Morning Briefing — August 26, 2026
Morning Briefing — August 26, 2026
World News
Indonesia deploys prayers and firefighting resources as wildfires blanket cities in choking haze — Authorities in South Sumatra have turned to spiritual measures alongside emergency firefighting as wildfires rage across forests and peatlands, shrouding parts of Indonesia in hazardous haze. Around 3,000 residents gathered in Palembang to perform a special Islamic prayer for rain as satellite data showed South Sumatra with the highest number of hotspots nationwide. Al Jazeera
Millions of Indonesians at risk of respiratory illness as haze thickens — The Indonesian health ministry warned that 3.4 million people across seven provinces on Borneo and Sumatra face respiratory infection risks from thick haze. Schools have closed, hundreds of thousands of masks have been distributed, and President Prabowo Subianto has deployed helicopters, aircraft and thousands of personnel to fight the blazes. Phys.org / AFP
UK PM Andy Burnham visits Kyiv for Ukraine's Independence Day, pledges missile parts — British Prime Minister Andy Burnham travelled to Kyiv to mark Ukraine's Independence Day, meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Burnham announced that defense firm MBDA will release details on UK-made parts for the SCALP missile to help Ukraine assemble the weapons domestically. NPR
Colombia earthquake death toll rises above 240 as national emergency continues — The magnitude 7.4–7.5 earthquake that struck Chocó department on August 10 has now killed at least 331 people, injured more than 4,600 and left hundreds missing. President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a national state of emergency as damage extended across Cali, Pereira, Quibdó and other western cities. Wikipedia / The Guardian
UAE says two ADNOC-linked vessels attacked in Strait of Hormuz, blames Iran — The United Arab Emirates accused Iran of being behind an attack on two vessels linked to the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company in the Strait of Hormuz. The incident coincides with a broader US military buildup in the Middle East, including the deployment of the USS George Washington to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln. Al Jazeera / WSJ (via Wikipedia Current Events)
Roughly 60 killed in armed attack during cattle raid in South Sudan — Around 60 people were killed and 50 more injured during an armed attack tied to a cattle raid in Tonj North County, Warrap State, South Sudan. The clash underscores continuing intercommunal violence in the region. AFP via Arab News
Evergrande founder Hui Ka Yan sentenced to life in prison — Chinese property developer Hui Ka Yan has been sentenced to life in prison, marking a major milestone in the Evergrande saga after the company collapsed with more than $300 billion in liabilities. Hong Kong's Stock Exchange delisted China Evergrande earlier this month. NPR / AP
At least 44 killed as ferry sinks on Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe — At least 44 people died when a ferry sank on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe. Search and rescue operations are ongoing along the vast border reservoir with Zambia. AFP via RFI
Business
Canadian businesses brace for lost deals as 50% US tariffs take effect — Canadian business leaders are preparing for the full effects of fresh 50% US tariffs after trade talks collapsed. The new slate covers roughly $28 billion in exports, or about 5% of Canadian goods shipped south, and exporters say the uncertainty has created a "freeze reaction" among American customers reluctant to sign long-term contracts. CBC News
Ottawa's counter-tariffs draw broad support as Unifor calls EI relief inadequate — Canada's federal counter-tariffs on US goods are drawing broad domestic support, though unions including Unifor say new EI measures fall short of what workers need. Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney urged Ottawa to signal it could apply an export tax on Canadian crude oil, natural gas or potash. CBC News
Wall Street edges higher as Treasury yields and oil retreat ahead of Nvidia — The S&P 500 added 0.32% to 7,677 and the Dow rose 0.30% to 53,577 as cheaper oil and a dip in the 10-year Treasury yield calmed markets. Chip shares rebounded from Monday's more than 3% slide as investors positioned for Nvidia's earnings on Wednesday. Rio Times / Bloomberg
Brazil's central bank keeps cutting: Selic falls to 14% in fourth straight reduction — Copom cut the benchmark Selic by a quarter point to 14.00% at its August meeting — the fourth consecutive cut and a full point below the 15.00% peak. Governor Gabriel Galípolo stressed future moves will remain data-dependent, with the bank's Focus survey pointing to one more cut in September. Rio Times
