📝 Grocery List Diplomacy
World’s richest club passes notes like kids in math class.
Also available:🇫🇷 Édition française
Good morning!
Scott Bessent walked into last Friday’s Camp David cabinet meeting with a notepad angled toward the photographers, on which a man who knows exactly where cameras stand had written: « To Do: Buy Japanese Yen (JPY) $5-10 bil. » The most powerful finance ministry on earth now conducts monetary policy by stationery leak, somewhere between a hostage note and a grocery list. The staging worked. Tokyo torched roughly $52.8B in a single Thursday, the largest one-day intervention ever recorded, part of an $88B two-day salvage of a yen that had sagged to 163 per dollar, its worst level since the Plaza Accord era. The currency bounced. Kazuo Ueda’s BOJ, still serving 1% rates while inflation overshoots its target, then returned to doing nothing, which remains its most consistent policy.
Washington’s first joint yen purchase since 1998 was funded, of all things, in euros. The New York Fed rang Goldman and Morgan Stanley and sold European currency to buy Japanese currency on America’s behalf, an arrangement roughly as natural as settling a Tokyo bar tab in Deutschmarks. The reason is not diplomacy but plumbing: raising dollars would have meant selling Treasuries, and the long end of the bond market, already queasy after Fed chair Kevin Warsh’s press conference, could not be asked to swallow more paper. Hence the invitation for Japan to use the Fed’s FIMA facility, a pawnshop for central banks where Treasuries can be hocked for dollar liquidity on the strict understanding that nobody actually sells anything.
A reserve asset has exactly one job description: sellable, in size, at speed, without a phone call first. Dollars occupy 57% of global reserves, down from above 70% in 2000, precisely on that promise. Washington has now demonstrated that it would rather liquidate its euros and lend against its own bonds than watch an ally exercise the option. Grant Bessent this much: reallocating euros is subtler statecraft than the house style, which tends to arrive with a tariff schedule. The same stabilisation fund bailed out the Argentine peso before last autumn’s midterms, so at least the generosity is consistent. Trump called the operation « a signal of friendship. » Friendship, in this arrangement, is the privilege of not being punished for selling what one owns.
Japan is the gentlest possible test case, an ally so loyal it asked permission to spend its own savings. The next large holder wanting out of Treasuries may not call ahead, and there will be no notepad, no facility, no communiqué about disorderly movements. There will simply be a bid that Washington cannot politely decline. A reserve system survives on the belief that the exit exists. Last week, for the first time in a generation, the doorman was photographed standing in front of it.
Publicité
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🗞️ Top Story
- 🇩🇪 Flight Club. Air traffic at Leipzig airport remains disrupted after a plane collided with an unidentified flying object, prompting a partial shutdown and a police investigation. (Ouest-France)
- 🇪🇸 Capacity Crisis. Ceuta’s president warns that migrant children’s centers are at 2,600% capacity, calling the situation « untenable » and urging Spain for urgent help. (Le Parisien)
- 🇮🇸 Sea You Later. Iceland orders 21 Paul Watson Foundation activists out of the country after their failed bid to stop a whaling vessel, with a two-year timeout as a parting gift. (Libé)
- 🇺🇸 Burn Notice. Lobga Rangzen’s self-immolation at the U.N. shocked New York and galvanized Tibetan independence activists who now find renewed unity in his final act. (Wall Street Journal)
- 🇺🇸 Loose Ends. The CDC confirms 6,700 cases and 2 deaths from a nationwide cyclospora outbreak, with « explosive diarrhea » traced in part to contaminated lettuce. Taco Bell and Taylor Farms 🇲🇽 get starring roles in this summer’s least appetizing sequel. (Le Figaro)
- 🇧🇩 Death Wish. Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina says she will return to Bangladesh by December, despite facing a death sentence for alleged crimes against humanity. (Spiegel)
