Footage shows tens of thousands of Hindu devotees bathing in India’s Ganga and Saryu rivers to mark the sacred festival of Guru Purnima. They’ve flocked to northern India’s holy cities to offer prayers, pay tribute and seek blessings.

Kate O’Connor has won Northern Ireland’s first gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in the heptathlon at Scotstoun Stadium.

O’Connor, a World indoor and outdoor silver medal, finished top of the standings with 6569points and is the first new heptathlon champion at the Games in eight years.

England’s Jade O’Dowda claimed silver while Australia’s Tori West won the battle for bronze.

It is O’Connor’s first senior outdoor gold and her first gold at her third Games after she finished eighth in 2018 and claimed silver in 2022.

The 25-year-old becomes NI’s 12th medal winner in Glasgow, claiming the country’s first gold at the Games in athletics since 1986.

O’Connor was favourite heading into the event after the late withdrawal of England’s Katrina Johnson-Thompson, who beat her to gold in 2022 and she certainly lived up to the billing.

The Newry-born athlete led after the first two events on Tuesday. She ran the 100m hurdles in 13.54 seconds and produced a season’s best 1.82m in the high jump.

In a rain-soaked evening session, she dipped in the shot put, throwing just 12.85 in difficult conditions.

While she said she was “gutted” with that performance, she rallied and she bounced back well to run the 200m in a season’s best time of 24.14, which was just 0.07 off her personal best as she strolled to victory in her heat.

She earned 3731 points across the four events to top the standings heading into Wednesday’s second day of the competition and, with a 49-point advantage over O’Dowda, looked to be in pole position for gold.

O’Connor further increased that lead on Wednesday morning as she recorded a leap of 1.82m in the long jump and a season’s best 52.85m in the javelin to move 258 points ahead.

In the 800m, she finished first as she ran 2:10.45 to take home NI’s first multi-class gold medal since Dame Mary Peters won the pentathlon in 1974.

NI team-mate Anna McCauley finished eighth in the standings despite being second-fastest in the 800m behind O’Connor.

O’Connor will receive her gold medal on Thursday evening at 18:30 BST.

Asian stock markets extended their sharp selloff on Wednesday as investor concerns over artificial intelligence (AI) valuations deepened ahead of a crucial round of earnings from major U.S. technology companies and the Federal Reserve’s latest monetary policy decision. The decline reflects growing skepticism over whether massive investments in AI infrastructure will generate sustainable profits, while renewed tensions in the Middle East added fresh inflationary risks through higher oil prices.

The market downturn comes after months of extraordinary gains driven by optimism surrounding AI, particularly among semiconductor manufacturers and technology giants. However, disappointing earnings signals and concerns over corporate cash flows are prompting investors to reassess whether the sector’s lofty valuations remain justified.

Asian Markets Extend AI Driven Selloff

Technology heavy markets across Asia led the global decline as semiconductor stocks came under intense pressure.

South Korea’s KOSPI plunged more than 11 percent, reaching its lowest level since April after suffering another double digit loss a day earlier. Taiwan’s benchmark index dropped 5 percent, while Japan’s Nikkei declined 2.6 percent. The broader MSCI Asia Pacific index excluding Japan also fell sharply, highlighting widespread investor caution across the region.

The weakness was concentrated in technology stocks that have largely fueled this year’s market rally through expectations of sustained AI demand.

Chip Stocks Face Growing Scrutiny

Semiconductor companies remained at the center of the selloff despite reporting robust financial results.

South Korean memory chip giant SK Hynix reported operating profits that increased more than sixfold compared with the previous year. Nevertheless, its shares fell 9 percent after investors judged the results against exceptionally high expectations.

Market participants are increasingly demanding stronger evidence that companies can convert enormous AI related capital expenditure into long term profitability. Investors are also seeking clearer commitments regarding shareholder returns and long term supply agreements before assigning premium valuations.

The reaction illustrates how market expectations have evolved from rewarding growth alone to demanding measurable financial returns.

Big Tech Earnings Become Critical Test

Attention has now shifted to earnings from Microsoft and Meta, which are expected to provide important insight into the financial sustainability of AI investments.

The results follow disappointing updates from Alphabet and Tesla, whose weaker cash flow performance raised concerns that rising AI spending may be placing increasing pressure on corporate finances.

Investors will closely examine whether major technology companies can demonstrate that billions of dollars invested in AI infrastructure are producing corresponding improvements in revenue growth and profitability.

Failure to provide convincing evidence could accelerate the ongoing market correction.

Oil Prices Rise as Middle East Tensions Return

Geopolitical developments added another layer of uncertainty after renewed military activity between the United States and Iran pushed energy prices higher.

Brent crude rose more than 3 percent while West Texas Intermediate crude also gained over 3 percent following reports of Iranian ballistic missile launches and renewed concerns over the security of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The waterway remains one of the world’s most strategically important energy corridors, and any disruption raises fears of tighter global oil supplies and renewed inflationary pressures.

Higher energy prices have complicated the outlook for financial markets by increasing uncertainty over future monetary policy.

Federal Reserve Decision in Focus

The Federal Reserve’s policy announcement has become increasingly significant as investors attempt to balance slowing market sentiment against persistent inflation risks.

Markets remain divided over whether the central bank will maintain current interest rates or opt for another increase. Rising oil prices have strengthened expectations among some analysts that policymakers may adopt a more cautious stance toward inflation.

A more hawkish outcome could place additional pressure on technology stocks, whose high valuations remain particularly sensitive to higher borrowing costs.

Analysis

The latest market correction suggests that the AI investment narrative is entering a more demanding phase. Investors are no longer rewarding technology companies solely for expanding AI infrastructure but increasingly expect tangible financial returns from unprecedented levels of capital expenditure.

At the same time, renewed geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have introduced fresh inflation risks through higher oil prices, complicating the Federal Reserve’s policy choices and adding further uncertainty to global financial markets. Higher interest rates typically reduce the attractiveness of high growth technology stocks by increasing financing costs and lowering future earnings valuations.

While the long term outlook for artificial intelligence remains strong, the market appears to be transitioning from optimism driven by expectations to a phase focused on profitability, efficiency, and sustainable returns. Companies that fail to demonstrate clear commercial benefits from their AI investments may continue to face heightened investor scrutiny, making upcoming earnings reports a defining test for the next phase of the global AI driven market cycle.

With information from Reuters.

CELEBRITIES have turned out in their masses for the Spider-Man: Brand New Day premiere in the capital.

Among the stars in attendance was stunning actress from the movie franchise, Zendaya – who turned heads while looking like a total goddess in a figure-hugging gown.

Zendaya, who plays MJ in the new flick wore a stunning white gown from Tamara Ralph with a silver sequin web design.

The dress featured sparkling straps that mimicked webs, with the corset part of the gown cinching her in at the waist before flowing out into a train. 

She wore her hair in a wavy and voluminous style, and could be seen posing proudly next to leading actor and her husband Tom Holland.

Tom plays the leading role of Peter Parker in the hit movie.

ZEN OUT OF TEN

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a more authentic mature version of the brand

CLEO CARRY ON

Zendaya channels Cleopatra in web-inspired slit dress at Spider-Man premiere

In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Zendaya plays Michelle “MJ” Jones-Watson, the brilliant and sarcastic girlfriend of Peter.

Zendaya and Tom are married in real life, after meeting on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2016.

Also at the premiere were a whole host of British TV and radio stars.

Myleene Klass looked amazing as she posed on the red carpet while rocking a slinky black frock with a thigh-high split.

Former Love Island host Laura Whitmore was also in attendance.

