Daily Strategic Briefing

China cut itself off from the global internet for an hour on Wednesday

Great Firewall took out all traffic to port 443 at a time Beijing didn't have an obvious need to keep its netizens in the dark China cut itself off from much of the global internet for just over an hour on Wednesday.…

Microsoft stays mum about M365 Copilot on-demand security bypass

Redmond doesn't bother informing customers about some security fixes UPDATED  Microsoft has chosen not to tell customers about a recently patched vulnerability in M365 Copilot.…

Post-privacy AI glasses claim to listen to your every word

Digitally enabled omniscience is neat, if you can bear the cost of being constantly monitored by an AI agent The headline-making Harvard duo who turned a pair of Meta smart glasses into a privacy violation machine last year now have their own pair of smart specs to sell, which they tell The Register will make people "super intelligent" by listening in on their conversations 24/7 and offering unsolicited feedback. …

Google tries to trump iPhone launch with AI-powered Pixel 10 range

At 3% US market share, we don't think Cook & Co are sweating Video  In a celebrity-studded launch event on Wednesday, Google showed off its Pixel 10 hardware, including four smartphones, an updated smartwatch, and earbuds. Unsurprisingly, every gadget comes with a heavy dose of AI.…

Amazon quietly fixed Q Developer flaws that made AI agent vulnerable to prompt injection, RCE

Move along, nothing to see here Amazon has quietly fixed a couple of security issues in its coding agent: Amazon Q Developer VS Code extension. Attackers could use these vulns to leak secrets, including API keys from a developer's machine, and run arbitrary code.…

Anthropic bundles Claude Code into enterprise plans

Summary:

The integration positions Anthropic to better compete with command-line tools from Google and GitHub, both of which included enterprise integrations on launch.

Google doubles down on ‘AI phones’ with its Pixel 10 series

Summary:

Google’s updates to the Pixel 10 line allow it to showcase what its latest AI technology can do when enhanced by the Tensor G5 processor, an upgrade to the company’s custom silicon designed for the AI experience.

Google brings improved Gemini features to its new Pixel Buds

Summary:

Google Gemini was the star yet again at this year’s hardware event, brining new features to the second-gen Pixel Buds A-Series and Pro 2.

Harvard dropouts to launch ‘always on’ AI smart glasses that listen and record every conversation

Summary:

After developing a facial-recognition app for Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses and doxing random people, two former Harvard students are now launching a startup that makes smart glasses with an always-on microphone.

You can now talk to Google Photos to make your edits

Summary:

Google Photos introduces an “ask to edit” feature that lets you speak or text your edit requests.

Boundless Ventures launches Rs 200 Cr fund to invest in Indian AI startups

Boundless Ventures' new fund will invest at the seed and pre-seed stages, and has already invested in six startups.

Avendus Fund leads Rs 300 Cr investment in Aragen Life Sciences

Avendus’ Rs 300 crore bet on Aragen comes amid a surge in India’s CRDMO sector, as global pharma outsourcing accelerates and trade policy shifts raise questions over export exposure.

Housing finance platform Weaver Services raises $170M led by Lightspeed, Premji Invest

The new capital will be deployed towards asset acquisitions, technology development, and expansion into tier-II and tier-III cities, where housing demand remains underserved.

Aditya Birla Group's TMRW secures Rs 437 Cr from ServiceNow Ventures

TMRW's revenue grew 38% in the first quarter of FY26, even as its losses widened by 37% to Rs 63 crore.

R for Rabbit raises $27M in Series B round led by Filter Capital and 3one4 Capital

The company plans to use the fresh capital to expand distribution, invest in product development, and strengthen digital initiatives.

Kotak Downgrades IndiGo, Cuts Target

Kotak downgrades IndiGo's parent post strong rally, revising price target. Source: ScoutQuest

Clean Science: 20% Equity Trades in Block Deal

2.08 crore shares, 20% equity, traded via block deals in Clean Science. Source: ScoutQuest

Honda India Proposes ₹21.5 Final Dividend; AGM on Sept 25

Honda India Power Products Ltd's 40th AGM is scheduled for Sept 25, 2025, via video conferencing. Final dividend of Rs 21.5/share proposed; record date is Sept 18, 2025, with payment within 30 days post-approval. Source: BSE

IndiGo Drops 1% on Kotak Downgrade

IndiGo shares fell nearly 1% after a Kotak Institutional downgrade. Source: ScoutQuest

Infosys Declares 80% Bonus Post Strong Q1 FY26

Infosys declares 80% bonus after robust Q1 FY26 results. Source: ScoutQuest

Palm Oil Trades Around MYR 4,500

Country: Commodity, Description: Malaysian palm oil futures hovered around MYR 4,500 per tonne, after hitting a low of MYR 4,450 the day before, supported by strength in rival edible oils on the Dalian and CBOT exchanges. Signs of solid exports also lifted sentiment, with cargo surveyors reporting shipments of Malaysian palm oil products during August 1–20 rose 13.6% to 17% from July. Meantime, the Malaysian Palm Oil Council expects prices to hold above MYR 4,300 in the near term on tighter supply and stronger biodiesel demand, citing USDA projections that over half of U.S. soybean output will be used for biodiesel by 2026. In top grower Indonesia, the government plans to seize illegal plantations, enforcing a long-pending court ruling with military support. At the same time, the Indonesia-EU Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) may enhance recognition of Indonesian palm oil as sustainable. However, supply prospects capped further gains, with July output up 7.1% and inventories near a two-year high.

