August 2026
All columns and Brief analyses.
10 results
Two unvaccinated Lancaster County residents are the first US measles deaths of 2026
Pennsylvania's health department said two unvaccinated residents of Lancaster County died of measles, the first deaths from the disease in the US this year. National case counts have already reached 2,777, above the 2,289 recorded in 2025. State Health Secretary Debra Bogen said measles had been largely eliminated in Pennsylvania for more than three decades, so many residents are unfamiliar with how severe the illness can be.
US consumer confidence slips again as the six-month outlook darkens
The Conference Board index fell 0.8 points to 89.4 in August, a second straight monthly decline. Expectations dropped 5.8 points to 68.2 while the present-situation reading rose 6.8 points to 121.2. Consumers were more pessimistic about business conditions and jobs over the next six months: 26.1 per cent expected fewer jobs against 14.6 per cent expecting more.
US gas plants planned solely for data centres pass 189 gigawatts
Global Energy Monitor now counts 189 gigawatts of US data centre gas plants, up from 97 gigawatts at the end of 2025. Intel's Hot Chips 2026 lineup splits agentic work across a Xeon, an inference GPU and a laptop chip.
Video from Niger State showed people abducted from a mosque
Video posted by an armed group on Facebook and WhatsApp showed large groups sitting on the ground among armed men, with children crying. A Hausa-speaking man asked families to identify relatives, and four residents said they recognised some captives. Residents' estimate of about 600 people, as well as the video's place and time, was not independently verified by Reuters. Police did not confirm the total.
Volkswagen takes a plan for 50,000 job cuts to its workers
Chief executive Oliver Blume presented what he called the largest transformation programme in the company's history to angry staff. The restructuring could close as many as 50,000 positions. Blume said everyone needs to pull together. The labour leader Daniela Cavallo said the workforce's trust in the executive board had been damaged, not yet beyond repair but damaged nonetheless.
Washington asks the Security Council to cover all of Sudan as gunmen kill two UNMISS peacekeepers
US envoy Boulos asked the Security Council to stretch the Darfur arms embargo across Sudan, bring drones into the regime, and add experts. An ambush on the road to Pajut in Jonglei killed two UNMISS peacekeepers.
Washington prepares to cancel visitor visas held by asylum applicants
The Trump administration is preparing to cancel business and tourism visas held by up to 200,000 foreigners who applied for asylum. The plan covers people who entered on B1 and B2 visas issued from 2016 to 2026 and later sought asylum. The State Department is identifying them with Homeland Security. Revocation does not directly begin deportation; about 175,000 visas were already revoked for various reasons over the past 18 months.
Washington takes Syria off the state-sponsor list as Pakistan's army chief meets Pezeshkian
The US Treasury revoked Syria's state-sponsor listing and the al-Nusrah designation. Asim Munir met Pezeshkian, Ghalibaf and Rezaei in Tehran. A Reuters/Ipsos poll put support for the Iran war at 31 percent.
Washington weighs a 7.5 per cent China duty as Shein's Everlane purchase enters a CFIUS review
People familiar with the talks say a 7.5 per cent duty on China's excess capacity is under consideration and not yet final. Separately, CFIUS is reviewing Shein's 80 million dollar purchase of Everlane, completed in May.
World Cup sets lift Lego revenue by 21 per cent
Lego revenue rose 21 per cent. DICK'S stores grew while Foot Locker declined, and PDD revenue missed expectations as price competition persisted in China.