Kicks

• George Clooney was honored as the Venice Film Festival commenced, providing a rare high-profile American presence at the event. • The festival faced a significant lack of participation from major Hollywood studios, as well as streaming giants Amazon and Netflix. • This trend follows a pattern of American industry avoidance, with major studios also snubbing the Berlin and Cannes festivals earlier this year.

• Tech stocks in Asian markets are expected to rally following Nvidia's positive earnings forecast, which addressed concerns regarding AI spending and circular funding. • Key economic data is due today, including Chinese industrial profits, Australian data, and interest rate decisions in South Korea and the Philippines. • The Philippines is expected to raise interest rates by 25 basis points, moving from 4.75% to 5%, while Thailand's Bank of Thailand recently held rates at 1%.

• European compliance startups are scaling up as the European Commission’s AI Act enforcement begins, with full implementation of certain mandates set for August 2, 2026. • Key players include Paris-based Rippletide, founded in 2024, which is building infrastructure to make enterprise AI agents more predictable and auditable through explicit decision rules. • Outpost is also gaining traction, having raised €15 million in March to help merchants manage regulatory changes and absorb audit risks.

• India achieved its most successful international judo performance at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, securing multiple medals. • Harsh Singh made history as the first Indian male judoka to win a Commonwealth Games title, defeating Australian Olympian Joshua Katz in the men's 60kg final. • Yamini Mourya earned a silver medal in the women's 57kg division, while Unnati Sharma opened the competition with a dominant victory.

• Defending champions Vietnam will begin their title defense for the Asean Hyundai Cup 2026 this Friday, July 24. • Led by coach Kim Sang-sik, the Vietnamese squad will face qualifiers Timor-Leste in their opening Group A match held in Chonburi. • The tournament features a competitive field including teams from Cambodia, Singapore, and Indonesia, marking a significant regional football event.

• Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is exploring a new funding round only one month after its first external fundraising effort. • The company has begun preparations for an IPO in mainland China, with a potential filing in late 2026 and a target listing date in 2027. • DeepSeek is targeting a valuation of $70.9 billion to support massive capital requirements for proprietary data centers and in-house AI inference chips.

• Americans are celebrating the 250th anniversary of independence this Saturday, with major festivities centered in Washington, D.C. • Severe weather, including lightning and extreme heat, forced the City of Annapolis to cancel its Independence Day parade and the U.S. Naval Academy Electric Brigade concert. • Despite these cancellations, the Annapolis fireworks show remains scheduled for 9:15 p.m., though officials warned of potential delays depending on storm development.