Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, and Markets
Treasury Secretary Bessent said there may be a deal Tuesday or Wednesday to open the Strait of Hormuz with “freedom of movement.” CNBC
Stock futures jumped with the S&P 500 poised for a record, as Bessent said a Hormuz deal was near. The Dow closed at a record high Monday and Amazon eclipsed $3 trillion in market cap for the first time. CNBC
Oil prices climbed Tuesday after a report of a ship being struck in the Strait of Hormuz. The Dow hit a record Monday and Palantir was up 16% premarket. Quartz
Asia-Pacific
Japan’s latest defence white paper warns of China’s growing ability to sustain military operations farther into the western Pacific, while pledging to bolster monitoring systems, strike capabilities and ammunition production. The 610-page document, released Tuesday, cautions that Beijing is strengthening its aircraft carrier force. SCMP
Chinese AI company MiniMax open-sourced its new H3 video model but imposed licensing conditions on users in major overseas markets including the US, EU, UK and South Korea, underscoring copyright challenges in generative video AI. SCMP
South Korea’s once-surging market — recently the world’s hottest — is now a hunting ground for short sellers. MarketWatch
Hong Kong and Macau police arrested eight people in a crackdown on an investment scam syndicate that cheated more than 200 people out of nearly HK$100 million (US$12.75 million) by promoting a “kinetic coffee philosophy” under the name Fun Coffee, which claimed to be based in Phu Quoc, Vietnam. SCMP
Middle East
Al Jazeera examines who is behind settler violence in the occupied West Bank. Al Jazeera
United States
A coalition of 25 states is suing the Trump administration over new forced-labor tariffs, calling them illegal. The states argue the administration used forced-labor concerns as a pretext to recreate tariffs the Supreme Court struck down earlier this year. Quartz
Markets and Business
Caterpillar lifted its 2026 sales growth target on strong data-center demand after a quarterly profit beat, citing a surge in orders for construction equipment amid a nationwide buildout of data centers. CNBC · MarketWatch
Coldcard urged users to move their bitcoin as an active wallet exploit continued. CoinDesk
A Seeking Alpha analysis argues selling Palantir in Q2 was a mistake, contending the feared AI disruption “wasn’t real.” Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha profiles Nitto Boseki, described as a little-known Japanese supplier to Nvidia and Apple. Seeking Alpha
Elmos Semiconductor SE (ELTTF) reported its Q2 2026 earnings. Seeking Alpha
Climate and Science
Italy is testing climate-resistant wheat — a look at the “pasta of the future.” France 24
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