International Monetary Fund forecasts the economies of the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan will contract 1.3% in 2026, then rebound to 6.6% growth in 2027.

Axios reports Morgan Stanley has begun blocking third-party agents from accessing its platform.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and seven other ministries issued the 15th Five-Year Plan to enhance industrial base capabilities, directing a stepped-up innovation layout for frontier technologies. The plan targets quantum science, biomanufacturing, hydrogen and fusion energy, brain‑computer interfaces, embodied intelligence, 6G and deep space/deep‑sea/deep‑earth/polar technologies. Adopting a “scenario‑driven, foundation‑first” approach, it will pre‑emptively deploy key foundational product innovation tasks to boost supply of original and disruptive foundational technologies. The plan encourages industry players to partner with national laboratories, key state research institutes and top research universities, pursue multiple technical routes, accelerate typical application scenarios and fast‑track proof‑of‑concept, commercial validation and engineering industrialization to promote efficient commercialization of frontier‑tech results.