Meetings

• The Nikkei 225 is projected to trade within a pivotal range of 63,000 to 67,000 next week. • Market volatility is expected as investors weigh upcoming earnings reports from AI and semiconductor firms alongside policy meetings from the U.S. and Japanese central banks. • Global economic indicators, including China's manufacturing and non-manufacturing PMIs and the Eurozone's July CPI due on the 31st, will provide critical context for economic trends.

• Manila served as a diplomatic hub this week, hosting the four-day 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and Related Meetings. • The event featured approximately 120 bilateral engagements focused on critical issues, including regional security, the South China Sea, Myanmar, and various geopolitical conflicts. • DFA Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro stated that the gathering proved ASEAN's capacity to convene major global powers despite rising international tensions.

• Taliban Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi has criticized the international community for excluding the group from global meetings. • Hanafi argued that humanitarian aid provided to Afghanistan should be delivered based on need rather than being tied to political conditions. • The discussions focused on reviewing recent developments within Afghanistan and identifying methods to better support the Afghan population.

• U.S. and Iranian negotiators held separate meetings on Wednesday in Qatar, facilitated by mediators from Qatar and Pakistan. • Qatari officials reported that "positive progress" was made during these discussions, though the specific terms of the talks were not disclosed. • The meetings signify a diplomatic effort to bridge gaps between the two nations through third-party mediation.

• The FCM M&E 2026 Trends Report indicates that MICE planners continue to prioritize face-to-face meetings despite a heightened focus on risk management and logistics. • Safety and flexibility have become primary drivers in decision-making, with planners implementing stricter oversight of event security and operational agility. • There is a significant shift toward ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) goals, with an emphasis on environmentally conscious venues, waste management, and positive community impact.

In House committee transcript, commerce secretary denied any further contact with disgraced financierSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailThe US commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, told lawmakers in a closed-door interview earlier this month that he met Jeffrey Epstein only three times and had no “personal or professional relationship” with the disgraced financier, according to a newly released transcript of the meeting.“I unequivocally condemn the conduct attributed to Jeffrey Epstein and everyone who participated in his illegal activities,” Lutnick said in his opening statement before the House oversight and reform committee. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Varun Chandra’s talks with Google, Meta, Apple and others raise fears of ‘lobbying behind closed doors’An influential government adviser close to Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves held 16 undisclosed meetings with top US tech executives, the Guardian can reveal.The No 10 business aide Varun Chandra discussed regulatory changes, AI and Donald Trump’s second administration with tech corporations during confidential meetings between October 2024 and October 2025. In one meeting he offered to help a top executive meet the prime minister directly. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Two ‘intimate conversations’ held with writers, directors and producers, with a third due in JuneNato is holding closed-door meetings with film and TV screenwriters, directors and producers across Europe and the US, the Guardian can reveal, prompting accusations the alliance is seeking to use the arts to generate “propaganda” for the bloc.The alliance has held three meetings with film and TV professionals in Los Angeles, Brussels and Paris and is due to continue its “series of intimate conservations” next month in London, meeting with screenwriter members of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB), which represents professional writers in the UK. Continue reading...

• Finance ministers and central bank governors gathered in Washington for IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings are confronting an unprecedented global energy shock caused by the Iran war and Strait of Hormuz closure, according to IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. • Georgieva warned that "there will be no neat and clean return to the status quo ante," indicating long-term economic impacts regardless of ceasefire outcomes or efforts to reopen shipping routes. • The energy crisis is already affecting hundreds of millions of people globally, with decisions made at the meetings regarding resource allocation and emergency funding expected to have tangible impacts on livelihoods in the coming weeks.

• Anthropic postponed releasing Claude Mythos, an AI excelling at coding and vulnerability scanning, following high-level meetings with US financial regulators. • Mythos demonstrated ability to chain unknown security flaws in software at unprecedented speed, sparking 'agent-to-agent war' concerns in cyberspace. • Partners like Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Cisco, CrowdStrike, and JPMorgan Chase received restricted previews under Project Glasswing.