Illinois has taken a significant step in regulating artificial intelligence, with Gov. JB Pritzker signing legislation on Monday that mirrors similar bills in California and New York.

The move underscores a growing push for state-driven national frameworks in the absence of comprehensive federal regulations.

Pritzker emphasized the necessity of state action, stating, “Congress and the president ought to be passing similar legislation, but they’ve so far been unwilling, because many are captive to special interests that profit from the industry having no regulation.”

He added, “We can work together to establish thoughtful guardrails in ways that benefit both industry and the public, or we can allow a handful of actors to evade accountability and push the costs and detriment onto ordinary people. Illinois has chosen our path.”

The new law, Senate Bill 315, also known as the Artificial Intelligence Safety Measures Act, targets the largest AI models – those generating over $500 million in annual revenue and trained using extensive computing power. It mandates increased transparency and accountability for these powerful systems.

The legislation aligns closely with California’s SB-53 and New York’s Responsible AI Safety and Education Act, both enacted in late 2025.

It introduces new reporting standards for potential large-scale harms, such as an AI model assisting in the creation of chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons, or facilitating cyber-attacks.

State Senator Mary Edly-Allen, a Democrat from Libertyville and the bill’s sponsor, highlighted the urgent need for states to preempt these risks.

“We are not willing to wait for Congress to act,” Edly-Allen asserted. She used an analogy to illustrate the potential dangers: “There’s an old saying: Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach him to fish, he eats for a lifetime. Teach AI to fish, though, and it might just empty the whole river trying to figure out how.”

While Illinois, California, and New York collectively represent only about 20% of the national population, lawmakers estimate they account for roughly 40% of the U.S. AI market.

This significant market share effectively positions their combined regulations to establish a de facto national standard.

Under the new law, AI model developers are required to publish a framework detailing how they identify and assess “catastrophic risk.”

This is defined as the likelihood of incidents that could cause death or serious injury to more than 50 people or result in over $1 million in property damage.

Developers must also report any incidents that could cause harm to the state within 72 hours of identification, or within 24 hours if there is an imminent risk of death or serious physical injury.

Representative Daniel Didech, a Democrat from Buffalo Grove and the bill’s House sponsor, stressed that the harms the legislation addresses are not theoretical.

“We have already seen the first AI-inspired mass shooting. We have already seen AI systems utilized to attack a municipal water and drainage utility,” Didech noted. He also referenced Anthropic’s Mythos model, which the company deemed too powerful a cyberweapon for public release.

Anthropic supported Illinois’ bill and had representatives present at the signing. Didech drew parallels to other transformative technologies, stating, “Every transformative technology in our history, from automobiles to electricity to air travel, has delivered enormous benefits while carrying real risks, and in every case the government responded not by banning the technology and not by taking a hands-off approach, but by building safeguards, so everyday people can trust that these technologies are safe.”

Illinois’ version of the law includes a first-in-the-nation requirement for mandatory annual third-party audits, a stricter provision than New York’s, which only required a single independent audit once developers met the qualifying criteria.

This audit provision was a point of contention for some industry stakeholders, including TechNet, a coalition of tech executives. Ninia Linero, a TechNet representative, expressed concerns in committee on May 20, stating, “We remain concerned that Illinois would effectively be requiring private actors to make highly subjective determinations requiring AI safety compliance without established national standards, certifications, or clear regulatory guardrails.”

The World Cup match between Argentina and Egypt ended in incredible drama

Reigning world champions Argentina pulled off the great escape against Egypt to keep their World Cup hopes alive in a game that ended in complete chaos.

Goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico put the north African side into a commanding 2-0 lead thanks to efforts in either half.

Lionel Messi missed yet another penalty to in a failed bid to cancel out the Egyptians’ first goal.

And with just over 10 minutes left on the clock it looked for all the world that the current holders of the trophy would be heading home in one of the biggest shocks of the tournament.

But they staged a stunning comeback to keep their dreams alive and send the stadium into meltdown at both ends.

They first pulled a goal back through Cristian Romero’s header before Messi atoned for his spot-kick miss to level matters on the night.

Then Enzo Fernandez completed the incredible turnaround with a brilliant header two minutes into stoppage time.

That prompted chaotic scenes in the stands and in both dugouts, as Egypt staff protested over what they perceived to be a foul in the build-up to the winner.

A member of the Pharaohs’ coaching team was given a red card for his part in the melee on the sidelines, with players from both benches clashing.

Egypt players were left distraught at the full-time whistle, with bodies slumped on the turf and substitutes sunk in their chairs.

Messi himself was in tears as he celebrated with his team-mates.