- 🇳🇵 Rap Sheet. Four months after ex-rapper Balendra Shah became Nepal’s prime minister on a Gen Z wave, his centralized rule is already disappointing many young supporters. (Le Monde)
- 🇹🇷 Amnesty, But. Turkey moves to allow thousands of PKK-linked prisoners to rejoin civilian life, while making sure Öcalan stays locked away. (Spiegel)
- 🇮🇱 Not My Plan. Netanyahu declares Israel will not adopt the Trump-backed Gaza disarmament deal, tossing Washington’s blueprint aside as coalition pressure mounts ahead of the polls. (Le Parisien)
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇬🇧 Cancel Culture Club. Joshua Bonehill-Paine, once jailed for antisemitic harassment, withdrew as a Tory council candidate after backlash, yet the party now wants his advice on fighting extremism, to the disbelief of critics. (Bbc)
- 🇬🇧 Inquiry Minds. Andy Burnham says a public inquiry into Jeffrey Epstein’s UK activities is not on the table, despite earlier hints from ministers. (The Guardian)
- 🇬🇧 Lunch Cut. Four men were stabbed in Covent Garden by a woman wielding scissors, according to police, who quickly arrested her and reassured the public. (The Guardian)
🇺🇸 United States
- 🇺🇸 Primary Colors. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive newcomer, wins Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, setting up a high-stakes test for the party’s left wing this fall. (New York Times)
- 🇺🇸 Call Waiting. The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations now holds a copy of Dr. Fauci’s cellphone, hoping it will answer questions he refused to address last week. (New York Times)
- 🇺🇸 Fired Up. Todd Blanche backs Jeanine Pirro’s handling of the vandalism case but emphasizes that Trump holds the ultimate pink slip for any U.S. attorney. (New York Times)
- 🇺🇸 Duty Calls. The Kids Online Safety Act advanced in the Senate, setting up a clash with the House over how much Big Tech should be forced to protect children. (Cnbc)
- 🇺🇸 Ethics Exit. Rep. Chuck Edwards drops his North Carolina re-election bid after a House Ethics Committee rebuke for inappropriate conduct toward female staffers, leaving the GOP scrambling for a replacement. (New York Times)
🏛️ Economy
- 🇬🇧 Rule Britannia. The Financial Conduct Authority is loosening IPO listing rules to lure companies back to London, hoping lighter touch means heavier traffic. (Wall Street Journal)
- 🇲🇹 Croc and Roll. Crocs 🇺🇸 and other US firms are funneling global profits through tiny Maltese offices to dodge billions in US taxes, making Malta the latest tax haven hotspot. (New York Times)
- 🇪🇺 Upturn Downside. Eurozone business activity climbed in July as services surged, though persistent conflict worries keep confidence from taking off. (Boursier)
- 🇺🇸 Duty Cycle. The has returned almost $100B in tariffs to importers following the Supreme Court’s rejection of Trump-era surcharges, making the trade war a temporary transaction. (Ouest-France)
- 🇺🇸 Current Affairs. Oil prices dropped as the, Iran, and Oman negotiate a deal to manage ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, easing market fears for now. (Cnbc)
- 🇨🇳 Yuan Direction. China’s state steel group claims shifting iron ore pricing to yuan would boost market stability and give Beijing more leverage over global suppliers. (Bloomberg)
- 🇯🇵 Yen and Now. Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says the US-Japan intervention has stabilized the yen temporarily, but warns it will not transform Japan’s economy. (Bloomberg)
- 🇯🇵 Bond Voyage. Japan’s 30-year bond sale attracted solid demand, easing market nerves after weeks of currency swings and anxiety over the country’s massive debt. (Bloomberg)
- 🇭🇰 Tower Shift. Hong Kong is revamping its iconic skyline with new developments that signal a push to diversify beyond finance, aiming for a broader economic future. (Bloomberg)
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇬🇧 Cell Service. Reform UK vows to jail CEOs and fine big companies 10% of global revenue if they profit from illegal workers, promising penalties tougher than anything on the market. (Bbc)
- 🇬🇧 Little Greens. Record-breaking drought leaves UK vegetables stunted and expensive, as farmers brace for the worst harvest in decades and supermarkets face tough choices. (Bbc)
🇺🇸 United States
