SoftBank is preparing to commercialize its next-generation telecommunications infrastructure using high-altitude platforms by 2026, marking a pivotal milestone in its UTX (Ubiquitous Transformation) initiative. The company announced that it will deploy a hybrid fleet of solar-powered aircraft and unmanned airships to operate base stations in the stratosphere, approximately 20 kilometers above the Earth’s surface. This dual-platform system is expected to support emergency communications first, with plans to expand into broader commercial services by 2027.

Intel has initiated job cuts at its Fab 28 wafer fabrication plant in Kiryat Gat, Israel, marking the first time the facility—one of the chipmaker’s three largest global manufacturing hubs—has been affected by broader company-wide downsizing. The move comes as new CEO Lip-Bu Tan accelerates efforts to streamline Intel’s sprawling global operations and eliminate organizational inefficiencies.

China–US trade fell 9.3% year-over-year in the first half of 2025, totaling CNY2.08 trillion (approx. US$290 billion), according to data released by the General Administration of Customs on July 14. Chinese exports to the US dropped 9.9% to CNY1.55 trillion, while imports from the US fell 7.7% to CNY530.35 billion during the same period.