Middle East & Iran
Trump warns ‘clock is ticking’ for Iran to secure peace deal President Trump posted on social media that Iran must move “FAST” on a deal over its nuclear program “or there won’t be anything left of them.” An emboldened Iran has rebuffed Trump’s demands. Sources: NYT · Guardian · Guardian Live
Iran says nuclear enrichment rights cannot be ‘negotiated’ Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the country’s nuclear enrichment is a right that “already exists” and cannot be bargained away. Source: Al Jazeera
Ex-Israeli intelligence officer says Iran’s nuclear project is ‘unchanged’ Tamir Hayman, a former senior Israeli intelligence officer who served during the first two months of the current war, said Israel has failed to meet both its political and military aims regarding Iran’s nuclear program. Source: Middle East Eye
IRGC says it struck US-Israeli backed groups in Iraq Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its fighters struck groups in northern Iraq that were attempting to smuggle US weapons into the country. Source: Middle East Eye
Israeli forces intercept Gaza-bound aid flotilla near Cyprus Israeli forces have begun intercepting boats from the Global Sumud Flotilla heading toward Gaza. Source: Al Jazeera
Israel advances plan to seize Palestinian property near Al-Aqsa Mosque The Israeli government advanced plans to confiscate Palestinian property in Jerusalem’s Old City, establishing a new committee to implement historic confiscation orders. Source: Middle East Eye
French judge to probe complaints against Saudi crown prince over Khashoggi killing A French judge has opened an investigation following complaints filed by NGOs against Mohammed bin Salman, accused of ordering the 2018 assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Source: Middle East Eye
Ukraine & Russia
Zelenskyy says Europe should pick negotiator for possible Russian talks Ukrainian president Zelenskyy said Europe must “have a strong voice and presence” and called for a candidate who could lead any negotiations with Putin. Source: Guardian
Russian drone hits Chinese ship off Ukraine before Putin visits Xi Ukraine reported its territory was attacked overnight with 524 drones and 22 missiles. A Russian drone struck a Chinese ship off Ukraine ahead of a Putin visit to Xi Jinping. Source: Al Jazeera
Kyiv-based photographer: ‘I don’t believe the war is coming to an end’ British photographer Mark Neville, who lives in Kyiv, told France 24 that despite more positive news from the front line, it’s best to take things one day at a time while Putin remains in power. Source: France 24
Asia-Pacific
Bodies of all five Italian divers found in Maldives cave The bodies of four remaining Italian divers were located deep inside an underwater cave in Vaavu Atoll. A fifth body was recovered last week. The divers died while exploring a cave at roughly 50 meters depth. Sources: BBC · NYT
Train crashes into Bangkok traffic, killing at least 8 A freight train plowed into traffic on tracks in Bangkok, starting a fire. Authorities said a barrier had not come down but did not immediately give a cause. Source: NYT
North Korea’s new constitution deepens split with Seoul Pyongyang’s revised charter has dropped mentions of reunification with South Korea. Experts say the changes boost Kim Jong Un’s nuclear authority and could heighten the risk of future border disputes. Source: DW
South Korea’s loneliness epidemic Half of all households in Seoul have just one inhabitant, with more than 40% of people aged 25-49 saying they do not want to marry. Seoul’s municipal government is investing more than €260 million over five years to address the crisis. Source: France 24
2 Americans detained in Japan after entering zoo enclosure Two men were charged with obstructing operations at a Japanese zoo after entering a monkey enclosure, apparently as a cryptocurrency stunt. They denied the charges. Source: NYT
Global Health & Science
WHO declares Ebola outbreak a global health emergency The World Health Organization has declared a global health emergency over a new Ebola outbreak. Source: NPR
Magic mushrooms could treat cocaine addiction, study shows A clinical trial published in JAMA Network Open found that participants who received a single dose of psilocybin were more likely to abstain from cocaine than those who received a placebo. Source: Guardian
UK & European Politics
Starmer battles leadership challenge as IMF urges UK to ‘stay the course’ The IMF praised Rachel Reeves for aiming to cut the budget deficit and upgraded UK growth forecasts, urging Britain to continue reducing borrowing amid growing bond market concerns over Labour leadership uncertainty. Source: Guardian
Shakira wins €55m payout after Spanish court rules tax fines were wrong A Madrid court ordered Spain’s tax authority to repay Shakira more than €55m after ruling the agency had wrongly imposed fines due to mistakes over her 2011 tax status. Source: Guardian
US Politics
Sen. Bill Cassidy loses Republican primary in Louisiana Senator Cassidy, who voted to convict Trump, lost the Republican primary. Source: NPR
Redistricting debate shifts to South Carolina Republicans are targeting the House seat held by Jim Clyburn, the only Democrat among South Carolina’s seven representatives. Separately, Taiwan said it would “welcome” a call between its leader and President Trump. Source: Guardian
Africa
Strike over high fuel prices paralyses transport in Kenya Key roads remained largely empty and some schools asked students to stay home as a transport strike over fuel prices gripped Kenya. Source: BBC
Markets & Finance
NextEra to buy Dominion Energy for $67B — biggest power acquisition ever NextEra Energy agreed to pay roughly $67 billion in stock for Dominion Energy, creating a giant utility extending from Florida to Virginia’s data center hub. Dominion powers the world’s largest data center market in Northern Virginia. Sources: Bloomberg · CNBC
Meta layoffs begin this week — 8,000 jobs to be cut Meta is starting layoffs with 8,000 positions expected to go as the company pivots to a new era of AI. Source: CNBC
Ryanair posts record €2.26B profit but won’t forecast amid Iran fuel uncertainty Europe’s largest budget carrier saw a 40% profit jump. CEO Michael O’Leary said Europe has found alternative jet fuel sources but travellers booking later could face higher fares. Sources: Quartz · Guardian
Treasury yields steady after global rout; bond market signals higher rates ahead Bond yields rose amid fears of resurgent inflation. A Wall Street veteran said Treasury yields could peak near 5%, creating a buying opportunity. Ominous put bets in bond markets suggest a further yield spike. Sources: CNBC · MarketWatch · CNBC
S&P 500 futures fall 0.4% as investors watch bond rout Futures dipped in premarket as investors watched whether Friday’s surge in yields to multi-year highs would continue. Source: Bloomberg
Modi targets gold and fuel in India austerity push India is tightening its grip on foreign outflows as the Iran war fuels an energy shock. Fuel prices are up, gold and silver imports face tougher curbs, and the rupee has hit a record low against the dollar. Source: Bloomberg
Czech central bank chief ready to hike rates if inflation risks grow Governor Ales Michl said policymakers are prepared to raise interest rates if global and domestic risks threaten to boost underlying inflation pressures. Source: Bloomberg
Tech & Crypto
Anthropic to share Claude Mythos AI cyber flaw findings with global finance watchdog Anthropic will brief the Financial Stability Board on the implications of its Claude Mythos AI model, whose potential threat to cyber defences has alarmed experts. The company has declined to release the model publicly. Source: Guardian
Google and SpaceX exploring space-based data centres Tech giants are looking beyond Earth to solve AI’s growing infrastructure needs — specifically, where to put all the computers. Source: France 24
Standard Chartered projects $4T in tokenized assets by 2028 Standard Chartered forecasts $4 trillion in tokenized assets by end of 2028, with DeFi protocols positioned as primary beneficiaries. The bank is also acquiring the remainder of its subsidiary Zodia Custody. Sources: The Block · CoinDesk
UK financial payments network ready for tokenization UK regulators say the country’s financial payments infrastructure is ready for tokenization. Source: CoinDesk