In today’s newsletter: Global powers are focused on oil markets and elections but those living through conflict in the Middle East feel abandoned Good morning. It’s been another week of brinkmanship via Truth Social and ceasefires broken before they’ve been announced. While US president Donald Trump claims an agreement with ...
Day: June 5, 2026
UK shoppers return to high street as warm weather brings respite from shadow of warUK shoppers return to high street as warm weather brings respite from shadow of war
British Retail Consortium figures show footfall rose in May, with consumer confidence improving after spending squeeze Greater numbers of consumers went shopping last month as spring sunshine brought welcome relief to retailers, which have faced a squeeze on spending since the US-Israel war on Iran. Figures from the British Retail ...
Andrew was sub-letting Royal Lodge cottages, watchdog revealsAndrew was sub-letting Royal Lodge cottages, watchdog reveals
A public spending watchdog examines the property arrangements of royals including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. ...
Nations race to protect undersea cablesNations race to protect undersea cables
Australia, the UK, and the US agreed new measures to protect undersea cables and pipelines from sabotage, including the deployment of autonomous submarine drones. Marine cables carry more than 95% of the world’s intercontinental telecommunications data and ever more electricity. Australia’s defense minister said these “arteries of modern civilization” are ...
Hezbollah rejects Israel ceasefireHezbollah rejects Israel ceasefire
Hezbollah rejected a ceasefire in Lebanon on Thursday shortly after it was announced, denting hopes for peace in the region. Israel pounded southern Lebanon with strikes just before the truce — which was brokered by the US following Israel-Lebanon talks a day earlier — took effect, leading to a “grimly ...
Data center energy challenges mountData center energy challenges mount
Ballooning electricity demand from AI data centers in the US is pushing companies and regulators to consider unorthodox — and aggressive — solutions. Federal officials have suggested breaking up the country’s largest electric grid operator over rising power bills and its failure to keep pace with demand; one regulator said ...
DeepSeek nears $7B haul in first raiseDeepSeek nears $7B haul in first raise
Chinese AI phenom DeepSeek is closing in on a $7.4 billion funding round, at around a $52 billion valuation, in one of the country’s largest startup raises. Tech giant Tencent and battery pioneer CATL are reportedly among the investors in the maiden fundraise, along with a state-backed AI investment fund. ...
Chip stocks fall after extended rallyChip stocks fall after extended rally
US chip stocks tumbled on Thursday as fresh doubts surfaced over the sustainability of the AI spending boom. The selloff, which hit firms like Broadcom and Micron Technology, comes after a historic rally for semiconductor stocks. “We’re due for a rest,” one strategist said, adding that markets are often “two ...
Microsoft to tighten human rights measures after inquiry into Israel’s use of its techMicrosoft to tighten human rights measures after inquiry into Israel’s use of its tech
Announcement seeks to close a difficult chapter for the company after the Guardian revealed its platform was used in mass surveillance of Palestinians Microsoft has said it will tighten human-rights controls when working with national security agencies after an inquiry into how the Israeli military used its cloud technology for ...
Satya Nadella ‘Not Sure’ Who Said Microsoft Wanted to Make Addictive AI, Is Looking for Guy Who Did ThisSatya Nadella ‘Not Sure’ Who Said Microsoft Wanted to Make Addictive AI, Is Looking for Guy Who Did This
On Tuesday, we published an article about an internal Microsoft strategy document that explained the company wanted to “make people addicted” to its new AI assistant, Scout. Thursday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told staff that he was “not sure what this document is or who is writing and leaking this ...