In BIG PICTURE NEWS, mediators try to break the US-Iran deadlock, Hegseth makes deep cuts, Trump praises AI "self-regulation", debt costs hit new highs, Burnham lays out his stall, Bardella gets stung by antisemitism and Shell's involved in a big LNG Canada project. In CONSUMER & RETAIL-RELATED NEWS, Carnival sees strong demand, UK mortgages demand falls, Shein's weakness helps the high street and M&S teams up with Sephora. In IPO AND M&A NEWS, Altman says he'll delay OpenAI's IPO, Oura decides to delay its IPO and Novo buys into a Chinese weight-loss pill. MISCELLANEOUS NEWS, Deloitte partner pay rises, Grant Thornton ups its grad offer and Starbucks reins in its climate goals.AND FINALLY, I bring you some subtle mid-week motivation...