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Intelligence for the New World Economy
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View / Abu Dhabi continues to attract startup founders
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The World at a Glance
Updated 10:42am EDT
1
US inflation hit a three-year high of 4.2% in May as the Iran war drove up energy costs.
2Widening violence across the Middle East raised concerns that the Iran war was expanding.
3Inflation across the world’s biggest economies accelerated as a result of higher energy costs and threats to trade.
4Soaring fertilizer prices resulting from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz are taking a toll on poorer nations.
5Europe is opening new fronts in its regulatory crackdown on Big Tech.
6Foxconn, the world’s largest electronics manufacturer, said it will invest in one gigawatt of solar and wind energy production in Vietnam.
The complicated economics of Africa’s football success
African talent has never been more prominent on the global stage, but migration continues to reshape who benefits from that success.
South Africa players during training. Siphiwe Sibeko/ReutersUS strikes Iran over downed helicopter
In a first for the US, the two American aviators aboard the chopper were rescued by a drone boat.
Nathan Howard/ReutersJockeying starts for a Trump intelligence job that may be taken
The president isn’t clear about whether he would name a permanent replacement for Bill Pulte, but contenders are already materializing.
Kevin Lamarque/ReutersSouth Africa Q1 GDP edges higher
South Africa recorded modest growth of 0.5% in the first quarter of the year, underscoring the threat posed by the Iran war when its full impact is felt.
Phill Magakoe/Pool via ReutersHouse prediction market ban faces turbulence
One Democrat said his party would likely oppose it in the hopes of passing a stronger ban next year.
Jacquelyn Martin/ReutersAnthropic releases guardrailed version of Mythos for public use
The company acknowledged that without safeguards, Fable 5 was a dangerous model in the hands of bad actors.
Denis Balibouse/ReutersOpenAI files for IPO amid intensifying AI race
OpenAI and Anthropic’s impending public offerings, as well as SpaceX’s, are expected to be among the biggest in history.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
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Politics
Josh Smith/Reuters 
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Trumpworld connections are fueling Coupang’s clash with South Korea
Republicans are offering remarkable support for South Korea’s biggest online retailer.
Josh Smith/Reuters Blanche faces a rocky road to confirmation in the Senate
Sen. Thom Tillis’, R-N.C., reservations about the acting attorney general are well-known, but there are other undecided senators on the judiciary panel.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters Jockeying starts for a Trump intelligence job that may be taken
The president isn’t clear about whether he would name a permanent replacement for Bill Pulte, but contenders are already materializing.
Kevin Lamarque/ReutersHouse prediction market ban faces turbulence
One Democrat said his party would likely oppose it in the hopes of passing a stronger ban next year.
Greer heads to Silicon Valley to promote onshoring
The US trade representative will tour manufacturing facilities.
Some Republicans want Pulte out for intelligence job
“Democrats are not going to vote to pass [a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act extension] until he’s withdrawn,” said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.
Democrats aren’t winning the foreign policy argument, group says
Democrats need to revamp their message if they want to capitalize on voter angst over the war in Iran, the centrist Democratic think tank Third Way writes.
Republicans want Trump and Netanyahu to smooth things over
The party that revels in Democratic divisions over Israel is in an awkward spot as its president splits from the prime minister over the war.
The West’s age of ‘hyperpolitics’
The West is in an age of “hyperpolitics” in which polarization has surged but institutions are incapable of delivering change, a leading researcher argued.
Politicians couldn’t keep kids off social media. They’ll try again with AI.
Leaders of both parties in Washington and in state capitals are confronting AI before it becomes as omnipresent as vertical video.
Democrat McCann pulls ahead in key House race
Bill Huizenga, who won his seat by nearly 12 points in 2024, has long been a target for House Democrats’ campaign arm.
Business
Mike Blake/Reuters
US inflation hits highest level in three years
The Iran war’s continued impact on energy prices pushed overall inflation higher.
Mike Blake/ReutersChina tech on display at World Cup
Sports sponsorships in recent years have gone beyond traditional advertising.
The case for space data centers
By the early 2030s, space data centers could be only around 30% more expensive than terrestrial ones.
India still waiting for US trade deal
The countries’ relationship has worsened during US President Donald Trump’s second term.
Meta reskills as AI job fears grow
Launch sites are in places where Meta is building data centers, some of which have faced resistance from local communities.
Technology
Courtesy of Hub71
Yves Herman/Reuters
Abu Dhabi continues to attract startup founders despite war
Organizers feared a subdued annual gathering for Abu Dhabi’s seven-year-old entrepreneurial center Hub71; the vibe at the event this week was anything but.
Courtesy of Hub71Europe expands regulatory crackdown on Big Tech
Brussels ordered Meta to reverse a block on third-party AI assistants on WhatsApp.
Yves Herman/ReutersChina tech on display at World Cup
Sports sponsorships in recent years have gone beyond traditional advertising.
The case for space data centers
By the early 2030s, space data centers could be only around 30% more expensive than terrestrial ones.
China’s $300 billion plan to build more data centers
The government wants to construct a network of “computing hubs.”
Anthropic releases guardrailed version of Mythos for public use
The company acknowledged that without safeguards, Fable 5 was a dangerous model in the hands of bad actors.
