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On August 29, Al Jazeera reported that the Iraqi armed group Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada stated it would cooperate with arms control in Iraq only if 10 conditions were met, the most important being the complete withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. This group has long maintained ties with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. In its statement, the group demanded the termination of the US military presence in Iraq "under any pretext" and a ban on attacks against neighboring countries using Iraqi airspace. The group also demanded that all weapons be brought under national control only if measures were simultaneously taken to strengthen Iraq's armed forces and air defense capabilities. Other conditions proposed by the group included the withdrawal of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants from Iraqi territory, federal government control of the Kurdish border regions, and the elimination of Iranian opposition groups stationed in northern Iraq.

On August 29, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister, spoke by phone with Nepalese Foreign Minister Shisir. Wang Yi stated that China's comprehensive aid package to Nepal is being implemented, including emergency cash assistance and humanitarian aid. Relief supplies provided by China are about to arrive in Kathmandu. Chinese tunnel rescue experts have been dispatched in two groups to the disaster area and Kathmandu to provide assistance. China has shared important information with Nepal, including images of the disaster area, satellite and hydrological data, and early warning information about the upstream landslide dam. China has made appropriate arrangements for Nepalese citizens stranded on the Chinese side and will assist them in returning to Nepal as soon as possible. China thanks and hopes that Nepal will continue to assist and evacuate Chinese citizens in Nepal. China and Nepal are a community linked by mountains and rivers, sharing a common destiny. Faced with the disaster, the two countries must stand firmly together, work hand in hand to overcome difficulties, and demonstrate the traditional friendship that transcends the Himalayas with concrete actions.

Derrick Choi, Product Manager at OpenAI Codex: The AI developer community in Thailand is growing rapidly. Codex's weekly active usage in Thailand is projected to increase more than 350-fold by 2026. OpenAI, in collaboration with Thailand's Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, will bring together 10 Thai startups for an eight-week accelerator program.

August 29th - The computer market is experiencing a wave of price increases. Several computer brand stores in Shenzhen stated that HP, Lenovo, ASUS, and other brands will be raising prices on September 1st. HP will first adjust prices by 15% on August 28th, and then raise them again on September 1st, bringing the cumulative increase to approximately 20% before August 28th. Lenovo stores indicated they have also received price increase notices and will adjust prices on September 1st as scheduled. ASUS store staff estimate their brand will increase by at least 500 yuan after September 1st. Several store employees told reporters that rising upstream chip prices are the core driver of this round of price adjustments. In this wave of price increases, low-end models are the hardest hit, while mid-to-high-end models are experiencing relatively moderate increases. In addition, the market price of used computers is also rising in tandem.

On August 29th, Italian oil company Eni stated that it is cooperating with Venezuelan authorities to help revitalize the country's energy sector. This comes as the United States seeks to strengthen its control over Venezuela's vast oil industry. Eni stated, "We are working with our Venezuelan partners and all other relevant parties to support the revitalization of the country's energy sector." Eni made these remarks as the Trump administration seeks a significant role in Venezuela's oil industry, including a plan for the US to control 55% of the actual production of a joint venture. This joint venture involves oil fields with approximately 65 billion barrels of proven reserves. Eni is also expanding its operations in Venezuela. The company has been negotiating new contracts for the Junín-5 and Corocoro oil projects and recently signed a natural gas export agreement for the large Perla gas field.

On August 29th, at a thematic exchange event during the 2026 China International Big Data Industry Expo, an official from the National Data Administration stated that as of the end of July 2026, the total scale of intelligent computing nationwide reached 2.45 million PFLOPS (FP16). The eight national computing power hubs and three computing-power collaborative development zones have built up over 85% of the nation's intelligent computing capacity. 1.45 million PFLOPS of intelligent computing power have been included in the monitoring scope of the national-level monitoring and scheduling platform, and the ability to intensively utilize computing resources and conduct integrated scheduling is continuously improving. Going forward, the National Data Administration will continue to optimize computing power layout to enhance supply capacity, strengthen monitoring and scheduling to improve utilization efficiency, deepen computing-power collaboration, cultivate the industrial ecosystem, and comprehensively promote the high-quality development of computing power.

August 29th - According to the UK's Daily Telegraph, British Prime Minister Burnham has abandoned two key green taxes pushed by former Prime Minister Starmer, shifting away from the costly net-zero emissions policy. Burnham has shelved plans to levy environmental fees on waste incineration facilities and ports. This move comes amid growing concerns within the British government about the extent to which cumbersome regulations are driving up prices and worsening the actual living conditions of households. Starmer had planned to expand the UK's Emissions Trading System (ETS) to include waste incineration facilities and domestic ports. Under the ETS, businesses must pay for emissions exceeding government-set limits. Officials from the UK's Department for Energy Security and Net-Zero Emissions announced that this adjustment will be shelved indefinitely. Meanwhile, the UK Department for Transport announced that plans to levy carbon emissions fees on UK ports under the ETS will also be shelved. The initial plan would require ports to pay for emissions generated during the "berthing period" of cargo ships. Officials quietly abandoned these plans, instead proposing a carbon tax on shipping companies.

On August 29th, former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mikhailov Fedorov announced on the 28th that he had accepted an invitation to serve as an advisor to Italian Defense Minister Guido Croceto. Fedorov wrote on social media that he will serve as Croceto's defense innovation advisor, providing assistance in areas such as "modern warfare technology," and expressed his "gratitude for Croceto's trust and support." Last month, Fedorov was dismissed from his post as defense minister by Ukrainian President Zelensky after only six months in office, sparking large-scale protests in many parts of Ukraine. Zelensky subsequently dismissed Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Sørsky, with whom Fedorov had a strained relationship. In mid-August, Fedorov released a video calling for wartime elections in Ukraine, stating that the country was facing a governance crisis. Several days later, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine was not yet ready to hold wartime elections, otherwise it would face a significant danger of national disintegration.

