September 2026
All columns and Brief analyses.
10 results
Revolut clears a US bank charter hurdle but four services stay on hold
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granted Revolut preliminary conditional approval for a branchless national bank in Stamford, Connecticut, American Banker reported, with leveraged currency trading, foreign exchange forwards, merchant acquiring and correspondent banking each needing separate sign-off before launch. City AM reported that founder Nik Storonsky called the approval an important first step, and that Revolut still needs sign-off from the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation before it can open.
Russian drone strikes SBU headquarters, injuring at least 12
A Russian drone struck the Security Service of Ukraine's Kyiv headquarters on Friday, aimed at the office of acting chief Oleksandr Poklad. Kyiv's mayor put the injury toll at 5; the city's military administration later gave 12, with 7 hospitalized. Poklad was unhurt, the SBU said. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine has chosen how it will respond, calling the hit on a government building a rare, major escalation.
Sanders and Casar unveil a bill to ban superintelligent AI and jail violators
Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Greg Casar introduced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act, which would permanently outlaw systems that match or exceed human cognition, pause advanced AI development until federal safety rules exist, and jail violators for up to 20 years. The sponsors cited AI systems already used to create new viruses and said OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta have not honored earlier pledges to pause development once their models outgrow safeguards.
Tesla launches driverless Cybercabs in Austin behind closed doors as shares jump
Tesla began driverless Cybercab rides in Austin at a private event with no livestream or press, while a separate rollout put dozens of the steering-wheel-free cars directly onto public streets. Texas records list 45 registered Cybercabs, and Tesla shares rose more than 5 percent as investors bet that riders will accept giving up manual control.
The Arctic melt season lengthens by about 7.5 days as autumn freeze-up arrives later
A review of roughly 50 years of satellite data led by Melinda Webster at the University of Washington finds the Arctic melt season has lengthened by about 7.5 days since 1979, mostly from a later autumn freeze-up. Webster tells Earth.com that sea ice reflects 60–90 per cent of sunlight while open water reflects about 7 per cent, so the delay lets the ocean absorb more heat and form thinner ice. The Antarctic trend remains harder to pin down, the review notes.
Trump casts doubt on backing Britain over the Falklands, calling his stance under review
Donald Trump declined to commit the United States to helping Britain in a future Falklands conflict, telling GB News his country had not been there to help him against Iran despite praising Britain's conduct in the 1982 war. He told the BBC his position on the islands remains just one of many under review, citing an earlier request for NATO ships that went unanswered. Britain's government said the islanders are British with a right to determine their own future, and Argentina's president welcomed Trump's remarks.
UiPath swings to positive GAAP operating income as second-quarter revenue beats estimates
UiPath reported second-quarter fiscal 2027 revenue of 410 million dollars, up 13 per cent from a year earlier and above the 397.77 million dollar consensus estimate, while annual recurring revenue reached 1.938 billion dollars. GAAP operating income swung to 31.6 million dollars from a 20.2 million dollar loss a year earlier, and UiPath disclosed leadership changes across sales and delivery alongside 268.5 million dollars of share repurchases over six months.
US diesel hits a record 5.85 dollars a gallon as the Iran war and Ukraine strikes squeeze supply
The US diesel average reached a record 5.85 dollars a gallon, passing the 5.81 dollar high set in June 2022, as Brent crude traded near 95.55 dollars a barrel. AAA tied the move to crude costs rather than seasonal demand, and NPR reported that Ukraine's strikes on Russian refineries are compounding the disruption the Iran war has caused at the Strait of Hormuz, pushing diesel more than 2 dollars above its 3.76 dollar price the day before that war began.
US employers announce fewest August job cuts since 2022 despite slow hiring
Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported that US employers announced 52,881 job cuts in August, the lowest August total since 2022 and 58 per cent above July's 33,429. CBS News reported that the eight-month total of nearly 530,000 cuts is the lowest since 2022, and quoted the firm's Andy Challenger saying that while layoffs stay muted, companies remain slow to fill the positions they say they plan to add.
US sanctions Banco Exterior de Cuba and a second Castro grandson
The State Department sanctioned Banco Exterior de Cuba, four energy and mining firms and Fidel Ernesto Castro Calis, a 31-year-old grandson of former leader Raul Castro, as part of its campaign to tighten Cuba's oil access. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the measures target the governing elite, and the Treasury named Castro Calis as an adult son of Alejandro Castro Espin, already under sanctions since June. Cuba's foreign minister rejected the accusations behind the move.