans can expect plenty of festivities throughout the city. Wintrust Arena will host the State…

PAX Aus has revealed an eclectic lineup of gaming and gaming-adjacent guests will be on deck for PAX Aus 2026 this October. Leading the list is Austin Creed, formerly known to wrestling aficionados by his WWE superstar Ring name Xavier Woods. A lifelong gamer, Creed is the host of popular gaming YouTube channel UpUpDownDown. Also appearing will be award-winning Australian composer and sound designer Mick Gordon, whose incredible work on the likes of 2016’s Doom and the follow-up Doom Eternal – as well as the much-loved MachineGames Wolfenstein series – has earned him enormous praise. Gordon will be taking fans on a tour behind some of this music.…

Former head of Burnout developer Criterion Games Fiona Sperry is doubling down on 2025’s Wreckreation by announcing a sequel is on the way. The news may come as unexpected, considering the lukewarm response to the original, and the fact that the entire team at developer Three Fields Entertainment was placed on notice of redundancy in the immediate wake of Wreckreation’s release, with no further support from publisher THQ Nordic forthcoming. Wreckreation 2 is technically being developed by a new studio called When Tides Turn, although this studio is reportedly staffed by veterans of Three Fields Entertainment. Prior to Wreckreation, UK-based Three…

A man waiting at an airport boarding gate questioned why so many passengers rush to stand in long queues even before boarding begins, saying the habit reflects a deeper sense of anxiety rather than necessity. The video was shared by Instagram user Shresth Ojha, who recorded his observations while waiting to board his flight. In the clip, Ojha panned the camera towards a long queue of passengers already lined up at the boarding gate before turning it towards himself. Looking at the crowd, he wondered why so many people felt the need to stand in line when boarding had not even been announced. "Just have a look at this queue. What are Indians so afraid…

Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (Ujjivan SFB), one of India’s leading small finance banks, today announced that it has secured the 8th position among Top 100 India’s Best Companies to Work For 2026, marking a significant leap from its previous ranking and reinforcing its position as one of the country’s most admired workplaces. In addition to this achievement, Ujjivan SFB has also been recognized among the Top 25 in India’s Best Workplaces in BFSI 2026 and the Top 10 in India’s Best Workplaces in Health \& Wellness 2026, reflecting the Bank’s commitment to building an environment where people can grow, thrive, and perform at their best. For Ujjivan SFB,…

Gen Z are among those least likely to understand corporate jargon, report claims Younger workers are struggling to fit in, in a remote work world Leaders should prioritize inclusion, not fancy jargon New research has claimed younger workers are feeling increasingly disconnected from their workplaces, with the average Gen Z worker understanding just 5.3 out of 24 common workplace phrases. More broadly, the average worker of any age identified seven out of 24, with around half (48.8%) understanding five or fewer, revealing a shift in how workplaces communicate, the report from CareerMinds found. This comes amid ongoing transformations, with AI…

“First make the change easy, then make the easy change.” - paraphrased from Kent Beck You're working on a new feature, but the existing code wasn't written with future changes in mind. Trying to force the feature in directly gets complicated fast. One change leads to another, and before you know it you're already a few files deep fixing things you never planned to touch. Prefactoring (short for "preparatory refactoring") is the practice of reworking existing code to make it more suitable for an upcoming change before you actually implement the new functionality. Instead of cleaning up code as an afterthought or trying to force a new feature into an…

Design systems operate under one of the following governance models: centralised, federated, or hybrid. All approaches have different benefits and drawbacks, swaying the decision-making scales depending on organisational priorities, maturity, size, and resourcing. Not all decisions are made the same, as one of these models stands to upend what design system teams care about most: cohesion, consistency, and a high bar for excellence. Yes, I’m talking about federated design systems. A federated system (also known as decentralised) operates with no centralised ownership. Instead, it relies on feature teams maintaining it, most often as a side-track to…

The same expressions rendered from 14px to 64px. 14px {b:30,70,20,90} {l:20,50,30,80,10} {p:65} 18px {b:30,70,20,90} {l:20,50,30,80,10} {p:65} 24px {b:30,70,20,90} {l:20,50,30,80,10} {p:65} 36px {b:30,70,20,90} {l:20,50,30,80,10} {p:65} 48px {b:30,70,20,90} {l:20,50,30,80,10} {p:65} 64px {b:30,70,20,90} {l:20,50,30,80,10} {p:65}

Asian shares traded mixed on Wednesday after Wall Street rallied, even as higher oil prices and inflation concerns kept investors cautious. Gains in US technology and chip stocks linked to the artificial-intelligence boom helped lift sentiment, but markets also weighed the risk that rising energy costs could lead central banks to keep interest rates higher. In Asia, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 0.2 per cent to finish at 66,115.60, Australia's S\&P/ASX 200 added 0.3 per cent to 8,823.00, South Korea's Kospi rose 0.7 per cent to 6,797.70, Hong Kong's Hang Seng dipped 1.1 per cent to 24,866.67, and the Shanghai Composite slipped less than 0.1 per…

The NYK Venus container ship, operated by Nippon Yusen KK, moored at the Oi Container Terminal in Tokyo, Japan, on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. Bloomberg \| Bloomberg \| Getty Images Japan exports in June grew at their fastest pace since November 2022, rising 19.3% from a year earlier, powered by shipments of semiconductor equipment and a weak yen. Exports growth beat expectations of an 18.6% rise from economists polled by Reuters, and was higher than the 16.8% seen in May. Shipments to Asia rose 22.7%, most notably seeing a 46.4% jump in exports to Taiwan compared to the same period last year. Exports to China, Japan's largest trading partner, increased…

