Vitalik unveiled the experimental Aztec project, demonstrating an anonymous bulletin board application.

The video of Elon Musk’s exclusive interview with *The Economist* was released on July 23. In the video, *The Economist* editor Beddoes accused Musk of being out of touch, misusing his influence to spread false panic and far-right rhetoric about Europe. “You described to me those astonishing, civilization-altering events of extraordinary transformative significance that will unfold over the next decade. Yet you remain a constant participant in the worst cesspool of tribalism that is social media,” Beddoes said. In response to Beddoes’ sharp criticism, Musk replied: “My partner, Shivon Zilis, a senior executive at Neuralink, is half-Indian. I have four children with her, one of whom is named after a famous Indian physicist. So I don’t think I’m a racist. And if you look at the employees in my companies, you’ll find our executives are from all races. I don’t believe there is any racial discrimination there.” During the interview, Musk told Beddoes outright that the absurd labeling of “far-right” by media outlets like *The Economist* is false and misleading. Beddoes countered that Musk had claimed “a civil war in the UK is only a matter of time,” but that was not the case: “The UK’s domestic security is better than that of any city in the US.” Finally, Beddoes bluntly criticized Musk: “You are out of touch, and many people dislike you.” To that, Musk said: “I don’t care. I have 250 million followers, and I believe far more people like me than dislike me. Moreover, I think far more people dislike you and the media than you imagine.”

According to Iran's Mehr News Agency reported on the 26th, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahaei said that Iran recently held deputy foreign minister-level talks with Oman on the management of safe shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The talks were "fruitful and yielded some progress." He added that the Omani delegation left Tehran on the 25th, but technical and political consultations between the two sides will continue. Bahaei also noted that there has been no change in the current navigation situation in the Strait of Hormuz. (Xinhua)

According to multiple sources over the weekend, fresh signs of easing tensions have emerged between the U.S. and Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump suspended military operations targeting Iran, while Iran has correspondingly halted retaliatory strikes. Affected by this news, the two benchmark crude oils on trade.xyz have fallen sharply, with Brent crude oil trading at $87.473, a 4.83% drop in 24 hours. As it is the weekend, trading of the two benchmark crude oils on traditional markets is closed, leaving Brent crude oil still at Friday’s level of $93.16.

Elon Musk reaffirmed and detailed his timeline: In roughly 5 years, AI’s general intelligence could surpass the sum of human intelligence; in about 10 years, humans will likely no longer be the dominant force, with an intelligence gap far exceeding that between chimpanzees and humans, he analogized. He stated that AI could outperform humans in nearly every aspect, save for the inherent trait of being human itself. Musk believes the most probable outcome of AI development is an "era of staggering abundance", where robots and AI produce far more goods and services than humanity can consume, allowing anyone to have whatever they desire. By around 2036, "money may no longer matter". He argued that governments could issue direct cash transfers to citizens (similar to a universal basic income), as surging output would likely lead to deflation rather than inflation; traditional tax and redistribution logic may become obsolete under this new paradigm. He acknowledged a 10–20% risk that AI could lead to human extinction, but noted the development momentum is unstoppable, reaching a "philosophical conclusion": if you can’t stop it, join it and "enjoy the journey".

Local time on the 26th, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held a meeting with the head of Iran’s Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, during which he was briefed on damage to transportation infrastructure including border crossings, ports, highways and railway networks. Pezeshkian called U.S. attacks on these Iranian civilian infrastructures "clear war crimes" and emphasized that those responsible for the acts should be held legally accountable through relevant international organizations and institutions. (CCTV News)

According to on-chain investigator Specter, the gaming public blockchain WEMIX has a security vulnerability following its 3.0 mainnet upgrade, leading to suspected losses of $700,000.