Critical Minerals & Supply Chains: China Northern Rare Earth Group is expanding the Bayan Obo rare earth mine in Inner Mongolia by 50%, investing about $74m to boost ore processing capacity and strengthen critical-mineral supply. Investor Protection: India’s NSE warned investors about an unregistered X account (“Vikash Singh Thakur”) and Telegram channel (“The Trading Doctor”) offering stock tips and urged people to avoid schemes promising assured returns. AI Funding & Markets: Lovable raised $400m at a $13.3b valuation as revenue accelerates, while Tencent’s results showed AI capex rising sharply as investors weigh returns from expensive infrastructure. Rates & Commodities: Gold hit a 10-week high as markets dialed back expectations of a Fed rate hike ahead of US CPI, with oil also reacting to Middle East shipping and escalation headlines. Capital Markets & Regulation: Pakistan’s SECP launched a Shariah-compliant brokerage segment with Islamic windows for Shariah stocks, sukuk and ETFs, aiming to broaden participation. Cross-Border Investment Push: A US business delegation visited Bangladesh to explore deals in energy, tech, agriculture and finance, alongside AmCham’s pledge to mobilize $5b over five years.