She looked stunning in a black pant suit with a very thematic web-shaped handbag.

Other celebrities also leaned into the theming of the night and rocked web-inspired looks.

Clara Amfo wowed as she wore a rather sheer white dress with a huge web on the front.

Sarah New, a content creator known for her viral beauty transformations, also wore a stunning sheer dress with a huge web emblazoned on the front in diamante.

Nadiya Bychkova also attended the glitzy event and looked simply stunning and ever so classy in a black skirt and off-the-shoulder top.

Florence Pugh rocked a shimmering gown for the occasion, which was completely strapless and featured an ornate fringe detail.

Kate Moss‘ sister Lottie Moss rocked a red minidress and sky-high heels as she clutched a black bag.

The new Spider-Man movie serves as the 38th Marvel Cinematic Universe film and the fourth solo outing for Tom Holland‘s Peter Parker.

It explores his solitary adult life four years after the memory-wipe events of Spider-Man: No Way Home.

By almost every measure, Latino communities are bearing the brunt of the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign, according to a new report.

The League of United Latin American Citizens or LULAC, a Latino civil rights organization, found that court-sanctioned racial profiling has contributed to the disproportionate targeting of Latinos regardless of their immigration status.

“The impact of mass deportation is falling on Latinos as an ethnic group, not on undocumented immigrants as a legal category,” the report read in part. “U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, work-authorized immigrants, and multi-generational American families are absorbing measurable harm: economic, physical, and civic.”

Although other immigrant groups have been targeted, LULAC found that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have mostly focused on immigrants from Latin America, particularly workers with no criminal history, who are also more likely to face violence or be placed in detention centers with substandard conditions.

Citing a recent UCLA study, LULAC said from January to October, federal immigration agents arrested more than 187,000 Latinos and deported more than 126,000.

Latino arrests also jumped from under 3,900 to nearly 6,000 after Stephen Miller, White House senior advisor and chief architect of President Trump’s immigration policy, set a new goal of arresting 3,000 undocumented people a day.

In an email response to The Times, a spokesperson with the Department of Homeland Security rejected the report’s findings.

“Allegations that DHS law enforcement engages in ‘racial profiling’ are disgusting, reckless, and categorically FALSE,” the spokesperson wrote. “What makes someone a target for immigration enforcement is if they are illegally in the U.S.—NOT their skin color, race, or ethnicity.”

“Law enforcement officers use ‘reasonable suspicion’ to investigate immigration status and probable cause to make arrests consistent with the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,” the spokesperson added. “The Supreme Court has already vindicated us on these practices.”

LULAC’s report comes amid recent court filings claiming that federal immigration agents were caught on body camera footage and in text messages using racial slurs when referring to Latinos.

Additionally, Congress recently approved nearly $70 billion in immigration enforcement funding to cover the rest of Trump’s term with at least $38 billion to go to ICE and $26 billion to Customs and Border Protection.

LULAC said in putting the report together it reviewed public data and published studies to provide a fact sheet that paints a broader picture about the impact mass deportations are having on Latinos.

“The people being removed are disproportionately working-age, employed and without criminal records — the demographic core of the workforce in construction, hospitality, agriculture, food processing, and care work,” the report read.

As of July 11, more than 65,000 people were being held in detention and about 70% of the population had no criminal convictions, according to Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a data gathering organization.

ICE detention data show that about 40% of detainees were being held for civil immigration violations including visa overstays and work visa violations.

Unless previously deported, living in the country illegally is considered a civil violation rather than a crime and carries penalties such as arrests, fines and deportation proceedings.

The indiscriminate immigration raids that terrorized Latino communities appeared to have worsened after the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision in September, according to LULAC’s report.

The Supreme Court justices overturned a district court injunction that barred immigration agents in Los Angeles from roving around Home Depots and car washes, stopping brown-skinned, Spanish-speaking day laborers and others from arrest on immigration charges.

But once the injunction lifted, federal immigration agents descended once more on Latino communities, even stopping U.S. citizens, according to LULAC.

This month, the American Civil Liberties Union reviewed more than 1,200 enforcement incidents across eight states, identifying 155 U.S. citizens who were detained, targeted, or experienced law enforcement misconduct, and 437 incidents involving likely racial profiling. It also identified 214 children affected, including 32 Americans.

LULAC said the immigration raids had an economic impact. Citing a recent UCLA study, it said small business and Latino entrepreneurs in Los Angeles County saw foot traffic drop significantly, losing millions in potential revenue in June 2025.

A spokesperson for LULAC could not immediately be reached for comment.

Sir Garfield Sobers was called the “greatest all-round cricketer the world has ever known” by former team-mate Sir Clive Lloyd at the legendary West Indies player’s state funeral in Barbados.

Lloyd described all-rounder Sobers, who died aged 89 on 17 July, as “a man who lived in the hearts and minds of Caribbean people and who became a source of inspiration to millions throughout the world”.

An entertaining left-handed batter and bowler of seam and spin, Sobers played 93 Tests between 1954 and 1974, scoring 8,032 runs and taking 235 wickets.

The funeral was staged at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, the principle ground in Barbados and home to a pavilion named after Sobers.

Lloyd and fellow West Indies legends Brian Lara and Desmond Haynes were among those who spoke at the state service of thanksgiving, which was also attended by Barbados president Jeffrey Bostic, prime minister Mia Mottley and Barbadian music superstar Rihanna.

West Indies Test captain Roston Chase, who comes from Barbados, vice-captain Jomel Warrican and the current side’s Barbadian players were also in attendance, having completed a Test victory over Pakistan on Monday, winning by 90 runs inside four days in Trinidad.

“Sir Garfield Sobers was not merely the outstanding cricketer of his generation,” Lloyd added. “He brought to the beautiful game a rare combination of brilliance, imagination, courage and joy.”

Sobers’ coffin was draped in the flag of Barbados and set off from the Parliament Buildings in Bridgetown on a gun carriage for a formal procession through the nation’s capital.

On arrival at the stadium, the carriage passed through a guard of honour of raised cricket bats.

“This is not a sad moment,” Lara said of his mentor. “This is a moment for us to celebrate and I hope you feel the same. Today we celebrate the remarkable life of the greatest all-round cricketer.

“We celebrate a man who gave so much to his family, to Barbados, to the West Indies and all of us who had the privilege of knowing him.”

Sobers scored 365 not out against Pakistan in 1958 – an effort which stood as the record Test score for 36 years.

He was also named one of Wisden’s five cricketers of the 20th century.

During his stint at Nottinghamshire in 1968, Sobers became the first player to hit a six off all six balls in an over in a first-class match.

Mottley described Sobers as “a man who if he had not achieved any of those great feats on the cricket field would have been immortalised by his community as a good man and a great man”.

Reverend Canon Guy Hewitt read out a message from King Charles during the service.

“History is distinguished with sporting champions whose records have rightly commanded respect across generations,” the message read. “There have been far fewer however whose name along brings a smile to people’s faces across Barbados, the Caribbean and the Commonwealth.

“Sir Garfield Sobers belongs very firmly in the latter category. I send my deepest sympathies to Sir Garry’s family as they come to terms with this great loss.”

Sobers’ body lay in state at the Barbados parliament on Monday and at the Kensington Oval on Tuesday, with national dignitaries and members of the public able to pay their respects.

He will be laid to rest at Coral Ridge Memorial Gardens in the south of Barbados.

The United States Federal Reserve is set to hold interest rates steady as inflationary pressures mount, driven by heightened fuel prices as tensions between the US and Iran continue.

