Reaches

• Chinese firms completed offshore mergers and acquisitions worth nearly $10 billion in the first quarter of 2026, marking a five-year high despite ongoing regulatory barriers. • Transactions targeted key sectors including resources, consumer goods, and manufacturing, as companies seek growth opportunities abroad. • The surge underscores China's push for global expansion amid domestic economic pressures and trade tensions.

• Syfe, a regional investment platform, announced it has reached $10 billion in assets under management, marking significant growth in the Asia-Pacific investment sector as of May 2026. • The platform reported a threefold increase in trading activity, driven by investors shifting away from US-only portfolios to explore broader geographic exposure and diversified investment strategies. • The milestone reflects growing investor appetite for digital wealth management solutions in Asia and indicates expanding confidence in regional investment opportunities beyond traditional US-focused strategies.

Facebook and Instagram owner claims charges should not be calculated based on a company’s global revenueMeta has launched a legal challenge against the UK’s media regulator over the fees and fines regime it is enforcing under landmark digital safety legislation.The Facebook and Instagram owner is claiming that Ofcom’s methodology for calculating the charges is flawed and should not be based on a company’s global revenue. Breaches of the Online Safety Act can be punished by fines of up to 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue (QWR) or £18m – depending which is higher. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Officials warn department will lose access to database of 26,000 verified cases by cutting fundingThe Foreign Office unit tracking potential breaches of international law by Israel in Gaza and more recently Lebanon has been closed because of cuts within the department, the Guardian can reveal.The decision to shut the international humanitarian law cell follows a review by Olly Robbins, the permanent secretary at the Foreign Office dismissed last week by the prime minister over the Peter Mandelson scandal. Continue reading...

Iran seizes two ships in critical waterway as Washington and Tehran maintain separate blockades. Plus, Jodi Kantor on how to find a career you loveGood morning.Iranian forces have seized two ships in the strait of Hormuz as the US and Iran doubled down on imposing separate blockades of the shipping waterway.What has Donald Trump said? The US president announced that the US would extend the ceasefire with Iran until the country’s leaders came up with a “unified proposal” to US negotiating positions amid Tehran’s “seriously fractured” government. He had earlier threatened to renew bombing. White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said Trump was “satisfied” with the US naval blockade of Iranian ports and “understands Iran is in a very weak position”.This is a developing story. Follow the liveblog here.Who took part in the debate? The primetime showdown, hosted by Nexstar Media Group, featured two Republicans – Steve Hilton, the former Fox News host and director of strategy to the former UK prime minister David Cameron, and Chad Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County – and the four leading Democrats: the billionaire Tom Steyer, the former health secretary Xavier Becerra, the former congresswoman Katie Porter and the San Jose mayor, Matt Mahan. Continue reading...

• S&P 500 futures rose 0.2% and the benchmark notched back-to-back record highs as growing speculation that a deal to end the US-Iran war is nearing prompts traders to take on more risk. • The index is on course for a third week of gains exceeding 3%, with the S&P up nearly 8% month to date, marking a stunning reversal following mounting signs of US-Iran deescalation. • The market rally reflects relief over potential resolution of the conflict that has roiled energy markets, with traders increasingly positioning for a ceasefire outcome.

• Intense fighting between Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces near Khartoum has displaced over 200,000 civilians in the past week and cut off humanitarian access to vast regions, according to UN agencies on April 7. • The UN warns of imminent famine conditions affecting 18 million people; water and sanitation infrastructure has collapsed in multiple cities, raising cholera and disease outbreak risks. • The US State Department called for an immediate ceasefire and pledged $50 million in emergency humanitarian assistance; neighboring countries report mounting refugee flows straining resources.

• NASA's Artemis II mission has reached a critical point of no return, with the Orion spacecraft performing its trans-lunar injection burn and now headed toward the Moon. • The mission represents a major milestone in NASA's efforts to return humans to lunar exploration after decades since the Apollo program. • Artemis II serves as a crucial test flight for the Space Launch System and Orion capsule before planned crewed lunar landings.