Swiss Economy & Industry: Novelis has started operating its first electric pusher furnace at its Sierre plant, cutting emissions by about 4,500 tonnes CO2eq per year and reducing energy use by around 25% versus the gas-fired system. Swiss Finance & Markets: Citi is launching a crypto platform with SIX Swiss Exchange’s digital arm SDX to tokenize and trade shares of late-stage private companies for institutional and eligible investors, using a permissioned ledger and depositary receipts. Swiss Politics & Society: Switzerland’s CHEOPS space telescope mission has been extended by ESA until 2029, keeping the Swiss-led exoplanet research running longer. Corporate/Regulation Watch: UBS cut its WH Smith price target after the retailer’s profit downgrade and proposed equity raise, pointing to weaker North American momentum. Global Business & Risk: Alcoa shares plunged after its CFO warned the alumina segment could be “underwater” due to energy shocks and Hormuz-related shipping disruption. Tech & Security: U.S. prosecutors charged alleged operators of the “AudiA6” crypto laundering network tied to darknet and ransomware activity, alleging $389m in transactions and 10,000+ Bitcoin received since 2021. Dealmaking: Vipul Organics signed an exclusive European distribution deal with Omya, with Switzerland excluded. Defence Expansion: UAE’s EDGE Group launched EDGE Europe in Paris with a Paris HQ and a Bordeaux engineering/manufacturing base.