The central bank said on Wednesday that it will maintain rates at 350-375 basis points during the second monetary policy decision under new Chairman Kevin Warsh.

“Inflation remains elevated relative to the Committee’s 2 percent goal, in part reflecting supply shocks that have driven price increases in certain sectors, including energy. The Committee will deliver price stability,” the central bank said in a statement upon the release of its decision.

CME FedWatch, which tracks the likelihood of monetary policy decisions, forecast a 66.3 percent chance of maintaining rates, while there was a 33.7 percent chance that rates would increase to 375-400 basis points.

Of the 12, three members, Beth M Hammack, Neel Kashkari, and Lorie K Logan, voted to raise rates by 25 basis points.

“My colleagues and I considered the economic shocks of recent years, strained supply chains arising from the pandemic, military conflicts, energy supply disruptions, substantial increases in tariff rates, and yes, the surge in AI-related investment,” Warsh told reporters.

“We are not relying on any one individual piece of data as cover or as an excuse, or as validation. What I care about and what I think the Committee cares about is trends on the data.”

Monetary policy decisions have become more uncertain as Warsh has scrapped forward guidance, which typically helps financial institutions and journalists better understand upcoming policy choices.

Flying blind

That is putting pressure on analysts.

“With little guidance on the reaction function under the new chairman, markets are filling the void with speculation that Warsh may be eyeing a surprise hike to reinforce anti-inflation credibility,” Barclays economists said in a note.

Citadel Securities earlier this week forecast a rate hike. Meanwhile, analysts at S&P Global forecast that rates would hold steady.

At the last meeting, the central bank’s governors were evenly split on whether to raise interest rates this year, as the central bank maintained rates during its first meeting under Warsh.

Warsh had previously said that there was “no tolerance” for inflation as the central bank pushes to reach the Fed’s 2 percent target.

Market shifts

Financial pressures on the broader market eased last month, with consumer inflation moderating. The Consumer Price Index report released in July for the month of June by the US Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics showed a 0.4 percent decline in consumer inflation, marking the first monthly decline since April 2020 in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, that was a correction from the previous month, when the CPI rose by 0.5 percent.

The CPI remains elevated at 3.5 percent on an annual basis, according to the report, though that is still a slowdown from 4.2 percent in May. However, consumers are still feeling the pinch, especially at the petrol pump.

Prices are on the upswing. The average price for a gallon of petrol is $4.09 ($1.08 per litre), up 3 cents from this time last week, and up from $3.86 ($1.02 per litre) this time last month, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA), which tracks daily petrol prices. By comparison, daily petrol prices were $2.98 ($0.78 per litre) when the US and Israel first struck Iran on February 28.

Those pressures are echoed by a slump in consumer confidence for the third straight month, according to The Conference Board, which released its report on Tuesday.

“Consumers anticipate little improvement in business conditions over the next six months,” Dana M Peterson, chief economist at The Conference Board, said upon the report’s release.

Political flashpoint

The decision is overshadowed by pressure from the White House. Interest rates have been a point of contention between Trump and the central bank. Trump has long pushed the Fed to cut rates, putting former Chair Jerome Powell in the crosshairs and making him the subject of investigations by the US Department of Justice.

But Warsh has yet to become a target of Trump’s scorn. “Kevin is fantastic,” he told reporters on Monday on board Air Force One. “He’s got a board, and the board members are very political.”

Trump made those claims despite the central bank’s longstanding commitment to maintaining its independence from political pressure.

Caracas, July 29, 2026 (venezuelanalysis.com) – The Venezuelan government headed by Acting President Delcy Rodríguez has delivered a note of protest to Iranian authorities over “derogatory and inappropriate comments.”

The Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian Ambassador Ali Chegini on Tuesday to formally communicate Caracas’ position.

“The Venezuelan government demanded an end to references that undermine the country’s dignity, sovereignty, institutionality, or reputation,” a press release from the Foreign Ministry read.

The Venezuelan government went on to emphasize its commitment to international relations based on “mutual respect and non-interference in countries’ internal affairs.”

The controversy stemmed from a recent interview where Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi defended Tehran’s resistance against US-Israeli aggression and affirmed that “Iran is not Venezuela.”

“Iran is not Venezuela where you take one person and everyone else gets scared and backs down,” Araghchi said in an interview with Mehr News, referencing the January 3 operation that saw US aircraft bomb Caracas and nearby states while special forces kidnapped President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.

The attack killed over 100 people, including 32 Cuban soldiers who were part of Maduro’s security detail. Venezuelan officials, including Acting President Rodríguez and then Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, justified the decision not to respond to the military aggression, instead prioritizing “diplomacy” with Washington.

Following the Venezuelan government’s protest, the Iranian embassy in Caracas sought to ease tensions, recalling the “deep and historic” ties between the two nations and suggesting that Araghchi’s words had been taken out of context and “twisted.”

“The Iranian Foreign Minister’s words in no way convey a negative judgement about the proud Venezuelan people, their authorities, or their national sovereignty,” the statement read. The Iranian Foreign Ministry in Tehran, for its part, has yet to comment on the matter.

The recent diplomatic spat is indicative of the growing rift between the two formerly strategic allies since January 3. In the 2000s, former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez pushed for stronger ties with Iran, then under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, grounded on the countries’ shared opposition to US aggression and violations of international law.

The two nations forged bilateral agreements on energy, defense, technology, and other fields. With Venezuela suffering from acute fuel shortages under US sanctions in 2020, Iran defied US threats to send multiple gasoline cargoes to the South American country.

However, following the January 3 strikes, the acting Rodríguez government fast-tracked a diplomatic reengagement with Washington. The Trump administration has exercised significant influence on Venezuelan affairs, with Venezuelan export revenues presently managed from a US Treasury Department account.

The rapprochement with the US has coincided with a broader shift in Venezuela’s geopolitical alignment. In February, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning Iran’s response to the February 28 US and Israeli aggression. The communiqué was deleted a few hours later following strong criticism.

During the US-Israeli war against Iran, the acting Venezuelan administration manifested its “solidarity” with Washington allies Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. 

In the wake of the June 24 double earthquake, Rodríguez welcomed a military and diplomatic mission from Israel. The acting leader praised the Israeli team, which included multiple IDF officers, as “highly trained and professional” and thanked them for their on-the-ground work. Tel Aviv is reportedly set to continue assisting Caracas in “reconstruction” planning. Chávez severed ties with Israel in 2009, excoriating its occupation and genocide in Palestine and Lebanon, a stance maintained by Maduro.

Caracas’ objection to the Iranian official’s comments contrasted with its lack of response to recurring statements about Venezuela from Trump and other administration officials.

On Saturday, the US State Department applauded Venezuela’s decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court while implying that the Caribbean nation does not have a “competent and independent judicial system.” It also boasted that Maduro is “facing justice in a US court.”

Maduro and Flores have pleaded not guilty to charges including drug trafficking conspiracy. Their trial is set to begin in June 2027.

Edited by Lucas Koerner in Cali, Colombia.

LISA Snowdon has been seen without her ring on after sparking fears that she has split from her fiancé.

After 12 years with George Smart and plans to marry, Lisa, 54, has been seen without her engagement ring.

The TV presenter was spotted going to a Pilates class in Essex this week, with her ring was noticeably absent from her left hand.

She was chatting on the phone as she made her way home while rocking gym gear and carrying a tote.

Lisa said recently that she feels like she’s in a “new chapter of her life” at 54.

Lisa has been enjoying solo travelling recently, and has failed to share snaps of George on Instagram.

