September 2026
All columns and Brief analyses.
10 results
Germany holds Russia responsible for the Leipzig drone and will shut the Bonn consulate
Germany said on Tuesday that responsibility for the explosive-laden drone found beside a Ukrainian aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport on the evening of 4 August rests with Russia. Johann Wadephul said the Russian ambassador had been summoned, that the Bonn consulate general will close on 18 September, and that the lease for the Russian House in Berlin will be ended. Emmanuel Macron backed new European sanctions; Maria Zakharova said Moscow would respond to Berlin's step.
Google Pics puts Nano Banana image editing inside Docs and Slides
Google opened Pics, a Workspace design app built on Gemini and the Nano Banana image model, to general availability. Users can click an image inside Docs or Slides, select a single object or a piece of text, and describe the change they want. Pics can upscale images to 2K or 4K, translate text inside a picture, and open at pics.new. Drive integration is listed for the coming weeks, and access starts on Google AI Pro, Ultra and selected Workspace business plans.
HUMAIN and Microsoft bundle HUMAIN ONE with Microsoft 365 Copilot
HUMAIN and Microsoft announced a partnership at the LEAP 2026 conference to bundle the HUMAIN ONE platform with Microsoft 365 Copilot as a single AI productivity service. The joint offering, running on Azure and alongside a new dual-platform AI PC, targets one million enterprise users in the Middle East and Africa.
ISM manufacturing index eased to 54.6 per cent in August, an eighth month of expansion
The ISM Manufacturing PMI registered 54.6 per cent in August, 1 percentage point below July's 55.6 per cent, an eighth consecutive month of expansion. New orders fell to 53.7 per cent and employment to 51.2 per cent. Production stood at 58.3 per cent and prices at 71.1 per cent. Susan Spence said the overall economy continued in expansion for a 22nd month. Manufacturing Dive reported Spence naming the Iran war and tariff threats as the chief manufacturing concerns.
Isthmin-2 at 12 weeks is the strongest first-trimester preeclampsia marker
A Cambridge team reports in Nature Medicine that low isthmin-2 at 12 weeks of pregnancy was the strongest protein marker of later preeclampsia or fetal growth restriction. Medical Xpress writes more than 200 cases versus more than 200 controls; Nature Medicine counts POPS as 223 cases and 242 controls, the strongest signal among 2,904 proteins. For Sweden, Medical Xpress writes more than 100 cases and 200 controls while Nature Medicine names IMPACT's 432 participants and a separate POPS2 cohort; invasion tests sit beside HEK293 migration.
Japan requests a record 55.6 billion dollar defense budget focused on AI and uncrewed weapons
Japan's Defense Ministry has outlined an 8.9 trillion yen (55.6 billion dollar) budget request for the upcoming fiscal year, aiming to modernize its military with artificial intelligence and drone technology. The spending plan includes an integrated AI command platform, a dedicated cognitive warfare unit, and the domestic mass production of low-cost attack drones to operate alongside long-range missiles.
Japan's 10-year bond yield hits 2.95 per cent, a 30-year high
The yield on Japan's benchmark 10-year government bond rose to 2.95 per cent on Monday, its highest level since September 1996. The yen weakened to 160.20 per dollar on Friday, despite record joint intervention. Markets read Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's 28 August Jackson Hole speech as leaving the door open to further rate increases, with markets now pricing a higher probability of a Fed hike before the BOJ's September meeting.
Japan's 10-year JGB auction average yield climbs to 2.995 per cent
The Ministry of Finance Japan sold issue 383 10-year government bonds, carrying a 2.7 per cent coupon, with competitive bids of about 6.5 trillion yen. The average accepted yield climbed to 2.995 per cent from the previous auction's 2.840 per cent. While FX.co reports the auction stopping at 2.995 per cent, the ministry records the lowest accepted price at 97.64 yen, bringing a 3.011 per cent yield. The rise signals higher benchmark borrowing costs.
Japan's September food price rises cover 4,923 items, more than triple a year earlier
A Teikoku Databank survey reveals that 4,923 food and beverage items will see price hikes in Japan this September, more than triple the 1,467 items recorded a year earlier. The surge is driven by high crude oil and packaging costs linked to the Middle East crisis, alongside a weak yen and rising logistics expenses. Heavily concentrated in seasonings and processed foods, the widespread increases are expected to deal a direct blow to household budgets.
Landsat 9 imaged a 76-square-kilometre ice island that broke from Petermann Glacier and struck Joe Island
Landsat 9 caught a 76-square-kilometre ice island that broke from Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland on 23 and 24 August. The tabular mass, up to 150 metres thick, moved an average of 3 kilometres a day down Petermann Fjord and struck Joe Island. It is the largest piece the glacier has shed since 2012. Two more rifts on the ice front appear close to breaking; NASA Earth Observatory estimates them at 94 and 84 square kilometres, while Universe Today puts them at 97 and 87.