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View / Saudi’s Miami confab showed its future is tied to the US
South Africa Sibanye sees limits to EU strategic status
The World at a Glance
Updated 6:34pm EDT
1
US stocks dipped and oil prices surged after Donald Trump escalated his threats against Tehran.
2Government bonds rose around the world as concerns ballooned about an economic slowdown driven by the Iran war.
3The UN said that three of its peacekeepers were killed in Lebanon within 24 hours, as Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah intensifies.
4China appears to be restarting its purchases of US oil and gas as the Iran war disrupts shipments from the Middle East.
5Air Canada’s CEO will retire after failing to deliver a French-language condolence message in response to a deadly collision in New York last week.
6Wikipedia banned the use of AI models ‘to generate or rewrite’ articles, leaving open its use in copy-editing and translation.
Axel Springer’s Döpfner courts UK conservative elites
The German mogul is courting regulators and the country’s influential conservative political figures as he attempts to get his bid to buy the Telegraph approved.
Paul Morigi/Getty Images for SemaforThe oldest job in journalism: New York Post ‘runners’ defy AI
In an age of shrinking newsroom budgets, mass layoffs, and AI, sending human beings to physical locations is something of a luxury.
Joey Pfeifer/SemaforTrump-linked investor backs new LNG project in Alaska
An oil and gas exec linked to the Trump family plans to use equipment from a sanctioned Russian gas project to open a major new export terminal in Alaska.
LNG tanks are pictured at Tokyo Gas’s LNG terminal in Sodegaura, Japan. Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo/Reuters.Substack rival Beehiiv makes a push into podcasting
Beehiiv has privately been reaching out to independent podcasters on Substack and other platforms.
Dado Ruvic/Illustration via Reuters CBS News expands its investigative team
The network is expanding its investigative journalism efforts as editor-in-chief Bari Weiss continues to reshape it.
Brendan McDermid/Reuters LSEG’s David Schwimmer on activists, AI, and a global market test
The exchange operator is juggling investor expectations with the need to reshape its business model.
Courtesy of LSEG/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforSouth Africa walks back claims of US pressure following G7 invite snub
After Paris rescinded its invitation to Pretoria, a South African presidency spokesperson said it was “due to sustained pressure” from Washington.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa. Adriano Machado/Reuters.AD
Politics
Leah Millis/File Photo/Reuters
Daniel Becerril/ReutersLNG tanks are pictured at Tokyo Gas’s LNG terminal in Sodegaura, Japan. Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo/Reuters.
Hackers hit Patel email while cyber defenses weakened by shutdown
CISA, housed within DHS and responsible for defending critical infrastructure, has been hamstrung by the ongoing shutdown.
Leah Millis/File Photo/ReutersLabor rule opens door to private-market, digital assets in retirement plans
The rule would make it harder to sue employers who choose to add private-market, digital, and other alternative assets to their retirement plans.
Daniel Becerril/ReutersTrump-linked investor backs new LNG project in Alaska
An oil and gas exec linked to the Trump family plans to use equipment from a sanctioned Russian gas project to open a major new export terminal in Alaska.
LNG tanks are pictured at Tokyo Gas’s LNG terminal in Sodegaura, Japan. Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo/Reuters.Midsize banks urge action on deposit insurance
Smaller financial institutions that supported an ambitious expansion of deposit insurance are still urging lawmakers to advance a new, pared-back version.
Can Treasury keep playing the short game and winning?
Secretary Scott Bessent’s recent moves help explain something broader about the way this administration operates.
US, China escalate trade standoff ahead of visit
China launched two probes into US trade practices, as both sides aim to build leverage before Donald Trump’s trip to Beijing in May.
Iran conflict divides Republicans at CPAC
A gathering of prominent American conservatives last week exposed deep divisions within the Republican Party over the Iran war.
Acting CFPB director huddles with congressional Republicans on agency’s future
The lawmakers told Semafor that they discussed opportunities to rein in the agency without shuttering it.
Senate reaches deal to fund most of DHS
It’s a face-saving move for two parties who’d grown tired of airport chaos and wanted to leave Washington.
Scott Brown isn’t leaving New Hampshire’s ‘weird’ Senate race
He lost the Trump endorsement. The national Republican Party wants his rival. He told Semafor he doesn’t really care.
Debatable: Regulating prediction markets
Democrats — and a few Republicans — want to erect rules for the popular platforms.
Business
Brendan McDermid/Reuters
Bonds rise as traders fear war will trigger economic slowdown
Government bonds in the US, UK, Germany, and Japan rose Monday as concerns ballooned about an economic slowdown driven by the war in the Middle East.
Brendan McDermid/ReutersTrump threatens to ‘obliterate’ Iran grid if Hormuz not reopened
US stocks dipped and oil prices surged Monday after President Donald Trump escalated his threats against Tehran.
Air Canada CEO quits after language row
Michael Rousseau will step down this year following criticism over his English-only condolence message in response to a deadly collision in New York last week.
Eli Lilly leans into AI drug discovery with new licensing deal
US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly inked a $2.75 billion deal with a Hong Kong-listed biotech firm to create new medicines using AI.
Iran war widens the oil-fueled petroyuan corridor
The secretive global architecture that operates outside US dollar-denominated markets is unlikely to disappear even after the fighting stops.
Technology
Wikipedia
Antranik Tavitian/Reuters
Wikipedia bans use of AI to ‘generate or rewrite’ articles
The policy replaced more broad language saying that AI should not be used to generate articles “from scratch.”
WikipediaEli Lilly leans into AI drug discovery with new licensing deal
US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly inked a $2.75 billion deal with a Hong Kong-listed biotech firm to create new medicines using AI.
