Powerful earthquake strikes southern Japan; dozens reported missing; In China, a sober-curious generation challenges a business...
News and markets
- Global headlines: Powerful earthquake strikes southern Japan; dozens reported missing (There are reports of at least one fatality after the 7.1-magnitude quake on the island of Kyushu. Nearly 50,000 homes were left without power); In China, a sober-curious generation challenges a business culture of heavy drinking (Alcohol has been a fixture of professional and social life in China for decades, but a new generation is resisting pressure to drink excessively — or at all); and Russia closes window for dissent as Ukraine’s attacks stir public dismay (Moscow is coming under increasing pressure over Kyiv’s relentless drone strikes. Ukraine’s president is due to meet in Washington with President Donald Trump on Tuesday).
- Markets leaned lower, with 4 of 7 tracked indexes down; Nikkei 225 down 1.97% 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: More Tailscale tricks for your jailbroken Kindle (Community updates make Tailscale on a jailbroken Kindle more useful, with Tailscale SSH, proxy modes for KOReader, and full TUN mode on...); Codex Security (SDKs and CLI for Codex Security. Contribute to openai/codex-security development by creating an account on GitHub); and LearnVector – Andrew Ng's AI company building one‑to‑one learning experiences (A new AI company from Andrew Ng, with a $100M investment from Coursera — building one-to-one learning that stays with you until you).
- Product Hunt features Lottie Creator 2.0 (After Effects for the web, built on Lottie), EasyCircuit (Hardware prototyping, as simple as vibe-coding), and Liminal (A workspace & 2nd brain for you, your agent, and your team).
Global Headlines
Top stories across selected outlets, presented in a fast daily brief format.
Powerful earthquake strikes southern Japan; dozens reported missing
There are reports of at least one fatality after the 7.1-magnitude quake on the island of Kyushu. Nearly 50,000 homes were left without power.
In China, a sober-curious generation challenges a business culture of heavy drinking
Alcohol has been a fixture of professional and social life in China for decades, but a new generation is resisting pressure to drink excessively — or at all.
Russia closes window for dissent as Ukraine’s attacks stir public dismay
Moscow is coming under increasing pressure over Kyiv’s relentless drone strikes. Ukraine’s president is due to meet in Washington with President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
Bridge connecting Canada and U.S. opens after Trump tried to block it
The Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, is crucial to trade.
Zelensky is first foreign leader to visit Burnham, U.K.’s new prime minister
The meeting at a British naval base where Ukrainian military personnel are being trained highlighted ongoing support for Kyiv against Russia.
Israel kills Palestinian, destroys mosque in Gaza
Israeli settlers also attack a Palestinian family in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.
OpenAI’s rogue agent hacked an account at a second technology firm: Report
The latest hack comes after an autonomous agent escaped a controlled test and accessed AI firm Hugging Face’s servers.
Saudi Arabia, US carry out strikes on Iran-backed groups in Iraq
Riyadh says its targeted attacks were done in coordination with the US military.
After fleeing Sudan’s war, refugees battle thirst in Chad’s camps
After escaping war and atrocities, families now battle water shortages and fading hopes of returning home.
Turkiye takes ‘historic step’ on energy alliance with Iraq
Ankara could receive 1 million barrels per day of Iraqi oil after Turkish Petroleum stake in BP-run Kirkuk oilfield.
FIFA has a new plan to raise billions of dollars: Selling stakes in the World Cup
FIFA has a complex plan to sell chunks of its commercial rights to the World Cup to minority investors, including a firm run by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner.
As Spain battles wildfires, its politicians battle over climate change's role
Crews are still battling wildfires that broke out last week and have burned nearly 200,000 acres across Spain. The country is bracing for another round of extreme heat, with temperatures expected to top 100 degrees Fahrenheit starting Wednesday.
Artist Betye Saar, who used repurposed objects to reclaim identity, has died at 99
Saar told NPR in 2006, "I'm the kind of person who recycles materials, but I also recycle emotions and feelings." She died days away from her 100th birthday.
Keiko Fujimori is inaugurated as Peru's president following a narrow election victory
The 51-year-old daughter of the late former President Alberto Fujimori, Peru's new conservative leader has pledged to fight crime with an "iron fist."
As many are priced out of buying, the renter-owner wealth gap is wider than ever
Record high housing costs have pushed the wealth gap between renters and owners wider than ever. It's been a boon for owners even as many others are priced out.
Trump touts 'friendly' talks with Tehran
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that "very friendly negotiations" with Iran were underway and touted the US Navy's "good blockade", even as Tehran warned that a continuous naval blockade would amount to an expansion of the war.
EU nations cooperate on major drug seizures
Law enforcement officers from Italy, Portugal, and Spain hope to have more success in their fight against international drug smugglers, after a collaborative effort resulted in the interception of a high-speed boat in the Atlantic Ocean, and the seizure of 2.6 metric tons of cocaine.
