Aug

The US president call the move a ‘hostile act’, as Canada seeks to move closer to the EU and diversify its defence tiesDonald Trump has threatened the European Union with “serious tariffs” and a cut to trade after the bloc proposed to make Canada its first ever associate member, calling the idea “laughable”.Suggesting the move was a “hostile act”, the US president told reporters he could put “very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe”. He added: “If it’s a good intention, that’s fine. If it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs on Europe.” Continue reading...

Exclusive: Lee Hanson also appears to be regularly campaigning for party during work hours, social media showsListen to Guardian Australia’s podcast The Populist hereGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcastPauline Hanson’s daughter, Lee Hanson, has been working in Tasmania as a senior adviser to a New South Wales One Nation senator without the required ministerial approval, Guardian Australia can reveal.Under work base arrangements that apply to the staff of all MPs, a personal adviser such as Hanson can only be allowed to work in a location other than Canberra or the parliamentarian’s home base with approval from the special minister of state. Continue reading...

• Indian stock markets closed today for the Ganesh Chaturthi holiday, pausing updates for the Nifty 50 and Sensex. • The National Company Law Tribunal will hear the proposed merger of Piombino Steel into JSW Steel on 24 September. • Market closures prevent active trading and real-time price updates for retail and institutional investors today.

• Most Asian economies saw manufacturing growth in August 2026, though Indonesia and China experienced contractions. • Japan's Manufacturing PMI rose to 54.9 from 54.5 in July, while Indonesia's index fell to 49.8. • These shifts indicate diverging factory conditions across the region, specifically affecting the ASEAN bloc which represents 98% of the area's manufacturing value-added.

Minister points to legislation’s retrospective effect, but Reform says it is confident funding is within the lawUK politics live – latest updatesReform UK’s record £72m in donations from two crypto billionaires could be caught in a new bill which will apply retrospectively, a cabinet minister has suggested.Labour MPs have voiced anger on internal WhatsApp groups that the government did not act last week to restrict domestic donations in the elections bill after two donors – Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo – gave Reform UK a total of £72m over the weekend. Continue reading...

• The consumer price index showed persistent inflation in August, providing the final major data point before the Federal Reserve's policy meeting next week. • Dow Jones consensus expectations projected a 0.4% rise in the all-items index and a 0.2% gain for core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy costs. • These figures may influence the Federal Reserve's decision to hike interest rates during its vote concluding next Wednesday.

• Inflation remained high in August 2026 due to rising energy prices caused by the war in Iran. • Economists attributed the stubborn inflation rates to increased costs for gasoline and other energy sources. • Consumers will likely face continued financial pressure and higher living costs as Middle East tensions persist.

Annualized inflation rate was 3.4%, same as July, and core inflation, which omits energy and food prices, was up to 2.4%US consumer prices remained stubbornly high in August as the end of the ceasefire between the US and Iran pushed energy prices up, according to data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics released on Friday.The annualized inflation rate was 3.4%, the same as it was in July. The most recent peak was seen in May, when the inflation rate hit a three-year high at 4.2%. Core inflation, which strips out volatile energy and food prices, increased to 2.4% in August. Continue reading...

• The FDA approved six cancer drugs in August 2026, including a new pill for pancreatic cancer called Rasonque. • Patients taking Rasonque lived a median of 13.2 months compared to 6.7 months for those on chemotherapy, reducing the risk of death by roughly 60%. • This approval provides a significant survival increase for pancreatic cancer patients in a disease where gains are typically measured in weeks.

• Thirty-three cybersecurity-related merger and acquisition deals were announced by companies in August 2026. • The deals involved major companies such as Brinqa, Cribl, Echo, Fortinet, Kiteworks, Palo Alto Networks, and Visa, indicating a trend of consolidation in the cybersecurity industry. • This surge in M&A activity suggests that companies are looking to strengthen their cybersecurity capabilities through strategic acquisitions, which could impact the market and competition.

• Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates shared their views on AI in August 2026, with Zuckerberg being hopeful and Gates being cautionary. • The views of these CEOs were part of several manifestos and editorials published in August, highlighting the ongoing debate about AI's impact. • The discussion around AI is particularly relevant for businesses, as highlighted by the founder and CEO of PTP in a follow-up article on AI and cybersecurity.

• President Xi Jinping began a series of diplomatic meetings throughout September to redefine China's future role and influence in the world. • Xi met with leaders including Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi in Bishkek to demonstrate China's ability to manage both geopolitical partners and rivals. • This strategy uses the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to expand Chinese influence among countries that prefer not to formally align with a single power.

• Investors committed billions of dollars to startups in artificial intelligence, defense technology, robotics, nuclear energy, and battery storage during August 2026. • Companies like Valar Atomics, Base Power, and Form Energy received funding to develop technologies that increase electricity supply and grid reliability. • This investment trend reflects a growing need for power generation to support rising electricity demands from AI infrastructure and data centers.

• The Supreme Court issued several landmark judgments and legal updates during August 2026, including new training requirements for civil judges and expanded legal protections for live-in relationships. • The court extended the application of Section 498-A of the IPC, which deals with cruelty toward women, to include partners in live-in relationships. • These rulings establish new legal precedents for domestic partnerships and create standard operating procedures to prevent "digital arrests," where scammers trick victims into staying on video calls.