Energy
Willy Kurniawan/Reuters
Drone Base/Reuters
Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters
Poorer nations face fertilizer hit as prices soar
Around 30% of global fertilizer supplies flowed through the Strait of Hormuz before the start of the Iran war.
Willy Kurniawan/ReutersOne of Trump’s key oil market fixes is about to break
An uncomfortable energy deadline is looming for the White House.
Drone Base/ReutersOil prices ease as Israel and Iran pause strikes
There still remains little sign of progress toward a full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Majid Asgaripour/WANA via ReutersGulfCourtesy of Hub71
Abu Dhabi continues to attract startup founders despite war
Organizers feared a subdued annual gathering for Abu Dhabi’s seven-year-old entrepreneurial center Hub71; the vibe at the event this week was anything but.
Courtesy of Hub71Prewar, Gulf corporate profits were on a tear
The region’s listed companies saw net profits rise 15.5% to a record $67.9 billion in the first quarter, before the beginning of the war in Iran.
Oman pulls in $9B in fresh foreign investment
The country is proving more able than others in the region to handle the disruption caused by the Iran war.
US strikes Iran over downed helicopter
In a first for the US, the two American aviators aboard the chopper were rescued by a drone boat.
Saudi investors eye Pakistan port deal
The deal, which would create a 140-acre industrial park in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi, is a further sign of warming ties between the two countries.
China
Dado Ruvic/Reuters
Tingshu Wang/Reuters
Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
China’s $300 billion plan to build more data centers
The government wants to construct a network of “computing hubs.”
Dado Ruvic/ReutersChina exports beat forecasts amid global AI boom
Year-on-year exports jumped by close to 20%, driven partly by a 110% surge in semiconductor shipments.
Tingshu Wang/ReutersGermany bears the brunt of China Shock 2.0
As Western economies scramble to defend themselves against the second China shock, their corporate and national interests are again radically at odds.
Shannon Stapleton/ReutersAfricaSouth Africa players during training. Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters 
Stephen Lam/Reuters
The complicated economics of Africa’s football success
African talent has never been more prominent on the global stage, but migration continues to reshape who benefits from that success.
South Africa players during training. Siphiwe Sibeko/ReutersRwanda diversification model drives Zipline’s expansion plans
The drone delivery company plans to include livestock insemination in its plans to expand across Africa following a successful trial in Rwanda.
Stephen Lam/ReutersRwanda secures $250M IMF credit facility
The IMF noted that a prolonged war in the Middle East may jeopardize the country’s resilience.
Gas project forecast to lift Mozambique’s economy
ExxonMobil’s project could lift Mozambique’s economy by more than 4% a year once production starts, estimates Standard Bank.
South Africa Q1 GDP edges higher
South Africa recorded modest growth of 0.5% in the first quarter of the year, underscoring the threat posed by the Iran war when its full impact is felt.
US block of World Cup referee from Somalia prompts scrutiny
Omar Abdulkadir Artan “was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns,” the Trump administration said.
Security
Ammar Awad/Reuters
Adnan Abidi/Reuters
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters
Iran says it has halted strikes on Israel
Oil prices jumped 5% and stocks fell on the news.
Ammar Awad/ReutersIndia ‘cockroach’ party attracts discontented youth
The Cockroach Janta Party was started by a recent Boston University graduate after India’s chief justice compared young unemployed Indians to cockroaches.
Adnan Abidi/ReutersUS defense secretary attacks European allies in D-Day speech
Speaking in France on Saturday, Pete Hegseth decried a modern “invasion” of “boats and men.”
Elizabeth Frantz/ReutersMedia
Eleanor Kaufman/Semafor
Progressive site Zeteo plans UK expansion
Zeteo UK is a standalone site that will begin publishing this week, with a hard launch date in September.
Eleanor Kaufman/SemaforPolitico folds E&E News ahead of broader energy push
In September, Politico plans to launch a series of energy-focused newsletters.
Former Gourmet magazine owner sues new Gourmet newsletter
Condé Nast filed a lawsuit against Goulash Unlimited, the LLC set up by the owners of a revived Gourmet site.
CBS News in the crossfire
Within the network, every editorial decision has been scrutinized by CBS’ own staff.
Kalshi asks paid influencers to delete posts sowing doubts over LA mayoral election
Kalshi and Polymarket have enlisted hundreds of paid influencers to spur interest in everything from sporting events to political races.
CEO Signal
Courtesy of Smith & Nephew/Graph Massara/Semafor
Courtesy of Cisco/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
Courtesy of Match Group/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
Deepak Nath applies pressure at Smith and Nephew
The medtech CEO is standing by his company’s portfolio strategy despite calls to break it up.
Courtesy of Smith & Nephew/Graph Massara/SemaforHow Cisco’s Chuck Robbins gets his team to ‘disagree and commit’
The longstanding CEO says a bad decision that you reverse is better than a delay.
Courtesy of Cisco/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforWhy an anxious AI romantic now drives Match Group’s dating apps
CEO Spencer Rascoff uses digital “personas” to help the Tinder owner understand its users.
Courtesy of Match Group/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforAD