1Politicstheepochtimes.com
Florida’s Ban on Children Attending Drag Shows is Constitutional, Appeals Court Says
A federal appeals court has ruled that Florida's ban on children attending sexualized drag shows is constitutional, overturning a lower court's decision to block the law. Hamburger Mary's, a chain that holds drag shows and previously held ‘family friendly’ shows, claimed the law violated the First Amendment. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed in an 8–5 ruling, stating that the district court lacked authority to impose a universal injunction preventing the enforcement of the Act. The law, which would make it a misdemeanor for businesses to knowingly allow a child to an "adult live performance" that depicts nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or specific sexual activities, prohibits adult live performances that appeal to a prurient, shameful, or morbid interest. Businesses violating the 2023 Protection of Children Act could face suspension or loss of license, a $5,000 fine for a first offense, and a $10,000 penalty for each subsequent offense.
2Businesstribune.com.pk
Pakistan to break up gas monopolies
Pakistan has developed a roadmap for the gas sector transformation, aiming to create a competitive, open and efficient market. The plan involves restructuring and unbundling of Sui companies, separating transmission, distribution and energy businesses, creating opportunities for private sector participation. The proposal will be submitted to the prime minister for approval by the end of August. Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik met with World Bank Country Director to review the roadmap.
3Techus.headtopics.com
Lockheed seeks US mineral supplies after Trump supply-chain push, sources say
The world's largest defense contractor, Lockheed Martin, is in talks with NioCorp Developments and Teck Resources to secure supplies of two critical minerals from U.S. mining and processing capacity, scandium and germanium, which are used in military equipment such as aircraft components and infrared sensors. This comes as President Donald Trump pressures defense contractors to reduce reliance on China as China has tightened controls on critical minerals exports and has made it harder for defense contractors for long-term supply deals. The deals would represent a significant step in the U.K. push to build domestic mineral supply chains, but face challenges as Chinese suppliers have long offered cheaper prices and limited U.N. mining capacity. Lockheed, which makes the F-35 Lightning II fighter fighter, Patriot interceptor missiles and other weaponry for the US government, is also in talks to secure long-time supply chain security.
4Worldtopstories.com.ng
Guatemala is on alert and evacuates hundreds of villagers after eruption of the Fuego volcano
Guatemala is on alert following an eruption of the Fuego volcano, which is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and is one of Central America's most active volcanoes. 659 people have been evacuated from eight villages in the danger area and are being housed in nearby shelters. The disaster management agency, CONRED, warned of ash spreading to nearby towns and a major highway near the volcano was closed. The Education Ministry suspended classes in nearby towns. A previous eruption of Fuegu in June 2018 resulted in hundreds of deaths and the loss of up to 1.7 million people.
5Techundercodenews.com
The npm Worm That Turned Trusted Code Into a Global Credential-Hunting Machine - UNDERCODE NEWS
Microsoft Threat Intelligence has identified a large-scale attack involving over 400 npm packages linked to multiple publishers. The malicious releases reportedly carried a variant of the Mini Shai-Hulud worm, a self-propagating credential-stealing threat designed to execute before a package installation is complete. Instead of waiting for a user to open a malicious file or manually run suspicious code, the malware abused the Node lifecycle behavior to activate automatically through a preinstall hook. Once active, the virus searched for credentials connected to sites such as npm, GitHub, cloud platforms, Kubernetes environments, and secret-management systems. The attack exploited more than a technical weakness, exploiting developers' confidence in familiar package names, trusted maintainers, and routine dependency updates. The incident has been identified as a warning that software supply-chain security can no longer focus only on vulnerable dependencies but also on the identities, build systems, package registries, and release mechanisms that connect the modern development ecosystem.