SPLIT FEARS

Lisa Snowdon sparks fears she’s split from fiance after 12 years together

secret struggle

This Morning’s Lisa Snowdon reveals she’s bedbound after meningitis battle

She last shared a snap of George, 46, on her Instagram back in January.

Meanwhile, his own social media account is currently set to private.

Her fiancé featured regularly on Lisa’s social media before then, but he hasn’t been seen on her socials in more than six months.

When Lisa shared a gallery of pictures of herself with her friends hanging out at Wimbledon last month, George was absent again.

Some fans noticed this and one wrote: “Oh no, no George again.”

George might be taking a break from social media and there might be nothing in it – but it’s sparked concern about their relationship.

Lisa and entrepreneur George briefly dated 20 years ago and reconnected in 2014,  before getting engaged in 2016.

Last year, Lisa said she was in no rush to marry George. 

She told Hello!: ‘A lot of women imagine walking down the aisle.

“They imagine their flowers, their dresses, and I just have never had that vision. It’s just a contract at the end of the day.

“I don’t want everybody looking at me, which is weird because I do television and hosting.

“I’m just really relaxed and so is George. It will happen, but I just don’t know what that looks like.”

But now she seems to be moving on.

In a chat with Prima this week, Lisa said: “I’m 54 now and see this time in my life as a new chapter. It’s important to reframe ageing in a more positive way. 

“It takes time for that readjustment to happen, but now I’m in this powerful place where it’s about, ‘What do I want? What do I need?”

She went on: “I don’t have children, so it’s easier for me than mums juggling teenage children, but it’s a powerful time for us to reconnect with ourselves and make big life changes. It’s the second spring.”

Roughly six weeks before the first midterm ballots are mailed out, the U.S. Postal Service is emerging as a pivotal player in an election season that will determine control of Congress.

President Trump is seeking greater control over mail balloting through an executive order while a change to how the agency processes mail is leading to criticism that it’s failing to deliver ballots on time.

Democratic officials have raised concerns over the past week about how quickly the Postal Service will process ballots after tens of thousands of them in California and hundreds in Wisconsin arrived at local election offices too late to be counted in elections earlier this year. The top election offices in Kansas and Michigan are urging voters who want to cast their ballots early to avoid the mail and instead drop them off in person.

The Postal Service replied to those concerns by saying it remains “committed to fulfilling our role in the electoral process.”

“We provide a secure, efficient, and effective way for citizens to participate when policymakers decide to use mail as part of their elections,” it said in a statement Tuesday.

Trump’s order puts more focus on mail ballots

The Postal Service faced similar questions about mail delivery in 2024, but the scrutiny this year is heightened because of an executive order Trump issued in March that seeks to create a national voter list to guide the Postal Service in deciding who gets a mail ballot.

The order has sparked multiple lawsuits and federal court orders, leading to a case now before the U.S. Supreme Court in which the administration is asking the justices to allow it to impose its restrictions on mail balloting.

Trump has lied for years about voter fraud to try to explain away his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020, and mail balloting is a favorite target, even though he has used the method himself. During a recent stop in Michigan, he falsely characterized mail balloting as “inherently corrupt” and added, “Hopefully there will be no mail-in ballots.”

A 2025 report from the research group Brookings identified about four cases of fraud for every 10 million mail ballots cast.

Despite Trump’s attacks, the method remains popular with voters of both major parties. In 2024, nearly 30% of U.S. voters cast their ballots by mail, according to federal data. In Michigan, where competitive U.S. House and Senate races could help determine the balance of power in Congress, the state said it has sent out more than 2 million absentee ballots for the state’s Aug. 4 primary.

“We want to keep vote by mail. We want to protect it. We want to expand it,” said Jonathan Smith, president of the 200,000-member American Postal Workers Union, which launched a campaign in April promoting it and is opposed to turning the Postal Service into an election administrator. “Why? Because it works.”

Legal battles intensify over Trump’s order

The Postal Service proposed a rule in June in line with Trump’s executive order that would create a national list of eligible voters, based on databases kept by other federal agencies. Only those on the list would be eligible to receive mail ballots.

Democratic officials in nearly two dozen states filed a federal lawsuit in Massachusetts. A federal judge there blocked Trump’s order last month, and an appeals court upheld that ruling, prompting Trump’s appeal to the Supreme Court. But the appeals court for the District of Columbia refused Tuesday to block the order in a separate case, calling a legal challenge premature.

Democratic senators and governors have written to the Postal Service urging it to abandon efforts to implement Trump’s order.

“Donald Trump has shown he’ll stop at nothing to meddle in our upcoming elections,” Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin said in a statement to The Associated Press. “At best, this new push will exacerbate already severe delays for mail-in voters and at worst, it will stop eligible Americans from casting their ballots.”

In a letter to Democratic senators earlier this month, the heads of the Postal Service said they were abiding by the court rulings that had halted the executive order. But Smith, of the postal workers union, told the AP on Tuesday that USPS information technology staffers who are union members are working on a planned portal for the list of eligible voters “behind the scenes.”

The Postal Service declined to respond to Smith’s statements and said it could not comment about whether it’s moving forward with work related to Trump’s order because of the litigation.

The postal workers’ union opposes the plan for a portal, a national list of eligible voters and using that list to determine who can receive a mail ballot. Smith said it shouldn’t be postal workers’ responsibility “to decide who can vote and who can’t vote.”

A plan to consolidate mail processing centers upsets officials

The Postal Service has been under financial stress for years and has been consolidating mail processing into fewer regional centers. Mail travels an average of 139 miles to reach one and sometimes 500 miles, according to a recent Brookings report.

In January, a group of mostly Democratic senators said it was concerned about a decision to end twice-daily mail dispatches from local post offices to regional processing centers. The result is that mail arriving after the only daily dispatch would go out the next day.

California officials said the change was a factor in the state rejecting more than 148,000 ballots from its June primary, with 63% of them arriving too late despite a seven-day grace period. Officials worried that some ballots were postmarked at processing facilities the day after they were dropped off at a post office, possibly invalidating them. Wisconsin officials also said hundreds of ballots from an election in April arrived late.

The Postal Service said postmarks generally are being applied with automated equipment at processing centers, “in the same manner and to the same extent as before.” It said someone who wants to make sure their ballot envelope gets a timely postmark can get a free one applied by a postal worker.

A report on the 2024 election by the USPS Office of Inspector General said the Postal Service handled more than 59 million pieces of ballot mail from Sept. 1 to Nov. 15 that year and that 97.3% arrived on time.

Some state election officials advise voters to avoid the mail

The Michigan secretary of state’s office is advising voters to hand-deliver ballots to their local clerk’s office or a drop box.

“We’ve seen these issues over a number of election cycles now — they’re always concerning, and that’s why we’ve put out that guidance,” said Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie.

The Postal Service said its Michigan centers are not seeing processing delays.

In Kansas, concerns about late ballot deliveries in the state’s 2024 primary election prompted a quip on the social platform X from Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican: “The Pony Express is more efficient at this point.” Asked his view now, spokesperson Whitney Tempel said Schwab still believes “keeping your ballot out of the hands of the federal government is best.”

Jamie Shew, a Democrat elected to oversee elections in Douglas County, home to the main University of Kansas campus, said his office is trying to change voters’ perceptions.

“I think voters are used to, you can drop it off on Friday and we’re going to receive it by Election Day,” Shew said Tuesday. “That’s just not the reality.”

California’s state budget includes $10 million for social media campaigns and other efforts to discourage last-minute ballot mailings.

And the Postal Service said it hasn’t changed its own longstanding advice for voters: They should get their ballots in the mail at least a week before their state’s deadline for receiving them.

