NHTSA chief Jonathan Morrison told CNBC the agency 'absolutely' will consider removing the federal requirement that autonomous vehicles be equipped with a steering wheel, saying manual controls are pointless for vehicles designed not to be human-driven. The agency last month updated federal safety standards to drop the mandatory manual brake pedal. The changes are part of the Trump administration's push to modernize AV rules and could ease the path for Tesla and other companies building wheel- a

Military and defense analyst Alex Alfirraz Scheers said Iran is prepared to accept a return to large-scale conflict with the United States if control of the Strait of Hormuz requires it. He said the waterway is both a wartime prize and Iran's largest bargaining chip in future negotiations with the US. Scheers added: "The US also faces pressure from Gulf Cooperation Council states to ensure the Strait of Hormuz does not become Iran's exclusive waterway." He said a memorandum of understanding may not be entirely void but is on life support, and warned that both sides must recognise that a new round of escalation would benefit neither party.

China A-share PCB concept stocks jumped in early trade; Baoding Technology hit its daily trading limit, with Benchuan Intelligent, Taijin New Energy, Mulinsen, Mankun Technology and Kuaike Intelligent also rising.