Australian Dollar Hits 8-week Low

Country: Australia, Description: AUDUSD decreased to 0.64, the lowest since June 2025. Over the past 4 weeks, Australian Dollar US Dollar lost 2.04%, and in the last 12 months, it decreased 4.29%.

Indonesia Q2 Current Account Gap Largest in A Year

Country: Indonesia, Description: Indonesia's current account deficit stood at USD 3.0 billion in Q2 2025, unchanged from the same quarter in 2024. This marked the ninth consecutive quarter of a shortfall and the largest gap since Q2 2024, when the deficit was also USD 3.0 billion, equivalent to 0.8% of the country's GDP. The primary income deficit increased slightly to USD 9.83 billion from USD 9.45 billion a year earlier, while the services account deficit narrowed to USD 5.51 billion from USD 5.99 billion. Meanwhile, the trade surplus rose to USD 10.58 billion, up from USD 9.99 billion, and the secondary income surplus increased to USD 1.74 billion from USD 1.43 billion. Last year, the current account deficit widened significantly to USD 8.68 billion, up from USD 2.04 billion in 2023, driven by a decline in the trade surplus amid subdued foreign demand. For this year, the central bank expects the current account deficit to remain within 0.5%–1.3% of GDP.

Australia 10-Year Yield Extends Decline

Country: Australia, Description: Australia’s 10-year government bond yield fell to 4.26% on Thursday, extending its decline from the prior session as investors weighed the latest domestic data. Australia's private sector output expanded at the fastest pace since April 2022, with solid growth across both manufacturing and services sectors. Meanwhile, consumer inflation expectations eased to a five-month low of 3.9% in August from 4.7% in July, signaling reduced price pressures. On the policy front, the Reserve Bank of Australia cut the cash rate by 25bps to 3.60% last week but stayed cautious on the outlook, leaving markets to anticipate a three-month pause before any further easing. Traders currently expect the RBA to resume easing with a larger 50bps cut, likely in November. Globally, investors awaited Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s speech at the Jackson Hole Symposium on Friday for further clues on the US rate path, while also monitoring a potential Russia-Ukraine meeting that could influence risk sentiment.

South Korean Won Holds Flat Ahead of Jackson Hole

Country: South Korea, Description: The South Korean won hovered around 1,397 per dollar on Thursday, showing little movement after recent weakness as broader dollar strength dominated sentiment. The currency tracked the steady dollar, with investors bracing for Fed Chair Powell’s speech at Jackson Hole, seeking clarity on the pace of potential policy easing. Market odds for a September rate cut remain high but have eased back in recent days as the Fed emphasized persistent inflation concerns over labor market softness, while tariffs continued to deepen divisions within the committee. At the same time, renewed dollar demand was linked to a tech-led selloff on Wall Street which underpinned safe-haven flows into the greenback. Domestically, traders largely stayed on the sidelines, with caution lingering as equity-based funds recorded sizable outflows in recent sessions, signaling risk aversion as traders await global policy cues and regional events.

Microsoft hid China staff details from Pentagon security plan

Summary: The tech giant's 125-page security document omitted key information about foreign engineers maintaining sensitive military cloud systems under minimal supervision., Description: Microsoft failed to disclose critical information about its use of China-based engineers working on Pentagon computer systems in a security plan submitted to the Defense Department earlier this year, according to records obtained by ProPublica. The tech giant's 2025 System Security Plan, dated February 28 and submitted to the Defense Information Systems Agency, omitted key details about its...

Israel moves ahead with E1 settlement to fragment West Bank and block Palestinian statehood

Summary: The controversial project will build 3,400 housing units between Jerusalem and the West Bank, severing Palestinian territorial continuity., Description: Israel's Defense Ministry approved the long-delayed E1 settlement project on Wednesday, marking a decisive step toward bisecting the occupied West Bank and effectively eliminating prospects for a contiguous Palestinian state. The controversial plan, which Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared would "bury the idea of a Palestinian state," received final authorization from the Higher Planning...

Hurricane Erin forces East Coast beach closures despite staying offshore

Summary: The Category 2 storm generated deadly rip currents prompting over 80 rescues and mandatory evacuations from barrier islands., Description: Hurricane Erin raced northward through the Atlantic on Tuesday, unleashing dangerous rip currents and forcing widespread beach closures along the East Coast as its massive size brought life-threatening conditions to millions despite staying hundreds of miles offshore. The Category 2 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, underwent one of the most explosive rapid intensification events...

China's solar boom drives first emissions drop in decades

Summary: The country installed 212 gigawatts of solar in six months, more than America's entire capacity, reducing carbon emissions by one percent., Description: China's massive solar power expansion has driven the country's carbon emissions down by one percent in the first half of 2025, according to analysis published by Carbon Brief on August 20. The milestone represents the first sustained decline in Chinese emissions driven primarily by clean energy growth rather than economic slowdown. China installed a record 212 gigawatts of solar capacity...

US Navy destroyers head to Venezuelan waters

Summary: Three guided-missile destroyers are part of Trump's military escalation against cartels as Maduro mobilizes 4.5 million militia members., Description: Three U.S. Navy destroyers are advancing toward Venezuelan waters as part of President Donald Trump's military escalation against Latin American drug cartels, prompting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to mobilize 4.5 million militia members in response to what he called "outlandish threats" from Washington. The deployment includes the USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham, and USS Sampson, all...