- 🇺🇸 Meeting Halfway. Fed Chair Kevin Warsh is considering cutting the number of policy meetings, leaving markets bracing for less guidance and more volatility. (Cnbc)
- 🇺🇸 Help Not Wanted. Private employers in the hired only 44,000 workers in July, ADP says, as job growth fizzled outside health care. (Cnbc)
🏢 Real Estate
- 🇩🇪 Bunker Buster. Berlin will allow a luxury housing project to demolish the last major Nazi-era government bunker, ignoring calls to preserve the site for historical memory. (El Pais)
- 🏜️ Desert Mirage. Explorers and dreamers chase the myth of Iram, the fabled city of pillars, across the endless sands of the Rub al-Khali. (Libé)
🇺🇸 United States
- 🇺🇸 Sky’s the Limit. Detroit billionaire Dan Gilbert revives his $1.6B riverfront overhaul after winning up to $300M in state tax breaks for the ambitious redevelopment. (Wall Street Journal)
💱 Listed Markets
- 🇩🇰 Pill the Rich. Novo Nordisk 🇩🇰 boss Mike Doustdar promises even fatter profits from Wegovy, insisting the blockbuster weight-loss pill will only get more lucrative. (Bloomberg)
- 🇺🇸 Code Runner. Meta launches Muse Code, a beta AI assistant that can plan, write, and validate software across large repositories, hoping to catch up with industry leaders in AI coding tools. (TechCrunch)
- 🇺🇸 Power Couple. SpaceX spent $295M on Tesla Megapacks in Q2 2026 to juice up its Memphis AI data centers, keeping Musk’s empire firmly in the family. (Cnbc)
- 🇺🇸 Shop and Awe. eBay 🇺🇸 raised its full-year outlook after finalizing its Depop acquisition and posting higher Q2 revenue, now forecasting up to 12.5% growth by 2026. (Wall Street Journal)
- 🇺🇸 Fare Play. Uber announces a $10B investment in robotaxis, claiming its 200M customers and deep pockets will put it ahead of Waymo and Tesla. (Financial Times)
- 🇺🇸 Driven to Deliver. Uber 🇺🇸 reported Q2 revenue growth and a $2.39B profit, crediting its delivery business for keeping those numbers moving in the right direction. (Wall Street Journal)
- 🇺🇸 Chiefs and Changes. Jeff Dean leaves Google to launch his own AI startup while Demis Hassabis moves from DeepMind CEO to chairman, signaling a major leadership pivot. (Cnbc)
- 🇺🇸 Magic Numbers. Disney 🇺🇸 beat Wall Street forecasts for Q3 as its streaming business and theme parks in California and Florida delivered a profit surge worthy of the brand. (Bloomberg)
- 🇨🇦 Profit Reported. Thomson Reuters 🇨🇦 lifts its revenue guidance for the year after posting $448M in Q2 net earnings and broad-based growth. (Wall Street Journal)
- 🇭🇰 Fuel’s Gold. Cathay Pacific 🇭🇰 posts its best first-half results since 2010, but rising jet-fuel prices threaten to turn the airline’s winning streak into turbulence. (Wall Street Journal)
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇬🇧 Tax and the City. Palantir 🇺🇸 paid just £2M in UK corporation tax in 2024, despite landing public sector contracts worth hundreds of millions and mastering the art of legal tax minimization. (The Guardian)
🇺🇸 United States
- 🇺🇸 Home Alone. Zillow 🇺🇸 reported a $4M loss for the quarter as restructuring costs wiped out its gains, turning last year’s profit into a lonely deficit. (Wall Street Journal)
- 🇺🇸 Karma Chameleon. Reddit plans to downplay its karma system for new posters, shifting moderation to AI tools so fresh accounts can join the conversation without jumping through hoops. (TechCrunch)
- 🇺🇸 Liquidation Celebration. Ken Griffin’s Citadel 🇺🇸 raked in record July profits after buying Situational Awareness’s dumped portfolio at a bargain, proving one fund’s pain is another’s payday. (Cnbc)
🛎️ Big Deals (M&A)
- BP 🇬🇧 seeks to sell Archaea Energy 🇺🇸, its $4B biogas business.
- KNDS 🇫🇷🇩🇪 denies reports of full nationalization by France 🇫🇷 and Germany 🇩🇪 after the group’s IPO was postponed, as its supervisory board chair Tom Enders rejects the Handelsblatt story.
- Allianz Global Investors 🇩🇪 acquires UOB Asset Management 🇸🇬 for SGD 555M / €376M. Includes a long-term distribution agreement and is expected to close in 2027.
- Bending Spoons 🇮🇹 acquires Airtable 🇺🇸 for $2.25B equity valuation.
- Sameday 🇷🇴 acquires Cargus 🇷🇴.
- HELL Energy 🇭🇺 offers to acquire Hell 🇺🇸 with 666,666 cans of HELL (valued at $666,666), beating the $625K asking price by $41,666 and sending 165 cans to the Hell General Store.
