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View / Why high-quality content can thrive in an AI world
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The World at a Glance
Updated 8:04am EST
1
The IMF urged China to address economic imbalances, adding to criticism that Beijing weakens its currency to boost its exporters.
2Reddit sued Australia’s government after it enacted the world’s first social media age limit this week, blocking all under-16s’ accounts.
3Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at banning states from regulating AI, with legal challenges likely.
4The US and Japan conducted joint military drills, a boost for Tokyo as it remains locked in a feud with Beijing.
5Ukraine reportedly agreed to make territorial concessions to end its war with Russia, potentially reviving a US-backed peace proposal.
6The US escalated its Venezuela campaign, sanctioning the family of President Nicolás Maduro and vowing to intercept oil tankers.
PayPal plans Africa global digital wallet launch in 2026
The company is in talks to roll out a new “interoperable” platform on the continent, says its Middle East and Africa chief.
Issouf Sanogo/AFPSenate Democrats likely to block Trump favorite Halligan
Virginia’s two Democratic senators have not returned the “blue slip” Lindsey Halligan will need to become US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Nathan Howard/ReutersAncestry’s new AI feature narrates ancestors’ stories. But it won’t make ‘dead people dance.’
The generative AI feature allows users to create narrated audio stories of their genealogy, but CTO Sriram Thiagarajan says they are mindful of risks in applying the new technology.
Courtesy of AncestryMideast Amazon rival noon raises $500M
Saudi PIF-backed online delivery platform noon raises fresh capital as it looks to IPO.
@Noon/XAD
Washington Post’s AI-generated podcasts rife with errors, fictional quotes
Errors in the Post’s new AI-generated podcasts have frustrated the paper’s journalists.
Andrew Harnik/Getty ImagesUS House to vote on expanding access to private markets
Financial Services Chair French Hill is optimistic about the proposals advancing this time.
Ken Cedeno/ReutersWhat comes after the failed Senate health vote
US lawmakers are largely skeptical of the prospect of talks following the vote on enhanced subsidies Thursday.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
Politics
Al Drago/Reuters
Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters
Kylie Cooper/Reuters
Trump signs executive order banning states from regulating AI
The move will almost certainly face legal challenges, and drew criticism from some Republicans trying to pass laws limiting children’s AI use.
Al Drago/ReutersUS escalates Venezuela campaign
Washington imposed sanctions on the family of President Nicolás Maduro and vowed to intercept more oil-carrying vessels that Venezuela’s economy relies on.
Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/ReutersDebatable: Bipartisan progress
Can this Congress do anything big that unites Republicans and Democrats?
Kylie Cooper/ReutersHouse overrules Trump on federal workers’ union rights
Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, got enough signatures on his discharge petition to force a vote on the issue.
Senate Democrats likely to block Trump favorite Halligan
Virginia’s two Democratic senators have not returned the “blue slip” Lindsey Halligan will need to become US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Republicans flounder on health care while Trump avoids specifics
The party is divided over whether to cut a bipartisan deal or go it alone, but the president’s imprimatur will be needed.
US House to vote on expanding access to private markets
Financial Services Chair French Hill is optimistic about the proposals advancing this time.
What comes after the failed Senate health vote
US lawmakers are largely skeptical of the prospect of talks following the vote on enhanced subsidies Thursday.
Senior White House aide: Americans will feel better about the economy in early 2026
Deputy chief of staff James Blair told Semafor that “the fundamentals of the economy are good” as he predicted positive effects from tax season.
Hawley skewers his fellow Republicans for failing Trump
The Missouri senator told Semafor the president’s party isn’t following through on his agenda.
Democrats in crypto talks are working against the campaign-season clock
Digital assets super PACs are likely to start spending big against lawmakers standing in the way of an industry-sought deal.
Business
Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters
Emirates’ ambitions stir rivalries on Wall Street
XRG’s board scrapped plans for a partnership with Apollo to invest in AI and energy projects after pushback from Blackstone’s Jon Gray, people familiar with the matter said.
Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters‘Sometimes not liquid at all’: Carlyle CEO on private capital’s retail push
In a true run for the exits, it could take investors years to get their money back. “We need to be very, very clear about the expectations,” Harvey Schwartz
Investors warm to Paramount’s bid for Warner Bros.
David Ellison and his team impressed Warner Bros. investors with their pitch — and their price tag.
Abu Dhabi is the future of capitalism
The world’s top asset managers are convening in the city as the government commits billions of dollars to accelerate its ascent as a global financial hub.
Inflation, Fed stuck in place ahead of expected rate cut
The central bank is widely expected to cut interest rates tomorrow, despite inflation remaining closer to 3% than the Fed’s long-held target of 2%.
Technology
Fred Prouser/File Photo/Reuters
Edgar Su/Reuters
Why high-quality content can thrive in an AI world
The Disney–OpenAI licensing deal is the latest example of a media company making a savvy move in the fog of AI economics.
Fred Prouser/File Photo/ReutersWhy Excel is AI-proof
Microsoft recently upped the price of Excel which remains the company’s killer app, despite the rise of AI.
Edgar Su/ReutersSingapore startup builds AI-powered, self-running chemistry lab
The self-driving lab consists of AI software and robots that design experiments, run them, and gather data, with limited human intervention.
Ancestry’s new AI feature narrates ancestors’ stories. But it won’t make ‘dead people dance.’
The generative AI feature allows users to create narrated audio stories of their genealogy, but CTO Sriram Thiagarajan says they are mindful of risks in applying the new technology.
