Daily Strategic Briefing

The inside story of the Telemessage saga, and how you can view the data

It turns out no one was clean on OPSEC DEF CON  On Saturday at DEF CON, security boffin Micah Lee explained just how he hacked into TeleMessage, the supposedly secure messaging app used by White House officials, which in turn led to a massive database dump of their communications.…

The dead need right to delete their data so they can't be AI-ified, lawyer says

Not everyone wants to be simulated after they're gone People die but their data may endure, which troubles legal scholar Victoria Haneman.…

The International Obfuscated C Code Contest is back for 2024

Yes, 2024 – the prizes in the 40th anniversary edition prizes were just awarded The IOCCC, as it's familiarly known, is back after a four-year gap, giving the entrants more time to come up with some remarkably devious code.…

UK unveils plans to 'transform' the consumer smart meter experience

Does 40 quid from the supplier sound all right for waiting over 6 weeks for a fix? The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero plans "tough new obligations" for energy suppliers to boost the long-delayed and heavily over-budget UK rollout of smart meters, while promising better support for those who have already received such a device.…

Humans make better content cops than AI, but cost 40x more

To keep toxic content from damaging brands, both people and machines have a place Human content moderators still outperform AI when it comes to recognizing policy-violating material, but they also cost significantly more.…

Sam Altman addresses ‘bumpy’ GPT-5 rollout, bringing 4o back, and the ‘chart crime’

Summary:

The Reddit AMA got spicy as users peppered OpenAI with questions, and some asked the company to bring back its previous model.

RIP, Microsoft Lens, a simple little app that’s getting replaced by AI

Summary:

Microsoft is killing Lens, a handy mobile scanning app with over 90 million downloads.

Former Googlers’ AI startup OpenArt now creates ‘brain rot’ videos in just one click

Summary:

OpenArt launched a new feature to help creators make AI-generated brain rot videos.

Don’t let your competitor steal the brand spotlight — secure your exhibit table at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

Summary:

For 20 years, startups have come to TechCrunch Disrupt to meet their first investors, land their biggest partnerships, and spark the idea that takes them to the next level.

NASA and Google are building an AI medical assistant to keep Mars-bound astronauts healthy

Summary:

The multimodal tool, which includes speech, text, and images, runs inside Google Cloud’s Vertex AI environment.

Jeh Aerospace secures $11M in Series A funding led by Elevation Capital

The aerospace manufacturing startup plans to use the funds to build mega factories and advance software-defined manufacturing for reliable, scalable production.

Thala approved: MS Dhoni backs House of Biryan to take personalised biryani global

House of Biryan plans to use the capital backing from MS Dhoni to expand globally, targeting 120+ kitchens across global markets with a revenue goal of Rs 450–550 crore over the next three years.

Deeptech startup SixSense bags $8.5M from Peak XV, others

The Singapore-based company has developed an AI-powered platform aimed at improving efficiency and reducing errors in semiconductor manufacturing.

Renee Cosmetics raises $30M in series C round at $200M valuation

Ahmedabad-based Renee Cosmetics said it plans to expand its product portfolio, scale omnichannel presence across Tier I and Tier II cities and strengthen marketing and tech stack from the latest funding.

The Sleep Company raises Rs 480 Cr in a mix of primary and secondary round

The Sleep Company will use the funding to scale manufacturing, expand in metro and Tier 1 cities, strengthen its team, and develop new comfort-tech categories.

Top Mutual Funds Bet on Bikaji Foods

Mutual funds holding in Bikaji Foods International analyzed for insights. Source: Live Mint

Infosys Allots 97,651 Shares Under ESOP, Share Capital Hits ₹20,77 Cr

Infosys allotted 97,651 equity shares under ESOP/ESPS, raising share capital to ₹20,77,18,51,395. Allotment includes 5,766 shares under 2015 Plan, 91,885 under Expanded Stock Ownership Program 2019. Source: BSE

Relstruct Posts ₹33.8 Cr Loss; DHFL Loan Now with Piramal Capital

Relstruct Buildcon's board approved FY25 standalone financials; auditor noted overdue loans. Firm reported Rs. 33.8 cr net loss; Rs. 380.3 cr DHFL loan now with Piramal Capital. Source: ScoutQuest

AU Small Finance Bank Gets RBI Nod to Join Scheduled Banks

RBI grants AU Small Finance Bank approval to become a scheduled bank. Source: ScoutQuest

Relstruct Buildcon to Review FY25 Results on June 11

Relstruct Buildcon schedules board meeting on June 11, 2025, at 2:30 PM. Agenda includes approval of standalone audited financial results for FY ending March 31, 2025. Source: BSE

China Producer Prices Extend 34-Month Deflation Streak

Country: China, Description: China’s producer prices fell 3.6% year-on-year in July 2025, matching June’s pace and exceeding market expectations for a 3.3% decline. This marked the 34th consecutive month of producer deflation, remaining at the sharpest drop since July 2023, amid persistently shaky domestic demand and a fragile trade truce with the U.S. Production material costs continued to slide (-4.3% vs -4.4% in June), with deeper contractions in mining (-14.0% vs -13.2%), raw materials (-5.4% vs -5.5%), and processing (-3.1% vs -3.2%). Simultaneously, consumer goods prices remained weak (-1.6% vs - 1.4%), weighed down by food (-1.8% vs -2.0%), clothing (-0.1% vs 0.1%), and durable goods (-3.5% vs -2.7%) while prices of daily-use goods rose more slowly (0.6% vs 0.8%). In the first seven months of 2025, factory-gate prices shrank 2.9%. Month-on-month, the PPI declined 0.2%, slowing from a 0.4% fall in the preceding four months and marking the softest pace in five months.