Hanna writes for the Associated Press. AP writers Scott Bauer in Madison, Wis., Michael R. Blood in Los Angeles, Michael Casey in Boston, and Jacqueline GaNun in Lansing, Mich., contributed to this report.

July 29 (UPI) — The Israeli military on Wednesday accused Hamas of storing weapons inside a mosque it bombed in northern Gaza on Tuesday, an allegation Palestinian sources called false.

The mosque was “another example of terror organizations using civilian infrastructure for terror purposes,” The Times of Israel reported, citing the Israeli military.

Israel said the weapons were to be used in attacks on Israeli troops in Gaza and Israeli civilians, and the sites were hit “to remove the threat.”

The Hamas government said the allegations were “entirely false” and that Israel used the claim “to justify its attacks on mosques,” The New York Times reported. There were no reports of deaths from the mosque attack, but there were four deaths from attacks in Gaza, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported.

The Israeli military said it gave advance warning of the attack to civilians “to mitigate the risk of harm to them.”

“It was a terrifying sound,” Riyad al-Masri, 31, who lives near the mosque, told The New York Times. “It shook the ground.”

Despite a cease-fire signed in October, Israel has increased its attacks on Gaza in recent weeks.

More than 1,200 people have been killed in Gaza since the cease-fire, on top of more than 73,000 killed during the war, according to the Gaza health ministry. Its list does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, The New York Times reported.

Under the 20-point peace plan for Gaza negotiated by the United States, Hamas was required to disarm. The group has agreed to give up administrative control of Gaza, but it has not yet agreed to disarm.

IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai said earlier this month that Israel would continue strikes in Gaza if Hamas doesn’t disarm, The New York Times reported.

“At the end of the day, this place will be demilitarized, and there will be no Hamas,” he said in remarks published by Channel 14, a right-wing Israeli TV station.

Taiz, Yemen – Fuad Mohammed has been working as a construction labourer for more than 25 years. The 46-year-old has seen things get progressively worse in Yemen’s construction industry since the war in the country started more than a decade ago, and then further deteriorate after the US-Israel war on Iran began in late February, with its devastating economic impact on the wider region.

“We can barely eke out a living for our families,” Fuad told Al Jazeera.

The ongoing regional war has damaged economies across the Middle East, with government-controlled areas of Yemen bearing a heavy burden as commodity prices soar. Among the hardest-hit sectors is fuel: in January, 20 litres (5.3 gallons) of diesel cost 25,000 Yemeni riyals ($17), but today that price has skyrocketed to 45,000 riyals ($30). That massive spike has triggered a domino effect, driving up the costs of all goods and services dependent on fuel and transportation – including construction.

As a result, countless construction projects across those areas – in Yemen’s east and southwest – have ground to a halt.

Pausing construction

Fuad explained that, before the US-Israel-Iran war, he was able to find work for around two weeks every month. But this year, he has now gone several months with barely any work.

“The price hikes in building materials have frustrated both homeowners and construction labourers,” Fuad said. “Those who want to build find that their budgets are no longer enough, and we are left with no work.”

Fuad recalled that he briefly found work in May for a woman who had saved money to build a home for her family. However, when a fresh wave of price increases hit the market, she paused construction to wait for prices to drop.

“I also work with construction contractors, but most of them have paused their projects at the request of homeowners,” he added. “When I call them, they tell me they are waiting for regional conditions to improve.”

As an example of the rising costs, the price of a truckload of sand increased from 130,000 Yemeni riyals ($87) to 190,000 riyals ($127), while the average cost of one metre of window glass rose from 90,000 riyals ($60) to 130,000 riyals ($87).

Fuad’s situation at home is desperate. Relying entirely on daily wages but having no work, he can not provide basic essentials for his family. He has considered finding another job, but he lacks professional experience in other fields.

In a desperate attempt to find work, he has lowered his daily wage from 25,000 Yemeni riyals ($17) to 20,000 riyals ($13).

“My situation is getting worse every day,” he said.

Economic division

An official from the Yemen Petroleum Company in Aden told the Reuters news agency in May that the increase in the price of diesel was caused by the worsening supply crisis and rising global fuel prices, driven by regional tensions and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, alongside increased transportation and marine insurance costs. The official noted that the measure was temporary and would remain in place until the end of the crisis and conditions returned to normal.

Wafeeq Saleh, executive director of the Taiz Center for Yemeni-Gulf Studies, explained that the Yemeni economy was particularly susceptible to external economic shocks.

“Any disruptions in global commodity markets directly affect the local market because [Yemen] imports nearly 90 percent of its needs,” Saleh told Al Jazeera. “Consequently, the local rise in commodity and fuel prices is a natural outcome of surging global prices, shipping tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as increased maritime insurance and freight fees.”

In areas controlled by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, however, including the capital Sanaa, there has not yet been a sharp increase in fuel prices, and therefore no impact on the construction industry – yet.

Yemen’s war has entrenched two separate economic structures in the country, with the central bank bifurcated between Aden and Sanaa, and two different exchange rates operating for the Yemeni riyal.

The Houthi group is already facing popular anger over a weak economy, as it grows increasingly isolated regionally and internationally. The group has so far avoided an increase in the price of fuel, with 20 litres (5.3 gallons) of diesel costing 9,500 Yemeni riyals, which at the exchange rate set in Sanaa is the equivalent of roughly $18.

“[The Houthis] may have sufficient inventory from previous months, which is why the local market hasn’t been affected,” Saleh said. “However, the impact will appear in the coming period when imports are made at the new price.”

The actions of the pro-Iranian Houthis themselves have contributed to the increase in global oil prices. Having sat out the Iran war for its first few months, the Houthis recently began attacks against Saudi ships passing through the Red Sea, after the Yemeni government and the Saudi-led coalition that backs it refused to allow a plane from Iran to land in Sanaa. The Houthi attacks mean that the transportation of oil from the Gulf is now disrupted in both the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, and has contributed to oil prices going past $100 a barrel for the first time since May.

Will prices come down?

Lutf Zuraiqi, 58, had saved some money to build a home, but the dramatic increase in the cost of building materials forced him to pause the project until “things get better”.

“Price increases aren’t new in Yemen, but I believe this current surge is regional. I believe as soon as the regional war ends, building materials will return to their old prices,” Zuraiqi told Al Jazeera.

Zuraiqi has been following news of the Iran war on a daily basis because its end would mean lower material costs for him and the chance to resume building his planned home.

“The government promised that prices will go back down after the [US-Iran] war ends,” he said. “So this time I’m choosing to believe them and hope I will manage to finish my home.”

Mohammed Jameel, on the other hand, hasn’t been following the news – but the building contractor has been tracking prices of building materials instead. The 59-year-old believes that, based on his experience, once the price of the materials goes up, they never come down.

“I have worked in construction for more than four decades now, and throughout this entire period, building material prices have consistently risen,” Jameel said. “We have never witnessed a price drop. So, I advise those who have paused their construction to resume, as today is always better than tomorrow.”

Jameel said that he has been forced to reduce his rates and cut profit margins on major contracts to keep some work.

“My experience tells me it is normal for owners of homes and projects to pause work until they adapt to the new prices,” he added. “But eventually, construction labourers’ wages will rise, and the total cost of building will increase.”

Jameel feels for the plight of construction labourers, but he views this as a temporary phase and believes the suffering will ease once work picks up again. “We are all in the same boat, not just the daily wage labourers,” he said. “But we hope things will get better.”

SiriusXM is leaning into its sporty side.

