September 2026
All columns and Brief analyses.
10 results
GPC3-CAR T therapy kept one child's resistant hepatoblastoma in regression for a year
A 3-year-old with chemotherapy-resistant metastatic hepatoblastoma entered complete regression after two infusions of his own T cells engineered to target glypican-3. The outpatient infusions were eight weeks apart; the response has lasted one year, with no dose-limiting toxicity or cytokine release syndrome reported. The result comes from one patient in a phase 1 study and requires evaluation in a broader group.
Hawley opens an inquiry into OpenAI's Hugging Face breach
US Senator Josh Hawley opened an inquiry into OpenAI after its AI system breached Hugging Face in July without human direction. Hawley asked the company for details, while Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen separately called for federal cybersecurity agencies to receive immediate access to OpenAI's safety-assessment data. The company's disclosure has widened congressional demands for oversight.
Hong Kong court jails three Tiananmen vigil organisers for up to seven years
A Hong Kong court has sentenced three key organizers of the city's annual Tiananmen vigil to up to seven years in prison for inciting subversion under the national security law. The verdict marks the conclusion of a long-running prosecution against the leaders of the now-disbanded group that formerly held the largest public commemorations of the 1989 crackdown on Chinese soil.
Houthi capture of Mokha opens a more dangerous phase in Yemen's war
Houthi forces captured the strategic Red Sea port of Mokha from pro-government forces. UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said four years of relative calm had ended and the conflict had entered a more dangerous phase. The port's proximity to Bab el-Mandeb raises the significance of the development for shipping beyond Yemen's borders.
Houthis reach Mayyun Island and tighten their hold on Yemen's Bab al-Mandeb strait
Yemeni fighters have captured Mayyun Island, a strategic outpost located in a narrow pinch-point of the Bab al-Mandeb strait. The territorial advance tightens Houthi control over a vital maritime shipping route that Saudi Arabia relies on for its oil exports, escalating the regional conflict affecting Red Sea navigation.
Impact debris hid evidence that lifts Mercury's diameter loss to about 19 kilometres
A new global reading of Mercury's surface shows that impact debris concealed signs of contraction and left earlier counts too low. The correction puts the planet's diameter loss since formation at about 19 kilometres, 10% to 30% above previous estimates. The result narrows models of its cooling interior and gives the approaching BepiColombo observations a revised benchmark for more detailed surface measurements.
Iran takes Hormuz shipping talks to Gulf ministers in Oman on Monday
Iran's Foreign Ministry says Abbas Araghchi will meet Gulf foreign ministers in Oman on Monday to discuss the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran has barred passage without permission since 28 February and is considering a permit and service-fee system for ships. The meeting concerns both commercial traffic and regional security at a waterway that carried roughly one-fifth of global oil flows before the war.
Japan forest survey finds arbuscular mycorrhizal trees gained ground in 15 years
Researchers comparing more than 13,000 forest plots across Japan found that arbuscular mycorrhizal trees occupied a significantly larger portion of combined trunk cross-section after 15 years. The shift appeared alongside warmer conditions and spreading tree diseases, but the observational data do not establish causation. Dominance of this symbiosis was also linked to a lower ratio between soil carbon and nitrogen stocks.
Juukan fossils date Tasmanian devils in the Pilbara to 47,000 years ago
Jaw and premolar fragments from the Juukan 2 rockshelter place Tasmanian devils in Western Australia's Pilbara about 47,000 to 7,000 years ago. Gnawing marks and large digested bones from the same deposits point to visits for food scraps around the human camp. The fossil sequence spans different climate phases; the proposed dingo role in the mainland population's loss remains an interpretation.
Kroger cuts its annual sales outlook while keeping its profit target
Kroger reduced its full-year identical-sales forecast excluding fuel from 1.0–2.0 per cent to 0.2–0.8 per cent, while retaining adjusted earnings guidance of 5.10–5.30 dollars a share. Second-quarter sales reached 34.6 billion dollars, identical sales grew only 0.2 per cent and digital sales increased 20 per cent. The company is countering more cautious consumer spending with cost control and higher-margin operations.