On August 29, Kyiv Oblast Governor Viktor Tkachenko announced on social media that Russia had attacked a warehouse in the Butcha district of the region, killing 37 people. Tkachenko stated that rescue workers and relevant departments were still conducting rescue and cleanup operations at the scene. Earlier, Tkachenko said that Russian forces had been attacking Kyiv Oblast from August 27 to 28, targeting residential buildings, warehouses, and vehicles. One warehouse in the Butcha district was attacked, exploded, and caught fire, which spread to nearby residential buildings, causing dozens of deaths and injuries.

Qatari Foreign Ministry: The Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister spoke by phone with the Turkish Foreign Minister to discuss efforts to reduce regional tensions.

On August 29, local time, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that it had dismantled a terrorist group in the Sarawan district of Sistan-Baluchistan province in southeastern Iran. The Revolutionary Guard stated that the group, affiliated with the United States and Israel, was attempting to carry out a series of terrorist attacks in the province. The operation resulted in the seizure of 20 packages of explosives and explosive components, weapons and ammunition, Starlink equipment, and other items. The United States and Israel have not yet responded to the report.

On August 29th, at the 2026 China International Big Data Industry Expo, "data annotation" became a hot topic. Data annotation involves accurately "labeling" raw data such as text, images, and audio, enabling AI to understand and recognize the real world. This work is a key link in bridging human intelligence and machine intelligence. At the forum, many attendees stated that artificial intelligence is currently at a critical stage of transitioning from technological breakthroughs to system implementation, and data annotation, as a crucial foundation for AI development, is experiencing exponential growth in demand. Faced with the increasing demand for high-quality data elements, Guizhou Province has, in recent years, made data annotation and data collection a new driving force and key industry for the development of the digital economy, introducing and cultivating a large number of data companies and related practitioners. Currently, the province has 135 data annotation companies and over 16,000 people engaged in data annotation.

August 29th - According to the German business daily Handelsblatt, Volkswagen plans to limit its investment to around €135 billion (approximately $156 billion) over the next five years. Facing pressure to accelerate cost savings, Volkswagen is scaling back its spending plans. The latest investment plan will be lower than the €160 billion spending budget set last year to reach 2030. Tightening investment is part of a broader cost-cutting measure by Volkswagen to address weak demand and increased competition. Management is seeking to reduce excess capacity and structural costs, including further layoffs and potentially even the closure of plants in Germany.

On August 29, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday that Europe is making statements that indicate it views Russia as an "adversary or even an enemy." Moscow believes there is no prospect of improved relations between Russia and the EU. It is unclear which specific statements Peskov was referring to. He added that current EU politicians are taking a confrontational stance towards Russia "not only in words but also in actions." Peskov said, "They are mobilizing European military capabilities and using them against our country, while also directly engaging in hostile actions against us."

On August 29th, according to Ukrainian media reports on the 28th, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy convened a meeting of the Supreme Command to discuss weapons supply issues, setting a target of using 1,000 drones daily to conduct long-range strikes against Russia. Zelenskyy said that Ukraine currently conducts an average of more than 300 long-range strikes against Russia every day, but "there should be more." Zelenskyy also said that the production of interceptors to defend against Russian drones should be accelerated.

On August 29, the Office of the National Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Relief Committee and the Ministry of Emergency Management, in response to the recent heavy rainfall that caused flooding in the Mohan-Boding Economic Cooperation Zone of Kunming City, Yunnan Province, allocated 10,000 pieces of central disaster relief supplies, including tents, folding beds, quilts, and blankets, to support the disaster-stricken area in its disaster relief and assistance efforts, based on the needs of the affected people for evacuation, relocation, and resettlement.

August 29th - According to the Russian government, the export ban on diesel, marine fuel, and crude diesel oil from producers in Russia has been extended to September 30th. The original export restrictions on diesel, marine fuel, and crude diesel oil from producers were valid until August 31st. The Russian government stated that this decision was made to maintain stability in the domestic fuel market.

August 29th - According to data from Lighthouse Pro, as of August 29th, the total box office for 2026 (including pre-sales) has exceeded 28 billion yuan. "Pegasus 3", "Kung Fu Women's Soccer", "A Letter to Grandma", "Welcome to Dragon Restaurant", and "The Eight Immortals" are currently ranked among the top five films in the annual box office.

On August 29th, US media reported that the US military plans to discipline the sailor who jumped overboard from the USS Lincoln aircraft carrier earlier this month, citing "self-harm" and "absconding." According to a recent report by MSNow, the 19-year-old sailor jumped overboard from the USS Lincoln on August 3rd and was rescued about an hour later. Currently, the military is charging him with violating military regulations by "intentionally feigning illness or self-harm to evade work, duties, or military service," and by leaving his post without authorization. The USS Lincoln began its planned deployment last November and was transferred to the Middle East in January of this year; it has now departed for its return to the United States. The New York Times reported that during its 272-day deployment, except for brief resupply stops in Guam and Oman, the USS Lincoln spent most of its time on operational duty at sea. Due to lack of rest and poor living conditions, the morale of the approximately 5,000 sailors on board was low, and several had suffered mental breakdowns and attempted suicide by jumping overboard.

According to RIA Novosti: Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.