Global Borrowing Costs Hit Multi-Decade Highs, Raising the Price of Government
SDG News Economic Brief | August 18, 2026 Government borrowing costs are climbing across major economies, raising the price of financing public priorities as geopolitical risk, inflation concerns and heavy debt issuance converge. The U.S. 30-year Treasury yield rose above 5.3% on Tuesday, its highest level since 2007, while the benchmark 10-year yield approached 4.75%. […]
U.S. Prepares to Tell the World: Pick a Side in the AI Race With China
The United States is considering a sharper test of technological alignment in its competition with China, with a draft State Department proposal warning countries that participation in a U.S.-led AI cooperation framework could be incompatible with membership in a rival China-backed initiative. Reuters reported the proposal after reviewing a draft State Department letter. The document […]
Belgium’s Record Wildfire Exposes a New Front in Europe’s Climate Resilience Test
Belgium is battling the largest wildfire in its recorded history, forcing hundreds from their homes and drawing emergency aerial support from European partners as an intense fire season tests the continent’s ability to respond to simultaneous climate disasters. The fire has burned roughly 3,000 hectares, about 30 square kilometers (11.6 square miles), in and around […]
President Hakainde Hichilema Wins 61.4% in Zambia as Copper Growth, Living Costs and Governance Shape Second Term
LUSAKA – Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has won a second five-year term with 61.4% of the vote, securing a decisive victory after an election that tested whether the country’s improving economic fundamentals are translating into better living standards for ordinary Zambians. President Hakainde Hichilema received 2,965,326 votes in the August 13 election, compared with 1,856,217 […]
Trump’s 50% Canada Tariffs Set to Take Effect Wednesday as Carney Pushes for Last-Minute Deal
Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Donald Trump are making a final push for an agreement before new Canada tariffs on nearly $20 billion in Canadian imports take effect on August 19. Canada and the United States are in last-minute negotiations ahead of a new round of Canada tariffs scheduled to take effect at 12:01 […]
Indonesia Moves to Secure Its Digital Infrastructure Before the Quantum Threat Arrives
JAKARTA — Indonesia is accelerating preparations to protect government systems, critical infrastructure and sensitive data from a cybersecurity threat that has not yet fully materialized: quantum computers powerful enough to compromise widely used forms of public-key encryption. The move places Southeast Asia’s largest economy within a widening international effort to transition toward post-quantum cryptography (PQC) […]
U.S. Accuses More Than 40 Countries of Helping China Evade Trump Tariffs
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has identified more than 40 countries and jurisdictions as presenting elevated risks for Chinese goods being rerouted around U.S. tariffs, widening Washington’s scrutiny of China-linked global supply chains. A White House report released this week alleges that Chinese exporters are increasingly routing goods through third countries where limited assembly, finishing, […]
Young Leaders Press the UN for a Seat at the Table as Global AI Rules Take Shape
NEW YORK — More than 600 young people from around the world gathered at United Nations Headquarters this week to press for a greater role in shaping artificial intelligence governance, as governments confront how AI could transform jobs, education, inequality and economic competitiveness. The Youth and AI Summit, held on August 12 for International Youth […]
UN Plastics Treaty Returns to the Table — but the Fight Over Production Is Far From Settled
A new UN negotiating document has revived efforts to secure the world’s first legally binding treaty on plastic pollution — but governments remain divided over how far the agreement should reach, particularly whether it should address plastic production itself or focus more heavily on product design, circularity and waste management. Released on August 8 by […]
Dilma Rousseff’s Push to Expand the Global South’s Financial Power
Dilma Rousseff now leads a development bank that has approved nearly $43 billion across 139 projects — and is pushing to expand its role in financing infrastructure, climate action and development across the Global South. More than a decade after helping establish the New Development Bank (NDB) as president of Brazil, Rousseff is now shaping […]