6Financeus.headtopics.com
SpaceX Beats Wall Street With Strong Q2 Earnings
SpaceX has reported its first public company earnings, doubling its revenue to $7.81 billion and reducing its quarterly loss to $541 million. The rocket and AI firm outperformed analyst forecasts while increasing capital spending to $18.4 billion, largely due to investments in its AI unit and Starlink satellite internet. The company also added 1.7 million new Starlink subscribers and secured a contract with American Airlines. The second-quarter earnings were driven by sharp growth in the company’s connectivity business, which includes its Starlink internet broadband service. However, the company's rocket business experienced a wider loss of $542 billion, compared to $369 billion a year ago due to heavy capital spending on its massive Starship rocket. SpaceX shares closed up $10.80, or 9.4%, to $125.33 on the Nasdaq in advance of the earnings report.
7Financeca.news.yahoo.com
US says Iran Hormuz deal could come 'today or tomorrow' as oil prices plunge
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has stated that a deal with Iran regarding reopening the Strait of Hormuz could be reached "today or tomorrow". This optimism led to a drop in oil prices, with hopes of increased shipments through the vital waterway. The US and Iran have been at war since February 28, when the US and Israel launched surprise attacks on Iran. Despite a ceasefire and a preliminary deal in the months since, diplomacy has failed to resolve the conflict. Iran wants to control the strait and charge tolls, which is opposed by the US. One crew member was listed missing on a merchant ship hit by a projectile in Hormz, while an Indian ship in the Red Sea sank following an unattributed attack.
8Sportspinchercreekecho.com
World Cup host cities reportedly chasing down FIFA for 'legacy' payments
World Cup host cities in the United States are reportedly seeking FIFA for $1-million "legacy" payouts from the event, although it is unclear if Toronto and other host cities across Canada and Mexico are affected. The Athletic reported that FIFA management assured the 11 U.S. cities hosting World Cup games that they would receive $1 million for legacy initiatives, despite not making the promise public. This follows allegations that FIFA president Gianni Infantino promised these payments to support "social projects" and infrastructure improvements. The allegations come as FIFA member organizations grow increasingly disillusioned with Infantine, who tried to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors including the family of U.K. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The City of Toronto declined to comment on any such payment.
9Worldkfgo.com
Brazil downgrades diplomatic ties with Argentina after Milei remarks
Brazil has downgraded diplomatic ties with Argentina to the chargé d’affaires level, following President Javier Milei's criticism of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Brazil's ambassador to Argentina will not return to Buenos Aires due to the criticism. The move comes after a disagreement between the two leaders. Argentina's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
10Financemainichi.jp
U.S. joined Japan's currency intervention for stability of Asia: Bessent
The United States is concerned about the undervaluation of the Japanese yen as a serious risk to economic stability in Asia, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. This is a major reason why Washington joined Tokyo in a recent currency intervention, following a 40-year low against the U.S. dollar in late July. Bessents cited the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s as a result of an "overly weak yen" as a major factor in preventing the yen from destabilizing the region. The last U.K.-Japan yen-buying intervention took place in 1998. The joint intervention was the first since a yen-selling action in 2011 after a major earthquake and tsunami hit northeastern Japan. BESSent praised Japan's efforts to tackle sluggish economic growth through its policy mix of aggressive monetary easing, fiscal stimulus and structural reforms.
11Scienceethicalmarketingnews.com
Global biomass burning emissions in 2026 at their lowest level since 2003
Global biomass burning emissions in 2026 were at their lowest level since 2003, according to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service’s fire emissions dataset. The decrease was attributed to reduced seasonal fires in tropical Africa, which was a major factor. However, in late June, fire activity in North America and Eurasia rapidly increased, potentially causing a significant increase in global emissions. Total estimated carbon emissions from biomass burning for the first half of the year came to just below 400 megatonnes of carbon. The main contributors were Africa, with 154 megatones and Asia with 113 megatonons of carbon respectively. The predicted El Niño conditions could increase global fire emissions, following previous instances of persistent biomass burning in Indonesia causing widespread regional haze and severely degraded air quality.