- CVC 🇱🇺 offers up to 915p per share for Bodycote 🇬🇧, valuing equity at ~£1.6B (≈£1.8B including debt). London-listed industrials/components group.
- Partners Group 🇨🇭 nears a €2B deal to acquire Aroma-Zone 🇫🇷 from Eurazeo 🇫🇷, parties in advanced talks.
- Klaviyo 🇺🇸 acquires Agency 🇺🇸, a 2023-founded AI-powered customer success startup that had raised $32M. Founder Elias Torres joins as chief product officer.
- Bain Capital 🇺🇸 acquires Gong Cha 🇹🇼 from TA Associates 🇺🇸, the bubble-tea brand.
- BasePoint Capital LLC 🇺🇸 acquires International Personal Finance (IPF) 🇬🇧 for £543M ($732.5M), a global consumer finance provider that includes IFN Provident România.
- Visa 🇺🇸 acquires BioCatch 🇮🇱 for $2.4B in cash, a cybersecurity startup specializing in behavioral biometrics that today protects 760M users across ~350 banks. Deal expected to close by end of Visa’s Q2 2027, subject to regulatory approvals.
- Apple 🇺🇸 acquires PlasmaSolve 🇨🇿 (materials-science and engineering startup (2–10 staff) known for MatSight plasma-assisted production simulation software. Certain employees join Apple).
- Procter & Gamble 🇺🇸 acquires Thorne 🇺🇸 from L Catterton for $3.8B, after winning a bidding war against Haleon 🇬🇧 and Unilever 🇬🇧.
- Francisco Partners 🇺🇸 acquires a majority stake in Command Alkon 🇺🇸 from Thoma Bravo 🇺🇸 at a $1.3B valuation.
- Abercrombie & Fitch 🇺🇸 brings local minority investors onto its China business 🇨🇳
- Warner Bros Discovery 🇺🇸 acquisition : antitrust trial set to begin 2 March 2027, with Paramount owing $7M/day to Warner shareholders from 1 Oct 2026 (delay could cost $1B+, $7B if deal is blocked).
- Prologis 🇺🇸 acquires Segro 🇬🇧 for £14bn (1,032p/share), mostly stock with a £3.5bn cash alternative. Combined AUM $269bn and a 368mn sq ft European portfolio, secondary London listing planned, expected to close H1 next year.
🇺🇸 United States
- Corbel Capital Partners 🇺🇸 and Sea Pine Equity Partners 🇺🇸 invest in Executive Exteriors 🇺🇸, a Texas-based specialty roofing and exterior restoration provider. Founder Drake Gordon retains significant ownership and continues as Chairman and CEO, with the partnership supporting new branch openings, sales-team expansion and acquisitions.
- Sheridan Capital Partners 🇺🇸 completes investment in Carolina Components Group 🇺🇸. Maurice Phelan named CEO, founder John Cooling and bioprocessing veteran Maik Jornitz join the board.
🧳 Private Markets & VC
- 🇬🇧 Candy Cash. Revolut 🇬🇧 borrows tricks from Candy Crush to hook young, global customers, turning banking into a gamified, subscription-driven playground. (Le Monde)
- 🇨🇭 Own Goal. Fifa president Gianni Infantino admits to « mistakes » after his $20B private investment plan collapsed, apologizing to council members as calls for his resignation grow. (Financial Times)
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇬🇧 Cabotage. Uber and Wayve receive London’s first licence for self-driving minicabs, but humans will still ride shotgun when the service launches this summer. (The Guardian)
🇺🇸 United States
- 🇺🇸 Green Carded. OpenAI and Statsig agreed to three years of DOJ oversight and a $3.2M payout after being accused of sidelining citizens in green card job sponsorships. (TechCrunch)
Fundraising
- Polymarket 🇺🇸 (Crypto): $1B
- Techcombank 🇻🇳 (Banking): $1B
- Xsight Labs 🇺🇸 (Semiconductors): $300M+ (Fidelity Management & Research Company)
