Daily Strategic Briefing

Google admits anticompetitive conduct in Australia, agrees to modest fine

PLUS: Philippines bans gambling payments; Indonesia warns Roblox; China lures young scientists; And more! Asia In Brief  Google on Monday admitted to anticompetitive conduct in its dealings with Australian telcos.…

P2P payment service Zelle sued for enabling payment fraud hell

PLUS: Kryptos solution up for auction; Canadian parliament springs a leak; Fake crypto lawyers; And more Infosec In Brief  New York State is suing bank-owned peer-to-peer payment app Zelle, claiming that the banks behind it knew fraud was rampant on the platform but allowed scammers to conduct business with impunity.…

Nabiha Syed remakes Mozilla Foundation in the era of Trump and AI

The non-profit has a new look but still stands up for the open web interview  The Mozilla Foundation has changed its look, but its goals remain the same – supporting an internet that's open and inclusive, and that prioritizes the interests of people over corporations.…

Timekettle T1 AI translator helps you scale the Tower of Babel

Handy tool for when only a dedicated device will do hands on  Timekettle's lightweight T1 interpreter has received the AI treatment and will now perform offline translations. But unless you have deep enough pockets, both figuratively and literally, for another device and a frequent need for translation, it's not for you.…

Election workers fear threats and intimidation without feds' support in 2026

'Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst,' one tells The Reg Feature  Bill Gates, an Arizona election official and former Maricopa County supervisor, says that the death threats started shortly after the 2020 presidential election.…

GPT-5 is supposed to be nicer now

Summary:

OpenAI announced late Friday that it’s updating its latest model to be “warmer and friendlier.”

Duolingo CEO says controversial AI memo was misunderstood

Summary:

While Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn faced backlash after declaring that Duolingo would become an “AI-first company,” he suggested in a new interview the real issue was that he “did not give enough context.”

AI-powered stuffed animals are coming for your kids

Summary:

Do A.I. chatbots packaged inside cute-looking plushies offer a viable alternative to screen time for kids? Maybe not.

Anthropic says some Claude models can now end ‘harmful or abusive’ conversations 

Summary:

Anthropic says new capabilities allow its latest AI models to protect themselves by ending abusive conversations.

Sam Altman, over bread rolls, explores life after GPT-5

Summary:

At a dinner with reporters in San Francisco, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman spilled details on the company’s ambitions beyond ChatGPT.

Pronto raises $11M in Series A funding from General Catalyst and Glade Brook Capital

Pronto plans to use funds to fuel its expansion into Mumbai and Bengaluru, onboard 10,000 professionals, and invest in quality assurance technology.

Livspace makes a $5.5M bet on furniture hardware startup TplusA

Livspace founder Ramakant Sharma and Kedaara Capital’s Nishant Sharma also joined the funding round in a personal capacity.

Seeds Fincap raises Rs 50 Cr in pre-Series B funding led by Z47, Lok Capital

The funds will be used to expand into new regions, strengthen technology and risk infrastructure, and accelerate growth ahead of its planned Series B raise, the company said.

Lab-grown diamond startup Limelight onboards Shilpa Shetty as investor, brand ambassador

Lab-grown diamond startup Limelight operates over 50 stores in India, with plans to expand to 100 more by 2026.

ELIVAAS raises Rs 87 Cr in Series B round led by Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India

The company will utilise the capital to expand in India, prepare for global markets, and scale operations through technology.

Auto Stocks Gain on GST Cut Hopes

Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, and Ashok Leyland shares rise up to 6%. The surge is driven by expectations of a GST rate reduction. Source: ScoutQuest

VRL Logistics Issues 1:1 Bonus Shares

VRL Logistics allots bonus shares in 1:1 ratio, issuing 8.74 crore new shares. Paid-up capital doubles to Rs 1749.4 crore; new shares rank equally with existing. Source: ScoutQuest

Two-Rate GST Plan May Boost Page Ind, Trent

Proposed two-rate GST system may boost consumption, spotlighting Page Industries. Other companies like Trent, Bata, and Metro Brands may also benefit. Source: ScoutQuest

JSW Steel, POSCO Plan 6 MTPA JV in Odisha

JSW Steel and POSCO Group signed a non-binding agreement for a 6 MTPA steel plant. The 50:50 JV may be in Odisha, subject to feasibility and approvals. Source: ScoutQuest

Ducon Infra Okays ₹49.5 Cr Rights Issue

Ducon Infratechnologies gets in-principle approval for a Rs 49.5 Cr rights issue. BSE approved the rights issue with shares face value of Rs 1 on Aug 14, 2025. Source: ScoutQuest

Bitcoin Extends Retreat

Country: other, Description: Bitcoin dropped to around $115,000, extending last week’s retreat from record highs as profit-taking and fading expectations for US rate cuts weighed on sentiment. Stronger-than-expected US producer inflation and retail sales reduced the likelihood of aggressive Federal Reserve easing, pressuring risk assets. Additional headwinds came from US Treasury remarks on strategic reserves, which stoked concerns over tighter liquidity, while leadership changes in key financial market bodies added to policy uncertainty and risk aversion. The decline also underscored a broader rotation toward alternative cryptocurrencies, with Bitcoin’s market dominance slipping to 59.4%, its lowest since 2020 and below the long-held 60% threshold. Still, Bitcoin remains underpinned by institutional inflows and favorable regulatory signals, including its inclusion in US retirement portfolios, which continue to bolster its mainstream legitimacy.

