Semafor

Manchester City, owned by a member of Abu Dhabi’s royal family, was found guilty on Friday of breaching Premier League financial rules, tainting one of the emirate’s greatest soft-power successes.

Abu Dhabi-backed technology investor MGX is looking east for data center assets as the UAE capital’s deep pockets become central to the global AI buildout.

Saudi Aramco is considering spinning off its growing gas business into a new division and listing part of it, a sign of the pressure the company faces to raise cash for the government and draw foreign investment into the kingdom.

Half of all countries in sub-Saharan Africa are relying more on diesel generators than on grid power, according to analysis from Energy for Growth, leaving countries with less reliable energy infrastructure particularly vulnerable to the effects of the Ir…

South African gold miner Gold Fields offered to buy Northern Star Resources in a $27 billion deal that would create the world’s second-largest gold producer, part of an effort to build longer-term profits as some of its mines near the end of their lives.

The Scene The International Monetary Fund’s forecast for the world economy is increasingly a forecast for AI.

Wael’s view Saudi Arabia’s stock market has problems that cannot be solved simply by listing more companies.

The News Aliko Dangote’s planned refinery on Kenya’s Lamu Island will likely have to rely on seaborne imports for crude supplies as Uganda remains non-committal on the project, instead pledging its oil to refineries in Uganda and Tanzania.

The News Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is running into a wall of congressional GOP resistance as he tries to secure $1.5 trillion for the Pentagon next year.

Chinese cars will inevitably enter the US market despite Washington’s efforts to stop them, analysts said.

US President Donald Trump reiterated his threat to ban diesel exports in order to tame soaring domestic prices, though analysts warned such a move could have devastating consequences elsewhere.

Demonstrators took to the streets of Caracas to demand the opposition leader María Corina Machado’s return to Venezuela, as fears grow that Washington is deprioritizing a transition to democracy.

British authorities held five men suspected of plotting an attack on a UK airfield used by the US to strike Iran, with investigators reportedly believing a motive tied to Tehran to be most likely.

Oil prices rose as Washington and Tehran seemed no closer to reaching a durable truce.

The News Senate Democrats led by Sen.

After a weekend of alarming headlines about AI mishaps, public sector breaches, and agents gaining unauthorized access to outside systems, tech and AI CEOs are descending on Washington yet again this week.

The beverage brand Liquid Death is one of the purest marketing stories of the moment: a billion-dollar company that sells the ultimate commodity through edgy comedy.

Progress in frontier AI development is far outpacing governments’ capabilities — and willingness — to police it.

Net purchases of US equities and investment fund shares by foreign investors reached a record $426 billion in the second quarter, as overseas capital piled into an AI boom that has shown few signs of slowing.

The US and Iran signaled a willingness to continue negotiating this week, even as the two sides appeared no closer to closing the stark gap between them.

Swiss voters on Sunday decisively rejected stricter neutrality rules that would have prevented the country from sanctioning Russia and curbed its cooperation with NATO, delivering a boost to the alliance’s efforts to counter Moscow.

American military personnel joined Ecuador’s security forces in raids and arrests around the country targeting alleged drug traffickers, as the Trump administration steps up its hands-on involvement in fighting Latin America’s criminal groups.

The News Namibia’s president has a message for foreign investors eyeing the country’s critical minerals: build processing plants at home, or look elsewhere.

Before this week, the last time a US president greeted a foreign leader at Joint Base Andrews was when John F.

Former Republican Virginia Gov.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping departed Washington this afternoon after a three-day trip that led to no significant breakthroughs on the two country’s disagreements, including on AI, Taiwan and Iran.

McDonald’s is betting that “Archy,” a new AI drive-thru system, can revitalize the fast-food chain as its sales slump and its stock plunges.

The News Film schools are starting to generate a pipeline of AI filmmakers skilled in using the newest tools to make movies — talent that is easier to hire than to train internal teams on, say film executives.

Call it Meta-mentum.

A global boom in biofuels intended to ease expensive gasoline and diesel imports caused by the Middle East war could require an additional area the size of Germany to be converted for fuel production, new analysis by think-tank Chatham House found.

Oil prices fell slightly on news that Tehran made a new proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran’s foreign minister said could unblock the key trading route within a week and restart talks to end the war.

Tim’s view We should probably talk less about data centers.

, by Antonio Damasio.

The Africa Finance Corporation advised Senegal’s government to resist growth-limiting conditions as Dakar negotiates its new $2.2 billion International Monetary Fund program, the multilateral lender’s CEO revealed.

Nigeria’s largest interest rate cut in two decades raised the possibility of an easing cycle next year, analysts said.

Nigeria and the US signed an agreement to increase Washington’s investment into the West African country’s minerals sector.

Alexis’s view One of the most eye-catching features of this UN General Assembly has been the drive to secure deals — particularly for critical minerals — playing out on the margins of the gathering.

The News Zambia is close to resolving a months-long dispute with the US over a proposed health agreement, the African nation’s foreign minister told Semafor.

Saudi Arabia said it intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, pushing oil prices up on fears the Middle East conflict could expand and intensify.

Oracle’s declaration of force majeure on a giant US data center under construction showcased the risks to the AI infrastructure buildout, and amplified fears of the financial fallout should the apparent bubble pop.

A global bond selloff sent long-term borrowing rates still higher on Friday as traders bet that inflation will remain elevated.

US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping were set to conclude a superpower summit that was long on ceremony and short on substance.

The News The diesel export ban that President Donald Trump is mulling in a bid to bring down record-high prices would backfire in two ways — further dividing Hill Republicans while risking even pricier gasoline.

The Scene Greg Brown became chief executive of what was then Motorola in 2008.

The Signal Insight Nitin Nohria spent a decade as dean of Harvard Business School, and taught his first workshop there for new CEOs in 1997.

The Signal Insight Brian McNamara spent six years running the group behind Advil, Centrum, and Sensodyne before GSK spun off its consumer health division in 2022.

Former Democratic Rep.

Chris Klomp’s nomination to be the second-in-command at HHS has advanced to the Senate floor — with help from one Democrat.

Ashley’s view The White House and its allies are lonely in their insistence that AI development in America must accelerate without governments setting ground rules.

The News The senior leadership of UBS has revived discussions about ways to move the bank out from under Swiss regulators’ heavy hand, including through a combination with a foreign bank, after a setback this week, people familiar with the matter said.