China Food Prices Drop the Most in 5 Months

Country: China, Description: China’s food prices fell 1.6% year-on-year in July 2025, widening from a 0.3% drop in June and marking the sixth consecutive monthly decline. It marked the steepest decrease since February, driven by a sharper fall in fresh vegetable prices (-7.6% vs -0.4% in June) and eggs (-11.2% vs -7.7%). Pork prices also declined at a faster pace (-9.5% vs -8.5%), reflecting weak end-market demand and high government inventories in the first half of the year. At the same time, costs continued to decline for cooking oils (-1.4% vs -1.8%) and milk (-1.3% vs -1.1%), while fresh fruit prices rose more slowly (2.8% vs 6.1%).

China CPI Beats Forecasts

Country: China, Description: China’s consumer prices were flat from a year earlier in July 2025, surpassing market expectations for a 0.1% drop and following a 0.1% gain in the previous month. Non-food prices picked up (0.3% vs 0.1% in June), supported by Beijing’s consumer goods subsidies, with further increases in housing (0.1% vs 0.1%), clothing (1.7% vs 1.6%), healthcare (0.5% vs 0.4%), and education (0.9% vs 1.0%). At the same time, transport cost fell at a slower pace (-3.1% vs -3.7%). On the food side, prices dropped at a steeper rate (-1.6% vs -0.3%), marking the strongest fall in five months. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and fuel prices, rose 0.8% yoy, the highest reading in 17 months and after a 0.7% gain in June. On a monthly basis, the CPI rose 0.4% in July, slightly above forecasts of 0.3% and reversing a 0.1% decline in June. This marked the highest monthly inflation since January, partly due to recent extreme weather, including heavy downpours.

Colombia Inflation Rises to 4.9% in July, Beating Forecasts

Country: Colombia, Description: Colombia’s annual inflation rate rose to 4.9% in July 2025, up from 4.82% in June and above market expectations of 4.81%. The main upward pressure came from notable increases in food (+4.94% vs. +4.31%), health (+5.36% vs. +5.20%), transportation (+5.36% vs. +5.27%), and restaurants and hotels (+7.59% vs. +7.44%). In contrast, housing costs rose at a slower pace (+4.95% vs. +5.23%), while education prices maintained the same annual increase (+7.56%). On a monthly basis, consumer prices advanced 0.28% in July, exceeding the 0.19% forecast but easing from the 0.31% gain recorded in June.

Crypto currencies

Country: Crypto, Description: A strong session for Ether, which posted a 2.80% increase.

White House weighs inviting Zelensky to Trump-Putin summit

Summary: The potential addition would shift the planned bilateral Alaska meeting to include Ukraine's president amid European diplomatic pressure., Description: The White House is actively considering inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to join the Trump-Putin summit scheduled for August 15 in Alaska, according to multiple senior U.S. officials and sources familiar with internal discussions. This potential development comes just one day after President Donald Trump announced his plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss...

States shield consumers from data center electricity costs

Summary: More than a dozen states enacted regulations requiring tech giants to pay their fair share of power infrastructure costs., Description: States are scrambling to shield consumers from rising electricity bills driven by the explosive growth of energy-hungry data centers, with more than a dozen enacting new regulations to ensure tech giants pay their fair share of power costs. The surge in data centers supporting artificial intelligence and cloud computing has driven electricity demand to record levels, pushing up bills for...

Iran hides surviving nuclear scientists after Israeli strikes

Summary: Over 30 researchers were killed in June operations, forcing Tehran to relocate survivors to safe houses with enhanced security., Description: Iran has relocated its surviving nuclear scientists to secure locations following devastating Israeli operations in June that eliminated more than 30 researchers, according to intelligence sources and security officials. The unprecedented move comes as Tehran scrambles to protect what remains of its nuclear expertise after suffering catastrophic losses during the 12-day conflict with...

Iran threatens to block Trump's new transit corridor

Summary: Tehran vowed military action against the 43-kilometer route linking Azerbaijan and Armenia, calling it a threat to regional security., Description: Iran has vowed to block a US-backed transit corridor linking Azerbaijan and Armenia, threatening military action against a key component of a peace deal brokered by President Donald Trump at the White House. Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned Saturday that the corridor "will not become a passage owned by Trump, but rather a graveyard for...

UN plastic treaty talks stalled by petrostates and US opposition

Summary: Oil-producing nations and the Trump administration oppose production caps while over 100 countries push for binding limits on virgin plastic manufacturing., Description: Critical UN negotiations in Geneva for a global plastic pollution treaty face a deepening deadlock as the August 14 deadline approaches, with negotiations chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso warning Saturday that progress has been "insufficient." The treaty talks have stalled as petrochemical-producing countries including Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Iran resist caps on plastic production, while the Trump...