Reddit sues Australia over social media ban for children
Canberra enacted the world’s first social media age limit this week, blocking all under-16s’ accounts.
Trump signs executive order banning states from regulating AI
The move will almost certainly face legal challenges, and drew criticism from some Republicans trying to pass laws limiting children’s AI use.
Energy
Benoit Tessier/Reuters
Joel Angel Juarez
Susana Vera/Reuters
Exxon plans to cut low-carbon spending by a third
It’s the latest sign of a pullback on decarbonization across most big oil companies.
Benoit Tessier/ReutersLNG supply glut to give EU leverage on methane rules, report says
While the LNG market has been tight for the past few years, many new export terminals will come online soon, pushing the market to oversupply by 2028.
Joel Angel JuarezHalf of $1.2T climate adaptation funds should go to AC, report argues
Air conditioning is the most under-appreciated intervention, the McKinsey report says.
Susana Vera/ReutersGulf
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu meets UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in 2023. Presidency of Nigeria /Anadolu via Getty.
The UAE is outpacing the US as Africa’s investment partner
The UAE said it will invest $1 billion toward AI infrastructure and services across Africa, but the relationship between the two still has a deeply problematic dimension.
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu meets UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in 2023. Presidency of Nigeria /Anadolu via Getty.Saudi Arabia and Qatar plan high-speed rail link
Officials say the trip would take around two hours, compared to a 90-minute flight, and services are expected to begin in six years.
UAE’s LuLu currency exchange quickly becomes top player
A currency exchange affiliated with the UAE supermarket chain LuLu has quickly become a top player in the market, moving $19.7 billion in remittances last year.
UAE advances EU trade deal
The deal will build on the UAE’s more than 30 CEPAs, free-trade-style pacts that incorporate services and other forms of economic cooperation.
Digital bank Wio still sees UAE opportunities after explosive growth
Originally focused on serving small companies, Wio Bank is still scaling fast as more firms and customers go digital.
AfricaNigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu meets UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in 2023. Presidency of Nigeria /Anadolu via Getty. 
Screengrab of soldiers on national television claiming to have seized power. Benin TV/Handout via Reuters.
The UAE is outpacing the US as Africa’s investment partner
The UAE said it will invest $1 billion toward AI infrastructure and services across Africa, but the relationship between the two still has a deeply problematic dimension.
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu meets UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in 2023. Presidency of Nigeria /Anadolu via Getty.Benin seeks extradition of failed coup leader
Benin says Colonel Pascal Tigri is seeking refuge in neighboring Togo.
Screengrab of soldiers on national television claiming to have seized power. Benin TV/Handout via Reuters.Ivory Coast seeks US help to fight jihadists
The country reportedly asked Washington to station spy planes in the country to help it fight jihadists who have recently gained territory across West Africa.
Chinese phone maker’s $1B IPO points to Africa ambitions
Transsion, the biggest seller of phones in Africa, could raise up to $1 billion via an initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Kenya court suspends US health deal
The court cited privacy concerns over the potential storage and use of citizens’ data.
PayPal plans Africa global digital wallet launch in 2026
The company is in talks to roll out a new “interoperable” platform on the continent, says its Middle East and Africa chief.
Security
Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters
Ann Wang/Reuters
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. Sputnik/Kristina Kormilitsyna/Pool via Reuters.
Maduro strikes defiant tone amid rising US tensions
“Failure is not an option at this crucial juncture,” a sword-brandishing Maduro said in a fiery address to supporters in Caracas.
Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/ReutersTaiwan pledges extra $40B for defense to counter China threat
Tensions have ramped up in the region after Japan’s leader said Tokyo may intervene militarily if Beijing sought to invade Taiwan.
Ann Wang/ReutersUS envoy, Putin to discuss new Ukraine peace plan
US envoy Steve Witkoff is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. Sputnik/Kristina Kormilitsyna/Pool via Reuters.MediaAndrew Harnik/Getty Images
Washington Post’s AI-generated podcasts rife with errors, fictional quotes
Errors in the Post’s new AI-generated podcasts have frustrated the paper’s journalists.
Andrew Harnik/Getty ImagesDemocrats warn their party may try to unravel any Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery deal
A new letter from Reps. Sam Liccardo, D-Calif., and Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., also raised concerns about foreign investors’ involvement.
Senator has ‘grave doubts’ about Netflix-WBD deal
Sen. Mike Lee, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he wouldn’t be surprised if it gets “thwarted.”
Investors warm to Paramount’s bid for Warner Bros.
David Ellison and his team impressed Warner Bros. investors with their pitch — and their price tag.
Paramount’s Mideast financing doomed Warner Bros. Discovery auction bid
WBD’s board grew uneasy with how complicated Paramount’s offer became.
CEO Signal
Courtesy of Lyft/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
Courtesy of ServiceNow/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
The Manufacturing Institute/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
How Lyft’s David Risher seized his ‘wet cement’ moment
The CEO of the No. 2 in US ridesharing says there’s more to growth than catching ‘the other guys.’
Courtesy of Lyft/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforHow Bill McDermott’s ‘underdog desire’ drives ServiceNow
The enterprise software CEO sees AI creating ‘chaos’ inside some companies — and opportunities for his own.
Courtesy of ServiceNow/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforHow Saint-Gobain is getting US students to prize factory work
North America CEO Mark Rayfield says young Americans who visit its plants see that “it’s not your 1950s manufacturing job.”
The Manufacturing Institute/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforAD