September 2026
All columns and Brief analyses.
10 results
Paul Christiano joins the OpenAI Foundation board as a safety overseer
OpenAI has appointed AI safety researcher Paul Christiano to its Foundation board. He will also serve on the Safety and Security Committee that oversees the for-profit company's safety practices and sit as a non-voting observer on the OpenAI Group board. Axios highlights the former OpenAI researcher's government standards work and his founding of the Alignment Research Center.
PCSK9 editing reached every allele; mosaicism set the clinical limit
ABE8e-V106W delivered as protein at fertilisation edited every PCSK9 allele in human embryos, which developed to the blastocyst stage. No insertions or deletions were detected, but mosaic changes at bystander and off-target sites and rare chromosomal damage occurred. The researchers say the method is useful for studying early development but is currently unsafe for clinical use in reproduction.
Porsche raises its cash-flow range after a 1 billion euro Bugatti Rimac exit
Porsche completed the transfer of its Bugatti Rimac and Rimac Group stakes to a buyer group led by HOF Capital for about 1 billion euros. It will put 250 million euros toward pension obligations and lift its 2026 automotive net cash-flow margin range from 3 per cent to 5 per cent, to 5.5 per cent to 7.5 per cent. The sale ends Porsche's period in the Bugatti Rimac venture.
Premier Coal workers endorse strike action in Collie
Workers at Premier Coal's mine in Collie, Western Australia, endorsed protected strike action after talks over pay and redundancy terms failed. The mine is a principal coal supplier to state-owned power stations scheduled to close by 2030. The state government says stockpiles will protect electricity supply, while unions are still deciding when stoppages will begin and how long they will last.
Russian drones hit two Kyiv apartment blocks, killing one woman
Jet-powered Russian drones hit apartment blocks in Kyiv's Darnytskyi and Dniprovskyi districts on September 9. A woman was killed in the strike on the nine-story Dniprovskyi building, and the injured included two children aged 15 and 16. The attacks began in the morning and continued through the day, setting homes and a warehouse on fire.
Serbia dissolves parliament and sets a snap election for 25 October
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić signed the decree dissolving the National Assembly and the decision scheduling a snap parliamentary election for 25 October. The vote follows nearly two years of student-led protests that began after the Novi Sad railway-station canopy collapse. With his presidential term ending in May 2027, Vučić plans to stand as the governing party's candidate for prime minister.
Strikes on Iranian tankers lift Brent above 99 dollars
Brent crude rose above 99 dollars a barrel on Tuesday after US forces struck Iran-linked tankers near Kharg Island and Jask. The attacks added pressure to shipping flows that were already severely reduced through the Strait of Hormuz. The market's next direction remains tied to the duration of the physical disruption and further attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure.
Suno v6 retires earlier models without naming its training catalogue
Suno released its v6 generation in three models, developed with Warner Music Group, BMG and Believe, and plans to retire its earlier models as the service moves to the new generation. The tools can edit song sections, lyrics and audio layers. Yet the company does not identify the recordings used to train v6 or explain how a generated track could be traced to a catalogue.
Taiwan's August exports hit an all-time monthly high of 82.4 billion dollars
Taiwan's exports rose 41.0 per cent over the year in August to 82.40 billion dollars, while China's increased 25 per cent and produced a monthly trade surplus of 119.09 billion dollars. Imports grew faster than exports in both economies. China's report cites both technology demand and shipments brought forward before tariff uncertainty; the totals do not separate their contributions.
Te Mana and Aotearoa complete a third naval sanctions patrol
Royal New Zealand Navy frigate Te Mana and sustainment vessel Aotearoa monitored evasion of UN sanctions on North Korea in waters around Japan from mid-August to early September. The mission focused on prohibited ship-to-ship transfers involving North Korean-flagged vessels. It was New Zealand's third naval contribution since 2024 and Te Mana's first mission of this kind.