- Moove 🇳🇬 (Mobility): $250M (Mubadala Investment Company, Woven Capital, Ion Pacific, BlueCrest Capital Management, Sona Asset Management, Raptor Group, BlackRock, MUFG, Franklin Templeton, Uber, Left Lane, Silverbacks Holdings, Square Associates, The Latest Ventures, Endeavor Catalyst, Ontario Power Generation Pension Plan)
- Acrab 🇸🇬 (AI): $130M (Vertex Ventures SEA & India, Vertex Growth)
- Zenity 🇺🇸 (Cybersecurity): $125M (Norwest, Qumra Capital, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Hitachi Ventures, LG Technology Ventures, Vertex Ventures, Third Point Ventures, DTCP, Intel Capital)
- Expedition Therapeutics 🇺🇸 (Biotech): $115M (General Atlantic, RA Capital, Vivo Capital, Sofinnova Investments, Novo Holdings, Forbion, Dawn Biopharma, Adage Capital Management, Balyasny Asset Management, Logos Capital, Sanofi Ventures, BVF Partners, Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners)
- Obsidian Security 🇺🇸 (Cybersecurity): $85M (Crescent Cove Advisors)
- Faye 🇺🇸 (Travel): $50M (Madrona, BRM, Portage, F2 Venture Capital, Viola Ventures, Lumir Ventures)
- Ore Energy 🇳🇱 (Energy storage): $43M (Plural, HV Capital, Positron Ventures)
- Aurelius Systems 🇺🇸 (Defense): $40M (Draper Associates, KAS Venture Partners, General Catalyst, Hanwha Defense USA, Outlander, Alumni Ventures, Bravo Victor Venture Capital (BVVC), Detroit Venture Partners, Decisive Point)
- WindBorne Systems 🇺🇸 (Climatetech): $37M (Khosla Ventures, Galvanize, TransLink Capital, Lux Capital, existing investors)
- Sapiom 🇺🇸 (AI): $35M (Dragonfly, Accel, Gradient, Coinbase Ventures, Operator Collective, Formus Capital, VanEck Ventures, Okta Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Anthropic, Array Ventures)
- Inocras 🇺🇸 (Bioinformatics): $31M (NDS Corporation, Aimed Bio Inc., IMM Investment, Korea Investment & Securities, LoftyRock Investment, DT& Investment, Woori Investment & Securities, Shinhan Securities, DSC Investment, Dunamu & Partners, InterVest)
- Maximum 🇺🇸 (Fintech): $30M (CRV, Pear VC, Restive, Plug and Play Ventures, Anthemis)
- Dash Bio 🇺🇸 (Biotech): $30M (Oak HC/FT, Freestyle Capital, Swift Ventures)
- Ordway 🇺🇸 (Fintech): $20M (Harbert Growth Partners, Western Alliance Bank’s Innovation Banking Group)
- Wordsmith 🇬🇧 (Legaltech): $14M (Index, FT Ventures)
- Salus Scientific 🇺🇸 (Healthcare): $10.1M
- Wellinks 🇺🇸 (Healthcare): $10M (UMass Memorial Health, inside investors)
- Mitti Labs 🇮🇳 (Agtech): $9.5M (Aramco Ventures, Lightspeed India, Godrej Industries Group, Cisco Foundation, Francis Family Fund, Volta Circle)
- Avatar Robotics 🇺🇸 (Robotics): $6.5M (AlleyCorp, defy.vc, Headline, Henry Ford III, Refashiond, Paul Vogel, Jack Huffard, Samuel Udotong)
- SkinBit 🇺🇸 (Healthcare): $6M (Boost VC, Cleo Capital, Manna Ventures, Profluent Capital, Logan Green, nine board-certified dermatologists)
- Rivo 🇺🇸 (Fintech): $3.1M (South Park Commons, Wisdom Ventures, Script Capital, 645 Ventures, 20VC, Jag Duggal)
- Aavalynx 🇪🇺 (LegalTech): €1.75M (Omega Ventures, Two Ravens, angel investors)
- Shiplog 🇫🇷 (Martech): over €807.6K (Kima Ventures, Project Europe, Purple, No Label Ventures, 100IN, Station F Fund)
- Estel Technologies 🇧🇬 (Staffing): €270K (Vitosha Ventures, Kerem Basak)
Fund Watch
- Cerberus Capital Management 🇺🇸: $4B (2nd supply-chain fund to invest in critical US assets)
- Nextalia Investment Management 🇮🇹: $1.3B (2nd PE fund)
- Bridgepoint 🇬🇧: $1.2B (exploring sale of private credit stakes)
- Yellow.ai 🇮🇳: $550M (merging with Bluerock Acquisition Corp., SPAC deal)
- 224 Ventures 🇺🇸: $100M (AI VC, 244 LPs, $1M–$5M cheques)
🔔IPO
- Attovia Therapeutics 🇺🇸 (Immunology): seeking to raise $290M at a $730M valuation in an upsized IPO.