The satellite radio company is launching a new subscription plan built specifically for sports fans, called the Sports Pass. For $5 a month, listeners will be able to follow live game broadcasts for every home and away game for nearly every major sporting event.

Launching Sept. 1, SiriusXM will offer one of sports media’s most comprehensive packages, including everything from the latest Formula One race to international soccer.

“SiriusXM Sports Pass brings that vision to life for sports fans by putting every game and event we carry, hometown voices, national personalities and the daily sports conversation into one simple, affordable subscription,” said Jennifer Witz, SiriusXM’s chief executive, in a statement. “No matter who you cheer for or where you listen, it brings you closer to the teams and voices that matter most to you.”

The subscription includes coverage of the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL; every NASCAR, IndyCar and Formula One race; the PGA Tour; WWE events among others. In addition to the live broadcasts, the Sports Pass will also include expert analysis, podcasts and 24 local sports stations, including ESPN LA 710.

The introduction of the subscription package emphasizes sports as an essential part of SiriusXM’s business. The company said in a statement that sports is one of its biggest engagement drivers and that more subscribers than ever are tuning in to sports. Other subscriptions include its All Music tier for $11.99 a month or its All Access tier for $25.99 monthly, which includes music, sports and news.

By having these sports available through a single subscription, SiriusXM is “creating a one-stop shop for any sports fan who’s listening to the radio,” said sports media analyst Lee Berke. This kind of convenience often increases the time listeners are willing to spend on a platform, he added.

“If all sports and all major coverage is available throughout one service, then there’s no reason to go anywhere else,” Berke said. “If you want to maintain subscribership 24/7, 365, you have to have all these things. You don’t want to just appeal to one type of sports fan.”

Outside of sports, SiriusXM is well known for its curated music channels, like Pitbull’s Globalization and The Kelly Clarkson Connection, and talk shows hosted by on-air personalities Howard Stern and Andy Cohen. The radio company, headquartered in New York, reaches roughly 255 million listeners and has 33 million subscribers, making it one of North America’s leading audio companies. SiriusXM also owns the streaming service Pandora, which it acquired for $3.5 billion in 2019.

“Every new channel, artist performance, live event, and creator collaboration advances our vision for the future of audio,” Witz said.

WASHINGTON — President Trump and the Justice Department are asking the Supreme Court to toss an $83 million defamation verdict won by writer E. Jean Carroll after she accused him of sexual assault, saying he can’t be sued for comments he made while he was president.

It’s the second time Trump has asked the justices to nix damages awarded by a jury to Carroll, a longtime advice columnist and former TV talk show host. The Supreme Court refused in June to hear his appeal of another verdict, for $5 million, that found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation.

The latest case centers on comments Trump made during his first term as president. The Justice Department wants to invoke the Westfall Act, which shields government employees from being sued for doing their jobs.

“Absent this Court’s intervention, the sitting President is facing nearly a hundred million dollars of personal liability for conduct that was well within the scope of his federal office,” federal attorneys wrote. “That alone deserves this Court’s attention.”

The appeal was filed electronically and is expected to be formally docketed with the court Wednesday.

Trump’s lawyers, meanwhile, argued that an appeals court “engaged in procedural contortions” to avoid addressing Trump’s claims that presidential immunity protects him from the $83 million award because he made the statements in question in 2019 while he was president.

The lawyers argued that the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled in a manner that “cries out for this Court’s review in this unprecedented case” and called the damages “grossly excessive.”

“This is the first case in our nation’s history in which a court has imposed damages liability on a president for his conduct in office,” the lawyers wrote.

Carroll’s lawyers have declined to comment on the latest Trump filing.

Trump has long argued he cannot be sued over comments he made about Carroll during his first term where he disavowed knowing her and attacked her motivations for going public with her story in a recent memoir. He’s also asking the Supreme Court justices to reconsider their rejection of his appeal in the $5 million verdict.

The appeal comes about two years after the Supreme Court granted Trump broad immunity from criminal prosecution as a former president.

Carroll testified twice before New York juries that Trump sexually assaulted her in spring 1996 in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman, a luxury retailer across the street from Trump Tower. She first went public with the claims in a 2019 memoir.

She sued Trump for defamation after he accused her of making up the allegation to help book sales, adding that he’d never met her and “she’s not my type.” He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

A Manhattan jury awarded her $83 million in damages in January 2024. Lower courts have so far rejected Trump’s appeals to overturn the verdict, though the New York-based appeals court split over the decision and agreed to delay that payout until the Supreme Court weighs in.

In 2023, another jury said Carroll was entitled to $5 million after concluding that Trump had subjected her to sexual abuse in the department store encounter and for defamation for remarks he had made after his first term ended. That judgment has been paid.

The Associated Press does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Carroll has done.

Whitehurst and Neumeister write for the Associated Press. Neumeister reported from New York.

Another failed summer. Another broken promise.

The most underachieving team on the Los Angeles sports landscape is embarrassingly stumbling through another season.

The Sparks stink. Again.

They’re not making the playoffs. Again.

There’s no reason to watch them even though there’s more than a month left on their schedule. Again.

For the sixth consecutive season, one of the WNBA’s legacy franchises has come apart at the seams, tattering the franchise’s three-championship history with a sordid record that mandates a clear response.

Trade your best player.

Trade Kelsey Plum.

The trade deadline is Sunday so do it quickly, and do it boldly, sending her to the sort of playoff contender who would find her worthy of young talent and draft picks.

Trade KP and do it now.

Yes, her 25-point scoring average would rank second in the league if she had not missed half the games with injuries.

Truly, she is arguably the team’s biggest attraction with the sort of Hollywood flash that overshadows even Nneka Ogwumike.

Indeed, the hard-nosed ballplayer elicits more screams and sells more tickets than any other Sparks player.

Trade her anyway. Swallow hard and make it happen. Out of a million reasons, here are just three.

First, her contract expires at the end of the season and she reportedly does not want to spend her prime years on a losing team. Can you blame her? Trade her before you lose her for nothing.

Nneka Ogwumike shoots over Chloe Bibby of the Chicago Sky during a game this month.

(Geoff Stellfox / Getty Images)

Second, at age 31, she is the team’s most valuable asset, and would command a high price among contenders looking for a shooter with a championship pedigree.

Third, this would be a powerful first move in a season-ending tank job.

You read that right. The Sparks should tank. They should tank hard. Tank, tank, tank. They should do anything it takes to have the best chance at nabbing the first pick in the 2027 draft and a chance to take USC phenom JuJu Watkins. The pursuit of Watkins, who will need to be convinced to give up her final year of college eligibility, should be the organization’s most important priority.

Anything for JuJu, and that includes trading Plum. While they’re at it, could they also please dump the massively disappointing Ariel Atkins and Erica Wheeler? Those two busts were part of the Sparks’ ill-conceived attempt last offseason to build a veteran team that could immediately compete.

It didn’t work, and now the Sparks have only four players who should be welcomed back next year — Cameron Brink, Rae Burrell, Dearica Hamby and Ogwumike.

Without Plum, Brink can have more space to work inside. Without Plum, Burrell can score 25 points a game. It’s a tank, but it’s not necessarily an ugly tank.

The front office should also be cleansed. Former general manager Raegan Pebley is already gone, meaning coach Lynne Roberts is next, probably fired the day after the season ends.

Cameron Brink is pressured by Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull during a game in May.

(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

Their replacements might be anonymous shadow dwellers, but that’s OK. The Sparks need to not hire college wonders — no Cori Close — and enlist some good old-fashioned WNBA veteran thinkers and evaluators and leaders.

The Sparks basically need to start from scratch, and it starts with a major move sometime in the next five days.