Antranik Tavitian/ReutersPentagon AI architect on the future of warfare
Semafor spoke with Drew Cukor, who dragged a reluctant defense establishment into the AI age.
Google hedges its quantum bets
This week, Google announced a major investment in what’s known as the “neutral atom,” otherwise known less scientifically as just a regular old atom.
How I jailbroke an OpenClaw PR agent
It’s easy to imagine AI agents organizing events, but the tech isn’t there yet — even with human oversight.
Former Tesla president’s tips on moving fast in the age of AI
Jon McNeill’s new book, “The Algorithm, “is the most important business book of the year.
Energy
Diego Vara/File Photo/Reuters
Sodiq Adelakun/File Photo/ReutersLNG tanks are pictured at Tokyo Gas’s LNG terminal in Sodegaura, Japan. Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo/Reuters.
Iran war fuels global coal rush
Coal is the dirtiest of the fossil fuels, and experts warn that once a coal plant is brought back online, shutting it down could be politically unfeasible.
Diego Vara/File Photo/ReutersEnergy markets understating war impact
Brent crude, the international benchmark, hit $116 after a record monthly increase, but is still below previous crisis heights.
Sodiq Adelakun/File Photo/ReutersTrump-linked investor backs new LNG project in Alaska
An oil and gas exec linked to the Trump family plans to use equipment from a sanctioned Russian gas project to open a major new export terminal in Alaska.
LNG tanks are pictured at Tokyo Gas’s LNG terminal in Sodegaura, Japan. Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo/Reuters.Gulf
The Sustainable City in Dubai. @TSCDubai/X.
Dubai-run development in Texas abandoned amid political controversy
Texans were concerned about the possibility that a mosque would be built within the housing development.
The Sustainable City in Dubai. @TSCDubai/X.Iran war upends aviation strategies
Gulf carriers have been forced to cancel tens of thousands of flights while rivals from Europe and Asia pick up some of the slack.
Indian workers largely remain in the Gulf during war
Overseas work is crucial to the Indian economy — a source of tens of billions of dollars in remittances annually.
General Atlantic says ‘biggest mistake’ would be pulling back on Gulf deals
US private equity investor will remain committed to Gulf even as war rages with Iran.
Saudi’s Miami confab showed its future is tied to the US
No one learned anything new at a glitzy event in Miami, but US-Saudi ties were reinforced.
Africa
Daniel Beloymou Olomo/AFP via Getty Images
Julien de Rosa/AFP via Getty Images
Promised sickle cell cure could be on horizon for Africans
While treatment options for the inherited blood disease have long been available, scientists now believe that a cure for sickle cell may lie in gene-editing.
Daniel Beloymou Olomo/AFP via Getty ImagesTop CAF official resigns amid AFCON backlash
The resignation came shortly after the controversial ruling by African football’s governing body that stripped Senegal of its African Cup of Nations title.
Julien de Rosa/AFP via Getty ImagesSun King pledges to $150M to Ethiopia electrification
The Kenya-based firm, which already operates in 14 African countries, is the world’s largest off-grid solar company.
South Africa opts for low-profile new Washington envoy
Thabo Thage’s appointment as the de facto head of mission comes at a time of heightened diplomatic tension between the countries.
US-China rivalry in DR Congo escalates as Beijing signs new deal
Kinshasa and Beijing inked a new agreement covering geological data sharing, investment protections, and local processing.
Africa’s energy giants eye long-term gains on Iran war disruption
Angola, Mozambique, and Nigeria are among nations increasingly viewed by European and Asian buyers as lower-risk alternatives to disrupted supplies.
Security
Adnan Abidi/Reuters
US Navy/Handout via Reuters
Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters
Three UN peacekeepers killed in Lebanon as Israel-Hezbollah war intensifies
More than a million people in Lebanon have been displaced and some 1,200 killed since hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reignited.
Adnan Abidi/ReutersIsrael, US face shortages in Iran war
Israel’s opposition leader warned the military was “stretched to the limit and beyond,” while US arsenals have been strained by other conflicts.
US Navy/Handout via ReutersUS weighs major troop deployment to Gulf
The Wall Street Journal reported that Washington may send 10,000 ground troops to the region, likely within striking distance of Iran.
Jose Luis Gonzalez/ReutersMediaPaul Morigi/Getty Images for Semafor
Axel Springer’s Döpfner courts UK conservative elites
The German mogul is courting regulators and the country’s influential conservative political figures as he attempts to get his bid to buy the Telegraph approved.
Paul Morigi/Getty Images for SemaforSubstack rival Beehiiv makes a push into podcasting
Beehiiv has privately been reaching out to independent podcasters on Substack and other platforms.
CBS News expands its investigative team
The network is expanding its investigative journalism efforts as editor-in-chief Bari Weiss continues to reshape it.
Politico taps a new top editor
Jonathan Greenberger garnered internal support from outgoing editor John Harris and CEO Goli Sheikholeslami.
The oldest job in journalism: New York Post ‘runners’ defy AI
In an age of shrinking newsroom budgets, mass layoffs, and AI, sending human beings to physical locations is something of a luxury.
CEO SignalCourtesy of LSEG/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor 
Courtesy of Schneider Electric/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
Courtesy of IonQ/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
LSEG’s David Schwimmer on activists, AI, and a global market test
The exchange operator is juggling investor expectations with the need to reshape its business model.
Courtesy of LSEG/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforSchneider Electric’s Olivier Blum on moving at the pace of Nvidia
Remaking an old industrial giant to meet new energy demands started with defining its mission.
Courtesy of Schneider Electric/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforWhy CEOs should care about the quantum ‘space race’
IonQ’s Niccolo de Masi says getting quantum security right is ‘a matter of survivability.’
Courtesy of IonQ/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor AD