🇺🇸 A federal arts commission approved a modified plan Thursday for President Donald Trump’s proposed arch along the Potomac River.

While similar to the original concept, the altered design removes a platform below the arch and tunnel access to the site. At Trump’s request, the plan to build large golden sculptures atop the arch was retained, while the designers selected granite for the surface stone.

The 250-foot triumphal arch — which would stand 166 feet tall without the statue — is one of several projects the Trump administration has undertaken to remodel Washington at the president’s personal direction.

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🇨🇦 Alberta Calls Vote on Oil-Rich Region’s Future in Canada

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she’ll call a referendum on whether the energy-rich province should stay in Canada or start a legal process that could eventually lead to its independence. The vote will be held Oct. 19.

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🇦🇺 Australia to Weigh Biofuel Mandates to Boost Domestic Supply

The Australian government is planning to open consultation on introducing mandates for biofuels as part of a plan to boost energy security, lower transport emissions and take advantage of the nation’s billion-dollar agricultural industry.

A consultation for potential demand measures to support lower-emission fuels will begin soon, a spokesperson for Transport Minister Catherine King said, with the government looking to draw on international policies to inform their own measures.

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⚡️🇺🇸 Kevin Warsh has officially been sworn in as Chair of the Federal Reserve

"I expect he will go down as one of the truly great Chairman of the Federal Reserves that we've ever had." - President Donald J. Trump

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🇺🇸 US to build first quantum wafer foundry with IBM to scale next-gen computing

The United States is moving to build its first dedicated quantum wafer foundry through a new partnership between IBM and the U.S. Department of Commerce, marking a push to scale quantum computing from lab research to industrial manufacturing.

The initiative centers on a new company called Anderon, which will operate as a pure-play quantum foundry based in Albany, New York. The project will receive $1 billion in CHIPS Act incentives from the Department of Commerce, while IBM will invest another $1 billion in cash along with intellectual property, manufacturing assets, and technical workforce support.

The goal is to create a 300-millimeter quantum wafer fabrication platform capable of producing hardware for multiple quantum technology companies. IBM said Anderon will support superconducting qubit wafers and related electronics, with plans to expand into additional quantum computing architectures in the future.

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🧑‍⚖️🇺🇸 Integrating Financial Technology Innovation into Regulatory Frameworks — an executive order that President Donald Trump issued on May 19, 2026.

📌 Worth paying attention to:

🟠Section 1. Policy. The United States is a global leader in financial innovation, driven in part by the rapid growth of financial technology (fintech) firms. These firms provide innovative services and solutions that enhance access to financial products and services and create economic opportunity for all Americans. To foster this financial innovation, the Federal Government must update regulations to allow integration of digital assets and innovative technology into traditional financial services and payment systems.

❗️It is therefore the policy of the United States to streamline regulatory processes, reduce unnecessary barriers to entry, and encourage collaboration between fintech firms, federally regulated financial institutions, and Federal financial regulators.

➡️ Within 90 days of the date of this order, the head of each Federal financial regulator shall conduct a review of existing regulations, guidance, supervisory practices, and application processes to identify those that could be updated to facilitate innovation, and competition to financial products and services for fintech firms, particularly those that are small and emerging. The reviews shall identify regulations, guidance documents, orders, no-action letters, and other items that unduly impede fintech firms from entering into partnerships with federally regulated institutions.

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⚡️🇪🇺🇲🇽 EU clinches new trade deal with Mexico to bolster its foothold in Latin America

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa signed an updated trade deal with Mexico on Friday. The deal was signed at an EU–Mexico summit in Mexico.

"The EU and Mexico are committed to a close strategic partnership," — von der Leyen said, adding: "Today’s modernised Agreements set out our shared vision of the future and will deliver many benefits for both sides." 🤝

The EU–Mexico trade deal strengthens the EU’s diversification strategy by updating a 20-year-old agreement that had already eliminated tariff barriers on bilateral trade.

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⚡️ SEC delays tokenized asset exemption amid concerns over third-party tokens

The SEC has delayed its plan for an anticipated exemption that would clarify the agency's stance on tokenized assets, following concerns over third-party issuers.