“That was incredible. Spectacular. Argentina were down and out, they were out of the tournament at one point,” former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson said on BBC Radio 5 Live at Atlanta Stadium

“Egypt are so frustrated with the refereeing decisions that have gone against them. They had a second goal disallowed before they got their second goal for an infringement that was almost on their own touchline.

“Then Lionel Messi just stepped in and took over. Beautiful assist, great finish for his goal and then the substitutions worked for Argentina.

“So many sub plots and stories to this game.”

Argentina will be next in action against either Switzerland or Colombia – and could be set to face England in the semi-finals should they progress and the Three Lions beat Norway on Saturday night.

In her previous match, Gauff was racing against the clock to get her win over Belinda Bencic over the line before Wimbledon’s strict 11pm cut off, but in the heat of the day against Pegula, it was not a straightforward contest.

Gauff motored to a 40-0 lead in the opening service game, only to follow that up with two double faults and eventually a break for Pegula.

That chaotic four minutes set the tone for the early stages of the match where the unforced error count raced into double figures, while even by the end of the opening set, there were only nine winners in total.

Gauff’s statistics were by far the more inconsistent of the pair, hitting six winners to 17 unforced errors, including four double faults, but as Pam Shriver said on BBC 5 Live, she does not mind “winning ugly”.

When asked about her pointed question to her box, who had stood to applaud her, she said: “If you told me I would be in the semis of this tournament, I’d be [like] ‘you’re funny’. Especially like my match in Berlin, the match last year here, the last two years just not winning anything on here. I think it was just more like how too just because so many three-setters, and it’s like how am I getting out of these matches, just winning them.”

It was with a touch of irony that when Gauff did break in the second set, it was as a result of a double fault by Pegula. It was only her second of the match, while Gauff had made six, but it proved the deciding moment in the second set, after which the score was levelled.

Pegula will be left lamenting what could have been, having had the chance to put herself on track for a win in two sets, she allowed Gauff the time and opportunities to raise her level.

NATO leaders gather in Turkey for a two-day summit at a pivotal moment for the alliance as the Trump administration calls for a “NATO 3.0” and urges Europe to take on a greater security role. ___ This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

By HARRY BAMFORTH, LIVE SPORTS COVERAGE REPORTER

Updated: 19:03 BST, 7 July 2026

An Associated Newspaper spokesperson said: “Mr Justice Nicklin today cleared the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday, and dismissed every single one of the 97 allegations made by the claimants.

“In every case, the judge accepted the honesty of our journalists’ evidence on how they sourced their stories.

“This is a magnificent vindication of the Daily Mail’s journalism.”

They added the court case has “wasted so much valuable court time and more than £50m in legal costs”.

Paul Dacre, Associated Newspapers’ editor-in-chief and ex-Daily Mail editor, said the action had been “trumped-up” adding it “should never have been brought to trial”.

He added he would “never be able to comprehend” why Baroness Lawrence had decided to “turn on” the Daily Mail, which campaigned on the Lawrence family’s behalf. In 1997, the paper ran a famous front page naming the five prime suspects in Stephen’s murder.

But Baroness Lawrence told the court in February she thought the paper was only “pretending” to support her campaign for justice for the “credibility of supporting a black family”.

A further hearing lasting two days is now expected to take place from 29 July.

This is the latest – and is expected to be the last – in a series of courtroom battles fought by Prince Harry against what he has seen as the dishonest practices of the UK press.

In 2023, Prince Harry won 15 claims in his case accusing Mirror Group Newspapers of unlawfully gathering information for stories published about him.

Last year, the publisher of the Sun newspaper agreed to pay “substantial damages” and apologised to the duke to settle a long-running legal battle over claims of unlawful intrusion into his life.

Tuesday’s verdict coincides with the start of a week of engagements in the UK for Prince Harry, starting with an event in London for the Invictus Games, his charity for injured military veterans.

On Tuesday afternoon, Harry smiled and gave a thumbs up to crowds as he stepped into his car following an Invictus Games event.

Bolton West MP Phil Brickell challenged ministers in the House of Commons, as Labour called on the Electoral Commission to investigate whether financial support provided to Mr Farage should have been declared.

Mr Brickell spoke during a Commons statement on strengthening political donations and foreign lobbying rules.

Phil Brickell said: “Given the weekend’s newspapers were awash with stories about the Honourable Member for Clacton’s financial interests, what assurances can the Minister provide me that the measures the Government is introducing will prevent people such as George Cottrell, convicted in the US of wire fraud, who we know has provided thousands of pounds worth of benefits.

“Or Bendello, who has been convicted for flouting American anti money laundering rules, yet has donated £4 million to Reform.