UK inflation dropped by more than expected in June to 2.6%, in a boost for Andy Burnham’s plans to reduce the cost of living. The new prime minister has pledged to bring down the cost of living to give households more disposable income and improve the outlook for the economy, announcing a winter VAT cut on electricity bills and lowering the cap on bus fares in England. Last month’s consumer prices index reading outdid economists’ forecasts of a slide from 2.8% in May to 2.7%, amid a fall in the prices of fuel, particularly diesel, helped by the unstable truce in the Middle East conflict. The Office for National Statistics said clothing also dropped in…

When global index provider MSCI warned in January that Indonesia risked being demoted from emerging to frontier market status, it unleashed a wave of volatility, sell-offs and wild trading swings. Six months on, Jakarta’s investment chief argues the real story is not about whether the country can earn investors’ trust. “For Indonesia, this is not about short-term market status,” Investment Minister Rosan Roeslani told This Week in Asia in written replies to questions. “It is about building a deeper, more credible, and more investible capital market.” MSCI’s warning centred on what it characterised as opaque shareholding structures and suspicions of…

We need your help now Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open. You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough. If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

TOKYO, July 22. /TASS/. Trade turnover between Japan and Russia increased by 15% in the first six months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, reaching 670 bln yen (about $4.1 bln), according to TASS calculations based on statistical data published by Japan's Ministry of Finance. The total value of Japanese imports from Russia increased by 10.9% to 456.6 bln yen ($2.8 bln). Imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) rose by 0.3% compared with January-June 2025. Purchases of Russian coal increased by 15.8%. In addition, according to TASS calculations, Japan purchased about 1.53 mln barrels of Russian oil in May and June, at an average…

Rio Times Global Economy Briefing The Big Three Wall Street snaps losing streak on tech rebound The S\&P 500 closed up 0.89% near 7,509, snapping a three-day slide as semiconductor stocks surged on stronger Korean and Taiwanese export data, stabilising global risk appetite after an AI-driven rout. Oil breaks above $90, stoking inflation fears Brent crude hit $91.24, up 2.26%, driven by Middle East supply threats including Houthi rebel escalation, feeding into global inflation risks that complicate the Fed’s rate path and squeeze Latin American importers. Brazil’s Selic anchors real as carry trade thrives With the policy rate at 14.25% after cautious…

Africa · Western Key Facts —2027 Launch Confirmed. ECOWAS heads of state reiterated at their July 2026 summit in Sierra Leone that the ECO will launch in 2027. —Multi-Speed Rollout. Only member states that meet economic convergence criteria and are deemed “ready” will adopt the currency in the first phase. —Ghana in Core Group. Ghana is explicitly cited alongside Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, and The Gambia as a potential first-wave adopter, pending compliance. —Convergence Gaps Remain. As of 2024, only Cape Verde and Benin met all four primary convergence criteria, raising questions about the 2027 timeline’s realism. —Two-Track Currency…

The enrolment of male students dropped by 2.2% between 2022-23 and 2023-24 while that of female students increased by 1.8%. \| Photo Credit: lakshmiprasad S Even as issues around education have momentarily taken centre-stage amid the protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and activist Sonam Wangchuk in Delhi, the reports based on the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) for two years released together after inordinate delay by the Union Ministry of Education (MoE) earlier this month has largely gone unnoticed. Importantly, the strange trend that has gone unreported is the inexplicable decline in the total number of students enrolled…

Rio de Janeiro — Mild, dry winter sunshine holds through the afternoon before a cool evening — perfect for a long lunch outdoors. Botafogo host Santos at 7:30 pm at the Nilton Santos in the Brasileirão restart — the day’s main sporting pulse. Markets closed mixed on Tuesday with the real easing 0.33% to 5.0732 to the dollar, nudging dollar earners’ spending power. A day for a beachside morning, a Centro art detour, then football under the lights. Rio de Janeiro Daily Brief for Wednesday, July 22, 2026. Photo: The Rio Times archive. One-stop reference Company Intelligence Every listed company in Latin America — financials, ownership and structure for…

Today in crypto, Balaji Srinivasan’s Network School is looking to Kazakhstan after setbacks in Malaysia, Bitcoin climbed on hopes for US crypto legislation and a rotation out of AI stocks, and UK lawmakers launched an inquiry into banking access for crypto firms. Balaji’s Network School turns to Kazakhstan amid Malaysia setback Balaji Srinivasan’s Network School, a community of “digital nomads,” is eyeing a new campus in Kazakhstan after its Forest City campus had its business license revoked over alleged premises-use violations. A memorandum of understanding was signed between Kazakhstan’s Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace…

Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways expects its first-half net profit to jump by as much as 75 per cent to HK$6.5 billion (US$829 million) from HK$3.7 billion a year earlier, driven partly by growth in passenger and cargo traffic. The airline said on Wednesday that earnings were also boosted by a one-off gain of about HK$1.4 billion from the dilution of its interest in Air China following a share sale. It said that it expected net profit to range between HK$6 billion and HK$6.5 billion for the first half of the year. “Although jet fuel prices remained elevated, Cathay Pacific and HK Express carried a combined total of more than 3.1 million…

