Washington and Beijing weigh an AI safety channel

Washington and Beijing weigh an AI safety channel

Nine other stories

• Russia strikes Ukraine’s security-service headquarters before expected talks. A Russian drone hit the headquarters of Ukraine’s SBU security service in central Kyiv, wounding 12 people, Ukrainian officials said. U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were expected to travel to Moscow and then Kyiv over the weekend; Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine would refrain from airstrikes during the negotiations and urged Russia to do the same. The timing puts a direct attack on a state-security building beside an attempt to keep diplomacy moving. 2
• Sydney’s runway risk points to fatigue and staffing. A Qantas turboprop narrowly avoided a Qantas Boeing 737 at Sydney Airport on July 27 after the 737 was cleared to cross the runway. Reuters found that five of the 10 controllers on duty were rated at high fatigue risk; two of the three controllers directly involved were in that category. Australia’s safety regulator is investigating six near-misses in about a month, so the question is whether the airport has a single staffing problem or a wider control-system failure. 3
• Finland investigates a drone found on its southern coast. Finland’s Border Guard is examining whether a Geoscan 701 surveillance drone violated Finnish territory. The defence ministry said the aircraft was designed for surveying and mapping and posed no danger to the public. Authorities have yet to establish where, when or how the drone entered the country, or who operated it, so the discovery raises a security question without identifying an offender. 4
• Taiwan and China clash at the Pacific Islands Forum. Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung accused Chinese officials of “wolf warrior” diplomacy and said China had undermined Palau’s role as host of the forum. Beijing said Taiwan was not qualified to attend and warned there would be consequences, while Taiwan said Chinese personnel had engaged in what Lin called espionage at events around the meeting. Palau is one of only three Pacific island states that maintain official diplomatic ties with Taiwan, giving the dispute an immediate regional cost. 5
• Musk’s America PAC spends more than $800,000 on midterm races. Elon Musk’s America PAC has spent more than $800,000 in recent days on direct mail and other campaign materials supporting Republican candidates in more than a dozen congressional races, Reuters reported. The largest disclosed amounts included $247,595 for Ken Paxton’s Texas Senate campaign, $170,224 for Susan Collins in Maine and $105,675 for Jon Husted in Ohio. The spending gives Musk an early operational role in the November 3 midterms, even as campaigns say super PACs cannot coordinate directly with candidates. 6
• A stronger U.S. jobs report lifts September hike bets. U.S. nonfarm payrolls rose by 162,000 in August, above the 56,000 economist forecast, while July’s figure was revised from a reported loss of 23,000 to a gain of 21,000. Two-year Treasury yields rose to 4.37%, the S&P 500 fell 0.38% to 7,718.60 and futures pricing put the chance of a September Federal Reserve rate hike at about 57% after briefly reaching 65%. The report moved the market toward inflation risk and away from an immediate growth scare. 7
• Global food prices rise in August. The FAO Food Price Index reached 133.3 points in August, up 2.5 points, or 1.9%, from a revised July reading and 2.5% above a year earlier. All five component indices increased; sugar rose 11.9% to 106.4, while cereals reached 116.3, their highest level since May 2024. The index remains 16.8% below its March 2022 peak, but the mix of weather concerns, supply disruptions and stronger demand is rebuilding pressure in food markets. 8
• Chinese rare-earth suppliers hold back some U.S.-bound shipments. Several Chinese suppliers have declined to ship rare earths and related magnets to U.S. customers because they fear repercussions from Beijing, three sources told Reuters. Some U.S. companies have waited more than six months for licences; July shipments of yttrium reached 27 tons, but remained far below what unrestricted trade would imply for a material used in aerospace and chipmaking. The total number of refused shipments is unknown, while some licences have recently been approved ahead of Xi Jinping’s planned September 24 visit to Washington. 9
• Netanyahu allies revive Gaza removal proposals before Israel’s election. Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir proposed a seven-year plan for what he called “voluntary emigration” from Gaza, while Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel was prepared to move Palestinians out if that became possible. Israel’s election is scheduled for October 27, and the proposals are being made as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition seeks to rally its right-wing base. Hamas rejected the calls, and the political statements add pressure to an already fragile ceasefire framework. 10

Quote of the day

“Thankfully, they didn't hit, but it was pretty close and everyone up here is pretty rattled by it.”

— A Sydney Airport shift manager, quoted in Reuters’ report on the July runway near-miss. 3

Further reading

• Anthropic’s $2tn IPO puts powerful external trustees in spotlight — Financial Times on how public-market scrutiny could test the governance model of a frontier-AI company.