Morning Edition · Thursday, August 6, 2026
Markets
Shipping Industry Asks the United Nations to Block Hormuz Transit Fees as Reopening Deal Nears
Eight owner groups say tolls on the waterway would break with international navigation law, while Brent crude settled at $79.45 a barrel and gold extended a weekly gain of close to 6 percent.
Geopolitics
Two Israeli Reservists Killed in South Lebanon, the First Israeli Deaths Since the June Truce, as Rome Talks Break Off
Israel struck Tebnine, Al-Mansouri and Al-Burj Al-Shamali in response and issued its first online evacuation order for a Lebanese village in more than a month, while Lebanon's Health Ministry reported one person killed and 12 wounded.
Markets
South Korea's Kospi Falls About 5 Percent as the Global Chip Selloff Reaches Asia
SK Hynix closed down 10.4 percent and Samsung Electronics 6.3 percent as the Kospi ended 4.6 percent lower, while the Kosdaq held its level and the Korea Exchange halted program selling.
Macro
Washington Has Repaid $100 Billion in Tariffs the Supreme Court Struck Down
The refunds cover about 60 percent of the $166 billion collected under emergency powers, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says none of the money will reach consumers.
Crypto
Bitcoin Holds Above $64,000 While Ether Trades Below What Holders Paid
CryptoQuant reports quiet accumulation of XRP by large holders as the United States Senate leaves the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act unscheduled before its summer recess.
Markets
The Rhine Falls Toward Its Lowest Recorded Level, Raising Freight Costs Across German Industry
The gauge at Kaub sits near 25 centimetres and barge rates from Rotterdam to points south have risen roughly 400 percent in two months.
Geopolitics
Russia Says It Struck Two More Cargo Ships Near Odesa as the Black Sea Trade Route Comes Under Sustained Attack
Moscow says the vessels carried military supplies, Kyiv has not confirmed the claim, and news agencies have not been able to verify it independently.
Geopolitics
Trump Says American Munitions Stocks Are Ample as Reports Describe a Pentagon Crisis Meeting
Accounts of interceptor shortages put usage of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) rounds at about 80 percent of pre-war levels, a figure the Defense Secretary rejects.
Tech
DeepSeek Signals a Significant Price Increase, Its Second Pricing Change in Under a Month
The Chinese developer raised prices as demand surged for a model it currently sells at roughly one-hundredth the weighted cost of leading American systems.
Macro
Nigeria Approves a $4.5 Billion Oil-Backed Refinancing, Pledging 78,750 Barrels a Day
The new facility replaces about $1.5 billion still outstanding on a 2023 loan and releases roughly $3 billion of fresh liquidity to the government.
Geopolitics
Hiroshima Marks 81 Years Since the Bombing as Japan Expands Its Military
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reaffirmed the three non-nuclear principles at a ceremony attended by representatives of 123 countries, while survivors averaging 86 years of age criticised the rearmament programme.
World
Bangladesh Condemns India After Sheikh Hasina Speaks Publicly From Delhi and Vows to Return
Dhaka says its repeated extradition requests have gone unanswered, and the home of former cricket captain Shakib Al Hasan was attacked after he appeared alongside her.
Tech
Hedge Funds Managing Hundreds of Billions Report Attempted Breaches Using Cloned Voices
Point72, Citadel, Millennium and Two Sigma were among the firms targeted, and Two Sigma said it detected the attempt with no impact to its systems.