Wednesday, September 23

Remittances from Egyptians working abroad totaled about $29.7 billion from January through July 2026. The Central Bank of Egypt said the figure rose 28.1% from about $23.2 billion a year earlier. The seven-month increase added roughly $6.5 billion compared with the same period of 2025. The data cover funds sent home by Egyptians employed overseas. The January-to-July gain followed the record level reported for calendar 2025.

Business

South Korea’s consumer prices rose 3.1% in August from a year earlier, official data showed. Fuel costs remained a major source of price pressure during the month. Mobile phone service charges also recorded a sharp annual increase. Underlying inflation strengthened in August, with core consumer prices rising 3.4% from a year earlier. Industrial product prices rose 3.7%, service prices advanced 3.7%, and insurance premiums increased 13.4%. Agricultural, livestock, and fishery product prices fell 2.6%, helped by lower vegetable and fruit prices.

Korea’s August exports jump 68.7% to $98.25 billion as Asia’s fourth-largest economy extends its trade expansion streak for a 15th consecutive month. Semiconductor exports, the primary driver of national trade performance, soared 209% year-on-year to an all-time high of $46.65 billion. Energy and chemical sectors also contributed to monthly top-line gains. Petroleum product exports climbed 65.3% year-on-year to $6.84 billion, while petrochemical exports advanced 12.2% to $3.86 billion. The growth in chip shipments was fueled by sustained capital expenditure programs among major global technology operators expanding data center networks and enterprise AI hardware deployments.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation put real gross domestic product at ₹81.36 lakh crore for the quarter. That compared with ₹75.46 lakh crore in the same period a year earlier. Nominal GDP reached ₹88.27 lakh crore, up 10.3% from ₹80 lakh crore. Real gross value added, another measure of economic activity, increased 8.2% to ₹73.82 lakh crore. Nominal GVA rose 11.5% to ₹80.53 lakh crore. Manufacturing grew 9.2% during the quarter, while financial, real estate and professional services expanded 12.1%. Agriculture, livestock, forestry and fishing grew 3.6%. Household consumption increased 7.1%, maintaining its role as a major component of domestic demand. Investment also strengthened, with gross fixed capital formation rising close to 12% from a year earlier. Its share of nominal GDP reached 34.3%, compared with 31.4% in the corresponding quarter last year.

Japanese stocks came under sharp pressure Monday as the Nikkei 225 dropped nearly 2% in early trading. The benchmark fell 1.97% to 65,096.63 and later touched an intraday low of 64,832.10. Technology shares led much of the decline as investors reacted to higher bond yields and tighter interest rate expectations. The broader Topix also weakened early, falling 0.84% to 4,111.71. Japanese government bond yields rose at the same time, adding pressure to rate sensitive parts of the equity market.

Health

WHO incident manager Thierno Baldé said the three-month timeline depends on securing the resources required for the response. The agency has received about $69.3 million of the $115 million it says it needs, or roughly 60%. Teams added more than 400 treatment beds during the past two weeks. They also deployed 100 additional epidemiologists and more than 500 community health workers for surveillance and contact tracing. The response requires vehicles, ambulances, medical supplies and personnel across a growing affected area. Transmission has reached Bas-Uélé, making it the sixth affected province. As of Aug. 12, Ituri accounted for 85% of confirmed cases and 79% of reported deaths nationwide. Officials said 70% to 80% of new cases had no known link to existing patients. Health teams are expanding surveillance to identify cases faster and transfer patients into treatment centers. Bas-Uélé’s first confirmed case had traveled from Haut-Uélé before symptoms began on Aug. 4.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo recorded 26,064,143 malaria cases in 2025. The country also reported 29,938 deaths linked to the disease during the year. Guy Esebe Dembo, deputy director of the National Malaria Control Programme, announced the figures during a campaign launch in Ituri province. Dembo said malaria remains the country’s main public health challenge. The new totals confirm a heavy disease burden across one of Africa’s most malaria-affected countries.

DR Congo’s Ebola outbreak has killed 1,916 people and produced 4,209 confirmed cases, according to official data through Aug. 7. That raises the death toll 29 above the 1,887 figure reported in the earlier update. Health authorities also counted 595 patients receiving care in isolation. Another 828 people have recovered from the Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak.

Obesity was linked to 9,509 deaths in Belgium during 2022, representing 8.2 percent of total national mortality, according to new data from the Belgian public health institute Sciensano. Marking the first time public health researchers in the country have systematically quantified mortality directly attributable to an elevated body mass index (BMI), the report reveals that weight-related complications caused more than one death per hour nationwide. The statistical findings also show that high BMI resulted in over 150,000 lost years of life across all demographic groups in a single year.

Technology

The iPhone Duo uses Super Retina XDR displays on both sides, with ProMotion and Always-On support. Apple rates peak outdoor brightness at 3,000 nits for both screens. A nano-texture finish on the inner panel reduces glare and makes the fold crease less visible, according to Apple. Grade 5 titanium forms the enclosure, while the precision hinge uses more than 100 components. Apple also gives the iPhone Duo an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.

