Monday

Trending:

• As of Yesterday, July 13, 2025, the Deer Creek Fire in southeastern Utah remains out of control. It has burned 8,925 acres with 0% containment. The fire started on July 10 near Old La Sal in San Juan County. Dry winds, low humidity, and high temperatures are fueling its fast spread. Over 300 firefighters, plus helicopters and planes, are battling the blaze. Crews have had to pull back from some areas for safety. Evacuation zones have grown to include places up to the Colorado state line. Weather forecasts predict more tough conditions ahead. Teams are protecting homes along Highway 46 and building fire lines. No one has been hurt, but at least five buildings are destroyed.

• One dramatic event was a rare fire tornado on July 12. Fire crews called it a "vortex" or "firenado." It formed from the fire's intense heat and strong winds. The tornado threw debris like trees and building parts high into the air and tore roofs off houses. Videos and radar showed it spinning up to 6,000 feet. This made the fire even more dangerous by spreading embers and starting new spot fires. It led to wider evacuations and power outages. The fire is nearing Colorado, where the governor declared a disaster. This highlights growing wildfire dangers in the dry West. Officials are investigating the cause. Residents should check official sources for updates and stay alert.

Finance:

• GameSquare Holdings has launched a $100 million Ethereum treasury fund aimed at institutional investors, targeting yields of up to 14% annually. The fund employs a diversified strategy that includes Ethereum staking, participation in decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, and tokenization of real-world assets to generate returns while managing risk. This initiative is part of a growing trend where traditional finance intersects with blockchain infrastructure, offering yield-bearing alternatives to passive ETH holdings.
• The fund is administered by Kores Capital, with digital asset custody and insurance provided by BitGo to ensure regulatory compliance and asset security. GameSquare, widely recognized for its presence in esports and its ties to Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, is leveraging its reputation to enter the institutional crypto finance space. This move underscores a broader shift in digital asset markets, where institutional investors are increasingly seeking structured, compliant, and yield-focused crypto investment vehicles.

Social:

• Love Island U.S. has evolved beyond its original premise of matchmaking into a powerful platform for brand marketing and influencer development. With a dedicated audience primarily made up of Gen Z and millennials, the show offers a high level of viewer engagement that is especially attractive to advertisers. Brands such as Boohoo, Missguided, and I Saw It First frequently collaborate with contestants on post-show marketing campaigns, while companies like Tinder, Sephora, and Cloud Nine sponsor in-show challenges and product placements. In its most recent season, the show generated over $50 million in advertising revenue, driven by early and consistent brand partnerships across multiple sectors, from fashion to beauty to digital services.
• For contestants, the show presents a unique opportunity to build personal brands and monetize their growing social media followings. Former islanders like Justine Ndiba have secured partnerships with companies including Savage x Fenty and Bumble, reportedly earning over $250,000. Others, such as Cely Vazquez and Caleb Corprew, have landed deals with brands like Fashion Nova, Revolve, Amazon, and HelloFresh, often translating their brief television exposure into sustained digital careers. While not every contestant achieves long-term success, Love Island has become a well-recognized launchpad for aspiring influencers and a valuable advertising channel for brands targeting young, socially engaged consumers.

Development:

• Between July 3 and 6, 2025, BRICS nations announced the creation of a new Multilateral Guarantee Fund under the New Development Bank (NDB), aimed at reducing financial risks for major infrastructure and energy transition projects across member countries. The initiative was formalized during BRICS finance ministers’ meetings and included in the joint statement at the Rio de Janeiro summit held from July 5 to 7. The fund will leverage existing NDB capital to offer credit guarantees to private investors, using a structure similar to that of the World Bank’s Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). For every dollar guaranteed, the fund is expected to mobilize between $5 and $10 in private investment toward projects aligned with the bank’s priorities, such as renewable energy, sustainable infrastructure, and climate adaptation.
• Implementation is set to begin with preparatory work finalized by the end of 2025, followed by the launch of initial pilot projects in 2026. By absorbing part of the investment risk, the fund is designed to attract more private capital without increasing the debt burden on BRICS countries. This mechanism could prove valuable in addressing persistent financing barriers in emerging markets, where high credit costs and political uncertainties often hinder the development of large-scale infrastructure. Analysts suggest the guarantee fund has the potential to play a key role in bridging investment gaps and accelerating progress on energy and sustainability goals in the Global South.

Space:

• On July 13, 2025, SpaceX launched the Dror-1 geostationary communications satellite aboard a Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 1:04 a.m. EDT (0504 UTC). This launch, SpaceX’s 500th Falcon 9 mission and 84th of 2025, saw the first-stage booster B1083 land on a droneship 8.5 minutes after liftoff, achieving the company’s 476th booster recovery. Dror-1, a 4.5-ton satellite developed by Israel Aerospace Industries for approximately $200 million, features an advanced digital communication payload with multiple frequency bands and a modular architecture for in-orbit reconfiguration. Designed for a 15-year lifespan in geostationary orbit at 36,000 kilometers, it supports secure communications for military, government, and civilian applications, reducing Israel’s dependence on foreign satellites.

• Dror-1 was deployed into a geostationary transfer orbit and will maneuver to its final 36,000-km orbit over two weeks, with testing completed and operations starting by late August 2025. Geostationary orbits, where satellites maintain a fixed position relative to Earth, are commonly used for communications, weather monitoring, and broadcasting satellites due to their stable coverage of specific regions. These satellites, including television broadcast systems like Intelsat and SES, meteorological platforms like GOES, and military communication systems, benefit from the orbit’s high altitude, enabling wide-area signal transmission with minimal ground station tracking. Dror-1’s advanced payload aligns with this trend, offering flexible, high-capacity communication capabilities. No anomalies were reported during the launch or deployment.

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