Hard Numbers: BoE warns of recession, Joseph Stalin arrested, cops charged in Breonna Taylor death, Kenyan women lawmakers targeted

BoE warns of recession, Joseph Stalin arrested, cops charged in Breonna Taylor death, Kenyan women lawmakers targeted
Plastic letters arranged to read "Inflation" are placed on British Pound banknote
Reuters

27: The Bank of England raised interest rates by 50 basis points on Thursday, its biggest hike in 27 years, and the bank warned that inflation will likely peak at a staggering 13.3% this fall with a drawn-out recession being all but inevitable.

50: Sri Lankan authorities are cracking down hard on protesters demonstrating against the country’s recent economic collapse. Joseph Stalin, a protest leader, was arrested this week for participating in a demonstration in May that marked 50 days since the launch of the mass protest movement, referred to as “the struggle.”

4: Four people – three US police officers and one former officer – have been charged with the 2020 death of Breonna Taylor at her apartment in Louisville, Kentucky. Taylor’s death sparked mass protests over the use of no-knock warrants by law enforcement and broader racial injustice.

12: When Kenyans head to the polls on Sunday to elect a new parliament and president, less than 12% of candidates they have to choose from will be women. Female candidates are facing a flood of online abuse ahead of the vote. In 2018, Kenyan politicians boycotted a parliamentary vote that would have guaranteed women one third of all parliamentary seats.

More from GZERO Media

Elon Musk in an America Party hat.
Jess Frampton

Life comes at you fast. Only five weeks after vowing to step back from politics and a month after accusing President Donald Trump of being a pedophile, Elon Musk declared his intention to launch a new political party offering Americans an alternative to the Republicans and Democrats.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves (right) crying as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons, London, United Kingdom, on July 2, 2025.
PA Images via Reuters Connect

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has struggled during his first year in office, an ominous sign for centrists in Western democracies.

- YouTube

“We wanted to be first with a flashy AI law,” says Kai Zenner, digital policy advisor in the European Parliament. Speaking with GZERO's Tony Maciulis at the 2025 AI for Good Summit in Geneva, Zenner explains the ambitions and the complications behind Europe’s landmark AI Act. Designed to create horizontal rules for all AI systems, the legislation aims to set global standards for safety, transparency, and oversight.

More than 60% of Walmart suppliers are small businesses.* Through a $350 billion investment in products made, grown, or assembled in the US, Walmart is helping these businesses expand, create jobs, and thrive. This effort is expected to support the creation of over 750,000 new American jobs by 2030, empowering companies like Athletic Brewing, Bon Appésweet, and Milo’s Tea to grow their teams, scale their production, and strengthen the communities they call home. Learn more about Walmart's commitment to US manufacturing. *See website for additional details.

Last month, Microsoft released its 2025 Responsible AI Transparency Report, demonstrating the company’s sustained commitment to earning trust at a pace that matches AI innovation. The report outlines new developments in how we build and deploy AI systems responsibly, how we support our customers, and how we learn, evolve, and grow. It highlights our strengthened incident response processes, enhanced risk assessments and mitigations, and proactive regulatory alignment. It also covers new tools and practices we offer our customers to support their AI risk governance efforts, as well as how we work with stakeholders around the world to work towards governance approaches that build trust. You can read the report here.