The Know Daily - Tuesday 4 August 2026

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Prepare for an overload of cuteness! From windswept pups looking like Hollywood superstars to cats serving peak attitude, the 2026 International Pet Photography Awards have unveiled some of the most adorable animal snaps you'll see all year. The competition received a record 4,220 entries from photographers across 48 countries, and the shortlisted photos are packed with personality, perfectly timed moments and enough fluffy faces to brighten anyone's day.

💷 The CEO-to-worker pay gap

A new report from the High Pay Centre says the median FTSE 100 chief executive earned a record £5.06 million last year – around 130 times the salary of the average full-time UK worker.

First things first… what does that actually mean?
Well, the report looks at the UK's biggest listed companies – the FTSE 100, which includes household names such as Shell, Barclays, AstraZeneca, Tesco, Marks & Spencer and Unilever. It found that the typical chief executive received a pay package worth over £5 million in the last financial year. That's up 8.6% on the previous year and the highest median figure since it began tracking executive pay. It's also worth remembering that "pay" doesn't just mean salary. Most chief executives receive a package made up of basic pay, annual bonuses, long-term share awards, pensions and other benefits.

Why is the gap so big?
According to the High Pay Centre, FTSE 100 chief executives are now paid around 130 times the salary of the average full-time UK worker, whose median annual pay is about £39,000. Supporters of high executive pay argue that leading global companies comes with huge responsibility and that generous pay packages help attract and retain experienced leaders. Many bonuses are also linked to company performance, meaning executives only receive the full amount if certain targets are met. Critics, however, argue that executive pay has grown much faster than workers' wages and question whether such large rewards are justified, particularly during a prolonged cost-of-living squeeze.

Is this just happening in the UK?
Not at all, similar debates are taking place around the world. In the US, the gap is even wider, with a typical S&P 500 chief executive earning around 200 times more than the average employee, according to analysis. Plus, as The Independent reports, Starbucks recently faced renewed scrutiny over the gap between its chief executive's pay and that of its employees. Meanwhile, the Financial Times says that many FTSE 100 companies are increasing executive pay as they compete internationally for senior talent.

So what happens next?
The figures have reignited a long-running political debate about executive pay. The High Pay Centre is calling for reforms to how company pay is decided, including giving workers a greater voice in boardrooms and introducing measures to reduce the gap between executives and employees. The debate is also likely to continue in Westminster. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has previously argued there should be a wider public conversation about excessive executive pay.

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🎓 The UK's first "super-university" has officially been created after the Universities of Kent and Greenwich merged to form a new group with more than 50,000 students.

• The bigger story: The new London and South East University Group (LASE) brings together four campuses across London, Medway and Kent, making it the UK's third largest university. Students will still apply to and graduate from either Kent or Greenwich, with both institutions keeping their names. University leaders say the merger will strengthen teaching and research while helping both universities navigate the financial pressures facing the higher education sector.

🇲🇲 Myanmar's detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi has met with a Red Cross official in what her son says marks the first positive development in years. 

👰‍♀️ Second-hand bridesmaid dress searches are up 17% year on year whilst 1 in 4 women consider turning down the role because of the cost, new figures from Vinted suggest.

🪻 Two poisonous plants could be the answer to more sustainable medicines based on natural products, scientists have said.

🦸‍♂️ The new Spider-Man movie has landed the second biggest opening weekend of all time at the global box office. 

⬅️ Clicking “delete” has become a normal part of digital life – here’s what actually happens to your data when you push the button.

🥘 The best street food cities in 2026 have been revealed (our mouths are watering just reading the list!).

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Trivia answer: C) Olivia Dean and Sam Fender’s smash-hit duet has spent 19 non-consecutive weeks at number one.

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