CL Hong Kong's first five-year economic blueprint landed Tuesday with the Northern Metropolis at the top of the priority list, the same day Beijing's top envoy was on site inspecting housing progress there. That kind of choreography is rarely accidental. For residents watching land prices and commute lines, the blueprint is less a document than a signal about which direction the city intends to grow into.-- CL

MB Washington declared the Iran war over; Netanyahu rejected the terms before they were published, and Tehran added Lebanon to the requirement list. Peace announced before the parties agree on scope is a recognizable institutional move: the press release is cheaper than the negotiation. That China spent the same day mapping Taiwan's seabed for submarine operations drew rather less attention, which is how most consequential repositioning works.-- MB