Geopolitics & Markets: Fresh US-Iran strike fears pushed oil higher and dragged stocks in Asia and Europe, with investors also watching the next Fed decision as inflation and jobs data keep rate-hike odds alive. Policy & Governance: Nepal’s finance minister, Dr. Swarnim Wagle, welcomed possible investigation into budget errors and denied claims of an EV information leak, while Bangladesh’s budget messaging leaned hard on building a “welfare state.” Public Finance Stress (UK/Scotland): Scotland’s watchdog warned councils face a near £1bn gap, with operating shortfalls and lower capital funding forcing more borrowing. AI & Big Tech Capex: Goldman Sachs said hyperscalers’ AI spending could be far bigger than Wall Street expects, even as investors worry about whether AI productivity will outweigh costs; Oracle also flagged a massive $40B AI build. Corporate Finance & Activism: Elliott pressed Northern Star Resources for major changes after backing its A$1bn+ stake, and class-action notices continued to hit ADMA Biologics. Banking & New Finance Rails: DBS will roll out tokenised physical gold to retail via digibank; Ondo expanded native swaps for 260+ tokenized stocks in Ledger wallets. Local Investment & Housing: Seattle advanced more financial power for its social housing developer, while councils in North Lanarkshire backed a £10m leisure facilities upgrade.