Trump swings back toward diplomacy in escalating war with Iran; Mali’s government does not rule out U.S. military intervention
News and markets
- Global headlines: Trump swings back toward diplomacy in escalating war with Iran (After threatening a “massive attack,” the president said his envoys were talking with Tehran but left open the possibility of a sharp military escalation); Mali’s government does not rule out U.S. military intervention (The country’s foreign minister said, however, that anyone wishing to partner with the West African nation “must respect” its sovereignty); and Why Japan wants to create its first modern spy agency since World War II (President Donald Trump’s push for Japanese self-reliance aligns with the long-standing desire of conservatives in Tokyo to build intelligence capabilities).
- Markets leaned lower, with 5 of 7 tracked indexes down; Nikkei 225 down 2.73% was the largest move.
- Benchmarks tracked: S&P 500, NASDAQ Composite, Euronext 100 Index, and Public Joint-Stock Company Moscow Exchange MICEX-RTS plus 3 more indexes.
Hacker News and Product Hunt
- Hacker News: Claude Opus 5 (Opus 5 is a step change improvement for the Opus tier powering long-running agents while delivering improvements in coding and...); Postgres LISTEN/NOTIFY actually scales (How we optimized Postgres LISTEN/NOTIFY-backed data streams at scale, achieving 60K writes per second on a single Postgres server with...); and Taylor Farms Called White House to Try to Delay Cyclospora Recall (wsj.com: Taylor Farms Called White House to Try to Delay Cyclospora Recall).
- Product Hunt features Freesolo Flash (Full-Stack Platform for Training Small Language Models), Hotspot Meter (A private data-usage meter for your Mac menu bar), and HealthyNotch (Work shouldn't cost you your health).
Global Headlines
Top stories across selected outlets, presented in a fast daily brief format.
Trump swings back toward diplomacy in escalating war with Iran
After threatening a “massive attack,” the president said his envoys were talking with Tehran but left open the possibility of a sharp military escalation.
Mali’s government does not rule out U.S. military intervention
The country’s foreign minister said, however, that anyone wishing to partner with the West African nation “must respect” its sovereignty.
Why Japan wants to create its first modern spy agency since World War II
President Donald Trump’s push for Japanese self-reliance aligns with the long-standing desire of conservatives in Tokyo to build intelligence capabilities.
House votes to limit Trump on Iran; Senate fails to advance similar measure
The votes marked the first test of Republican support for the conflict since President Donald Trump resumed military strikes against Tehran this month.
Oil prices leap to $100 a barrel after attacks in Red Sea
The price of Brent crude, now up about 40 percent this month, surged Thursday after Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen claimed strikes on Saudi tankers.
‘The show must go on’: Trump returns to rescheduled White House press gala
US president makes jokes, mocks opponents at correspondents' dinner that was halted by a shooting in April.
From palava huts to TikTok: How Liberians are preserving their past
From podcasts to TikTok, young Liberians are using digital platforms to keep history alive and challenge old narratives.
Sons of immigrant killed by ICE in Texas share grief, demand accountability
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo's sons tell lawmakers their father worked hard 'to protect and provide' for his family.
Trump threatens EU will pay ‘big price’ after Brussels fines Google $1bn
EU accuses US tech giant of favouring its own services in search results, as Trump lashes out against bloc.
UN rights chief Turk wins second term despite US and Israeli opposition
Austrian lawyer Volker Turk set to become first UN rights chief to complete two four-year terms since post was created.
Trump returns to correspondents' dinner 3 months after shooting
President Donald Trump returned to the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Association dinner Friday night, delivering a rambling, hour-long speech.
Paramount says it will pause its Warner acquisition while legal challenges play out
A dozen states and the Writers Guild of America had challenged the merger.
Democrats approve new primary election calendar, putting South Carolina first
Democrats chose South Carolina for the first 2028 presidential primary, then Nevada, prioritizing Black and Latino voters. New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan and Virginia also hold early contests.
ICC member states vote to remove chief prosecutor Karim Khan
The International Criminal Court voted to remove the global tribunal's chief prosecutor on Friday, nearly two years after sexual misconduct allegations against him first emerged, the court's oversight body announced.
How The Illharmonic's mix of hip-hop and classical builds community, one show at a time
The Illharmonic Orchestra blends hip-hop and classical music during live performances. Its leaders tell NPR's Juana Summers how they build community with their shows, which feature all-Black musicians.
Middle East sea routes face mounting turmoil
Maritime security in the Middle East is deteriorating further amid the US-Iran war, as disruption expands beyond the Strait of Hormuz to the Red Sea, raising fresh concerns over global energy supplies.
Egypt to launch Africa's first virtual hospital
Egypt is set to launch Africa's first virtual hospital in Ismailia, a landmark project that will connect healthcare facilities across the North African country.
Golden monkey cubs receive names in Belgium
Two female golden snub-nosed monkey cubs at Belgium's Pairi Daiza zoo were officially given the names Zhenzhen and Xi Le on Wednesday, their 100th day, a milestone in Chinese tradition that marks a newborn's transition from a particularly vulnerable stage to one of greater strength, security, and independence.