MANILA, Philippines — A majority of Filipinos, or 64%, expressed distrust toward China in July, according to the latest survey by private polling firm OCTA Research. Only 14% of respondents expressed trust toward China, while 21% remained undecided. The July distrust rating was 9 percentage points higher than the 55% recorded in March. OCTA said the increase reversed the declining pattern in distrust observed since 2024. “This suggests that more Filipinos are moving away from uncertainty and settling into a firmer—and increasingly distrustful—view of China,” OCTA said in its report released Wednesday, July 22. Distrust linked to West Philippine Sea…

Shares of BlueStone Jewellery rallied another 8% to Rs 785 on the BSE on Wednesday, extending Tuesday's 20% surge, after the company reported a strong set of Q1 results. It posted a net profit of Rs 14 crore, compared with a net loss of Rs 21 crore in the year-ago quarter. The company reported a 48.8% year-on-year rise in standalone revenue to Rs 733 crore. Same-store sales growth stood at 39% YoY, while standalone EBITDA more than doubled, rising 134.6% YoY to Rs 55 crore. BlueStone also added 12 stores during Q1 FY27, taking its total store count to 352 across 139 cities. Buy, sell or hold BlueStone Jewellery shares? Systematix has maintained a Buy…

We need your help now Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open. You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough. If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

NEW DELHI, INDIA - JULY 10: Indian Youth Congress members raise slogans during a protest against Union Minister Nitin Gadkari over the issue of ethanol-blended petrol at Raisina Road, on July 10, 2026 in New Delhi, India. Indian Youth Congress (IYC) on Friday staged a protest against the E20 ethanol-blended petrol policy, accusing the Centre of pushing a measure that allegedly harms vehicles and benefits ethanol manufacturers. Hindustan Times \| Hindustan Times \| Getty Images The world's third-largest crude consumer, India, is testing alternative fuels such as ethanol from corn and biogas from animal waste, as rising global oil prices and potential…

Rupee came under pressure in early trade on Wednesday, opening 11 paise lower at 96.36 against the US dollar. The slump came as rising crude oil prices and increased demand for safe-haven assets weighed down the currency. Earlier on Tuesday, rupee had ended at 96.25 against the greenback before slipping at the opening of the interbank foreign exchange market. Market participants attributed the weakness to renewed geopolitical tensions that have kept energy markets on edge. Forex traders said worries over the security of oil shipments through the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz continue to underpin crude prices. They added that Houthi threats against…

Indonesia ’s long-stalled gas project in the North Natuna Sea is stirring back to life, with its new operator confirming that activities have resumed at a strategically sensitive field after years of commercial uncertainty and pressure from China. Prime Group, the Indonesian company that took over operatorship from Britain’s Harbour Energy, told This Week in Asia that “activities associated with the Tuna PSC have resumed in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements”. The PSC – production-sharing contract – is the agreement governing development of the gas field, named Tuna after the licensed offshore area in which the project sits. The Tuna…

As many as 63 companies including quick commerce and food delivery major Eternal , FMCG giant Nestlé India and others are set to announce their results Q1 earnings on Wednesday. Key earnings to watch also include those of oil marketing companies (OMCs) Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL), as escalating tensions in the Middle East continue to push oil prices higher. Two Adani Group companies—Adani Green Energy and Adani Power—will be in focus as they announce their Q1 results today . Other prominent companies feature IndusInd Bank , Dr. Reddy's Laboratories , HFCL , UCO Bank , Tata Communications , Waaree…

Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political…

12 स्टेशनों पर होगा स्टॉपेज बुलेट ट्रेन की शुरुआत से जुड़ी खबर के साथ ही ये भी सामने आया है कि मुंबई और अहमदाबाद के बीच ये हाई स्पील रेल कितने स्टेशनों पर रुकेगी. बिजनेस टुडे पर छपी रिपोर्ट में बताया गया कि बुलेट ट्रेन कॉरिडोर महाराष्ट्र, गुजरात और दादरा और नगर हवेली से होकर 508 किमी तक फैला हुआ है. इसमें जिन 12 प्रमुख स्टेशनों स्टॉपेज तय किए गए हैं. उनमें मुंबई (BKC), ठाणे, विरार, बोइसर, वापी, बिलिमोरा, सूरत, भरूच, वडोदरा, आनंद, अहमदाबाद और साबरमती शामिल हैं.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said on Wednesday that four suspects, including officials of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), had been arrested in Karachi for their alleged involvement in making false documents for Afghan nationals. In a press release, a spokesperson for the agency identified the suspects as Nadra Assistant Director Imamul Haq, Nadra Deputy Assistant Director Fayyaz Ahmed, Junaid Ahmed, a watchman working for the authority, and a private agent Muhammad Umar Shah. He added that law enforcement agencies had seized important records and other evidence as part of the operation, adding that the scope of the…

India is considering a major policy change that could allow airport operators such as the Adani Group and GMR Airports to launch and run their own airlines, in a move aimed at increasing competition in a market currently dominated by IndiGo and Air India, reported Bloomberg. At present, operators of Delhi and Mumbai airports are not allowed to own more than a 10% stake in an airline. Bloomberg reported that discussions are underway within the Ministry of Civil Aviation to relax these ownership restrictions. Any such move would require legal clearance from the law ministry as well as approval from the Union Cabinet. If the proposal is cleared, it could…