- SHEIN 🇨🇳 (Fast-fashion): targeting a $30B–$40B valuation in a Hong Kong IPO this month.
- Unitree Robotics 🇨🇳 (Robotics): expected to be valued at over $7.5B after its planned China IPO this month.
- AI² Robotics 🇨🇳 (Robotics): considering a Hong Kong IPO after being valued at $3B.
- TCC Group 🇹🇼 (Conglomerate): the $5.5B-listed firm is planning a UK listing of its European operations.
- Vast 🇭🇰 (3D software): Alibaba-backed unicorn considering a Hong Kong IPO.
- Dien May Xanh 🇻🇳 (Retail): made its trading debut as the market rebounded.
- Infinx Services 🇮🇳 (RCM): KKR-backed firm is weighing a $300M India IPO.
- PalmPay 🇳🇬 (Fintech): preparing a Hong Kong IPO while raising $200M.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Glencore 🇦🇺 (Mining): planning an Australia listing within months to tap pension funds.
🇺🇸 United States
- Glencore 🇦🇺 (Mining): planning an Australia listing within months to tap pension funds.
🧳 Debt
- Blackstone 🇺🇸: held early talks for a second $36B debt package to finance Anthropic’s use of Google’s AI chips.
- PIMCO 🇺🇸: anchored a $16B Oracle Michigan data-center deal, structuring debt to match Oracle’s lease duration.
- AbbVie 🇺🇸: launched a $10B investment-grade bond sale to fund its $11B acquisition of Apogee Therapeutics.
- Citadel 🇺🇸: expects to secure a $3.3B construction loan for 350 Park Ave and may sell a 25% stake to family offices.
- Baker Tilly 🇺🇸: dropped plans for a $3B leveraged loan to refinance private credit and fund a dividend recap.
- Los Angeles 🇺🇸: will sell $400M of munis after a Sunset Boulevard pipe burst.
🇺🇸 United States
- High Tide 🇨🇦: closed C$40M senior secured credit facilities with BMO.
❌ Failures
- MFS 🇬🇧: administrators of the collapsed mortgage lender sued Barclays for withholding access to its bank accounts as creditors try to recoup assets.
- Accell Group 🇳🇱: filed for insolvency (suspension of payments) four years after a €1.8bn KKR-led buyout that wiped out a €1.1bn equity investment.
- Hydromars 🇸🇪: filed for bankruptcy in late July after raising about 7 MSEK and leaving unpaid debts of several hundred thousand SEK.
- Etsy 🇺🇸: cutting about 220 roles (~12% of staff) and posted a $46.65M quarterly net loss.
- TikTok U.S. JV 🇺🇸: closed its Nashville office, laying off 250 employees and vacating roughly 145,000 sq ft.
🇺🇸 United States
- Salad and Go 🇺🇸: filed Chapter 11 and will close all ~70 locations, listing $500M–$1B in assets and similar liabilities.
🎯 For a Few More Minutes…
- 🇫🇷 Shadow Therapy. As France debates sexual violence against children, experts push for more support of psychiatric treatment for pedophiles, insisting prevention must go beyond the courts. (Le Monde)
- 🇮🇹 Fire Watch. Archaeologists in Rome have uncovered a 2nd-century building near the Colosseum that may have served as an ancient fire brigade barracks, complete with mosaics and frescoes. (Boursier)
- 🇨🇳 Field Day. Wang Hong’s Fields Medal win has China celebrating her journey from rural Guangxi to math stardom, while reigniting debate over how the country actually nurtures scientific talent. (Le Monde)
- 🇮🇳 Snack Attack. Indian customs at New Delhi airport discovered cannabis hidden inside KitKat bars a tourist’s luggage from Thailand, giving new meaning to « special chocolate. » (Le Parisien)
🇺🇸 United States
- 🇺🇸 Spin Cycle. Representative Max Miller faced a bruising CNN interview about abuse allegations, dodging questions as he clings to his re-election bid and party patience runs thin. (New York Times)