Trade KP.

Please?

“We pushed in a lot of chips this year, and we had good reason to do that, but the reality is it hasn’t gone as we’d hoped or expected,” said Farhan Zaidi, special advisor to Sparks’ owner Mark Walter. “Now we have to be open for anything. Everything has to be on the table for us. We have to take a long-term perspective rather than focusing on the rest of the season.”

In other words, the trade light is lit!

Zaidi wouldn’t comment on specific players or club personnel, only to note that the Sparks cannot grow as constituted.

“We have to be realistic where we are,” he said. “We don’t want to be that team stuck in the middle.”

In other words, keeping Plum might give them a few more wins, but to what end? They contend for the final playoff berth only to fall short? And if they make it, how long would they last against a powerhouse like Minnesota? For a big-market, win-now team like the Sparks, mediocrity is a death knell.

Zaidi trusts that Sparks fans will understand, and I agree.

Their growing fan base is as smart as they are passionate. They understand that to break this losing spell, the Sparks will have to break with franchise tradition and basically give up on this season to build hope for the next.

My daughter and fellow season-ticket holder MC was quick to react when I told her I was going to advocate trading Plum.

The Sparks should trade Kelsey Plum before she walks away as a free agent.

(Aryanna Frank / Getty Images)

“Write it,” she said. “I want hope.”

Zaidi thinks other fans will agree.

“We have very smart fans, I don’t want to patronize them as to where we are,” he said. ”Our dedicated fans will understand if we have to take a step back to get to that championship level. I can step back if I feel like we’re building something.”

Zaidi noted, “I think it can happen quickly.”

He’s right. In a league in which a team like Golden State can contend for a title in only its second season, in a space where both of this year’s expansion teams — Toronto and Portland — can have better records than the Sparks, rebuilding doesn’t take much.

If the Sparks get some young talent and draft picks for Plum, then sign a top free agent by using the construction of their new practice facility as a selling point… who knows?

The Sparks need to do whatever it takes to become the Sparks again.

Hello, hope.

Goodbye, KP.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains in effect halted.
Tankers are now avoiding another critical waterway – Bab al-Mandeb – as Yemen’s Houthi forces threaten Saudi-linked vessels. Ukrainian strikes have hit Russian export infrastructure.
Three major routes are now disrupted at once: the Gulf, the Red Sea and the Black Sea.

Together, they threaten trade flows equivalent to nearly a quarter of global oil supplies just as reserves sit at multiyear lows.
Goldman Sachs says oil could rise above $120 a barrel by the fourth quarter if disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz alone persist.
Economies worldwide are bracing for another energy shock.

Singapore has started exploring whether to become involved in the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), a new report suggests. While it doesn’t state that Singapore has decided to join or purchase the Tempest fighter at the center of that program, it is in line with the country’s approach to buying the F-35. At the very least, it would seem to indicate that Singapore is starting to look at the sixth-generation combat aircraft technologies that could follow the Joint Strike Fighter.

According to Janes, Singapore has begun early, informal discussions about possible participation in GCAP. These are described as exploratory, meaning Singapore is gathering information rather than negotiating membership of the program.

The report explicitly states that the Singapore government has not made any decision to become a participant in the program, which makes sense considering that the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is still waiting to receive its first F-35s.

GCAP is a joint next-generation air combat program led by the United Kingdom, Japan, and Italy, aiming to field the Tempest sixth-generation combat jet and wider air combat system by around 2035. With the demise of the pan-European Future Combat Air System (FCAS), GCAP is the preeminent Western sixth-generation fighter effort outside of the United States.

GCAP is intended to include not only the Tempest crewed fighter but also an integrated ecosystem of AI-enabled systems, advanced sensors, networking, air-launched weapons, and autonomous ‘loyal wingman’ aircraft.

As for the RSAF, this is a notably modern and capable force, benefitting from considerable investment throughout the years.

It is currently spearheaded by a combat fleet of 40 F-15SGs, plus 49 F-16C/Ds, a combination of Block 52 and Block 52+ jets.

Next, the RSAF will receive eight conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) F-35As and 12 short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B fighters. The F-35Bs will be the first to arrive, with deliveries due to start before the end of this year. These will initially be based at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas for training, with the first F-35Bs scheduled to be stationed in Singapore from 2029.

In total, Singapore covers an area of less than 280 square miles, putting unique strains on the RSAF.

In preparation for the F-35B, the RSAF is extending the runway at Pulau Sudong, an offshore location, which will reduce the noise burden on more populated areas. The existing runway will be extended from around 6,500 feet to approximately 9,800 feet, with work to be completed by 2028. The growing demand for training capacity is something that has previously led the RSAF to look at having a detachment in Guam, but the reworked Pulau Sudong should help address the issue.

The RSAF has traditionally acquired the best available Western-made equipment to meet its combat aircraft needs. Looking at what is currently the only sixth-generation combat jet that is likely to be available to Singapore for the foreseeable future makes sense. However, as Roy Choo, a defense journalist and TWZ contributor, noted, deeper involvement in GCAP would be years away.

“From this news, it appears they may have identified a future requirement for a sixth-generation fighter, although this is unlikely to transition into a program of record for at least another two decades,” Choo explained. “As with most operators, Singapore engages with industry to stay informed about available market offerings all the time.”

In the next decade or so, the RSAF will likely remain focused on its F-35A/B program and on bringing these aircraft up to full operational capability.

Another upcoming program will be a midlife upgrade for the F-15SG, deliveries of which first began in 2008. Choo expects work on this to begin once the ongoing F-16 upgrade is finished. The F-16s are set to remain in service into the mid-2030s, according to Singapore Chief of Air Force Maj. General Kelvin Fan. The F-15SG will be around longer, giving considerable lead time for it to be replaced by a sixth-generation platform.

When it comes to a path to a potential Singapore Tempest acquisition, it is worth looking at the approach taken with the F-35.

Singapore joined the F-35 program as a Security Cooperative Participant (SCP) in 2003 when it identified the fifth-generation fighter as a potential replacement for its F-16s. At that time, Choo notes, Singapore was still receiving its F-16s and was yet to select a contender for its Next Fighter Replacement Program (NFRP) — it eventually chose the F-15SG in 2005.

Singapore placed an initial order for four F-35B in 2020, a full 17 years after joining the program as an SCP. This is very much an indication of the long-term view Singapore takes in its defense procurement.

If Singapore were to join GCAP, it would likely be part of a long-term view toward acquiring a sixth-generation fighter capability.

While Singapore has maintained generally good relations with Beijing, it is acutely aware of its economic vulnerability in the face of rising tensions in the South China Sea as China makes increasingly forceful moves to assert its claims in the region. With China preparing for potential contingencies in the South China Sea through the continued expansion of its anti-access and area-denial (A2/AD) capabilities in the region, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force — busy working on its own sixth-generation platforms — is very much the pacing threat.

Given Singapore’s prudent approach to defense procurement, it is unlikely to commit large sums of money to a program at such an early stage of development.

If pursued, a likely option would be for Singapore to join GCAP with observer status, something that Canada (another F-35 customer) recently signed up to do. “This would give greater visibility of GCAP’s governance and capabilities,” Choo added. “After all, Singapore doesn’t have the deep technological know-how as the other full-tier partners.”

“An observer status would fit with its cautious and non-committal approach to the program just as it did with the F-35 SCP membership.”

Potentially, GCAP could provide a platform for Singapore to build future relationships with other partners and secure a workshare arrangement involving supply chain and maintenance work. That would all be a long way off, however.

