Indonesia's 7.7 earthquake turns rescue into a race against isolation

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Nine other stories

• Nvidia is considering up to $3 billion for an OpenAI data-centre buildout. Reuters reported that Nvidia is in talks to invest in SB Energy, a SoftBank subsidiary developing a planned Ohio campus for OpenAI. The proposal sits inside discussions over roughly $100 billion in credit support; the Information said half the investment could come when the project is signed and half alongside SB Energy's possible IPO. Reuters could not independently verify the report, and the companies did not immediately comment. 3
• Anthropic's possible IPO is being priced against a very distant forecast. Two sources told Reuters that the AI company is projecting roughly $190 billion to $200 billion of 2028 revenue, compared with a run rate above $47 billion disclosed in May. Bankers are using forward revenue multiples because Anthropic is still spending heavily on GPUs, model training, inference and hiring. That makes the figure a financing assumption, not a booked order or a confirmed valuation. 4
• Japan's defence minister visited Yasukuni Shrine, reopening a regional historical dispute. Shinjiro Koizumi visited on the 81st anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War Two; China's foreign ministry said it had lodged a strong protest, while South Korea expressed deep regret. The shrine honours Japan's war dead but also includes 14 wartime leaders convicted of the most serious war crimes. 5
• The Taliban marked five years in power while Afghanistan's humanitarian squeeze worsened. A military parade outside the former U.S. embassy in Kabul presented the anniversary as a victory over Western intervention. The government remains internationally unrecognised except by Russia, 2.5 million Afghan girls are barred from secondary school and university, and the International Rescue Committee says the number of people needing aid has risen by 3.5 million since 2021 as foreign assistance shrinks. 6
• The EU sent aircraft to Belgium's largest recorded wildfire. By 1600 GMT, the fire in the High Fens had spread to 2,700 hectares from 1,600 earlier on Saturday. The EU deployed three helicopters and two water-bomber aircraft from the Czech Republic, Sweden and the Netherlands, while villages, tourists and a children's camp were evacuated. The response comes during Europe's fifth heatwave of the summer, when dry conditions allow fires to spread faster. 7
• Hurricane Lala closed airports and ports as it neared Hawaii's Big Island. The storm strengthened from a tropical storm into a Category 1 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. Officials warned of heavy rain, dangerous surf and local flooding; Hawaii's transport department said it was closing Hilo and Kona airports and commercial ports on several islands. 8
• Peru's growth slowed as El Niño hit farms and fisheries. The economy expanded 1.75% in June from a year earlier, down from 1.8% in May. Farming activity fell 8% and fishing 52%, while manufacturing shrank by more than 6% and mining by more than 2%; the government still raised its 2026 growth forecast to 3.5% from 3.2%. The data arrives as President Keiko Fujimori's government uses short-term fuel subsidies to ease protests over rising costs. 9
• South Korea dismissed the trade envoy who handled its most sensitive U.S. talks. The Industry Ministry gave no reason for removing Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo and has not named a replacement. Yeo had travelled to Washington several times this year to discuss tariffs, chip measures and digital policy; the ministry said pending trade work would continue without disruption. The personnel change comes while Seoul is still managing its economic relationship with Washington. 10
• Kalshi and Nevada are fighting over whether prediction contracts belong under gaming law. Nevada's regulator sought daily penalties of $120,000 over Kalshi's alleged failure to comply with a geofencing order. State investigators said they completed nine trades through the mobile app in Nevada after a court deadline; Kalshi said it had hired GeoComply and that investigators misrepresented their residences or bypassed its blocks. A Nevada judge issued a preliminary injunction in April barring the contracts without a state gaming licence. 11

Quote of the day

"The quake was massive, the shock was so strong."

— Nona, a resident of Talibura, quoted by Reuters. 1

Further reading

• Iran's oil exports stall and Kharg Island idles under US blockade — The Financial Times traces how tanker movements, storage capacity and the Strait of Hormuz negotiations translate a naval blockade into pressure on Iran's oil revenue.
• The most difficult dilemma — FT Unhedged examines why geopolitics, climate and energy shocks leave central banks balancing inflation against weaker growth.