“From being able to pump tens of millions of pounds into British politics?”

The question came after Labour wrote to the Electoral Commission urging it to investigate reports that Cottrell, a long-time ally of Mr Farage, provided funding for security and staffing in the year before he was elected to Parliament.

Labour has also questioned whether Mr Cottrell, who is based in Montenegro, was a permissible donor and whether the reported support should have been declared under parliamentary and electoral rules.

Mr Farage has denied any wrongdoing and said he followed the rules.

Phil speaking out in the commons. (Image: Parliament)

Responding to Mr Brickell, a minister said: “The reporting in The Sunday Times was clearly concerning for all of us in the House, and what I would say is that there are a number of agencies that I have set out in my statement earlier who deal with the regulation, the enforcement, and the potential legal action that may be necessary in cases that involve illegal behaviour.

“I’m sure that those organisations will be paying very close attention to the media reports over the weekend.”

The reports concern claims that Mr Cottrell recruited and paid three members of staff to work on Mr Farage’s social media before the 2024 General Election and continued to allow him to use a property near Buckingham Palace.

The Liberal Democrats have separately called for Parliament’s Standards Commissioner to investigate the reported support.

(Image: PA)

Parliament’s Standards Commissioner is already investigating whether Mr Farage should have registered an undisclosed £5 million gift from businessman Christopher Harborne.

Mr Farage has rejected the allegations nationally, saying: “I have done no wrongdoing, followed the rules and I am now considering legal action against The Sunday Times.

“It’s now clear the establishment will stop at nothing to hurt Reform.

“We want to smash their cosy consensus.”

The Reform UK leader has repeatedly said he was not required to register the reported gift because it was personal rather than connected to his parliamentary activities.

Anglian Water has said it cannot rule out a hosepipe ban this summer as Cambridgeshire faces another heatwave, but readers say fixing leaks should come first

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The prospect of yet another heatwave has prompted Anglian Water to revisit its stance on whether to implement a hosepipe ban across the Eastern region. In June, the water authority released a statement confirming it had “no plans to introduce a hosepipe ban this year.”

However, the latest meteorological forecasts — which indicate another prolonged period of exceptionally hot weather this July — have compelled Anglian Water to reconsider its position.

Ian Rule, Anglian Water’s Director of Water Services said: “Although we’re not putting hosepipe bans in place at the moment, the situation is changing very quickly and we can’t completely rule them out for this summer.”

The forthcoming hot weather will mark the third heatwave experienced this year. Anglian Water suggested heatwaves could become the ‘new normal’ as the climate crisis deepens.

Mr Rule added: “Right now, we’re facing another hot spell, and we know we’re likely to see more of this weather this summer – not to mention the years to come.”

Several readers argued that leaks should be addressed first. Banallbikes writes: “They should repair all the leaks and we wouldn’t be short of water.”

Whynot2 comments: “As a lot of people are now on a meter, they pay for what they use, so why would they want to waste it?”

Welshknight thinks: “Nationalise it and scrap the bonuses and implement a pay restraint of 80k/annum. Sort them out.”

While over on our Facebook page, Wendy C comments: “If they actually got their act together and repaired the water leaks which I’ve seen several of, and 2 near to where I live, then perhaps that might just help save water.”

Mark D says: “What after how much water has gone up, you must be joking, build more reservoirs with the profits.”

Clare D mentions: “The water that comes out of our taps is grey water anyway, it’s full of chemicals and other nasties. Why are they not sourcing water from underground springs rather than giving us recycled water?”

Darren S asks: “Why are the car washers still using tens of thousands of gallons of fresh water to wash dusty cars every day if there are shortages.”

Claire P writes: “Maybe they need to start planning for the future. When was the last reservoir built? Didn’t we have a wet match? How much do the shareholders get when we have so many leaks?”

Georgina C feels: “Until they fix the 6 or so leaks I drive past daily, and have for weeks/months, I doubt many will adhere to it.”

De Havilland Mark believes: “Weather has nothing to do with the water shortage, stop building 1000s of new houses and no new reservoirs.”

Leon E remarks: “Okay, I will put a water bill ban on then.”

Do you believe that hosepipe bans are good for the environment? Comment below or HERE to have your say.

Manchester United are keen to snap up Andrey Santos from Chelsea, having agreed a deal for Ederson, amid ongoing links with Aurelien Tchouameni, Alex Scott, Felix Nmecha and Ayyoub Bouaddi. Man City are also keen on Bouaddi. Chelsea remain in talks to sign Maxence Lacroix and Pep Chavarria, but a deal for Granit Xhaka looks very tough to do. Tyrique George is set to join Everton permanently for £22million.