A St. Louis Fed paper finds U.S. AI adoption materially outpaces Europe, and the gap is driven less by age, education or industry mix than by firm management and organizational culture. The study shows firms with higher management quality — not greater technology availability — and those that actively encourage employee AI use and provide AI-tool support have significantly higher AI adoption rates.

On the 21st U.S. Defense Secretary Hegseth told a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing the U.S. military has the capability to strike Iran’s "Gaoshan" underground nuclear facility, but any strike would depend on weighing the pros and cons. He declined to discuss operational details, calling them classified. Gaoshan, near the Natanz complex in Isfahan province, is considered one of Iran’s most hardened underground nuclear sites.

Leshan Electric Power reported 1H 2026 operating revenue of 1.533 bln yuan, down 5.55% YoY, and net profit of 6.8839 mln yuan, down 12.90% YoY. The company said residential off-peak electricity tariffs reduced power sales revenue, while new gas purchase contracts and adjusted gas procurement pricing and settlement rules raised gas costs, causing YoY declines in operating profit, total profit, net profit attributable to shareholders and attributable net profit excluding non-recurring items.