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View / Multilateral development banks are plugging financing gaps in Africa
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The World at a Glance
Updated 7:07am EST
1
Donald Trump nominated former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh as the new chair of the central bank.
2Panama blocked a deal for a Hong Kong firm to run ports along the country’s canal, in a blow to Beijing.
3Donald Trump warned the leaders of Canada and the UK after both countries sought closer ties to Beijing.
4US cuts to funding for a global vaccine alliance risks undoing decades of progress in the fight against malaria.
5Apple reported its best-ever iPhone sales but its shares stayed flat as investors worried about rising costs.
6Trump said Russia would pause attacks on Ukraine as temperatures there plummet, though Moscow is yet to accept the US president’s request.
Inside the House’s spending deal Jenga
The Senate may be having a tough week — but the House may well be about to have a tougher one.
Aaron Schwartz/Reuters Niger leader blames France, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire for airport attack
General Abdourahamane Tiani made the claims without providing any evidence, after an assault in which 20 attackers died.
Niger’s junta leader General Abdourahamane Tiani. Mahamadou Hamidou/File Photo/Reuters.AstraZeneca deepens China investment
AstraZeneca will invest $15 billion in China through 2030, the British pharma giant announced during the UK prime minister’s visit to Beijing.
Florence Lo/ReutersUS plans ‘drawdown’ of ICE agents in Minneapolis
Trump’s border czar said immigration operations in Minneapolis would become “safer.”
Tim Evans/ReutersAD
Ghana, Google ink AI education deal
They aim to develop AI-powered education tools in local languages, starting with Twi, Ewe, Dagbani, and Hausa.
Andrew Aitchison/In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty ImagesDemocratic demands harden as shutdown impasse grows over DHS
The White House and Hill Republicans are showing flexibility after two US citizens were killed in Minneapolis, but a deal by Friday will be difficult.
Annabelle Gordon/ReutersAfrican tech firms normalize debt as capital source
Investment in the sector is rebounding, with startups raising a record sum in debt financing last year.
A bike messenger from Nigerian startup Gricd, now called Figorr. Seun Sanni/File Photo/Reuters.
Politics
Kylie Cooper/Reuters
Joshua Roberts/Reuters
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Trump slams UK, Canada as both explore closer ties with Beijing
US President Donald Trump warned Britain’s prime minister that it was “very dangerous” to strengthen ties with China.
Kylie Cooper/ReutersDebatable: Trump’s national defense strategy
Some are criticizing how the administration’s strategy treats the China threat.
Joshua Roberts/ReutersUS govt funding lapse could threaten economic data
Some official data is still recovering from the recent government shutdown.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters Trump administration eyes drawdown in Minnesota
The White House is hoping the changes will ease some of the bipartisan concerns raised this week over enforcement in the state.
Trump to announce Fed chair pick
His choice will conclude a selection process that spanned more than four months.
Inside the House’s spending deal Jenga
The Senate may be having a tough week — but the House may well be about to have a tougher one.
Democrats strike deal with White House on government funding
The deal faces uncertainty in the House, which will need to approve it after it passes the Senate.
Top House Democrat probes oil firms over Venezuela
California Rep. Robert Garcia is asking oil firms for more information following the Trump administration’s initial sale of Venezuelan crude.
Powell, Trump find rare common ground on US economy
“The economy has once again surprised us with its strength,” the Fed chair said.
Democrat’s bill would let people sue ICE over misconduct
It’ll be a nonstarter for the Republicans, but will demonstrates the scale of change Democrats now believe is needed.
Democratic demands harden as shutdown impasse grows over DHS
The White House and Hill Republicans are showing flexibility after two US citizens were killed in Minneapolis, but a deal by Friday will be difficult.
Business
Kevin Warsh. Brendan McDermid/File Photo/Reuters
Trump nominates Kevin Warsh as new Federal Reserve chair
The US president nominated Kevin Warsh, a former Federal Reserve governor, to helm the central bank.
Kevin Warsh. Brendan McDermid/File Photo/ReutersTakeda’s Christophe Weber on avoiding a ‘lame duck’ succession
The pharmaceutical CEO says timing and openness are crucial to a smooth handover.
Pick your poison in the AI apocalypse
While CEOs from the likes of Anthropic and Robinhood debate AI doomsday scenarios, the new technology faces systemic risk across the board.
Wall Street lines up behind ‘Trump Accounts’
Big US banks are embracing the president’s self-branded retirement accounts for children.
Top Trump administration dealmaker Michael Grimes returns to Silicon Valley
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has been recruiting from Wall Street banks and private-equity firms to bulk up the investment arm Grimes ran.
Technology
Nir Elias/Reuters
NASA, ESA, David O’Ryan (ESA), Pablo Gómez (ESA), Mahdi Zamani (ESA/Hubble)
Anduril launches new drone racing competition
The winner receives a top prize of $500,000 and a job at the defense tech company.
Nir Elias/ReutersEuropean Space Agency uses AI to identify NASA’s Hubble telescope anomalies
The team at the European Space Agency developed a neural network called AnomalyMatch, which analyzes patterns in images and detects unusual objects.
NASA, ESA, David O’Ryan (ESA), Pablo Gómez (ESA), Mahdi Zamani (ESA/Hubble)Data center buildout spurs new laser development
The massive scale of the AI buildout is making new kinds of hardware innovation feasible, like Lightmatter’s new laser.
