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Intelligence for the New World Economy
- D.C.
- BXL
- Lagos
- Riyadh
- Beijing
- SG
Gulf
Saudi postpones FII in person after Wall Street lobbying
Executives expressed safety concerns to PIF head Yasir Al-Rumayyan ahead of Saudi’s flagship investment conference.
Manchin to campaign with Collins in Maine
The former West Virginia senator wants to make sure the people of Maine understand how Susan Collins’ style of legislating benefits the state.
Manchin to campaign with Collins in Maine
The former West Virginia senator wants to make sure the people of Maine understand how Susan Collins’ style of legislating benefits the state.
View/ The future of medicine may depend on African DNA
Four years of Semafor
The World at a Glance
Updated 6:48am EDT
1
China’s economy grew faster than expected in the third quarter thanks to the country’s powerful export machine, with domestic consumption still lagging.
2Brazil’s presidential candidates traded barbs in the first debate ahead of Sunday’s runoff, with polls showing a technical tie.
3US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to strike deals across resource-rich Central Asia and reverse Chinese inroads in a region long dominated by Russia.
4A weekend of cost-of-living protests in France risked intensifying crises elsewhere in Europe.
5Anthropic pledged to donate 5% of its shares to a public-benefit fund, in the latest play by Silicon Valley to fend of public backlash to their technology.
6US President Donald Trump waived new sanctions on Russia days before they were set to take effect, raising fresh questions about Washington’s commitment to Ukraine.
To prep for sale of Ronaldo’s Saudi team, PIF pays off $213 million debt
Saudi’s sovereign wealth fund is arranging sponsorship deals to cover the soccer team’s debt.
The AI bet is running straight into a capital crunch
DBS’ Tan Su Shan, the CEO of Singapore’s largest bank, sees a vibe shift, with investors starting to question AI returns.
Thousands arrested after violent unrest roils France
Nearly 2,400 people were arrested in France on Saturday after long-simmering protests exploded into some of the country’s most disruptive unrest in years.
China considers export controls on AI, chips
China is considering export controls that could check the global spread of its AI models and chips, as Beijing increases oversight of its burgeoning tech sector.
Fuel subsidy becomes Nigerian election battleground
President Bola Tinubu’s main challengers in January’s vote say they would restore the subsidy.
The UAE’s ‘Zero Hormuz’ strategy runs through Fujairah
The Iran war has presented one of the country’s poorer emirates with a ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.’
Peptide group to meet with White House over pending regulatory plan
The largely unregulated substances are popular with wellness influencers and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
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Politics
US sanction waivers are Russian economic boon
Within weeks of waiving sanctions on Russian diesel, President Donald Trump waived sanctions on Russia’s trading partners.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Brazil presidential candidates at loggerheads in the first debate
Incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had avoided debating challenger Flávio Bolsonaro but the rightist’s first-round victory put the president on the back foot.
Jean Carniel/Reuters
Manchin to campaign with Collins in Maine
The former West Virginia senator wants to make sure the people of Maine understand how Susan Collins’ style of legislating benefits the state.
Nathan Howard/Reuters
Peptide group to meet with White House over pending regulatory plan
The largely unregulated substances are popular with wellness influencers and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Democrats face Gaza litmus test
The question of whether the violence in Gaza constitutes genocide will dominate the 2028 Democratic primary.
The national intelligence chief steering AI
“He is hyper-competent and a problem-solver with good instincts, and that’s why he’s so valued.”
White House allies play midterms blame game
The White House has witnessed an uptick in drama driven by the midterms.
How CBS News’ Middle East war spread to the Upper Midwest
Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss has personally advocated for CBS News journalists to pursue numerous story angles related to Abdul El-Sayed’s supposed sympathy towards the Muslim Brotherhood.
Europe vulnerable as US, Ukraine clash over Starlink
An escalating fight between the US and Ukraine over Starlink underlined Europe’s dependence on the Elon Musk-owned technology.
China considers export controls on AI, chips
China is considering export controls that could check the global spread of its AI models and chips, as Beijing increases oversight of its burgeoning tech sector.
Trump waives new Russia sanctions
US President Donald Trump waived new sanctions on Russia days before they were set to take effect, reversing a bipartisan congressional push and raising fresh questions about Washington’s commitment to Ukraine.
Business
The AI bet is running straight into a capital crunch
DBS’ Tan Su Shan, the CEO of Singapore’s largest bank, sees a vibe shift, with investors starting to question AI returns.
Demand for AI experts brings deepfakes and chatbot impostors
Expert networks are devising strategies to test for authenticity, like additional screening and ID verification with questions designed to trip up AI avatars.
777 Partners founder’s guilty plea deepens scrutiny of Wall Street’s insurance trade
A Semafor investigation in 2023 found that 777 had been funneling insurance policyholders’ money into risky bets that it ginned up itself.
Lowball retention bonuses doomed Perella-Piper Sandler merger
Perella bankers balked at $2.5 million in equity to stay with the combined bank.
Why Suntory’s CEO is still investing in a sobered-up spirits market
Nobuhiro Torii sees a chance to build the family company’s brands as listed rivals cut back.
Technology
Anthropic pledges at least 5% of shares to public-benefit fund
Anthropic is gearing up for a record-breaking IPO in the face of increasingly negative public reactions to AI’s technological advances.
Carlos Barria/Reuters
Europe vulnerable as US, Ukraine clash over Starlink
An escalating fight between the US and Ukraine over Starlink underlined Europe’s dependence on the Elon Musk-owned technology.
