Economist 6

Entian-draft kings

Entain, a British gambling company and owner of the Ladbrokes and Coral brands, said it had received a takeover approach, reportedly worth $25bn, from DraftKings, an American fantasy-sports and betting operator.

Evergrande

Evergrande, one of China's biggest property developers, said it had "resolved" the payment of interest on a domestic bond amid a liquidity crisis. The highly indebted company has warned of a default and has reportedly missed interest payments to bank creditors. Investors are watching nervously. The central bank has been pumping liquidity into the financial system to shore up confidence.

U.S. refugee policy

The State Department said that the annual cap on refugees allowed into America will rise from 62,500 to 125,000, fulfilling a campaign promise by President Joe Biden.

Us travel restriction

The White House said restrictions on travellers entering the United States that were introduced at the start of the pandemic would be lifted in November, for people who are fully vaccinated. The restrictions, which in effect barred most passengers from Europe, China, India and a handful of other countries, had been criticised as irrational. A negative covid test will still be required, as is the norm nearly everywhere.

Omar al-Bashir

The authorities in Sudan thwarted an attempted coup against a transitional government that was itself installed in a coup in 2019. Forces loyal to Sudan's toppled dictator, Omar al-Bashir, were blamed

Inflation forecast

The oecd raised its forecast for inflation in the g20 countries, in part because of higher shipping costs and energy prices. The average annual inflation rate for the group is now expected to be 3.7% this year and 3.9% in 2022. Battling inflation that is nearing 10%, Brazil's central bank raised its main interest rate for the fifth consecutive month.

FED statement

The official statement from the Federal Reserve's meeting this week prepared markets for the strong possibility that it will start to taper its pandemic-programme asset purchases in November. The central bank also hinted at an interest rate rise next year.

Natural gas shortage

A global shortage of natural-gas supplies continued to convulse markets. Prices have soared in recent weeks, especially in Europe, following a convergence of adverse factors, such as booming demand in Asia coinciding with tight stocks of liquefied natural gas. In Europe some governments are stepping in to alleviate the pressure on spiralling household bills. The International Energy Agency pointed out that Russia's gas exports to Europe are below their level of 2019, and urged it to "do more to increase gas availability".

US debt ceiling

America's House of Representatives passed a bill that would extend the federal debt ceiling until December next year in order to avoid a government shutdown on October 1st this year. Democrats supported the bill and Republicans opposed it. The Senate will now have its say, amid warnings that markets will run out of patience the longer a resolution is delayed.

Comprehensive and progressive agreement

China applied to join an 11-country Asia-Pacific trade deal known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. Taiwan also asked to join.

Douyin

Douyin, a Chinese video-sharing app that has an international version called TikTok, said children under 14 in China would be limited to using it for 40 minutes a day. It is the latest move in China to tighten controls over children's online behaviour.

Jean-Yves Le Drian

France reacted with fury to American, Australian and British plans to form a new defence pact in the Pacific. France was not invited to join. Australia is also cancelling a contract for French diesel-powered submarines in favour of American (or just possibly British) nuclear-powered ones. Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French foreign minister, called it a "stab in the back", and withdrew his ambassadors from Washington and Canberra, though the French ambassador to America is now being sent back following a make-up call between presidents Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron.

Hong Kong elections

Hong Kong held a vote for a new 1,500-member Election Committee, which will choose the city's next leader. It was the first after reforms that require candidates to be "patriotic": ie, friendly to China's Communist Party. The electorate was limited to fewer than 5,000 people. Only one government critic gained a seat.

Paul Rusesabagina

Paul Rusesabagina, whose bravery in saving more than 1,200 people during the genocide in Rwanda inspired the film "Hotel Rwanda", was sentenced to 25 years in jail for terrorism. Observers called the trial a sham. Mr Rusesabagina is a critic of Paul Kagame, Rwanda's president.

Rodrigo Duterte

Rodrigo Duterte, the president of the Philippines, said people would be held accountable for any unlawful killings in the country's drug war. His critics say he has encouraged such killings. The International Criminal Court has opened an investigation into his anti-drug campaign. Mr Duterte did not mention the icc by name, but he appeared to reject its jurisdiction over his country.

Chinese coal plans

China's president, Xi Jinping, said that he would stop supporting new coal-power projects overseas. By some estimates, 70% of all coal plants being built today involve Chinese state finance, but China's interest in dirty power has cooled as the price of the renewable sort has fallen.

Angela Merkel

Germans got ready to vote in a general election on September 26th that will mark the end of Angela Merkel's 16 years in power, as she is standing down. The polls have narrowed slightly, but the Social Democrats are still running ahead of Mrs Merkel's Christian Democrats.

United Russia

In Russia, elections to the Duma produced another supermajority for United Russia, the pro-Putin party through which the Kremlin wields legislative power. The election was widely seen as rigged. But few Russians took to the streets to protest, unlike in 2011, when thousands did.

Shell-ConocoPhillips

Shell struck an agreement to sell its energy assets in America's Permian Basin to ConocoPhillips for $9.5bn. The Anglo-Dutch energy giant is under pressure to quicken the pace of carbon-emission cuts. In May a Dutch court ordered the company to hit a specific carbon-reduction target by 2030 (it is appealing against the ruling). Shell described the sale of its Permian business as "disciplined stewardship of capital". Some $7bn in proceeds have been earmarked for "shareholder distributions".

Universal music

Universal Music made a successful stockmarket debut on the Euronext exchange in Amsterdam. Its share price jumped by a third on the first day of trading, in Europe's biggest listing this year. The music company, which counts emi and Motown among its record labels, was spun off by Vivendi, though the French media conglomerate's controlling shareholder, Vincent Bolloré, retains an 18% stake.