August 2026
All columns and Brief analyses.
10 results
Bitcoin surges as United States regulators propose registration exemptions for crypto assets
The securities regulator proposed its first permanent framework to let crypto issuers raise capital without registering the offering. Following this and a White House meeting, short covering lifted bitcoin nearly 8 per cent.
Borrowing costs hit decades-long peaks as Iceland raises its rate to 8 per cent
Long-term borrowing costs reached decades-long highs in four major markets, while the Central Bank of Iceland increased its rate to 8 per cent and Fed minutes revealed three votes for a hike.
Central banks chart divergent paths as Iceland hikes rates and Indian policymakers signal tightening
Policy paths are splitting across regions; Iceland lifted its key rate to 8 per cent and Indian rate-setters pointed to potential hikes as inflation risks persist, even as South African inflation slows.
Civilian deaths and aid worker crisis draw outrage as Gaza ceasefire stalls
A deadly Israeli strike on a Gaza police station clouded ceasefire hopes, while Australia sharply condemned Israel's decision not to prosecute anyone over the 2024 killing of aid workers.
Climate pressures shift landscapes from Europe to tropical mangroves
Rising temperatures and extreme weather alter ecosystems, as Europe faces a potential tripling of burned areas and Honduras declares a widespread drought alert, while global mangrove cover shows a net gain.
Drought at Lake Zurich, a tomato field cooled by solar panels and climate effects on apples and wheat
Lake Zurich's water level fell to 404.45 metres amid drought. Elsewhere, a model showed agrivoltaic panels cutting leaf temperatures by 1.84 °C, while 35 years of harvest data revealed warming weather lowering wheat yields but supporting apples.
Evergrande founder sentenced to life as Shanghai cuts home deposit
The Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court sentenced Evergrande founder Hui Ka Yan to life imprisonment. Separately, Shanghai eased its housing policies by lowering the deposit for second homes to 15 per cent.
Findings published on a new star at our galaxy's centre and dark-star remnants
Astronomers spotted a new star reaching 25,000 km per second around Sagittarius A*, while a separate study models that collapsing dark stars could be the dominant source of the nanohertz gravitational-wave background.
Fine-particle pollution and urban tree emissions alter plant chemistry
PM2.5 pollution was found to weaken the water-use efficiency gains plants derive from rising carbon dioxide, while a separate Beijing study shows willows and poplars supply over half the city's ozone-forming reactivity.
Global trade disputes draw retaliation and renewed negotiations
Beijing barred its firms from an EU subsidy probe, and CK Hutchison launched an arbitration claim against Panama. In contrast to these escalations, the US and Canada are reportedly close to a deal reducing bilateral steel and auto tariffs.