US Federal Reserve chair Kevin Warsh has kept lines of communication with President Donald Trump open since taking the role, underscoring the central banker’s balancing act between markets and the White House. Trump reportedly hasn’t pressured Warsh to lower interest rates, but sought his advice on the Iran war and ...
Month: August 2026
Mexico’s Sheinbaum rules out fracking expansionMexico’s Sheinbaum rules out fracking expansion
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum ruled out fracking in a key basin, citing danger to nearby water tables and indigenous communities — a move that highlights her political balancing act as the country strives to wean off US energy. Sheinbaum, a former engineer, has backtracked on her opposition to fracking, touting ...
ByteDance forbids distillation of rival AI modelsByteDance forbids distillation of rival AI models
Chinese tech giant ByteDance’s founder reportedly forbade AI researchers from distilling rival models, as scrutiny of the practice causes friction between Washington and Beijing. The policy reportedly dates to 2023, predating the period when “avoiding US retaliation” became a potential commercial priority, the Pekingnology newsletter wrote. Notably, ByteDance is not ...
iPhones boost India’s electronics ambitioniPhones boost India’s electronics ambition
The success of Apple’s production facilities in Chennai, including the company’s first major iPhone factory in India, is boosting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambition of transforming the country into an electronics powerhouse. Washington’s intensifying efforts to wall off its tech industry from Chinese software and components are also helping make ...
Senate negotiations intensify on recess dealSenate negotiations intensify on recess deal
After Republican senators lunched with Vice President JD Vance, the contours of a deal to finish the Senate’s summer business started becoming clearer. “There’s some movement in the right direction,” Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., told Semafor. Republican leaders are close to finishing the government spending bill, which may involve giving ...
Software Giant SAP Stops Most Travel and Hiring Because of AI’s Soaring CostSoftware Giant SAP Stops Most Travel and Hiring Because of AI’s Soaring Cost
SAP, one of the world’s biggest software companies, suspended most travel and hiring last month because of AI’s soaring cost, with exceptions only being made for AI-related travel or hires, according to an internal SAP email obtained by 404 Media. Bloomberg reported on the email and the freezes in July, ...
Iran says a deal with Oman to reopen the strait of Hormuz is close to being finalised – as it happenedIran says a deal with Oman to reopen the strait of Hormuz is close to being finalised – as it happened
This live blog is now closed. Understanding reached on coordinates for shipping route through Hormuz, Iran says Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, which was set up in January to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, has finally issued its first construction contract in the devastated territory: a project to build a ...
Israel charges West Bank settler over death of renowned Palestinian activistIsrael charges West Bank settler over death of renowned Palestinian activist
Yinon Levi faces trial for reckless manslaughter related to the 2025 killing of Awdah Hathaleen Israeli prosecutors have charged a Jewish settler over the killing of a Palestinian community leader in the occupied West Bank last year – the first such indictment in nearly three years. In papers filed by ...
Thousands of rail passengers hit by power failure disruptionThousands of rail passengers hit by power failure disruption
An outage in Manchester caused delays and cancellations, with services expected to be affected throughout the evening. ...
Reading John Hersey’s ‘Hiroshima,’ 81 years onReading John Hersey’s ‘Hiroshima,’ 81 years on
by John Hersey. Eighty-one years ago Thursday, an atomic bomb exploded over Japan. One year later, The New Yorker handed its entire Aug 31, 1946 issue to one 31,000-word article telling the story of six people who survived. Hersey — reporting on a clerk, a tailor’s widow, two doctors, a ...