Asian stocks set to gain as oil extends declines ahead of PCE data — US stocks slipped Tuesday as traders held back from taking risk ahead of Nvidia's earnings report, a bellwether for the AI trade. Treasuries retreated across the curve ahead of the July print of the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge, shrugging off a third straight decline in oil prices. Bloomberg
Chip stocks rally lifts Nasdaq as bond yields slide for second day — The S&P 500 gained 0.32% to close at 7,677.28 while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.66% to 26,151.30 on Tuesday, boosted by a rally in semiconductor stocks. The 10-year Treasury yield fell more than 7 basis points to 4.625% after CNBC reported the Treasury could tap its $1 trillion General Account to fund bond repurchases. CNBC
US Consumer Confidence Index falls in August — The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index dropped 0.8 points to 89.4 in August, below Dow Jones' 90.2 consensus. The reading was particularly downbeat about the longer-term outlook, adding to concerns about a slowing US consumer. CNBC
Technology
Nvidia Q2 FY27 earnings on August 26 seen as bellwether for AI trade — Nvidia is set to report Q2 fiscal 2027 earnings after the close on August 26, with Wall Street expecting roughly $93–95 billion in revenue — up 67–75% year on year — driven by Blackwell chip demand. With shares near $220 and price targets clustering at $275–$325, the report is viewed as a critical read on whether the AI infrastructure boom is sustainable. Intellectia / Wall Street preview
Nvidia notifies clients of 15%+ price hikes on Vera Rubin and Blackwell servers — Bloomberg News reported that Nvidia has told clients that servers built on its Vera Rubin and Blackwell chips will see price hikes of more than 15%. The move underscores Nvidia's pricing power ahead of Wednesday's earnings and points to sustained AI infrastructure demand. Bloomberg via CNBC
Anthropic's Q2 revenue grows at least 14-fold year on year to over $11.5 billion — Anthropic's preliminary Q2 revenue exceeded $11.5 billion, up from $787 million a year earlier and $4.73 billion in Q1 2026, according to documents seen by Bloomberg. The quarter also produced positive adjusted operating income, driving chip stocks higher in premarket trading. Bloomberg via CNBC
Rising AI tariff exposure could push electronics prices higher, experts warn — While autos and steel dominate Canada-US trade war headlines, experts say rising tariffs could push up prices for electronics, including physical components that underpin AI systems. The wider tariff regime is exposing new pockets of the tech supply chain to cost pressure. CBC News
Robotaxi rollout, chip financing and Nvidia startup deal top tech agenda — In the latest 24 hours of tech news, regulators opened Las Vegas streets to thousands of robotaxis, chipmakers lined up tens of billions in fresh AI debt, and Nvidia moved on a key model-building startup. Anthropic is reportedly preparing a potentially historic IPO while Apple confronts AI-generated music. Tech Startups
Trump FCC drafting ban on new Chinese datacenter hardware imports — The Trump administration is reportedly drafting a measure through the FCC to bar US imports of new models of Chinese datacenter devices, according to sources cited by The Guardian. The move signals rising US concern about the pace of Chinese AI infrastructure development and would force operators to reassess hardware supply chains. The Guardian
Renewable Energy
Solar PV dominates 800 GW of new renewable capacity added globally in 2025 — The IEA's Global Energy Review 2026 finds that global renewable capacity additions rose 16% to 800 GW in 2025 — a 23rd consecutive record — despite supply-chain strain and policy shifts. Solar PV accounted for more than three-quarters of new additions and wind roughly 20%. IEA (Global Energy Review 2026)
China added nearly 500 GW of renewables in 2025, over 60% of global growth — China commissioned nearly 370 GW of solar PV and 117 GW of wind in 2025 — 13% and 48% higher, respectively, than 2024. A June 2025 shift from fixed tariffs to competitive auctions triggered a solar rush in the first half of the year, while wind installations accelerated later as large "mega-base" projects came online. IEA
China's 15th five-year plan pledges to peak coal use between 2026 and 2030 — China's new coal five-year plan pledges to peak use of the fuel during 2026–2030 but declined to name a specific year for the peak or set a concrete coal-production target. The plan continues to describe coal as a "foundational" source of energy for China's economy and security. Carbon Brief
China issues new safety regulations for small modular reactors — China released new regulations covering safety measures for small modular reactors, which industry outlet Jiemian said "charts a clear regulatory path" for the technology. Beijing also published a 15th five-year plan for the coal industry covering 2026–2030. Carbon Brief
