August 2026
All columns and Brief analyses.
10 results
Ray-Ban's chairman quits EssilorLuxottica, saying the company grew distant from its staff
Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio, son of the founder, leaves the roles of Ray-Ban chairman and group chief strategy officer on August 31. He wrote that management had become distant and impersonal as the company scaled. He keeps a 12.5 per cent stake in Delfin, the holding company that controls about 32.4 per cent of EssilorLuxottica. The Italian-French group's annual revenue exceeds 28 billion euros.
Recorders heard spotted owls in 261 of 1,027 areas and barred owls in 891
A survey covering about 98,000 square kilometres of federal forest in Oregon, Washington and northwestern California placed four autonomous recorders in each of 1,027 sampling hexagons and collected 2.1 million hours of audio between February and September 2023. Machine-learning analysis found northern spotted owl calls in 261 of those areas and barred owl calls in 891.
Scotiabank investment-banking profit rises 37 per cent to a record
Scotiabank beat its return target as BMO raised adjusted profit 19 per cent. In Australia, an unconfirmed takeover report lifted Suncorp and IAG shares by as much as 6 per cent.
South Korea pledges support for Hormuz after talks with Rubio
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced determinations on digital assets, technology, gold, aviation and shipping, and close to 60 targets. China's foreign ministry said it would protect its interests. Cho Hyun pledged a Hormuz contribution after talking to Marco Rubio.
Spain requests EU emergency funding for Ceuta
Spain formally requested EU emergency funding for Ceuta in North Africa, and the European Commission is assessing the request as a priority. More than 70,000 people moved towards Ceuta from Morocco at the end of July, at least 90 deaths were reported and 3,500 to 7,000 people remained. Madrid approved a single command to accelerate deportations while maintaining aid for asylum applicants and unaccompanied children.
Stacked JWST images give little red dots compact host galaxies
A study stacking 217 JWST little red dots found faint host-galaxy light. Another used Planck anisotropies to limit slow dark-sector transitions to less than 1 per cent of dark energy.
Sweden's military seeks Russia-linked land beside Muskö
Sweden's armed forces asked the government to expropriate a Russia-owned beach plot beside Muskö naval base. The military says the land offers unique conditions for drone defence and that Russian drone warfare has changed the threat. Swedish reports say a businessman linked to the Russian state is building a home on the island. Minister Pål Jonson said nobody should gain visibility into the base or a tactical advantage.
The US Treasury opens a quantum-readiness task force for the financial sector
The public-private task force is meant to move banks, market infrastructures and technology suppliers to post-quantum cryptography in a coordinated way. It runs three workstreams: sector alignment and the post-quantum transition, third-party and vendor readiness, and digital asset and emerging technology risk. Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions Luke Pettit said quantum computing holds significant promise but also poses a serious long-term challenge to the cryptographic tools that underpin the US financial system.
Tinubu orders a rescue for people abducted in the Niger State mosque attack
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu ordered the military and other security agencies to begin an immediate rescue operation for people abducted in the Niger State mosque attack. He also requested regular updates from security chiefs. State authorities are still trying to establish the missing-person count and will not speculate. The order followed footage showing women, children and older people held in a wooded area.
Trump doubles the levy on Canadian cars to 50 per cent
Trump said the levy on Canadian cars would rise from 25 per cent to 50 per cent on 1 January. Sheinbaum kept Marcelo Ebrard in Washington to press for lower Mexican steel, aluminium and car duties.