US court to hear landmark tech addiction case
A 20-year-old woman is suing YouTube and Meta — TikTok and Snapchat settled with her out of court — alleging they designed their platforms to be addictive.
AI changes shape of foreign investment flows
Declining appetite for infrastructure and a slowdown in renewables investments were partly supplanted by the capital poured into data centers and semiconductors.
Anthropic CEO Amodei warns of AI’s fast-coming changes
Dario Amodei’s 19,000-word essay warned against both “doomerism” about AI and dismissiveness of its risks.
Energy
Angus Mordant/Reuters
TransAlta/Handout via Reuters
Jim Urquhart/Reuters
Fossil fuel M&A centers on small number of firms, report says
The top 20 acquirers in the last 10 years accounted for 53% of total deal value, research by the consulting firm Bain & Co found.
Angus Mordant/ReutersCanadian battery manufacturer announces major advancements in storage capacity
NEO Battery Materials said in a release first shared with Semafor that its drone batteries achieved a 50% capacity improvement over similar products made by competitors.
TransAlta/Handout via ReutersGlobal energy investment hits record high in 2025
Global spending on the energy transition reached $2.3 trillion last year, according to BloombergNEF.
Jim Urquhart/ReutersGulf
Emirates News Agency-WAM
Abu Dhabi rolls $263B sovereign wealth fund ADQ into new investment vehicle
The Emirate aims to create a sovereign investment powerhouse under its crown prince, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Emirates News Agency-WAMGulf countries urge de-escalation between US and Iran
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have both publicly said they will not allow their airspace or territory to be used for an attack on Iran.
Trump wants Venezuela. Oil companies prefer Libya
Costs, timelines, and geopolitics matter more than reserves as companies weigh where to deploy capital.
Dubai billionaire Al Habtoor leaves Lebanon, blames government for $1.7B in losses
The billionaire’s real estate conglomerate has invested more than $1 billion sinc 2001 across Lebanon’s hospitality, retail, leisure, real estate, and finance sectors.
Dubai real estate portal Property Finder raises $170M in new financing
The portal that has now raised nearly $1 billion in equity and debt financing from a host of blue-chip backers, including Mubadala, Blackstone, and HSBC.
Africa
An AFDB summit last year. Luc Gnago/Reuters.
Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo/Reuters
Multilateral development banks are plugging financing gaps in Africa
The African Development Bank, World Bank, and New Development Bank could be the lenders supporting African nations through the shuttering of USAID.
An AFDB summit last year. Luc Gnago/Reuters.TotalEnergies to restart major Mozambique gas project
Construction was halted in 2021 following a spate of Islamist attacks along Mozambique’s coast, home to some of the world’s largest gas reserves.
Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo/ReutersGhana, Google ink AI education deal
They aim to develop AI-powered education tools in local languages, starting with Twi, Ewe, Dagbani, and Hausa.
Niger leader blames France, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire for airport attack
General Abdourahamane Tiani made the claims without providing any evidence, after an assault in which 20 attackers died.
Madagascar lifts mining permit ban, Liberia signs new minerals deal
The moves in both countries come as competition for Africa’s natural resources intensifies.
US aid cuts threaten global malaria fight
Washington’s cut to funding comes just as several African nations approach eradicating the disease.
Security
Thomas Peter/File Photo/Reuters
Issei Kato/File Photo/Reuters
Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters
Trump says Russia will pause attacks during cold spell
Temperatures in Ukraine are expected to hit -24°C (-11°F) this weekend; Russian attacks have left millions without heating.
Thomas Peter/File Photo/ReutersChinese tourism to Japan plummets following Taiwan spat
Beijing urged its citizens not to travel to Japan after its prime minister said her country may support Taiwan militarily.
Issei Kato/File Photo/ReutersThreat of US strike on Iran appears to wane
Officials reportedly advised US President Donald Trump that an attack would be unlikely to topple the government.
Majid Asgaripour/WANA via ReutersMedia
The exec behind Canada’s surprise hit ‘Heated Rivalry’ on the secret to its success
Sean Cohan gets into the Canadian-ness of it all on the “Mixed Signals” podcast.
Washington Post’s White House team tries to avert layoffs in letter to Bezos
The effort from the Post’s White House reporters comes as staffers are scrambling to preserve their jobs ahead of impending layoffs.
Rumors of staffing cuts spook Washington Post newsroom
Feared potential targets for cuts include the sports and international desks.
“We’re not trying to recreate social media”: How Minnesota’s Star Tribune navigates a local crisis
The publication tries to offer a sober alternative to a social media swarm as a deadly shooting deepens the crisis in Minneapolis.
Freakonomics’ Stephen Dubner on why long-form podcasting isn’t dead yet
Stephen Dubner has spent 20 years proving that things aren’t what they seem—and now he’s not so sure that’s always true.
CEO Signal
Courtesy of Takeda/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
Courtesy of IHC/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
Courtesy of Nasdaq/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
Takeda’s Christophe Weber on avoiding a ‘lame duck’ succession
The pharmaceutical CEO says timing and openness are crucial to a smooth handover.
Courtesy of Takeda/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforHow IHC’s CEO plans to double the UAE’s $125B investment powerhouse
Syed Basar Shueb says the holding company’s diverse assets can be stitched into “dynamic value networks.”
Courtesy of IHC/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforNasdaq’s Adena Friedman on funding the AI ‘marathon’
The exchange CEO says adopting AI in enterprises requires “a massive change management exercise.”
Courtesy of Nasdaq/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforAD