外媒每日新闻 Jackson Hole & Nuclear Age Edition

The United Kingdom warned against any attempt by Israel to remove British officials from the Gaza ceasefire coordination center on Friday, after reports that Israel was considering expelling U.K. officials. The U.K. government said it remains committed to implementing the 20-point Gaza peace plan, and any move to remove its officials would "undermine shared efforts." The Dutch Foreign Ministry confirmed Thursday that Israel was removing two Dutch diplomats from the ceasefire center, in response to a Dutch ban on products from occupied West Bank settlements. Meanwhile, an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza killed three people from the same family — two brothers and another relative — in a strike on their home outside Khan Younis. Since the October ceasefire deal, Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 1,303 Palestinians in Gaza, according to health officials. Separately, Iran's Foreign Ministry on Friday condemned a new round of U.S. economic measures against the country, calling them "economic terrorism" and saying Tehran would use all available means to counter them. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently vowed to fully sever Iran from the global economy and threatened secondary sanctions on countries that continue to do business with Iran.^[1]

The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously on Thursday to terminate the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon at the end of next year after nearly five decades, bowing to demands from the United States and Israel. The final 16-month mandate will continue UNIFIL's activities until Dec. 31, 2026, giving the force one year to withdraw its 10,800 military and civilian personnel. The resolution, sponsored by France, aims to make the Lebanese government "the sole provider of security" in southern Lebanon. The U.S., which initially demanded the force be ended in six months, voted in favor. Acting U.S. ambassador Dorothy Shea said "the security environment in Lebanon is radically different than just one year ago, creating the space for Lebanon to assume greater responsibility." European nations, notably France and Italy, had objected to winding down UNIFIL too quickly, arguing it could create a vacuum Hezbollah could exploit. Israel's U.N. ambassador Danny Danon accused UNIFIL of consistently overlooking Hezbollah's "vast military buildup." Algeria's ambassador stressed that UNIFIL "remains indispensable to stability" and warned that "without ending Israel's occupation of Arab lands, peace and stability in the region will remain elusive." UNIFIL was created in 1978 to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops and its mission was expanded after the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.^[2]

Thousands of protesters gathered on the National Mall on Friday for a rally in support of voting rights and racial justice ahead of November's midterm elections, following a wave of changes to voting laws and redistricting that civil rights groups say erode Black representation. The 2026 "Defend the Vote" March on Washington, organized by the Rev. Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III, echoes the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The event follows the Supreme Court's landmark April decision in Louisiana v. Callais that reinterpreted key provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, allowing Southern states to redraw congressional maps in ways that dilute Black voting power. "This is probably the most important march because this is the first year we are marching that the voting rights bill has been nullified by the Supreme Court," Sharpton said. Speakers include Sen. Bernie Sanders, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Republican-led states have rushed to redraw districts after the court ruling. Louisiana's 6th District, which allowed a second majority-Black district, was redrawn to cluster around predominantly white communities. Rep. Cleo Fields, the central figure in the Supreme Court case, has opted not to seek reelection. Ahead of the march, civil rights groups filed new claims in federal court challenging Trump's executive order restricting mail-in voting.^[3]

The U.S. stock market is stuck in a holding pattern Friday as investors count down to a highly anticipated speech by Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh at the annual economic symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The S&P 500 rose 0.1% in early trading, the Dow added 140 points, and the Nasdaq edged down 0.1%. Warsh has made clear he intends to provide fewer clues about how the Fed intends to control inflation, which sits at 3.7% — above the Fed's 2% target and higher than economists expected. Many investors want a clear signal on whether the Fed will hike its benchmark interest rate if inflation remains elevated. The Jackson Hole setting has historically been the backdrop for major policy announcements. In Asia, shares mostly gained after upbeat results from Nvidia and other companies lifted U.S. stocks on Thursday. Japan's Nikkei 225 climbed 0.8% to 66,682.88, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 0.3%. Oil prices remain volatile amid uncertainty about the Iran war and the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude rose 0.2% to $88.68 per barrel, still far above the $72 level before the war began. Treasury yields ticked higher as markets grow uneasy about the U.S. long-term economic trajectory.^[4]

The death toll from catastrophic glacier collapse floods along the Nepal-China border has risen to more than 390, with over 1,400 people still missing, as rescue efforts intensify and a new barrier lake threatens downstream communities. Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said Friday that 3,253 people had been airlifted by helicopter from disaster areas. China's state broadcaster CCTV reported that 680 rescuers arrived at the hardest-hit zone in Tibet's Gyirong border area, transported by inflatable raft through rapids and by drone. The road leading to the border was destroyed and flooded areas have effectively become a river. China has reported 5 deaths on its side of the border, with 558 people missing in Gyirong County — 260 of them foreigners. Nepal has reported 270 deaths. The missing include people from more than 30 countries, many of them trekkers and pilgrims heading to sacred Mount Kailash. India has the largest number of missing foreigners at 178, followed by more than 60 from the U.S. Chinese authorities warn that a barrier lake formed at the confluence of two rivers is overflowing and may burst, which could unleash a second wave of flooding downstream. The UN has released $2 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund, while countries around the world have pledged additional aid.^[6]

U.S. health officials have proposed a rule change that would require food manufacturers to notify regulators before introducing new ingredients or additives into processed and packaged foods, shifting a decades-old policy that advocates have called a regulatory loophole. Under the proposed FDA rule, companies would have to document and submit their safety rationale for new ingredients, giving regulators the opportunity to investigate potential risks. Currently, companies can decide for themselves if an ingredient is "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) without notifying the FDA. "Shifting to a mandatory notification system closes a decades-old information gap, giving the FDA the comprehensive visibility needed to enhance postmarket safety," said acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas. The FDA estimates about 10,000 additives are allowed in U.S. food. Consumer advocates have long argued many of these ingredients have never been properly vetted. The proposal comes as the FDA has also completed work on the federal government's first-ever definition of ultraprocessed food, though it hasn't been released yet. Both initiatives are priorities for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has vowed to crack down on artificial colors, additives and other food ingredients. The FDA will take comments for 120 days. Under the proposal, the FDA would review new ingredient submissions within 180 days and could ask companies to delay introduction if safety concerns arise.^[7]

The U.S. Army announced plans to build nuclear microreactors at five military bases across the country as a reliable source of energy independent of the commercial electric grid, accelerating the Trump administration's push for next-generation nuclear power. Five companies — Antares Nuclear, BWXT, General Atomics, Radiant Industries, and Westinghouse — will be awarded up to $2.2 billion total over five years to own, construct and operate the microreactors if they hit performance milestones. The Army expects more than 20 microreactors to be built and operated at Fort Bragg (NC), Fort Campbell (KY), Fort Hood (TX), Fort Benning (GA), and Fort Drum (NY). Each reactor will provide 1-20 megawatts of power. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said the project will build "energy resilience necessary to project combat power globally, without relying on potentially vulnerable external grids." The program, named "Janus" after the Roman god of transitions, aims to move advanced reactor designs beyond prototypes. Critics say the program uses military "deep pockets" to subsidize nuclear companies that can't find private-sector customers, and that bypassing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's licensing process is "a dangerous scam." The Army says reactors will shut down safely in case of failure and that radioactive waste will be removed via a deal with the Energy Department. President Trump signed executive orders in May 2025 to speed up nuclear development, with a goal of an advanced reactor operating at a domestic base by Sept. 30, 2028.^[9]

Andreessen Horowitz has launched a new $1.1 billion "Machine Age" fund, marking a strategic pivot from the firm's historic focus on software to investing in the physical infrastructure of artificial intelligence. The fund will target the entire stack of AI hardware infrastructure, including computer chips, memory, networking equipment, storage systems, data centers, robotics, and home AI appliances. "We need faster, more efficient systems. We need cheaper and higher-bandwidth memory across the memory hierarchy. We need faster and more scalable interconnects between nodes and systems. We need power efficient edge devices for AI to explore and interact with the world. And of course we need all the cooling, materials, electrical, and real estate build out to support them," the firm said in a blog post. Five partners put their names to the launch — Ben Horowitz, Martin Casado, Raghu Raghuram, David Ulevitch, and David George — indicating how central the firm considers this thesis. The fund represents a bet that the AI boom is moving from software to the physical layer, as demand for computing power outstrips current infrastructure capacity. The announcement comes on the heels of Nvidia's blockbuster earnings, which highlighted both the explosive demand for AI compute and the supply constraints limiting growth. a16z describes AI as the "strongest tool ever developed for solving problems and bestowing abundance," calling its advancement a "social and national imperative."^[10]