Silver Rises Ahead of Trump-Zelenskiy Talks

Country: Commodity, Description: Silver climbed above $38 per ounce on Monday, recouping some losses from last week as investors turned their attention to a key meeting in Washington between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy amid efforts to reach a peace deal with Russia. Trump said he would press Zelenskiy to reach a quick settlement following his Friday talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. While no ceasefire breakthrough was achieved, Putin agreed to allow the US and Europe to provide Ukraine with robust security guarantees as part of a potential deal to end the war. Investors also looked ahead to the Federal Reserve’s Jackson Hole symposium this week for guidance on the outlook for interest rates. Markets are pricing in an 84% chance of a 25 basis point cut in September, though stronger-than-expected producer inflation and retail sales have reduced the likelihood of a larger 50 basis point move.

Tunisia Q2 GDP Annual Growth Rate Strongest in Near 3 Years

Country: Tunisia, Description: Tunisia’s GDP grew by 3.2% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2025, marking the fastest pace of expansion since Q3 2022 and accelerating from a 1.6% increase in Q1, which had been the weakest in three quarters. The growth was underpinned by stronger performances across several key sectors. The mining sector surged by 39.5% (vs 17.6% in Q1), construction expanded 9.6% (vs 3.0%), agriculture and fishing rose 9.8% (vs 7.3%), and trade and repair services increased by 2.8% (vs 1.9%). The information and communication sector also saw improved growth at 1.5% (vs 0.1%). Additionally, there were notable rebounds in chemical industries (10.1% vs -3.9%), transport and storage (3.0% vs -0.7%), and the production and distribution of gas (3.4% vs -0.1%). On a quarterly basis, GDP expanded by 1.8% in Q2, recovering from a downwardly revised 0.1% contraction in Q1 and registering the strongest quarterly growth since Q4 2021.

Stocks in China Hit Near 10-year High

Country: China, Description: SHANGHAI increased to 3737.00 Index Points, the highest since August 2015. Over the past 4 weeks, Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index gained 4.95%, and in the last 12 months, it increased 29.11%.

Australian Dollar Kicks Off the Week Higher

Country: Australia, Description: The Australian dollar rose to around $0.651 on Monday, as markets navigated a relatively quiet week for domestic economic data. Investor attention is now shifting toward the Westpac Consumer Confidence Index, consumer inflation expectations, flash PMIs, and speeches from RBA officials scheduled for this week. On the monetary policy front, investors are increasingly anticipating further easing by the RBA before year-end. While no immediate policy move is expected, traders are currently pricing in an additional 50 bps in rate cuts by November. At its August 2025 meeting, the central bank cut the cash rate by 25 bps to 3.60%, marking the third reduction this year and lowering borrowing costs to its lowest level since April 2023. Meanwhile, investors continued to assess the evolving US tariff policies, following the Trump administration’s move to expand its 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum to include hundreds more products, set to take effect today, August 18.

GOP pushes to strip $3B from postal service EV program

Summary: Republicans cite production delays and question electric vehicle performance in northern climates despite USPS warnings of $1.5 billion in costs., Description: Congressional Republicans continue their campaign to strip billions in federal funding from the U.S. Postal Service's electric vehicle initiative, despite setbacks in their efforts to force the sale of existing EVs. Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa is pushing forward with her "Return to Sender Act" to rescind the remaining $3 billion allocated under the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act.

Air Canada flight attendants defy government order

Summary: Over 10,000 workers continue strike despite federal back-to-work directive, calling it unconstitutional and forcing airline to delay restart., Description: More than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants continued their strike on Sunday, defying a Canadian government order to return to work and forcing the country's largest airline to delay its operations restart until Monday evening. The Canadian Union of Public Employees called the back-to-work directive "blatantly unconstitutional" and vowed to challenge it in court, marking an unprecedented...

Syrian Druze demand self-rule after deadly sectarian clashes

Summary: Hundreds protested in Sweida, with some waving Israeli flags to thank Israel for military intervention during July violence that killed 1,600., Description: Hundreds of Druze protesters took to the streets of Sweida, Syria on Saturday, demanding self-determination in the largest demonstration since deadly sectarian clashes last month that left over 1,600 people dead. Some demonstrators waved Israeli flags to thank Israel for its military intervention during the July violence, marking what activists called an unprecedented shift for the Syrian Druze...

European leaders to join Zelensky at crucial Trump meeting

Summary: Top EU officials will accompany Ukraine's president to prevent him from being sidelined in peace talks with Russia., Description: A coalition of top European leaders will accompany Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House on Monday for his crucial meeting with President Donald Trump, marking an unprecedented show of unity aimed at preventing Ukraine from being sidelined in peace negotiations. The remarkable display comes after Trump's controversial summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on...

Chinese astronauts complete spacewalk with AI assistance

Summary: Crew used Wukong AI system for the first time during 6.5-hour mission, marking China's debut of large-scale artificial intelligence in orbital operations., Description: Chinese astronauts aboard the Tiangong space station successfully completed their third spacewalk on Friday with assistance from an artificial intelligence system named Wukong AI, marking the first time China has deployed large-scale AI technology to support orbital operations. The Shenzhou-20 crew members, led by Commander Chen Dong and taikonaut Wang Jie, worked for approximately 6.5 hours...