SEOUL, July 22 (Yonhap) -- Authorities on Wednesday declared the winner of a public bid for the design of a new presidential office to be built in the central administrative city of Sejong. A consortium led by HAEAHN Architecture Inc. secured the bid with a design proposal that will adopt chae and madang, or the rooms and open yards of traditional Korean houses, to give traditional Korean scenery, according to the National Administrative City Construction Agency (NACCA). The design earned praise for aligning its spatial layout with the surrounding natural terrain while maintaining close proximity between the president and his aides. Evaluators,…

Anneliese Midgley, one of the key figures in Andy Burnham's leadership campaign, has been promoted to the cabinet in the role of chief whip. She has only been the MP for Knowsley, not far from Makerfield, since 2024 but she has been an influential force in the Labour movement for much longer than that, working for both Sir Keir Starmer and Jeremy Corbyn in opposition, following stints at the TUC. She has spoken about how, when she was growing up, her family’s life was changed by the "secure, well-paid, unionised job" her father got at a car factory. Before her political career, music lover Midgey ran club nights in Liverpool, worked in record shops…

Nepal's Prime Minister Balen Shah, who has thus so far followed a protocol of refusing to sit down in one-to-one meetings with foreign envoys, is set to break his self-imposed rule and meet the envoys from India and China this week, The Kathmandu Post reported, citing his aides and diplomatic sources. Shah will also be trying to portray that the two countries are equally important for him. Shah, who rode a wave of Gen Z agitation, has seen at least two big rounds of protests within 100 days of his stint as the PM. One had to do with the enforcement of the customs duty at the Indo-Nepal border, while the other was sparked after a ride-share driver…

Ukraine on Wednesday pressed on with its fight against Russia's invasion under new military leadership after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, facing public pressure, removed his commander-in-chief as part of a wider government reshuffle. The changes followed days of political turmoil over a rift between the outgoing army chief and the defence minister, at a time when Ukraine said it had made significant progress in the war this year. The top-level moves, announced late on Tuesday, were meant to draw a line under almost a week of unrest that also prompted rejoicing in Russia. Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi, 43, was named the new army chief, and Zelenskyy…

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 83 development projects worth more than Rs 396 crore in the Shravasti and Bhinga Assembly constituencies during a programme held at Sitadwar in Ikauna, Shravasti. The Chief Minister also visited the exhibition and distributed cheques, keys, study kits and Ayushman Cards to beneficiaries of various government schemes. CM Yogi observed, “Development requires dedicated time, continuous review and active follow-up by public representatives. The development visible in Shravasti today is the result of constant monitoring by public representatives and the government.” CM…

It is no secret that politics thrives on symbolism and optics. On Tuesday, the dramatic scenes that played out outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence delivered both. Images of Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi being dragged by police, bleeding from the nose, his clothes soiled, and one shoe lost in the tussle before being detained dominated the news cycle. It gave the Congress exactly what it wanted - reclaiming the opposition space on the paper leak issue after the massive Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests seized the spotlight. Senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai opined that Rahul's detention is likely to be seen as a political…

The OK Movement has appointed the Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, Sam Amadi, as its Head of the Advisory Council. The Movement made the announcement in a statement posted on its verified X handle on Tuesday. According to the statement, as a respected public policy expert, legal scholar, and advocate for good governance, Amadi brings a wealth of experience, integrity, and strategic insight to the growing movement. It expressed the optimism that his leadership will further strengthen the mission to build a united, people-driven movement committed to moving Nigeria forward. “The OK Movement Leadership is proud to announce…

APCC vice-president Kolanukonda Shivaji addressing the media in Vijayawada on Tuesday. \| Photo Credit: K.V.S. Giri Leaders of the Andhra Pradesh Congress on Tuesday (July 21, 2026) celebrated the birthday of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge at Andhra Ratna Bhavan in Vijayawada. Later, speaking to the media, APCC vice-president Kolanukonda Shivaji condemned the police lathi-charge on students who were peacefully protesting at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Monday against the growing incidents of paper leaks across the country. He said suppressing the voice of students was against the spirit of democracy and reflected the Central government’s failure…

Sonam Raghuvanshi, in purple dress, is accused of plotting her husband’s murder during their honeymoon in Meghalaya. \| Photo Credit: PTI Vipin Raghuvanshi, the elder brother of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi who was killed during his honeymoon, has claimed that the victim’s wife Sonam had been lying regarding his suspicious death from the beginning. The Supreme Court on Tuesday (July 21, 2026) questioned Ms. Sonam’s conduct and advised her to surrender and face trial for the alleged murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, during their honeymoon in Meghalaya in May 2025. Speaking to PTI here, Ms. Sonam’s brother-in-law Mr. Vipin said, “Ms.…

BJP Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar \| Photo Credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN BJP Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has said peaceful protests are “a democratic right”, but maintained that violence, anarchy and lawlessness have no place in a democracy. In a post on X, Mr. Chandrasekhar said, “Protests are a part of democracy and is a right of every citizen. Agreed.” He added, “Violent protests are not democracy. Anarchy is not democracy. Lawlessness is not democracy.” Stressing the rule of law, the BJP leader said, “It is the right and expectation of every citizen that Law holds lawbreakers accountable; that law prevails over anarchy.” Mr.…

The Office for National Statistics said it played a role in reducing inflation in 2023, and it appeared popular. An evaluation of the first ten months - not published until 2025 - found that the scheme did contribute 5% of the 13% rise in bus usage during that period. Lower-income passengers felt the most financial benefit. However it did not score highly when it comes to value for money. How much money people saved varied depending how much fares in their local area cost before the cap. In those first ten months, £210m was spent on the scheme, less than the £245m budget. Sir Keir's government allocated £150m to fund its £3 cap for 2025. The…