Letters sent across seas; hearts united across cultures
Chinese hit film Dear You made its North American premiere on Sunday in New York, where its portrayal of family, memory and human connection resonated with audiences across languages and cultures.
Bolt from the blue
Editor's note: In this weekly feature China Daily gives voice to Asia and its people. The stories presented come mainly from the Asia News Network (ANN), of which China Daily is among its 20 leading titles.
Experts applaud China's quest for fairer global governance
Experts have responded with enthusiasm to China's vision of a United Nations-centered world in which geopolitical tensions are eased, protectionism is countered, and unilateralism discouraged.
Rajya Sabha MP moves Supreme Court against use of facial recognition technology at NEET protests
Rajya Sabha MP A.A. Rahim petitions the Supreme Court against facial recognition technology used on NEET protestors, citing constitutional concerns.
NEET violence: Supreme Court debates yet to detail if Delhi Police kept Home Ministry in the loop
Supreme Court examines Delhi Police's communication with MHA amid NEET-UG protest violence, highlighting political influence on law enforcement.
Meta apologises for removing Modi’s Facebook video addressing students
Meta apologises for mistakenly removing PM Modi's Facebook video, which has now been restored after an automated error.
Tamil Nadu CM Vijay seeks PM Modi’s intervention in Mekedatu issue
Tamil Nadu CM Vijay requests PM Modi's intervention on Mekedatu project, urging respect for legal rights of lower riparian States.
Release all minors held over student protests: Supreme Court
Supreme Court considers independent investigation into police violence against students during NEET protest amid calls for accountability.
EXCLUSIVE: Iran to get Chinese shoulder-launched missile systems in weeks, sources say
Reuters: EXCLUSIVE: Iran to get Chinese shoulder-launched missile systems in weeks, sources say.
US, Saudis attack Iran-backed groups in Iraq, threatening to intensify conflict
Reuters: US, Saudis attack Iran-backed groups in Iraq, threatening to intensify conflict.
Japan quake toll rises to 13 as rescuers haul people from collapsed mall
Reuters: Japan quake toll rises to 13 as rescuers haul people from collapsed mall.
US military says US, Saudi forces struck sites of Iran-backed groups in Iraq
Reuters: US military says US, Saudi forces struck sites of Iran-backed groups in Iraq.
Meta's Zuckerberg warns against curbs on Chinese AI models, FT reports
Reuters: Meta's Zuckerberg warns against curbs on Chinese AI models, FT reports.
Market Snapshot
Latest completed sessions across the selected benchmark indexes.
| Index | Region | Session Date | Value | Change | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
S&P 500 | US | 2026-07-29 | 7428.78 | 15.60 (0.21%) | Up |
NASDAQ Composite | US | 2026-07-29 | 24876.91 | -55.17 (-0.22%) | Down |
Euronext 100 Index | Europe | 2026-07-29 | 1904.55 | -0.49 (-0.03%) | Down |
Public Joint-Stock Company Moscow Exchange MICEX-RTS | Europe | 2026-07-29 | 85.20 | -0.11 (-0.13%) | Down |
HANG SENG INDEX | Asia | 2026-07-29 | 25653.21 | 342.36 (1.35%) | Up |
Nikkei 225 | Asia | 2026-07-29 | 61135.93 | -1228.99 (-1.97%) | Down |
S&P BSE SENSEX | India | 2026-07-29 | 77628.84 | 862.92 (1.12%) | Up |
Hacker News
Ten notable links from the last day in the Hacker News ecosystem.
More Tailscale tricks for your jailbroken Kindle
Community updates make Tailscale on a jailbroken Kindle more useful, with Tailscale SSH, proxy modes for KOReader, and full TUN mode on some devices. Plus: plugins for Kobo and Pocket Reader.
Codex Security
SDKs and CLI for Codex Security. Contribute to openai/codex-security development by creating an account on GitHub.
LearnVector – Andrew Ng's AI company building one‑to‑one learning experiences
A new AI company from Andrew Ng, with a $100M investment from Coursera — building one-to-one learning that stays with you until you
Transformer Transformer: A Unified Model for Motion-Conditioned Robot Co-Design
Transformer Transformer: A Unified Model for Motion-Conditioned Robot Co-design. Project website.
Show HN: I was tired of opening 2 tabs for every HN link, so I made a userscript
A lightweight userscript that adds Hacker News discussions to any article. - twalichiewicz/HNewhere
Half-Life ported to Mac OS 9
Tips and tricks to help keep your Mac OS 9/Early Mac OS computers usable today. Software downloads, guides, hacks and news.
Substack writers, you need a website
Substack is convenient, but treat it as a distribution tool for your content. Your content should live on an independently owned website, which has a domain name you control and own. This way, you …
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.