• Thailand’s SET Index closed at 1,595.16 points at the end of August 2026, marking a 26.6 percent gain since the end of 2025. • Listed companies reported a 22.2 percent year-on-year increase in net profit for the first six months of 2026. • Middle East tensions pushed crude oil prices near 90 USD per barrel, creating market pressure that led to a 1.8 percent dip in the index from July.

• The FDA approved seven new drugs in August 2026 across various medical fields. • These approvals cover treatments for sleep disorders, Alzheimer's disease diagnostics, oncology, rare diseases, autoimmune conditions, and hematology. • Pharmaceutical companies can use these approvals to determine new strategies for market entry, exclusivity timelines, and filing processes.

• Late-stage funding captured 77.5% of Singapore's total tech funding in August 2026. • Data from Tracxn shows this represents a surge from zero percent year-over-year. • This shift indicates that investors are prioritizing established companies over early-stage startups in the Singapore tech market.

• The Supreme Court quashed First Information Reports (FIRs), which are initial police complaints, against individuals who protested the NEET paper leak. • This decision followed an assurance from the Centre that legal cases arising from the July protests would not be pursued. • The ruling removes the threat of criminal prosecution for students and activists involved in the demonstrations.

• Tech companies raised approximately $864 million in equity funding during August 2026. • This funding amount represents an 81.36% decrease from the $4.63 billion raised in July. • The sharp decline indicates a cooling investment climate for technology firms seeking capital.

• Euronext announced its trading volumes for August 2026 across its exchanges in Amsterdam, Athens, Brussels, Dublin, Lisbon, Milan, Oslo, and Paris on September 7, 2026. • The company's regulated exchanges hosted over 1,800 listed issuers with €7 trillion in market capitalization as of June 2026. • These figures reflect the scale of Euronext's integrated market infrastructure following its November 2025 acquisition of a majority stake in the Athens Stock Exchange.

• A Stockholm-based AI software company raised $400 million in Series C funding in August 2026 to expand its team and customer base. • The company uses multiple AI models to help non-technical users and businesses create software that currently receives hundreds of millions of monthly visits. • This investment allows the firm to grow its operations across Sweden and the US while moving the platform beyond simple prompt-based interactions.

• European tech companies secured over €4.6 billion across more than 50 funding deals last week. • Dutch AI startup Wonderful led the activity by raising $550 million at a $5 billion valuation. • This surge in capital provides critical liquidity for sectors ranging from quantum computing to food technology across the continent.

Ashlyn Nassif, daughter of Toplace boss who fled Australia in 2022, has pleaded guilty to providing false or misleading information to obtain loan from WestpacFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe daughter of a fugitive property developer succumbed to pressure from her father when she falsified documents for a $150m construction loan, a Sydney court has heard.Ashlyn Nassif, the daughter of Jean Nassif, pleaded guilty in June to providing false or misleading information to obtain the loan from Westpac, which was used to construct three apartment towers in Sydney’s north-west in 2021. Continue reading...

• U.S. employers added 162,000 nonfarm payrolls in August 2026, far exceeding the forecast of 53,000. • The AI-exposed information sector shed 23,000 jobs, which is nearly triple its average monthly loss over the past year. • This strong overall job growth increases the likelihood that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates during its September 15-16 meeting.

Lorena Isceri was thrown off a motorway bridge, allegedly by ex-boyfriend Federico VellaA 45-year-old woman has been killed and thrown off a motorway bridge near Florence, in the seventh alleged femicide in Italy since mid-August.Lorena Isceri was abducted on Thursday afternoon, allegedly by her ex-boyfriend, Federico Vella, in the Rifredi area of Florence, before being forced into the boot of his car and driven towards the bridge on the A1 motorway.In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123 and the domestic abuse helpline is 0808 2000 247. In the US, the suicide prevention lifeline is 988 and the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org Continue reading...

• On September 3, 2026, the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all rallied as Treasury yields eased ahead of the August jobs report. • Market optimism was supported by expectations for the S&P Global services PMI (expected 56.8) and the ISM services index (expected 54.1), both indicating continued economic expansion. • This growth suggests the economy is resilient enough to support corporate earnings and risk assets without triggering more restrictive Federal Reserve policies.

• The FDA has approved Oveporexton (brand name Orzeyful), developed by Takeda, for the treatment of narcolepsy type 1 in adults. • As the first drug to directly restore orexin signaling, the twice-daily tablet demonstrated improvements in daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and hallucinations across two clinical trials. • The approval follows the drug's receipt of FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation and Priority Review, addressing the core biological deficit of the disorder.

• In August 2026, Asian markets showed divergent performance, with South Korea and Taiwan maintaining strong year-to-date gains of over 90% and 64%, respectively. • India's equities declined by 0.2% due to a combination of rising energy costs, modest foreign outflows, and a general decrease in risk appetite. • Southeast Asian results were mixed, as Malaysia (+1.5%) and Indonesia (+0.3%) rose, while Thailand (-1.8%) and the Philippines (-7.2%) fell amid persistent foreign investment outflows.