US to impose new tariffs under Section 301 investigations
NEW YORK -- The United States will impose tariffs of 10 to 12.5 percent on imported goods from 60 economies starting on Friday, citing Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) said Thursday.
Trump administration to impose new tariffs on over 60 countries
President Donald Trump's administration announced on Thursday that it will impose new tariffs of from 10 to 12.5 percent on over 60 trade partners, including China, starting on Friday, to replace other temporary duties that will lapse overnight.
Amarnath Yatra resumes after six-day weather halt
Amarnath Yatra resumes after six-day weather halt, with over 6,000 pilgrims departing Jammu for Baltal base camp.
PM Modi wants fast-track courts for paper leak cases, but backlogs are mounting
PM Modi advocates for fast-track courts for paper leak cases amid rising backlogs, with 2.45 lakh pending cases reported.
AISA calls for ‘Bihar Bandh’ on July 25, against police lathi charge on protesting students
AISA announces Bihar Bandh on July 25 in response to police violence against students protesting the NEET paper leak.
Centre lying on pellet gun use against protesters, says Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi condemns government violence against student protesters, demanding accountability and justice for those harmed during peaceful demonstrations.
Jantar Mantar protest LIVE: CJP-govt talks to continue today amid Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation demand
Follow The Hindu LIVE as the Centre has taken a slew of actions in a crackdown on exam malpractices, including strengthening the anti-paper leak law and terminating the services of up to 47 officials in the National Testing Agency (NTA).
US says it will lift ban on imports of Mexican cattle
Reuters: US says it will lift ban on imports of Mexican cattle.
Paramount agrees to pause Warner Bros deal while case plays out
Reuters: Paramount agrees to pause Warner Bros deal while case plays out.
Trump says US and Iran are talking, but Tehran is not yet ready for deal
Reuters: Trump says US and Iran are talking, but Tehran is not yet ready for deal.
Trump orders signs outside Smithsonian history museum to correct what he calls 'inaccurate information'
Reuters: Trump orders signs outside Smithsonian history museum to correct what he calls 'inaccurate information'.
Trump says Venezuela is not ready for elections, but has made progress
Reuters: Trump says Venezuela is not ready for elections, but has made progress.
Market Snapshot
Latest completed sessions across the selected benchmark indexes.
| Index | Region | Session Date | Value | Change | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
S&P 500 | US | 2026-07-25 | 7411.98 | 3.68 (0.05%) | Up |
NASDAQ Composite | US | 2026-07-25 | 24975.82 | -161.87 (-0.64%) | Down |
Euronext 100 Index | Europe | 2026-07-25 | 1921.32 | 10.23 (0.54%) | Up |
Public Joint-Stock Company Moscow Exchange MICEX-RTS | Europe | 2026-07-25 | 85.20 | -0.11 (-0.13%) | Down |
HANG SENG INDEX | Asia | 2026-07-25 | 24963.23 | -247.58 (-0.98%) | Down |
Nikkei 225 | Asia | 2026-07-25 | 64611.15 | -1811.45 (-2.73%) | Down |
S&P BSE SENSEX | India | 2026-07-25 | 76059.77 | -331.62 (-0.43%) | Down |
Hacker News
Ten notable links from the last day in the Hacker News ecosystem.
Claude Opus 5
Opus 5 is a step change improvement for the Opus tier powering long-running agents while delivering improvements in coding and professional work.
Postgres LISTEN/NOTIFY actually scales
How we optimized Postgres LISTEN/NOTIFY-backed data streams at scale, achieving 60K writes per second on a single Postgres server with millisecond-scale latency.
Taylor Farms Called White House to Try to Delay Cyclospora Recall
wsj.com: Taylor Farms Called White House to Try to Delay Cyclospora Recall.
Opus 5 is currently #1 on Artificial Analysis Intelligence Leaderboard
Comparison and analysis of AI models across key performance metrics including quality, price, output speed, latency, context window & others.
Sperm Whales blow bubbles to achieve restful, vertical sleep
University of St Andrews News
My security camera shipped a GitHub admin token in its login page
i dissected some firmware for a Hanwha Wisenet XNP-9300RW and found that it had github admin tokens in it, also miltech is weird
If coding has been solved, why does software keep getting worse?
As I’m writing this, we’re in the middle of an AI-induced mass psychosis. People are literally token-maxxing themselves into hospital beds, scrambling to capture some of that market value before everything is automated away. I can’t blame them. Models keep getting better, programmers are being laid off left and right. We’ve been repeatedly told that AI will write 100% of the code by the end of the year. Whether that’s true or not, this may not be the best time to sit back.
Hannah Fry Wins the Leelavati Prize in 2026 for Mathematics Outreach
Hannah Fry is Professor of the Public Understanding of Mathematics in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP). She joined the University of Cambridge in January 2025, becoming the first person ever to hold the role.
Nvidia, Microsoft, Meta warn against overregulating open-weight models
Chinese open-weight models are gaining steam against leading offerings from American companies. OpenAI and Anthropic did not sign the letter.
Product Hunt
Featured products from the latest public Product Hunt listings.
Source Notes
Generation details, data coverage, and any partial-source warnings for this edition.