➡️ Over the past few days, the SEC staff has held discussions with stock exchange officials and market participants and is weighing their feedback. A particular sticking point has been "so-called third-party tokens, which would be issued without the backing or consent of the public companies involved."

❗️A concern among several former regulators is guaranteeing that tokenized assets carry the same rights as regulated securities, such as dividends and voting rights. Former regulators have said it is unclear how firms can fulfill those obligations since tokens can change hands through blockchain networks.

SEC Chair Paul Atkins has said the agency will soon debut its proposed innovation exemption that could function as a regulatory sandbox for onchain equities.

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🔋 Google rolls out Gemini Omni Flash for autonomous video creation across apps

Google has started rolling out Gemini Omni Flash, its new multimodal AI model that can generate and edit videos using text, images, audio and video inputs. YouTube Shorts and the YouTube Create app are among the first platforms where Omni Flash capabilities are being introduced.

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🇰🇷 South Korea to review scrapping crypto tax plan after national petition hits 50,000 signatures

South Korean legislators are set to review the possible abolition of the crypto tax plan scheduled to take effect next year, after a national petition surpassed the required number of signatures.

❗️Currently, South Korea is set to levy a 22% tax on crypto income exceeding the 2.5 million Korean won ($1,650) threshold. This tax program has already been delayed three times due to controversy over fairness and underdeveloped infrastructure.

📑 On Thursday, the petition seeking to repeal the planned crypto tax reached the required 50,000 signatures at around 11:23 a.m. local time. This came eight days after the petition was submitted to the National Assembly. Under the rules of South Korea's national petition program, the motion was referred to a legislative committee on Thursday.

"The issue is not simply a debate over tax rates," — the petitioner wrote in the translated motion. "It is fundamentally a question of how the government views and plans to nurture the future of the financial industry and digital assets."

In the motion, the anonymous petitioner argued that taxing gains from cryptocurrencies is unfair for investors, especially after South Korea abolished income taxes on traditional financial investments, such as stocks and bonds.

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🏛 Meta quietly released a new Reddit-like app called Forum

Meta has quietly released a new standalone app for Facebook Groups, called “Forum.” The company seems to be positioning Forum as a platform that functions similarly to Reddit, describing the app as a “dedicated space built for deeper discussions, real answers and communities you care about.”

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⚡️ Rubio to Meet India’s Modi With Energy, Trade Ties in Focus

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, with energy security high on the agenda. Ahead of the visit, Rubio said Washington was prepared to supply more energy to the world’s most-populous nation.

#BRICS

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💸 SoftBank donates $50M to Trump’s presidential library

Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group recently donated $50 million to the Trump presidential library and foundation. The donation from SoftBank is one of the largest known gifts to the fund.

One of the president’s sons, Eric Trump, and one of his sons-in-law, Michael Boulos, recently established a nonprofit to support the library fund. More than $37 million from lawsuits involving ABC News and Meta Platforms, as well as tens of millions of leftover inauguration funds, are expected to fund construction of the complex.

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🇺🇸 Trump posted on Truth Social.

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🧑‍⚖️ Class-action price-fixing lawsuit targets hard drive component makers as costs skyrocket

A class-action lawsuit was filed against nearly every major hard drive suspension assembly maker, alleging that said companies' price-fixing efforts resulted in higher drive prices for resellers and end users. The documents were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and name two groups of defendants, one related to TDK Corporation and the other to NHK Spring.

The assemblies produced by these firms are reportedly found in 97% of worldwide HDDs, so it's reasonable enough to assume drives from all major HDD brands are covered by this lawsuit — to wit, Seagate, Western Digital, and Toshiba.

The price-fixing scheme allegedly ran from January 2003 to December 31, 2016, raising hard drive manufacturing prices, which were then passed on to customers. Should the lawsuit succeed, U.S. resellers and end users who purchased hard drives or computers including them could be eligible for monetary compensation.

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🇯🇵🇨🇳 Japan’s Akazawa Says He Spoke Briefly With China Commerce Minister

Japanese Trade Minister Ryosei Akazawa and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao had a brief chat on Friday, the first ministerial-level exchange of words between the two nations since a diplomatic standoff started in November.

#BRICS

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