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  Amer­ica’s new olig­archy The sys­tem of gov­ern­ment is increas­ingly dom­in­ated by an eco­nomic elite that has par­layed its immense riches into tan­gible polit­ical influ­ence, rais­ing con­cerns about demo­cratic integ­rity. By Guy Chazan Settings Print Share Listen In Amer­ica’s Gil­ded Age, mil­lion­aire rob­ber bar­ons oper­ated from the shad­ows, brib­ing pli­ant law­makers to do their bid­ding. Under Pres­id­ent Don­ald Trump, bil­lion­aires have gone one bet­ter. Some are in his cab­inet. Accord­ing to one widely cited estim­ate, Trump’s cab­inet mem­bers have a com­bined estim­ated net worth of $7.5bn, mak­ing his admin­is­tra­tion the richest in Amer­ican his­tory. Includ­ing Trump him­self, the fig­ure reaches roughly $14bn. The US has long prided itself on being the world’s lead­ing demo­cracy. But its sys­tem of gov­ern­ment is increas­ingly dom­in­ated by an eco­nomic elite that has par­layed its immense riches into tan­gible polit­ical influ­ence. “Now the tycoo...
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  Let’s unpack that Why Yvette Cooper is the last hope to fix the NHS maternity nightmare In the midst of Britain’s ongoing maternity crisis highlighted in horrific investigations that demand action, Radhika Sanghani explores why a female health secretary could signal a turning point – so long as she listens to the campaigners calling for urgent change Radhika Sanghani Wednesday 05 August 2026 09:12 Listen The state of Britain’s  maternity wards  is so bad that recent reports have found  mothers were left to “bleed out” in bathrooms  while babies have suffered avoidable deaths. It’s no surprise that  maternity care  in the UK is now referred to as a “crisis”;  maternal deaths are rising by a fifth in a decade  (a rate that is much higher among black  women ), and two-thirds of England’s maternity units fail to meet required safety standards. Campaigners, bereaved families, charities, midwives and expectant  mothers  like myself...
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  Western Allies Are About To Fail Ukraine, Again August 7, 2026 at 2:00 PM GMT+10 C’mon already, guys. Photographer: GENYA SAVILOV/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES Save Translate The story of Ukraine’s defense against Russian invasion is one of remarkable resilience, punctuated by tragedies of mistiming that have prevented it from turning advantage into success, thus extending the agonies of war. Kyiv’s allies in the West have been at fault for of most of these failures and it seems clear they are about to deliver another. The news from the battlefield this year has in general been good for Kyiv. After surviving a tough year of adaptation and the grimmest winter of the war to date, Ukraine’s forces stopped a Russian spring offensive in its tracks. Since then, Moscow's territorial gains have been the slowest since 2023, and they've been made at the cost of soaring troop losses. Given that Ukraine’s entire frontline strategy has been based on ceding small amounts of territory in exchange fo...
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  University Challenge The case of Jason Arday, who resigned as a Cambridge professor after allegations of plagiarism and false assertions, has put a spotlight on academic vetting and rigour There’s an old joke that academic politics are so vicious because the stakes are so low. Yet while the quip might raise a wry smile in after-dinner speeches, it is not strictly true. And it is especially untrue in the case of Jason Arday, the Cambridge University sociology of education professor, who resigned on Wednesday after both the authenticity of his scholarship and the extravagance of his personal claims came under intensifying scrutiny. Here, the stakes are very high indeed. When Mr Arday was appointed to the chair by Cambridge in 2023, the university publicised the move with great fanfare. He was, its website said, “a highly respected scholar of race, inequality and education” who was now the “youngest Black person ever appointed to a professorship at Cambridge”. The announcement empha...
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  Europe's getting hotter, markets are taking note August 7, 2026 2:02 PM GMT+10 Updated 4 hours ago Item 1 of 2 A cereal crop grows after Britain's Environment Agency declared seven areas of England to be in drought, near Andover, Britain, August 4, 2026. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo [1/2] A cereal crop grows after Britain's Environment Agency declared seven areas of England to be in drought, near Andover, Britain, August 4, 2026. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights LONDON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Record temperatures across Europe are piling fresh pressure on food prices, supply chains and heavily indebted economies, creating another headache for financial markets already ​roiled by an Iran war-driven energy shock. Here's how extreme heat is becoming a key macroeconomic indicator for investors. Stay up to date on the key companies, data, and decisions in the ESG world with the Reuters Sustainable Finance newsletter. Sign up here. 1/ SUPPLY CHAIN ...
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