Who doesn’t love diplomacy? The meetings marked the first peace talks between all three countries and were part of a renewed effort, led by the US government, to find a diplomatic path to end nearly four years of conflict.

The negotiations covered a broad array of military, economic, and political topics, including potential ceasefire terms and security guarantees, and reportedly ended on a good note, according to the NYT.

While nothing is set in stone… A US security agreement for Ukraine, aimed at protecting the country from further aggression, is “100% ready to be signed,” according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. However, both the US Congress and Ukraine’s parliament would still need to ratify it.

Past negotiations have repeatedly stalled over competing claims by the Kremlin and Kyiv over Ukraine’s Donbas region, which has been highly contested for much of the war.

Despite things looking good now… fighting on the ground has raged on. The sessions in Abu Dhabi occurred as ongoing Russian military strikes, including drone and missile attacks that caused civilian casualties and infrastructure damage, battered Ukraine’s two largest cities.

🌎 Why does this matter? Negotiations to end the war in Ukraine can directly affect global food and fuel prices in the US since a prolonged conflict disrupts grain exports and energy markets (which already push up grocery bills and gas costs). Progress toward peace could help lower prices sooner, easing everyday living costs for those wrestling with tight budgets.

Uncle Sam is about to dominate your For You page. Late last week, a group of American investors finalized a $14 billion deal to buy the US version of TikTok, officially keeping it operating in the United States and avoiding a long-delayed shutdown of the app.

The move resolves years of legal and political conflict over whether the Chinese-owned platform could continue to serve its estimated 200 million US users amid national security concerns from American lawmakers.

To alleviate some of those national security concerns, there will be a few changes regarding the handling of data for US users:

As for the algorithm… ByteDance will continue to own its algorithm, but according to a White House official, it would lease a copy to the new US owners. It will also be retrained on US user data, a move intended to reduce exposure to foreign propaganda.

For users, little will change at first, and you won’t need to download a new app.

However, updated terms of service have already started popping up, and they allow TikTok to collect precise, rather than approximate, location data, a shift that has alarmed some users and prompted a number to leave the platform.

Worries around moderation have also grown: While TikTok prohibits hate speech and inappropriate content, critics say a change in ownership could alter how those rules are enforced. They also say that the original concern (that the Chinese government could influence the algorithm and spread propaganda) may simply be replaced by which messages the app’s new owners might favor.

🌎 Why should you care? The deal keeps a major platform for social connection, entertainment, and income opportunities alive for almost two-thirds of the US population, meaning creators can still build audiences and brands, small businesses can market to customers, and users won’t lose a central way they discover trends and community, all without facing an outright ban that might have shuttered the app.

Going off vibes alone about sums up the last 6-7 years. “Vibe coding,” or the use of AI tools to convert natural language into computer code, is lowering the barrier to creating apps and websites for people without formal technical training.

Now, the practice has supposedly brought Apple’s App Store back to life, according to data gathered by industry analysts.

Much like super seniors in high school, the Apple App Store has barely seen any growth in the past three years, with relatively few apps having been released since 2022. That is, until vibe coding became a thing:

While the rise in new apps aligns with the spread of these tools, analysts note that it isn’t definitive proof that vibe coding caused the increase.

You can’t create on vibes alone: Vibe-coded apps often face quality and security issues that a human developer might be more likely to catch, and while tools can lower technical barriers, business strategy and execution remain critical areas where established players often hold an advantage.

🌎 Why is this important? Although the adoption of vibe coding tools has lowered the barrier to building apps, websites, and tools without programming skills, it is also transforming the roles of traditional software engineers from a “learn to code” role to an “AI-assisted development” one, and raising the bar for entry-level tech jobs.

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Might be time to cash in that small chunk you’ve kept for years. Gold prices surged to over $5,000 per ounce this week, an all-time record, reflecting investors’ shifting preferences amid economic uncertainty.

The record rally comes after gold prices climbed from around $4,000 only a few months earlier, spiking 15% from the start of the year. But why has the bullion become so valuable?

But they’re not just flocking to gold… silver has outpaced gold’s record rally, with prices more than tripling over the past year and topping $100 an ounce for the first time ever.

🌎 Why is this important? Gold hitting record highs is a sign that investors are worried about the economy, which matters because that kind of uncertainty often shows up as higher prices, meaning rent, groceries, and travel expenses could climb as inflation worries ripple through the economy.

We’ve stumbled upon the Big Tech version of Heated Rivalry. Apple is said to be working on a new, cutting-edge AI-powered wearable device, just days after OpenAI announced its own highly anticipated AI hardware.

Though some see it as ambitious (especially given past failures), many in the tech sphere say it could eventually replace smartphones. According to The Information:

While the tech is still in the “early stages” of development, the iPhone maker is attempting to expedite its deadline to keep pace with competitors (particularly OpenAI) and eyeing a release in 2027.

OpenAI already has plans to preview its AI hardware in the second half of the year, according to a company executive. While current details on the product are scarce, we do know that:

What might add to Apple’s beef with OpenAI is that the ChatGPT maker is working on the top-secret project with former Apple design leader Jony Ive, who helped create the look of Apple’s most iconic products.

🌎 Why does this matter? If AI-wearables are as impactful as some tech junkies claim they will be, the devices have the potential to revolutionize how we communicate, similar to how the iPhone did in 2007. However, some critics raise new privacy questions about always-on cameras and mics in public.

> Archaeologists unearthed two 430,000-year-old wooden tools at a lakeshore site in Greece, which are now considered to be the oldest ever found.

> Thousands of bags of uncooked French fries and onions washed up on beaches in southern England after a cargo ship spill.

> Former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya has officially filed paperwork to run as a Republican candidate for the US Senate in Minnesota, seeking the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Tina Smith.

> Police responding to a burglary alarm at a Long Island bank found that the “intruder” was actually a deer that had crashed through a window and become trapped inside.

> Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder who was placed on the FBI’s most-wanted list over allegations of cocaine smuggling and orchestrating multiple murders, was arrested this week.