Logically speaking, the RSAF’s next procurement project will likely involve a collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) to build combat mass.

Interestingly, earlier this week, Singapore and Australia signed the Industrial Base Resiliency Arrangement (IBRA), which establishes a practical framework for closer defence industrial cooperation between the two nations.

The IBRA “allows both countries to engage in cross-sustainment of common defense platforms, examine priority delivery requests for defence orders, streamline equipment transfers, foster defence industry partnerships, and facilitate information exchanges to mitigate supply chain risk.”

When it comes to common defense platforms, it’s not hard to imagine that the MQ-28 Ghost Bat could be in the RSAF’s thoughts. At the same time, the F-35A and the P-8A maritime patrol aircraft will also offer commonality with Australia once they arrive in RSAF service.

Singapore has a history of studying major defense programs years before making procurement decisions. Whether it intends to buy the Tempest in the future or not, the report is the first known indication that Singapore is formally examining possible links to GCAP, and looking at sixth-generation combat aircraft more generally.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

Cashea ad on the Nasdaq tower. Photo: Romina Hendlin, Cashea

Cashea just announced it raised another $60m for its Series B round, led by FinSight Ventures, bringing its total capital raised (all equity) to $100m in 2026 alone. Another amazing fit for the already impressive Venezuelan BNPL king. In the same week, we knew that Colombia’s Grupo Nutresa acquired ice cream manufacturer Tío Rico.

The big question after these two announcements is whether Venezuela has finally become investable. Does the potential return of the capacity to do business, to invest in the country, outweigh its risks? In the long and medium term, it does, but in the short run it still needs a lot of work. 

Venezuela remains very dependent on oil. This sector is held closely by the State, and I speculate that, after the US took over the reins of the fuel commercial activity, a bigger size of the GDP is concentrated in oil and gas than in previous years. According to Financial Times, this year the US has collected about $13bn since January in oil revenue, while in 2025 and 2024 PDVSA reported collecting $14.7bn and $17.5bn, respectively. So we could expect at least $20bn in oil revenue by the end of the year (+30%, not bad). Until that income is divested in the economy in a hopefully efficient manner and trickles down to the sectors that directly impact the end consumer, the rest of the country’s value chains remain constrained.

So, considering we cannot count on oil yet, the rest of the economy will need to do some legwork that involves both the efforts of the public sector and the private sector to attract international investors. The headlines about Chasea and Tío Rico might suggest that this is working. However, conditions haven’t changed much since before the economic devastation.

The exchange rate gap appears to have narrowed, but recent monthly inflation figures seem to have reversed the gains in that front from previous months (6.3% in May, 13.8% in June, according to the Central Bank BCV). The biggest indicator right now to measure business sentiment, according to Guillermo Arcay (and I agree with him), is the BVC index, which has fallen from its all-time high of 7,331.21 points in March to around 5,170–5,210 points, a 29% decline that indicates the euphoria and frenzied sentiment have subsided.

First, let’s dissect the “whys” of the two major deals that have put Venezuela on a better side of the headlines after the terrible devastation of June 24th. Because in spite of the earthquakes, there were still a lot of issues that international investors need to be clearer about before they swarm the market and become part of the eventual recovery.

$100M por el buche

Investment rounds are usually carefully considered and longer to close than they appear.

Cashea was already on a path to raise an enormous amount of capital; even in a similar economic scenario without the political change and the earthquakes, they would still have raised a huge amount in 2026. However, how much upside could this new macroeconomic scenario have contributed to the rounds reaching $100 million? 

The interest of these venture capital firms (Finsight Ventures, Spice Expeditions, and others) that were already investing in emerging markets stemmed more from the company itself than from the country’s promise of returning to greatness. It’s a bet on the jockey, not the horse. The reason for continuing to invest in the only relevant player in Venezuela’s BNPL sector, which Cashea basically revived by itself, is its operational efficiency, innovation genes, and discipline. They are not simply a first-mover: they did build a business to last. They make it seem easy, though it was certainly not.

The other major news came from Grupo Nutresa’s acquisition of Tio Rico, a brand loved by Venezuelans (remember Bati Bati?) and the main competitor of Helados Efe, owned by Empresas Polar. 

Sold by Mack (an automobile company) for $30m according to familiar sources reported by Bloomberg, this announcement looks more like a typical baron play of buying equity in a once promising business at the price of “vacas flacas”.

Two months ago, Grupo Nutresa also bought another ice-cream-making company in Colombia called Mimo, for about $12-15m, which doesn’t sound so bad, except this company represents only 5.8% of market share in that country, while Tío Rico could easily possess 50% of the market share in Venezuela. Just double the price for 10 times the share. So in this case it was an equity play by the Gillinsky family, which controls Nutresa. They are fulfilling their prophecy of “dumping” the market with Colombian products, acquiring cheap equity stakes in major companies and not investing a single dime in CAPEX, waiting to see how things play out.

I’ve even seen the appetite for opportunities in both tech and more traditional sectors by helping international investors be exposed to those deals. The appetite is there, but the conditions aren’t right just yet; investors still need to trust the public sector before any major CAPEX investment is played out, and private companies need to demonstrate professionalism, show a strategic mindset to achieve operational efficiency, and prove their commitment to growth, which is so needed to calm the nerves of investing in Venezuela.

Low prices, equity plays in real estate, and quick wins are not enough to Make Venezuela Prosperous Again. The private sector needs to be open to innovation, be more transparent, and appeal to a language that might be unknown to them but common to foreign capital.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Washington powerbroker Sen. Lindsey Graham returned home to South Carolina for the last time Wednesday for his funeral and burial.

After Graham was eulogized Tuesday in the nation’s capital as an indefatigable dealmaker by the president, vice president and others, mourners in Columbia prepared to remember him Wednesday as the son of pool hall owners who never forgot his roots.

Graham seemed to know every small-town mayor and police chief and the location of every Chick-fil-A across South Carolina. His PAC made sure Republicans had money to run in legislative and local elections across the state.

Graham died suddenly on July 11 at his home in Washington, likely of an aortic tear, according to preliminary findings. He had just returned from a whirlwind trip to a NATO summit in Turkey, where he celebrated his 71st birthday, and a visit to Ukraine as he negotiated punishing sanctions against Russia. Senators voted late Tuesday to advance the package as a final gesture for their colleague.

Wednesday’s funeral was at First Baptist, the giant downtown church where his predecessor Republican Sen. Strom Thurmond was honored 23 years ago.

Graham’s body was first brought to the South Carolina Statehouse, where he started his political career in 1993, for a law enforcement ceremony and a flyover by military jets. A horse-drawn caisson then carried his casket to the church, where his family followed members of his family carrying it inside.

Graham’s burial Wednesday near his home in Pickens County was planned as a private ceremony.

On Tuesday, Graham’s flag-draped casket was at the U.S. Capitol, where the Republican spent more than 30 years talking and laughing and badgering his colleagues into action.

President Trump then joined foreign leaders at the Washington National Cathedral, a testament to Graham’s stature on the global stage.

Trump called Graham “a giant of the United States Senate, a true American original who left us much too soon.”

Graham’s death has created opportunities for change in South Carolina. Graham had already won the Republican nomination as he ran for a fifth term. Gov. Henry McMaster named his younger sister Darline to hold his seat until January. Darline Graham then surprised many by deciding to run for the full six-year term herself.

State law has Republicans holding a special primary in two weeks to decide the new nominee. Eight others are competing, including former Gov. Mark Sanford and U.S. Reps. Ralph Norman and Russell Fry.

Kinnard and Collins write for the Associated Press.