UK Cities Roll Out More Diversity Barriers; Vehicle-Ramming Threat Now The Norm

US Utilities Requested $9.2BN In Rate Hikes In Q2, Up 26% From Previous Year By Ethan Howland of UtilityDive Electric and gas utilities in the second quarter asked state regulators to approve $9.2 billion in rate hikes, up 26% from the $7.3 billion in rate increase proposals filed in the same period last year, according to an updated report released Tuesday by the advocacy group PowerLines. In the first half this year, utilities asked for $18.6 billion in rate hikes, down from about $25 billion in the same period last year, according to data...

Bibi Makes Crystal Clear That Toppling Iran Is Israel's 'Central Mission, Within Reach' The Trump White House is reportedly looking to try and keep things 'quiet' related to the Iran war and Strait of Hormuz leading into the November midterms, after an intense flare-up in fighting this week. "Top aides to President Donald Trump are pushing to keep the Iran war from escalating before November's midterm elections to staunch Republican electoral losses, four people familiar with the discussions said, a strategy already under strain as the U.S. and Iran exchanged back-and-forth attacks overnight," Reuters reports. However, over in Israel...

Meta Builds Photorealistic AI Version Of Mark Zuckerberg To Interact With Employees Meta is developing an artificial intelligence-powered replica of CEO Mark Zuckerberg capable of engaging directly with employees, as the $1.6 trillion company intensifies its efforts to reshape itself around AI. According to FT, the social media giant has been working on photorealistic, AI-driven 3D characters that users can interact with in real time - and has recently prioritized the development of a Zuckerberg AI character, which could provide conversation, feedback, and a stronger sense of connection to the founder for...