RNC senior advisor Danielle Alvarez highlights the growing influence of Democratic Socialists in primaries, citing the Arizona House 4 race where incumbent Greg Stanton faces Kai Newkirk. Alvarez criticizes Newkirk's platform, including abolishing ICE, and points to the DSA's surging membership as a "disaster" for mainstream Democrats and the nation. NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Two Democratic candidates remained locked in a battle as of early Wednesday morning to claim their party’s nomination in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District for a chance to face former NFL kicker Jay Feely. Former television news anchor Marlene Galán-Woods and…

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’ \| Photo Credit: ANI Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi attributed policy-driven reforms, investor-friendly administration and sustainable industrial development to Odisha being bracketed among top five performers in NITI Aayog’s first-ever Investment Friendliness Index (IFI) 2026. The NITI Aayog recently came up with the Investment Friendliness Index to understand how well Indian States were positioned to attract investments. The index had covered all 28 States and eight union territories (UTs) and evaluated what made a state attractive for investors, as well as the challenges investors face. The index used a…

NEW DELHI: The Uttarakhand high court has quashed a rape case registered against a man who was accused of establishing a physical relationship with a woman on the false promise of marriage. The court held that the two had met on the dating app Tinder and entered into a consensual relationship, which cannot later be treated as rape merely because it broke down without ending in marriage. The court quashed the FIR and all related proceedings on July 16. How did the Tinder relationship lead to a rape case? According to the court order, the woman first came in contact with the man on the dating app Tinder in August 2019. The two started talking and soon…

Bihar BJP chief Sanjay Sarogi with the party's candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha from the Bankipur Assembly seat by-election, in Patna. File \| Photo Credit: ANI In India’s electoral landscape, byelections are routinely held when either Assembly or Lok Sabha seats become vacant and a general election in the State, in case of an Assembly seat, or Lok Sabha, in case of a Lok Sabha seat, is due only after six months of the seats falling vacant. While some of these bypolls get significant attention, most of them go unnoticed. At present, byelections are being held in three Assembly constituencies — Bankipur in Bihar, Daita in Madhya Pradesh and Manjalpur in…

New analysis produced exclusively for the Guardian reveals how different voting systems would return wildly different seat totals in the UK parliament based on current polling. While the current first past the post (FPTP) system could leave Reform UK just 30 seats short of a majority based on recent polls, the modelling shows how proportional systems would be likely to give the UK a more finely balanced parliament that better represents the votes people cast. New research conducted by More in Common suggests that, under proportional systems such as single transferable vote or regional party list, the UK could end up being governed by a progressive…

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Australia to give up “double standards” and join efforts to maintain the momentum of improving bilateral ties, as Canberra voiced concerns over Beijing’s military development and a recent missile test. In a meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Tuesday, Wang said Canberra and Beijing should address differences on the basis of mutual respect and equality. “Both sides should seek common ground while managing disagreements and foster a virtuous cycle of positive growth in relations, rather than allowing them to be disrupted or undermined by prejudice,” Wang said, according to a Chinese foreign…

MOSCOW, July 22. /TASS/. Russia remains among the world’s top five countries in terms of the volume of aquatic biological resources harvested, the Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo) told TASS. "Overall, Russia continues to rank among the world’s top five countries by catch volume," the agency said. Rosrybolovstvo added that Russia’s fishing industry continues to deliver stable results year after year. "It fully meets the needs of the domestic market and ensures the fulfillment of export objectives," the agency stressed. For example, salmon catches increased by more than 40% in 2025, reaching 335,600 metric tons. At the same time, pollock…

Real Madrid and Brazil winger, Vinicius Junior has become the subject of widespread discussion on social media after unveiling a noticeably different appearance after the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The 26-year-old reportedly underwent a chin harmonisation procedure in Goiânia, Brazil, shortly after the Selecao’s Round of 16 exit from the tournament. Photos circulating online showed Vinicius with a more defined jawline and sharper facial profile, prompting fans to react to his dramatic transformation. According to reports, the cosmetic procedure was carried out by renowned dermatologist, Dr Alessandro Alarcao, who reportedly travelled from Miami to perform…

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebuano guard Gab Cometa delivered a stellar all-around performance, powering the Basilan Steel to a 93-86 victory over Sarangani 10ACT in the SportsPlus MPBL 2026 Season on Tuesday at the Orion Sports Complex in Bataan. Cometa, a former Benilde Trailblazer, earned the ‘Best Player of the Game’ honors after posting a […]...Keep on reading: MPBL: Gab Cometa shines with triple-double as Basilan downs Sarangani

Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political…

Argentina head coach, Lionel Scaloni, has responded to the speculation regarding the future of Lionel Messi and Emiliano Martinez with the national team following the loss to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final. The Albiceleste came very close to achieving their dream of defending the title, reaching back-to-back finals this year. Regrettably, they suffered a 1-0 defeat against a superior Spanish team, which effectively dashed their hopes. In the wake of this disappointment, rumors began to circulate about the future of 39-year-old Lionel Messi and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez within the squad. Lionel Scaloni was asked about this matter during an…

Falconets striker, Janet Akekoromowei has sealed a move to Portuguese champions Benfica, DAILY POST reports. Akekoromowei linked up with Benfica from Nigeria Women Football League, NWFL, outfit, Bayelsa Queens. The 18-year-old was the Most Valuable Player in the NWFL last year. Akekoromowei was previously linked with Spanish giants Barcelona but the move fell through after she sustained an injury, while on international duty in February. She was part of Falconets squad to the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia and played three matches during the tournament. The striker has also been capped at full international level by Nigeria.

