Semafor

24/09/2026

Despite simmering tensions between Washington and Beijing, the two powers have extended a trade truce as Xi Jinping talked up cooperation ahead of a high-stakes summit with President Trump.

Expectations are low for the meeting, the third in less than a year, given their lingering disputes over trade and deep competition over AI.

24/09/2026

🟡 SCOOP: Senators move to force AI companies to disclose more

The measure would have the FTC enforce disclosure requirements for certain AI companies.

24/09/2026

Private-sector figures, US government representatives, and Ukrainian officials including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gathered on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to discuss strategies for propelling Ukraine’s economy despite the ongoing war with Russia.

Private-sector figures, US government representatives, and Ukrainian officials gathered on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

24/09/2026

The US 10-year Treasury yield has surged to a new 19-year high as more hot economic readings boosted expectations of further interest rate increases.

The surge came as more hot economic readings boosted expectations of further interest rate hikes.

24/09/2026

Concentration of power is a key AI risk, the heads of leading AI companies told the UN Security Council on Wednesday.

“No one person or company or country should be able to use the most powerful AI models to impose their worldview on everyone else,” OpenAI’s Sam Altman said.

Anthropic’s Dario Amodei warned that “if managed poorly, AI could be a risk to humanity as a whole.”

24/09/2026

Iran’s president said that he was open to talks to end the war, but warned that Tehran wouldn’t surrender its nuclear program or “bow” to the US.

Iran’s president said he was open to talks to end the war, but warned that Tehran wouldn’t surrender its nuclear program.

24/09/2026

The limitations of Africa’s ‘value addition’ mantra, according to Yinka Adegoke.

Read his full view:

African governments increasingly want partnerships that build domestic capacity, rather than simply finance projects or provide an exit route for commodities.

24/09/2026

South Africa’s post-apartheid Black empowerment rules are holding back billions of dollars in American capital, Washington’s ambassador said.

https://www.semafor.com/article/09/23/2026/south-africa-faces-us-investment-freeze-ambassador-warns

24/09/2026

Electricity could cost-effectively meet a third of the world’s energy consumption by 2035 based on existing technologies and pre-war energy prices.

High energy prices caused by the Middle East conflict could make even more of today’s energy demand economical to electrify.

24/09/2026

Oil prices dipped to near two-week lows, but increasing costs of fuel raised fears of broader economic fallout.

Some 90 countries have implemented some form of support to cushion the blow on consumers.

Some 90 countries have implemented some form of support to cushion the blow on consumers, after the Iran war sent prices skyrocketing.