Signs

• Microsoft has signed a multi-billion dollar deal to invest in and expand the computing infrastructure of French startup Mistral AI across Europe. • The agreement allows Microsoft Azure customers to develop software using Mistral's data centers located in France. • This partnership provides Microsoft with increased capacity in Europe and offers regulated industries a critical alternative to U.S.-controlled AI infrastructure.

• Hungary's president has signed a law change that officially ends his term in office. • The move is part of a broader effort by current leader Magyar to dismantle the power structures established by former Prime Minister Viktor Orban. • Magyar claims a strong democratic mandate for these changes following a landslide victory over the right-wing leader in the April elections.

• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has indicated a potential cabinet reshuffle following the resignation of Jens Spahn as parliamentary leader. • The departure of Spahn, a top figure within the CDU, increases political pressure on the ruling conservative party. • This leadership instability comes at a critical time as the government prepares for upcoming key regional elections.

• Liverpool is reportedly monitoring 25-year-old French midfielder Manu Kone, who is currently linked with a move from Roma. • Roma is seeking a transfer fee of approximately £47 million, though Liverpool faces stiff competition from Premier League rivals Manchester United and Chelsea. • Kone has requested that his agent suspend all transfer negotiations until after the conclusion of the World Cup to resolve his future.

• Hungary's president signed a constitutional amendment into law on Saturday that officially ends his term in office. • The move resolves a political dispute between the president and the country's new government, which had been attempting to oust him. • This action is part of a broader effort by the current administration to purge officials appointed during the tenure of former leader Viktor Orban.

Jens Spahn had criticised ‘rented wombs’ and his party is strongly opposed to surrogacy, which is banned in GermanyA senior German politician and key ally of chancellor Friedrich Merz has resigned as chair of the Christian Democrat (CDU) party after he and his husband used a surrogate mother to become parents, a practice he has criticised in the past and his party is vehemently opposed to.Surrogacy is banned in Germany, a policy Jens Spahn refused to relax when he was health minister in 2020, so he and his husband, Daniel Funke, used a surrogate mother in the US. Continue reading...

• The U.S. AI industry faces potential instability as Chinese AI models rapidly advance, threatening the dominance of American firms and the sustainability of high-spending investment cycles. • Technological shifts are emerging, with MIT developing electronic-photonic integration to drastically reduce data-center power consumption and enable petabit-speed chips, prompting heavy investment from Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom. • Market volatility is evident as IBM stock plummeted 25% following a warning of weaker Q2 revenue, raising concerns about a broader AI bubble burst.