The iPhone Duo uses a book-style design with a precision hinge built from more than 100 components. Apple uses grade 5 titanium for the enclosure and Ceramic Shield materials on the exterior surfaces. The company gives the handset an IP68 rating for splash, water and dust resistance. Its inner display includes a nano-texture finish designed to reduce glare and reflections. Both displays support ProMotion, Always On features and peak outdoor brightness of 3,000 nits.

The iPhone 18 Pro camera system adds four selectable aperture settings to control lighting and depth of field. Its main camera supports apertures of f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/4.0. The system also includes 48-megapixel Ultra Wide and Telephoto cameras. New Pro controls allow adjustments to aperture, shutter speed and white balance inside the Camera app. Users can also view a histogram while composing photos or videos.

The United States is expanding domestic battery production as it works to reduce dependence on China. The larger challenge sits deeper in the supply chain. China still dominates battery materials, processing and key manufacturing technologies used worldwide. U.S. factories have added capacity, but many depend on imported components and refined minerals. That gap has placed graphite, cathodes, anodes and lithium iron phosphate materials at the center of Washington’s battery push.

Japan is expanding its fight against investment fraud with a new system that uses artificial intelligence to spot warning signs earlier. The Consumer Affairs Agency announced the package on September 1. It will analyze consumer complaints for language and patterns linked to fraudulent schemes and failing businesses. The package says AI will supplement existing keyword searches and support earlier alerts, investigations and enforcement when complaint data indicate serious risks.

China’s digital industry generated 20.71 trillion yuan in revenue during the first half of 2026, up 13.6% from a year earlier. Total profit reached 1.79 trillion yuan, an increase of 19.3%. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said the sector’s revenue growth accelerated by 4.1 percentage points from the same period last year. The industry’s profit margin reached 8.6%, up 0.7 percentage point. China’s largest digital industry centers accounted for most of the national total. The 10 leading provincial-level markets generated 17.21 trillion yuan in combined revenue, up 13.2%. They represented 83.1% of national digital industry revenue and contributed 87% of overall revenue growth. Central China recorded 2.86 trillion yuan in digital industry revenue, an increase of 28.3% from a year earlier.

The valuation shift reflects broader recalibrations across international financial markets as institutional managers re-evaluate capital commitments tied to artificial intelligence infrastructure. While competing hyperscale computing enterprises including Alphabet and Tesla accelerated capital investments toward data centers, robotics, and autonomous transport networks, Apple maintained disciplined expenditure controls over consecutive fiscal quarters. Market participants increasingly view Apple’s disciplined spending approach as a operational buffer, allowing the firm to expand its proprietary Apple Intelligence software ecosystem without incurring high infrastructure depreciation costs.

SHANGHAI, CHINA / RankWire.AI / – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for wider global participation in artificial intelligence governance during a major conference in Shanghai. He said AI must serve people across all regions, not only governments and companies with the largest resources. Guterres pointed to its growing…

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA / RankWire.AI / – Australian creators are pressing for a direct role in the federal government’s new Office of AI. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese launched the body on July 15 as part of Australia’s national artificial intelligence framework. The office will coordinate policy on copyright, infrastructure, consumer…

The shortlist includes players from leading clubs across Europe and other major competitions. Paris Saint-Germain has one of the strongest contingents in the men’s field. Its nominees include Dembélé, Hakimi, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, Fabián Ruiz, Vitinha and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Bruno Fernandes, Declan Rice, Michael Olise, Lautaro Martínez and Sadio Mané also earned places. France Football administers the Ballon d’Or and applies a season-based assessment period to each edition.

Messi said he reached the decision after extensive consideration following Argentina’s 2026 World Cup final against Spain. He wrote his retirement message on July 21, two days after the final in New Jersey. Messi later said the death of his father, Jorge Messi, in August reinforced his decision to publish the message. He described leaving the national team as painful while stressing the pride he felt representing Argentina. Messi also thanked teammates, coaches, family members and supporters who accompanied him throughout his international career.

Lifestyle

Southern California interior designer and popular lifestyle influencer Becki Owens has launched her home furnishings line, Becki Owens Living beckiowensliving.com. Owens created this custom collection of over 1000 pieces across 40 categories – from furniture to lighting to…

To celebrate the indescribable drive and competitive spirit of all athletes and fans, Apple launched the International Collection bands for Apple Watch, featuring 22 limited-edition Sport Loop bands with colorful designs that represent those nations across the globe.…

The talented team of watchmakers and designers at OLTO-8 just launched a unique mechanical watch for those who seek individuality and bold style. The motorsport inspired Infinity II watch boasts superb craftsmanship, precise timekeeping and iconic design. This…

Casio Computer Co., Ltd. announced the release of four new GST-B400 watches, the latest additions to the G-SHOCK family of shock-resistant watches. The new watches boast the slimmest*1 profile of any in the G-STEEL series, which is known…