Fenerbahçe made a winning start to their UEFA Champions League qualifying campaign on Tuesday, defeating Polish club Gornik Zabrze 1-0 in the first leg of their second qualifying round tie thanks to Anderson Talisca's first-half free kick at Chobani Stadium in Istanbul. The Brazilian's 37th-minute strike proved enough to separate the teams, giving the Turkish runners-up a narrow but valuable advantage before next week's decisive second leg in Poland. Fenerbahçe entered the 2026-27 campaign determined to end a lengthy absence from Europe's elite competition after finishing second in the Süper Lig last season. Under Ismail Kartal, who returned for a…

NEW DELHI: Just a few months ago, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi walked off the Harare Sports Club as the hero of India's Under-19 World Cup triumph. The 15-year-old smashed a sensational 175 off 80 balls against England in the final, helping India win the title by 100 runs. Now, Sooryavanshi is back at the same venue, but this time in the senior India team. India will take on Zimbabwe in a three-match T20I series starting July 23. All three matches will be played at the Harare Sports Club, where the youngster hopes to make fresh memories. Speaking to BCCI.tv, Sooryavanshi said returning to Harare brings back special memories. "Harare kaafi memorable ground hai…

IBOV 173,325.65 ▼ 0.03% IPSA 10,954.04 ▲ 0.52% IPC MEX 66,709.60 ▲ 0.88% MERVAL 3,281,979 ▲ 1.81% COLCAP 2,301.34 ▲ 0.13% BVL PERÚ 56,620.35 — — USD/BRL5.06▼ 0.27% USD/MXN17.41▼ 0.02% USD/CLP934.18▼ 0.03% USD/COP3,218▼ 1.18% USD/PEN3.40▲ 0.07% USD/ARS1,478▼ 0.27% USD/UYU40.11▲ 1.23% USD/PYG6,045▲ 1.76% USD/BOB10.80▲ 2.69% USD/DOP58.02▲ 0.31% USD/CRC446.12▲ 1.15% USD/GTQ7.62▲ 2.33% USD/HNL26.74▲ 1.61% USD/NIO36.62▲ 0.72% USD/VES735.39▼ 0.13% USD/PAB1.00— 0.00% USD/BZD2.00— 0.00% USD/JMD157.79▲ 0.55% USD/TTD6.73▲ 1.11% EUR/BRL5.77▼ 0.83% BRENT 94.44 ▲ 3.77% WTI 87.56 ▲ 3.12% IRON ORE 161.91 — — COPPER 6.50 ▼ 0.11% GOLD 4,117 ▲ 1.13% SILVER 59.51 ▲ 1.14%…

The fallout from the 2026 FIFA World Cup has escalated into one of the biggest leadership challenges of Gianni Infantino's presidency, with senior figures across European football accusing FIFA of putting commercial gain and political influence ahead of the long-term health of the sport. Spain's 1-0 extra-time victory over defending champion Argentina in the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium on July 19 brought the curtain down on the first 48-team tournament, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. While Infantino hailed the competition as "the greatest human, social and cultural event that mankind has witnessed," the tournament has…

Remco Evenepoel won the individual time trial on Stage 16 of the Tour de France, 2 days after his victory at Plateau de Solaison. The three-time world time trial champion finished 28 seconds ahead of Tadej Pogacar and 1'04'' clear of Mattias Skjelmose, between Évian and Thonon. The Belgian remains second overall, 4'32'' behind the Slovenian in the yellow jersey.

The LA Galaxy announced Wednesday that Japanese forward Kyogo Furuhashi has agreed to join the Major League Soccer club in a deal that will take him through the 2030-31 season. Furuhashi, 31, played in England last season for Championship side Birmingham City, scoring one goal in 28 league appearances while notching one more in both the FA Cup and League Cup tournaments. He has been capped by Japan’s national team 23 times but did not make Hajime Moriyasu’s squad for the 2026 World Cup in North America. Outside Japan, Furuhashi is best known for his time at Celtic, where he was signed by Ange Postecoglou soon after the Australian coach made his own…

Chaibasa, India – As the world celebrates Spain winning its second FIFA World Cup and the “GOATS” of football who headlined the month-long tournament, a remote Indian village has also joined in – albeit with an indigenous touch. To coincide with the FIFA event, residents of Tirilbasa village in Chaibasa, a tribal-dominated district in eastern India’s Jharkhand state, organised a football tournament from July 14 to July 17, featuring teams from 64 nearby villages. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list But the star attraction at the Rangila Star Tirilbasa tournament (“rangila” means “colourful” in Hindi), besides relatively handsome prize…

Max Muncy hit a two-run home run in support of Justin Wrobleski as the visiting Los ⁠Angeles Dodgers held on for a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday. Muncy’s fourth-inning blast off Zack Wheeler (10-2) provided enough offense for Wrobleski (11-2), who allowed one run and five hits in 6 1/3 innings. The All-Star left-hander walked one and struck ​out seven in lowering his ERA to 2.62. The Phillies had runners on ‌second ‌and third with one out in the ninth against Tanner Scott. ​Brandon Marsh hit a grounder to third that resulted in Justin Crawford getting tagged out in a rundown between third and home, and then J.T. Realmuto — ⁠who…