Stringer/Reuters
China considers export controls on AI, chips
China is considering export controls that could check the global spread of its AI models and chips, as Beijing increases oversight of its burgeoning tech sector.
Ecommerce confronts AI shopping agents ahead of holiday season
Cheq, a cybersecurity company that verifies AI shopping agents, says it recorded a 100x surge in agentic traffic.
Why the AI bubble fears are overblown
Money is not going to be the thing that finally causes the AI train to go off the rails.
OpenRouter challenger closes seed round
Startup TrustedRouter is among a growing crop of model-routing firms looking to cut AI costs and reduce businesses’ dependence on any single AI model maker.
Energy
The EU’s methane rule pause may not help energy prices
The EU’s decision to delay the implementation of its methane regulations won’t help consumers much, environmental groups argued.
Yves Herman/Reuters
Big Law talent battle for data center expertise moves South
The top 200 US firms are on pace to hire nearly 300 data center lawyers this year, up 21% from the year before.
Andrew Kelly/Reuters
Fossilflation is a permanent risk to the US
Rising energy costs were a major driver of the hotter-than-expected US inflation figures reported yesterday.
Alyssa Pointer/Reuters
Gulf
To prep for sale of Ronaldo’s Saudi team, PIF pays off $213 million debt
Saudi’s sovereign wealth fund is arranging sponsorship deals to cover the soccer team’s debt.
Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters
Saudi postpones FII in person after Wall Street lobbying
Executives expressed safety concerns to PIF head Yasir Al-Rumayyan ahead of Saudi’s flagship investment conference.
Egypt pledges to support Saudi Arabia in Houthi war
Egypt pledged “all necessary and possible forms of support” to Saudi Arabia as intensifying Houthi attacks risk a widening regional conflict.
Saudi’s online war response takes a militaristic turn
Previously, the response to Iranian attacks was posting images of the flag, the crown prince, and a prayer for the country.
IRH and Zambia’s state miner resolve copper financing dispute
The truce followed a meeting in Abu Dhabi between Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema and IRH’s CEO.
China
China’s third quarter GDP beats forecasts, though worries abound
The latest figures put the world’s second-biggest economy on track for the government’s 4.5-5% GDP growth target for 2026.
China Daily/Reuters
State Department warns travelers to China they risk “wrongful detention”
State cites “serious risk” as Trump plans China trip.
Eric Lee/Reuters
Taipei restricts China chip sales to appease the US
The latest move by Taipei is a significant step in curtailing black market sales to Chinese companies seeking to bypass US curbs.
Florence Lo/Reuters
Africa
Zambia makes up with Gulf investor in major copper mine
The expansion of the copper sector is a cornerstone of the country’s economic growth plan.
Rogan Ward/Reuters
Telecoms group urges cuts to spectrum cost in Africa
Reforms could add more than $120 billion to the African economy by 2035, expand 4G and 5G coverage, and raise productivity, GSMA estimated.
Mohamed Ahmed/Reuters
African inventors in spotlight ahead of top engineering prize
Dr Atish Shah, who took part five years ago, says his company Roverlabs is now developing a bionic hand for amputees.
Burundi signs $1.4B power deal with US-backed company
The country has deposits of nickel, gold, and rare earths, but lacks the electricity to develop large-scale mining.
The future of medicine may depend on African DNA
A $100 million investment over the next decade could help African scientists unlock discoveries that improve medicine worldwide.
Fuel subsidy becomes Nigerian election battleground
President Bola Tinubu’s main challengers in January’s vote say they would restore the subsidy.
Security
Europe vulnerable as US, Ukraine clash over Starlink
An escalating fight between the US and Ukraine over Starlink underlined Europe’s dependence on the Elon Musk-owned technology.
Stringer/Reuters
Egypt pledges to support Saudi Arabia in Houthi war
Egypt pledged “all necessary and possible forms of support” to Saudi Arabia as intensifying Houthi attacks risk a widening regional conflict.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Cairo on September 15. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via Reuters
Trump waives new Russia sanctions
US President Donald Trump waived new sanctions on Russia days before they were set to take effect, reversing a bipartisan congressional push and raising fresh questions about Washington’s commitment to Ukraine.
Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel via Reuters
Media
Four years of Semafor
Semafor is starting to emerge clearly as the thing we hoped it would become.
The Semafor team after Semafor World Economy in April 2026. Kris Tripplaar/Semafor
How CBS News’ Middle East war spread to the Upper Midwest
Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss has personally advocated for CBS News journalists to pursue numerous story angles related to Abdul El-Sayed’s supposed sympathy towards the Muslim Brotherhood.
Fox stays positive on data centers even as public backlash grows
More than half of the references to data centers on Fox News over the last two years would have left viewers with a favorable impression, according to a Semafor analysis.
Hack reveals Netanyahu campaign’s media ties
The latest breach comes from the Whatsapp account of Netanyahu aide Jonatan Urich.
ABC News offers contradictory explanation for vanishing Anduril story
Emails between ABC News and its subjects, provided to Semafor, show the network seeking to downplay its errors by misrepresenting its own processes.
CEO Signal
The $22B startup co-founder working to make chatbots talk back
ElevenLabs’ Mati Staniszewski is betting that “voice AI” will soon become the norm.
Why Suntory’s CEO is still investing in a sobered-up spirits market
Nobuhiro Torii sees a chance to build the family company’s brands as listed rivals cut back.
The CEO who put Canary Wharf back on the map
Shobi Khan’s success in filling the east London site is tempting him to think about international expansion.
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