The #NepalFloods hashtag continued to dominate global conversation on X on Friday as the death toll from the Nepal-China border disaster rose past 390 and warnings of a potential barrier lake burst sent new shivers through affected communities. The most shared content came from CCTV footage showing rescuers arriving in Gyirong via inflatable raft through raging rapids, with destroyed roads and flooded areas turned into rivers. A particularly haunting thread from a Nepali journalist whose family is from Nuwakot district went viral: "Day 3. Still no word. The river is still rising." The revelation that 558 people are missing in Tibet's Gyirong County alone — 260 of them foreigners — added a new dimension to the tragedy. Indian spiritual guru Sadhguru, who had 22 American followers missing from his pilgrimage group, posted an emotional update that was shared hundreds of thousands of times: "We are doing everything humanly possible. Hope is the only thing that keeps us going." Climate scientists amplified their warnings, with one viral post noting: "The Himalayas have lost 8 billion tons of ice since 2000. This is not a natural disaster — it's a man-made climate disaster playing out in real time." The UN's $2 million emergency fund was both praised as swift and criticized as woefully inadequate for a disaster of this scale.^[11]

The hashtag #MachineAge trended in tech and finance circles on X after Andreessen Horowitz announced its $1.1 billion fund dedicated to AI hardware infrastructure, marking a significant pivot for a venture firm long associated with the mantra "software is eating the world." The announcement sparked a lively debate about what the "next phase" of AI looks like. AI optimists celebrated the move as validation of their thesis that AI is moving from digital experimentation to physical deployment, with one venture capitalist's thread going viral: "The first trillion-dollar company of the AI era was a software company (Nvidia sells chips but their moat is software). The next trillion-dollar AI company will be built on atoms, not bits." Skeptics pushed back, noting that hardware has always been a capital-intensive, low-margin business. A former semiconductor executive's counter-thread was widely shared: "a16z forgot the first rule of hardware: for every dollar of revenue, you spend 90 cents on manufacturing. Software is eating the world because software has 80% gross margins. Hardware has 20% if you're lucky." Others pointed out the irony that the fund was announced the same week Nvidia reported supply constraints — suggesting that demand for AI hardware is so strong that even $1.1 billion is a drop in the bucket. The five-partner launch team — including Ben Horowitz himself — was noted as unusual for a single fund, signaling how seriously a16z is taking the shift.^[12]

The hashtag #MarchOnWashington trended across the United States on X as thousands gathered for the "Defend the Vote" rally on the National Mall, echoing Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic 1963 march. The most shared images showed workers installing bulletproof glass around the podium at the Lincoln Memorial — a stark reminder of how different 2026 is from 1963. Civil rights leaders including Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III addressed the crowd, with King's speech drawing particular attention: "Sixty-three years ago, my father stood here and dreamed of a day when people would be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. Today, we are fighting to ensure they are judged by their vote, not their zip code." The march came in response to the Supreme Court's landmark decision weakening the Voting Rights Act and a wave of redistricting in Republican-led states. One viral thread compared the 1963 march to 2026: "1963: We marched for the right to vote. 2026: We march to keep the right to vote. That is not progress — that is regression." Bernie Sanders' fiery speech about voter suppression was widely shared among progressive accounts, while conservative accounts pushed back, calling the march "political theater" ahead of the midterms. The presence of bulletproof glass became a symbol in itself, with one user writing: "In 1963, they feared dogs and fire hoses. In 2026, we fear bullets. Some things never change — they just get more deadly."^[13]