New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India 's (BCCI) Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru is buzzing with activity, and the facility is bracing for a heavy influx of contracted and targeted players in the coming week. TimesofIndia.com has learnt that nearly a dozen Indian cricketers are likely to be at the facility by the end of this week for different reasons. While players like Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Varun Chakaravarthy , Harshit Rana and Akash Deep are already there, they will be joined by Washington Sundar and a few others. It is understood that the Test hopefuls have been asked to report for fitness assessments ahead of…

Word of mouth and exposure - particularly through social media - have played integral roles in promoting the sport with women, organisers and competitors say. "There are a lot of colleges across the US that have timber sports, and they're teaching and getting men and women into the sport of lumberjacking," said Ingbretson, who works as the community education director at Hayward's high school and manages a local fitness centre. She says she's been treated like a celebrity at school and in town this week and finds it particularly gratifying when she's congratulated by young, up-and-coming competitors in the sport. "It's just another reason to be active…

NEW DELHI: Former Australia opener David Warner has pleaded guilty to a drink-driving charge after being stopped during a random breath test in Sydney in April, according to the BBC. Warner's lawyer, Bobby Hill, confirmed that the former Australian cricketer was admitting to the charge. Warner was charged after failing a random roadside breath test in Sydney's eastern suburbs on April 5. Police later took him to Maroubra Police Station, where he returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.104, more than double the legal limit. "The parties are in discussion about the facts," Hill told the court. "He accepts that was a reckless decision, a foolish decision…

A still from ‘Other Mommy’ \| Photo Credit: Blumhouse Universal Pictures has unveiled the first trailer for Other Mommy, the latest horror film from Host director Rob Savage, with Jessica Chastain taking on one of the most unsettling roles of her career. Based on Josh Malerman’s acclaimed novel Incidents Around the House, the psychological horror follows eight-year-old Bela, whose already fractured home is upended by a mysterious presence she calls “Other Mommy.” The sinister figure looks exactly like her mother, Ursula, but its increasingly disturbing behaviour soon convinces the rest of the family that something deeply unnatural has entered their…

Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political…

Cher Lloyd announced she had split from her hairdresser husband of 13 years, Craig Monk by posting a ring-free hand to her 2.6million Instagram followers on Monday. Telling a fan she had put her ring in the bin, a source close to her husband later told the Daily Mail that Cher should 'stop airing her dirty laundry in public'. The former X Factor singer, 32, had responded to a comment which asked: 'I have many questions, where is your wedding ring? What are we supposed to understand from your photos?' with Cher replying: 'It’s in the bin'. A friend responded: 'Realising the timing of me sending you my save the date….whooooops my bad. Onto greater…

Meenakshi Seshadri is all set to make her long-awaited acting comeback with the upcoming Prime Video series 'Nanavati vs Nanavati', reportedly directed by Vipul Shah . Just two months after relocating to Mumbai to revive her acting career, the veteran star has landed a pivotal role in the courtroom drama, which also reunites her with Jackie Shroff nearly 40 years after their iconic pairing in 'Hero' (1983). The series also features Bhagyashree, Ram Kapoor, and Anupriya Goenka, making it one of the most anticipated OTT projects featuring veteran Bollywood stars. Meenakshi Seshadri lands role two months after relocating Just two months after revealing…

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay's swansong, Jana Nayagan, has crossed the Rs 20-crore mark in domestic advance bookings, including blocked seats, just a day ahead of its theatrical release. According to reports, over 7 lakh tickets have been sold in India in three languages. The H Vinoth directorial has continued its impressive pre-release run despite a seven-month delay, an HD leak months before release and an A certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). According to industry tracker Sacnilk, Jana Nayagan has grossed over Rs 20 crore in India in advance bookings, including blocked seats. Excluding blocked seats, the film has…

Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political…

Katrina Kaif has found herself at the centre of a social media controversy after one of her prominent fan pages announced its closure over the actress' silence on the ongoing Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led student protests against the alleged NEET paper leak and education reforms. The fan page, which had over 70,000 followers, accused the actor of failing to speak up on an issue affecting Indian students, sparking a wave of mixed reactions online. While some users applauded the admin's decision, others defended Katrina's right to remain silent, arguing that celebrities are under no obligation to comment on every public issue. Katrina Kaif fan page's…

Singer D4vd remained stoic as gruesome images of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez's severed remains were displayed in court on Tuesday. The singer, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains in connection with Hernandez's brutal slaying. His attorneys have maintained that the now 21-year-old did not cause the young girl's death, even though her remains were found in the front trunk of his Tesla. Disturbing images displayed in court on Tuesday showed Hernandez's bloody head and torso inside a body bag…

Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political…

After a blistering dispute that spanned continents and years, Hollywood A-lister Rebel Wilson has been found not to have defamed her co-star in a series of social media posts. The Pitch Perfect star was sued by Australian actor Charlotte MacInnes, who played the lead role in Wilson’s directorial debut film The Deb. After the verdict on Wednesday, Wilson thanked the judge and the Australian legal system, saying the process had tested her and reinforced her belief in “standing up for what I believe is right, while continuing to create work that brings people joy”. MacInnes claimed Wilson defamed her in a series of social media posts that implied she was…