Report: 30 GW of new Chinese coal capacity came online in first half of 2026 — A joint report from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air and Global Energy Monitor found 30 GW of new Chinese coal capacity came online in H1 2026. The State Council also approved a fresh batch of new nuclear reactors, according to Caixin. Carbon Brief (CREA/GEM report)
Renewables set to overtake coal in global electricity generation in 2026 — Electricity generation from renewables is set to overtake coal in 2026 even as global power demand grows faster than in previous years, according to IEA data highlighted in a monthly Clean Economy Progress Report. The share of renewables in generation is forecast to rise from 33% in 2025 to 37% by 2027. Backchannel / IEA
UK EV sales overtake petrol cars for the first time — UK consumers bought 516,490 new electric vehicles in the 12 months to May 2026, compared with 504,010 new petrol cars, according to Carbon Brief analysis. Separately, Hainan Province in China plans to ban sales of new fuel-powered vehicles by 2030, with EV share expected to rise from under 24% in 2025 to 45%. Carbon Brief
Europe's solar boom pushes into once-overlooked northern markets — Falling equipment costs and higher electricity prices have made solar viable in northern parts of Europe that were once considered too dark or cold to make projects pay off. Analysts say the next phase of the boom could reshape which regions and communities gain access to the technology. Energy Connects
Soil Science
Farmers for Soil Health opens 2026 enrollment with higher cover-crop incentives — The 20-state Farmers for Soil Health program has opened 2026 enrollment through August 31, raising payments to $35 per acre per year on up to 2,000 acres. The initiative — backed by a $95 million USDA Advancing Markets for Producers grant — aims to double US cover-crop adoption to 30 million acres by 2030. Farms.com / NC State Extension
New review: conservation agriculture, agroforestry and natural farming key to soil health — A new review in Frontiers in Agronomy published August 25, 2026, examines how conservation agriculture, agroforestry and natural farming systems can rebuild degraded soils. The authors argue that land degradation driven by pollution and climate change is a major threat to food security and climate adaptation. Frontiers in Agronomy
Researchers argue soil microbes are the "missing metric" in climate-smart agriculture — A new Exploring the Field piece highlights how soil microbes support nutrient cycling and plant growth, and how harnessing them could reduce reliance on chemical inputs. The authors note that 95% of global food production relies on soil, which stores more carbon than all vegetation on Earth. MDPI blog
FAO seeks $38.3 million to protect Afghanistan's 2027 wheat harvest — The Food and Agriculture Organization is appealing for USD 38.3 million to help up to 600,000 Afghan farming households access fertilizer and certified wheat seed before the winter planting window. Fertilizer prices have surged after disruptions linked to the 2026 Middle East crisis, threatening Afghanistan's naturally low-fertility soils. FAO via GlobalSecurity
Indonesia and FAO launch 2026–2030 sustainable agrifood framework — Indonesia and the FAO have launched a new 2026–2030 Country Programming Framework to accelerate the transition toward sustainable agrifood systems. The FAO notes Indonesia still faces climate change, unequal access to healthy diets, and persistent smallholder poverty as key challenges. Antara News
OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook: global production to rise 13% by 2035 with soil stress — The 2026–2035 Agricultural Outlook projects global agricultural production to expand 13% over the next decade, driven mainly by productivity gains and intensification concentrated in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. It warns the 2026 Middle East conflict will constrain fertilizer use and cereal production, especially in low-income countries. OECD-FAO
USDA forecasts record Russian corn harvest as favourable weather boosts yields — USDA forecasts Russia's 2026/27 corn production at a record 17.2 million tonnes, up 9% from last month and 16% from last year, on higher yields. Favourable rainfall and no vegetation stress during the critical silking-to-blistering stage support the outlook across Russia's corn belt. USDA (WAP 08-26)
Tropical conservation-agriculture review finds soil-health research gaps — A systematic review of 474 studies on tropical conservation agriculture finds only 17% integrated chemical, physical and biological soil-health indicators — and even fewer applied structured soil-health indices. Brazil accounted for 40% of research output, driven by strong public investment. Nature Communications Sustainability