Daily Digest — 11 Jul 2026

Apple’s lawsuit against OpenAI dominates today’s headlines, alleging that two former employees conspired with the ChatGPT maker to steal trade secrets—a dramatic turn for a partnership that saw ChatGPT integrated into iPhones in 2024. The lawsuit, filed in a US court, claims the scheme was directed by OpenAI’s senior leadership, and Apple is seeking damages and injunctive relief. The case raises serious questions about the security of intellectual property in the AI gold rush, and comes as SK Hynix soared 13% in its Nasdaq debut, hitting a trillion-dollar market cap on surging demand for memory chips from Nvidia and Apple. The company’s chairman told CNBC that “demand is enormous,” underscoring the global race for AI infrastructure.

Markets were relatively muted, with oil slipping 0.8% to $⁠71.51 and gold edging down 0.3% to $⁠4,128.90. Bitcoin rose 1.5% to $⁠64,140, while Ethereum gained 2.9%. In a notable political development, the US housing bill—which includes a temporary ban on a central bank digital currency—will become law automatically after President Trump refused to sign it, marking a rare bipartisan defeat for the administration. The CBDC ban takes effect at midnight, halting any US government digital dollar for now.

In the UK, the death of former Conservative minister Ann Widdecombe has taken a grim turn: a 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Widdecombe, who later joined Reform UK and became a TV personality, was found dead on Thursday; police say the incident is not being treated as terrorism. Meanwhile, in South Africa, a triple murder suspect has been arrested and faces UK extradition.

Elsewhere, Colombia’s footballer Jaminton Campaz received death threats after his penalty miss in the World Cup, and Brazil’s Amazon deforestation fell to its lowest level in a decade under President Lula. In tech, Bluesky’s interim CEO Toni Schneider dropped the “interim”, and researchers at Brown University published the first direct evidence that Einstein’s relativity governs chemical bonds in heavy elements, challenging textbook models. Hyundai became the first major South Korean company to introduce internal stablecoin transfers, signalling a shift in corporate treasury operations.