Africa · Northern Key Facts —The death. Composer Hany Shenouda died on 20 July 2026 at the Armed Forces Medical Complex in Maadi, Cairo, following a sudden health crisis. —The legacy. He founded Al-Masryeen in 1977, widely considered Egypt’s first modern pop band, and launched the careers of Amr Diab and Mohamed Mounir. —The honour. He received Egypt’s State Appreciation Award in the Arts in 2023, one of the country’s highest cultural distinctions. —The soft-power asset. His six-decade career helped cement Cairo’s role as the Arab world’s music production hub, a pillar of Egyptian influence now under pressure from Gulf competitors. —The timing.…

Narelle Cowan and Aimee Lipley's gardens have a few things in common. Both have pretty plants, chairs for al fresco dining - and one of the UK's busiest motorways. About 75,000 vehicles travel over the elevated concrete monolith hanging about 45ft (14m) above their plot every day on the main route between London and south Wales. "I call it my free gazebo," said Aimee. "I love it under here, when it's raining you can walk to the shops without getting your hair wet." The two-lane carriageway in the sky was one of the first sections of the M4 and a relic of the 1960s freeway building boom after the explosion in post-war car ownership.

Hollywood star Rebel Wilson wins defamation case brought by young actress CNNAfternoon Update: Rebel Wilson wins defamation case; Brittany Higgins decries Hanson’s DV comments; and Milky Way splendour The GuardianActor Rebel Wilson did not defame colleague in social media posts, Australian court finds ReutersRebel Wilson Triumphs In Explosive Court Battle With ‘The Deb’ Co-Star Charlotte MacInnes DeadlineRebel Wilson cleared in defamation case brought by actress in her own film BBC

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has inaugurated a National Working Committee to address human rights violations associated with climate change in Nigeria. A statement from the NHRC on Tuesday said the committee’s inauguration became necessary as “climate change is no longer just an environmental issue. It is a human rights issue.” The Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Tony Ojukwu, urged Nigerians to view climate change differently. “It’s not just about rising temperatures. It’s about people. It’s about families losing their homes, farmers losing their livelihoods, communities being uprooted and vulnerable people falling deeper into…

France's environment minister Monique Barbut said Wednesday that she would “submit her resignation" to France President Emmanuel Macron following the French parliament's final adoption of a controversial measure on bee-harming pesticides to which she was opposed.

Key events Andy Burnham's new government faces questions on funding after announcing £2 bus fare cap in England Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics. Andy Burnham’s new government is facing fresh questions on how it will fund its new policies aimed at easing the cost of living, after the prime minister announced a £2 cap on single bus fares this morning. The cap on single bus fares in England will be in place from January, reducing the current cap of £3. The government said the measure is backed by £454m of funding, including money to allow devolved governments to take similar action. About £400m of that funding will come from…

India's soybean belt is sending out an early warning signal. The latest UPAg India Progressive Crop Area Sown Report for the kharif season, as of July 17, 2026, shows that farmers have planted 106.02 lakh hectares under soybean, down from 111.05 lakh hectares during the same period last year, a decline of 5.02 lakh hectares, or 4.52%. The crop's normal sowing area stands at 128.71 lakh hectares, indicating that planting remains well below the long-term average. While part of the shortfall could narrow as sowing continues, scientists say the numbers reflect a growing challenge facing one of India's most important oilseed crops: climate change-driven…

The world’s biggest meat company, JBS, faces a landmark legal challenge to disclose how its $6bn (£4.5bn) global expansion plan is compatible with responsibilities to the climate, nature and human rights. Courts in the Netherlands, where JBS is headquartered, will assess the petition filed by Greenpeace for information on whether the company is compliant with Dutch laws on “duty of care” as well as its own publicly stated commitments. Lawyers said the case opened a new frontier in the fight against climate change, potentially creating a precedent for legal challenges against the agriculture sector, which is the biggest cause of deforestation and a…

Georgie Falloon photographed in 2013, after she became a finalist for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award. In March 2025, Georgie was diagnosed with sarcoma, a rare type of cancer that develops in the body’s connective and supportive tissues. Her husband, Jamie Falloon, said she received treatment in Auckland Hospital and in Australia, before being medically evacuated back to New Zealand and brought home with the help of Wellington and Masterton Hospital staff. “She knew what was coming but she never let it consume her,” Jamie told the Herald. She died on Sunday in her sleep after a “determined” fight with cancer, her obituary read.…

At the June meet-and-greet organised by the GLFC, half a dozen sea lampreys posed for the cameras at the Capitol. One of them even sucked on the palm of Representative Bill Huizenga, as per a CNN report. Among the few things the entire Congress agrees on, this is one: the invasive sea lampreys must go. For the American coasts that thrive on their seafood population, the invasive species, also known as 'vampire' fishes or the 'vampire' of the Great Lakes, has had a devastating impact on the lakes' trout, salmon and whitefish population. And thus, have inspired what scientists often call the 'forbidden experiment'. Arrival of sea lampreys Once the…

Dairy co-operative First Milk, which has a large cheese-processing plant in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, is trying to address the situation with all 700 of its farmers across the UK - including 200 in west Wales. The group has recently worked out the nutrient footprint of each farm - closely scrutinising use of bought-in feed and fertiliser. This data is used alongside new maps, produced with the help of satellite imagery, showing the risk of causing river pollution on a field by field basis. Farmers will be expected to adjust where they spread fertiliser and slurry accordingly, and introduce other mitigation measures to improve soil health and…

Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political…