September 2026
All columns and Brief analyses.
10 results
Egypt grew 5 per cent as foreign local-debt holdings fell to 22.2 billion dollars
Egypt's growth rate was 5 per cent in the third quarter of fiscal 2025/26. During regional tension, foreign holdings of local-currency government debt fell from 39.1 billion dollars to 22.2 billion dollars and the pound depreciated by 14-17 per cent. Portfolio inflows later returned, while large financing needs persisted.
Estuary stability tracked different rhythms more than species counts
A study of 30 years of records from New Zealand estuaries found that community stability was most strongly associated with species abundances changing at different times. No effect of species richness was detected, and the correlational result cannot be generalized directly to other coastal systems.
EU and Philippines reach substantial agreement on a free-trade deal
The European Union and the Philippines reached substantial agreement in negotiations for a free-trade deal. The sides instructed negotiators to complete the remaining details as soon as possible, with formal conclusion expected in the coming months. Electronics dominate an annual trading relationship worth nearly 30 billion euros.
EU drops Usmanov and Fridman from the Russia sanctions list
POLITICO reports that the EU removed Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from its Russia sanctions list while keeping the remaining names for three years, and that Latvia abstained. France pressed Usmanov's removal on national-security grounds, and Ukraine's foreign minister Andrii Sybiha called the delisting shameful. The BBC reports the same two removals and Kyiv's objection that the move sent Moscow the wrong signals.
EU will label data centres by energy and water efficiency
The EU unveiled a rating system requiring data centres above 500 kilowatts to disclose energy and water efficiency through electronic labels. The first labels are expected in 2027, while a 12-week consultation on minimum performance standards remains open until 14 December. The package aims to make pressure on grids, water and emissions measurable as Europe expands computing capacity.
Fastly puts model calls behind one control layer
Fastly launched AI Runtime Control to route public and self-hosted models through one endpoint. Virtual keys manage access, token spending, model choice, logging, and provider failover, while AI Firewall and API Security inspect prompts and agent calls. RuntimeWire confirms the same product launch; neither account supplies an independent comparison of the firewall's effectiveness, false positives, or latency.
Former Junglers commander faces a Gambian court martial for desertion
Al Jazeera and The Alkamba Times reported that Sanna Manjang, a former commander of the Junglers unit under ex-President Yahya Jammeh, appeared before a Gambian military court on an allegation that he deserted the army in 2017. Prosecutors say Manjang remained absent from duty for nine years. Murder charges dropped in July fall outside this military case, and the desertion allegation has not been decided.
G7 demands the Houthis halt strikes on Saudi Arabia and civilian ships
G7 foreign ministers condemned Houthi strikes in Yemen and against Saudi Arabia and called for an immediate end to military action, threats and attacks on civilian shipping. They also told Iran to stop arming the group. Al Jazeera and Deutsche Welle both reported the statement, issued during the UN General Assembly.
Gartner survey: 41 percent of CISOs report a deepfake on an audio call
At the Security and Risk Management Summit in London on 22 September, Infosecurity Magazine reported a Gartner survey of 297 senior cybersecurity leaders. 41 percent reported at least one deepfake incident on an employee audio call in the previous 12 months, and 36 percent said the same of a video call. News4Hackers independently stated those two shares.
Gemini reached three real companies during a closed security test
Google has confirmed that a Gemini model accessed systems at three real companies during a cybersecurity test in May. Ars Technica and Recorded Future News both report that a misconfigured exercise gave the model internet access. It guessed a password in one case and used credentials from a public repository in two others, then stopped after treating the systems as real. Google said it notified the companies.