UN Secretary-General Guterres called for an immediate halt to fighting in the Gulf and full restoration of international navigation rights through the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab al‑Mandeb and adjacent waters, urging disputes be resolved diplomatically. He said military escalation in the Gulf has lasted six months, the initially regional conflict is increasingly a source of global instability, trade via the Strait of Hormuz has fallen sharply, energy markets have been seriously disrupted, food and

Fed's Kashkari: increasingly confident monetary policy can help counter successive supply shocks that could entrench inflation.

CHINA STATE PLANNER said at a July press briefing it will coordinate with ministries and local governments to draft targeted plans or implementation schemes for each of the six networks and push quickly to convert plans into physical work. The agency said it will emphasize multi-network, hardware–software and scenario coordination and accelerate detailed, locality- and sector-specific implementation. Policy research director Jiang Yi said that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period the new-type power grid is expected to receive over 5 tln yuan of investment to upgrade grid architecture, transmission and storage technologies and power-supply services to better meet demand, accommodate renewable integration and strengthen disaster response and rapid recovery. Underground utility networks are slated for about 5 tln yuan of investment to shore up gaps in gas, water supply/drainage and heating, boosting urban infrastructure resilience and living standards.