Major headlines drawing global financial media attention overnight and this morning:

1. Trump: Call with Putin over plague cases has been arranged

2. Oil executives warn buffer space is narrowing as Hormuz Strait shipments rise

3. Anthropic expands access to advanced AI models, allowing select institutions to conduct cybersecurity testing

4. Meta, Walmart and others team up to develop a "personal agent protocol"

5. More than 250,000 people join student protests in France; interior minister calls intensity "unprecedented"

6. US Treasury Secretary Bessent recycles debt-reduction refrain; market participants say "a vision is not a plan"

Trump: Call with Putin over plague cases has been arranged

Suspected plague cases in Siberia have intensified global health concerns, and US President Trump said he has arranged a phone call with Russian President Putin to discuss the matter. Asked on Tuesday whether he had already spoken with the Russian president about it, Trump told reporters: "I've arranged a call. Yes, soon."

Oil executives warn buffer space is narrowing as Hormuz Strait shipments rise

As the Iran war enters its eighth month, several oil industry executives warned that temporary measures the world can take to mitigate the conflict's impact are gradually being exhausted. Since February, the war has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Under normal conditions, this critical waterway carries about one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. Even so, benchmark crude futures gains have been fairly limited, with Brent crude still below $100 a barrel on Tuesday. Part of the reason is that producers and consumers have already used nearly all available means to cope with falling shipments. These include broadly suppressing demand, boosting supply from other parts of the world, and large-scale releases of strategic petroleum reserves. In recent weeks, the number of tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz has also increased sharply.

Anthropic expands access to advanced AI models, allowing select institutions to conduct cybersecurity testing

Anthropic is working with the US government to expand access to its most advanced AI models, allowing a screened group of institutions to test the startup's cutting-edge cyber capabilities. According to a statement released on Tuesday, the San Francisco-based company will allow verified institutions to use its most capable models, including Claude Opus 5.5, Claude Sonnet 5.5, Claude Mythos 5.1, and future new models. The statement said authorized institutions can conduct "high-risk offensive testing" on security systems designed to protect critical infrastructure such as power grids, banks, and flight operations systems.

Meta, Walmart and others team up to develop a "personal agent protocol"

One month after Meta launched Muse, the personal agent quickly gained popularity, prompting a group of companies to join forces to simplify bringing the technology into the business world. Meta, Walmart, Stripe and several other companies are releasing what they call the "personal agent protocol." It is an open standard aimed at defining how AI agents interact with businesses. Enterprise AI startup Sierra, co-founded by former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor, is also part of the group.

More than 250,000 people join student protests in France; interior minister calls intensity "unprecedented"

Hundreds of high schools in France were closed on Tuesday as teacher unions joined a protest movement launched by students demanding more government investment in education. France's Interior Ministry said about 256,000 people took part in demonstrations, including 56,000 in Paris. At some locations, police used tear gas to disperse crowds. Nearly 500 people were arrested, bringing the total number of arrests since September 28 to more than 6,500; another 43 police officers were injured. The protests demand smaller class sizes, renovation of school buildings, and reform of the university admissions quota system. The protests began in the Paris region in September and unexpectedly expanded rapidly last week.

US Treasury Secretary Bessent recycles debt-reduction refrain; market participants say "a vision is not a plan"

US Treasury Secretary Bessent said a combination of economic growth and fiscal restraint can curb the federal deficit, but given the government's massive debt load, market strategists doubt the approach will necessarily work. Bessent said on Monday evening that after inheriting "a pile of debt," the Trump administration is doing two things: "restraining spending and promoting economic growth." He also noted that after a one-time $180 billion tax refund payment, tariff revenue has recovered to a higher level. Speaking at an event hosted by the Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce, Bessent said: "What matters is the debt-to-GDP ratio, and we will start to bend that curve and bring it down. The pace could be very fast."