China’s tycoon fire-sale

UNITED KINGDOM

Fairford fizzle?

President Trump has voiced surprise after British counter-terrorism police released on bail all five UK nationals arrested near the Fairford airbase over a suspected bomb plot. US Secretary of State Rubio has now gone a step further, insisting the “hands of a foreign actor” were involved, though forensic sweeps revealed no viable explosives inside their vans. (Guardian)

UNITED STATES

Bonds, shaken.

US 10-year Treasury yields have blown past 5.2% to hit 19-year-highs, as investors price in a hawkish Fed, rising oil prices, and heavy debt issuance tied to record spending out of both DC and Silicon Valley. (BPM)

EGYPT— Cold justice?

An Italian court has convicted three Egyptian security officials in absentia over the 2016 kidnapping of Italian postgrad Cambridge student Giulio Regeni, who’d been researching Egypt’s independent street vendor trade unions at the time — a sensitive topic in post-revolution Cairo. (New Arab)

UNITED STATES

Anthropic’s trillion-dollar math.

Anthropic’s newly-leaked IPO prospectus suggests the AI pioneer is now projecting a $2T+ valuation, even with 2025 revenues of $4.6B and net losses of $42B (!) the same year. (Reuters)

THAILAND

Bangkok drift.

As Thailand’s capital cleans up after its worst flooding in 15 years, outrage is mounting after authorities arrested a wealthy 27-year-old for absolutely fanging down the city’s submerged streets on a jetski, sending wake crashing into local homes and storefronts. (Bangkok Post)

MALAYSIA

Myanmar repatriations.

Authorities have begun repatriating Myanmar nationals and presumed minority Rohingya to Myanmar, with PM Anwar Ibrahim even inviting the leader of the military junta they fled to help facilitate. (Independent)

VENEZUELA

Drip-feed amnesty.

The interim government of Delcy Rodriguez has released another tranche of political prisoners following US-backed negotiations with the opposition. It comes after she used last week’s UN address to insist new elections will happen, though she remains conspicuously vague on timing. (BBC)