Bitcoin was on track for a weekly gain of around 23% on Friday as a series of positive macroeconomic and policy developments boosted investor sentiment.

The cryptocurrency was trading about 6% higher at roughly $77,000, up from around $62,800 at the start of the week. Crypto-related stocks also rallied, with Coinbase and Circle gaining more than 9%, while Strategy rose 7%.

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Macro Factors Fuel Rally

Bitcoin’s latest surge began Wednesday after Treasury yields fell sharply following a major intervention by the U.S. Treasury in the bond market. Lower yields eased pressure on risk assets and helped trigger a broader move into cryptocurrencies.

The rally was further amplified by a major short squeeze. Around $2.7 billion in crypto short positions were liquidated, according to CoinGlass.

Max Stuedlein, head of Partnerships at Sygnum APAC, said the move reflected an alignment of macroeconomic and policy catalysts, including the Treasury’s decision to increase buybacks of longer-dated government debt.

Clarity Act Boosts Sentiment

Investor confidence improved further on Thursday as the White House and crypto industry leaders made a final push to advance the Clarity Act in the coming weeks.

The legislation is widely viewed as a potential catalyst for the crypto market, although its chances of passing remain relatively limited.

Despite the rally, bitcoin remains well below its 2026 high of $94,820 reached in January and its all-time high of $126,198, set last October.

Analysts See More Volatility Ahead

Lucy Gazmararian, founder and managing partner at Token Bay Capital, said the crypto market may be approaching the end of its bear cycle.

She expects bitcoin could experience one more decline of around 20% before the market turns, pointing to historical cycles and the recent liquidation of heavily leveraged short positions.

Gazmararian also described bitcoin as a long-term hedge against monetary debasement, while warning that its short-term price remains highly volatile and driven by market cycles.

Nevada is preparing for a major expansion of autonomous ride-hailing. The Nevada Transportation Authority unanimously approved permits for Tesla, Uber and Waymo to operate commercial robotaxi services in Clark County, home to Las Vegas.

Together, the permits allow the companies to deploy up to 8,000 robotaxis over the next 12 months. Tesla received approval for up to 5,000 vehicles, while Waymo and Uber were each granted permits for 1,000. Uber will operate its robotaxis through partnerships with Motional and Zoox, which already has approval to operate 100 autonomous vehicles.

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Tesla Expects A Smaller Rollout

Despite the size of the permits, the companies may deploy far fewer vehicles than the maximum allowed.

Tesla chief Cybercab engineer Eric Early said the 5,000-vehicle limit was intended as a ceiling and that the company would be satisfied with reaching around 2,500 vehicles, or somewhat more, within the next year.

Even a rollout at half the permitted capacity would make Las Vegas a major battleground for autonomous ride-hailing, with Tesla, Waymo and Uber competing for passengers.

Concerns Over Jobs And Congestion

The expansion could also reshape Las Vegas’s transportation workforce. Supporters argue robotaxis will create new jobs focused on maintaining, charging and cleaning autonomous vehicles, while opponents warn they could threaten jobs held by taxi and gig drivers.

Representatives of the Livery Operators Association and local taxi companies opposed the permits, citing concerns about market oversaturation and increased traffic, particularly around the Las Vegas Strip and airport area.

Uber Pushes A Hybrid Model

Uber has advocated for a gradual transition in which human-driven vehicles and robotaxis operate alongside each other. During the hearing, the company argued that a hybrid model would allow cities to add autonomous vehicles according to demand rather than introducing thousands of robotaxis at once.

For Las Vegas, the approvals mark a significant step toward making autonomous ride-hailing a much larger part of the city’s transportation system.

The Enhanced Games, a controversial sports competition that allows athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs banned in traditional sports, has ended its first event with disappointing results both competitively and financially.

Held in Las Vegas in May, the Games attracted backing from figures including Peter Thiel and executives from the crypto, AI and biotech industries. However, only one world record was set during the event, in swimming.

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Enhanced Group, the company behind the Games, has now reported a net loss of nearly $62 million for the second quarter, with a significant portion of the loss linked to hosting the competition.

Revenue Driven By The Games

Founded in 2023, Enhanced Group went public earlier this year at a valuation of around $1.2 billion. Its core business is a digital telehealth platform offering personalised health treatments, including FDA-approved peptides, testosterone injections and GLP-1 drugs.

The company generated $17.7 million in revenue during the second quarter, but most of it came from sponsorships connected to the Games rather than its telehealth business.

The results also raise questions about plans to make the competition an annual event, as repeating a loss-making format could prove difficult without significantly higher revenue.

A Lower-Cost Strategy

Enhanced Group recently launched Enhanced Breakers, an online sports series that it says operates at a fraction of the cost of a full Games event. The format is designed to keep athletes competing and sponsors engaged while promoting the company’s performance-medicine business throughout the year.

Meanwhile, the broader peptide and performance-medicine industry continues to grow. Silicon Valley has become a hub for startups focused on biohacking and personalised health, while the sector is expanding faster than the regulations governing it.

As AI-powered search continues to reduce traffic to websites, Google is giving publishers a new way to encourage readers to choose their content as a preferred source.

The company has introduced an interactive “Preferred Sources” button that publishers can add directly to their websites. Readers can use it to mark a publisher as a favorite source they want to see more often across Google Search, Discover and Google News.

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How Preferred Sources Work

Google first introduced Preferred Sources in May across its AI-powered search features, including AI Mode and AI Overviews. The option was previously available in Top Stories.

The feature is designed to help readers find content from publishers they already know and trust, including when they use Google’s AI tools to search for information or follow the latest news. Google said users had already selected more than 345,000 unique sources through the feature by May.

Readers can also add a publisher as a preferred source through Google’s source preferences page by searching for the publication’s name or website.

According to Google, becoming a preferred source can help publishers attract more traffic. Earlier studies found that users are twice as likely to click on a preferred source when one is available.

More Control Over Google Discover

Google is also giving users more control over their Discover feeds. Soon, people will be able to tell Google in their own words which topics they want to see more or less of.

Users can tap the three-dot menu on a Discover post and enter a natural-language request. Google will then adjust the feed based on their preferences.

The move follows a broader shift among social media platforms toward giving users more control over the algorithms that determine what content they see.

Android users will also soon be able to customize their audio daily briefings in the Google News app, according to the company.

More than one-third of web pages published since ChatGPT launched show significant signs of AI authorship or editing, according to a new study by Pew Research Center.

The findings add to growing evidence that AI is reshaping not only how people use the internet, but also the content being published online. The study comes shortly after Cloudflare reported that automated bot traffic had surpassed human web traffic.

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AI Content Becomes More Common

Pew analysed nearly 500,000 English-language web pages collected through the Common Crawl archive, covering roughly five years before and after ChatGPT’s November 2022 launch. Researchers used Open Pangram’s technology to identify pages that appeared to have been written or substantially edited by AI.

A random sample of 10,000 pages collected in July 2026 showed significant signs of AI authorship on around 10% of pages. Because this sample included older content published before generative AI tools became widely available, Pew conducted a second analysis focused only on pages published after ChatGPT’s release.

That analysis found signs of AI authorship on 35% of pages.

Large Differences Across Domains

AI involvement varied considerably depending on the type of website. Pages using .com domains showed signs of AI authorship at roughly 10 times the rate seen on .edu and .gov domains, where the figure was around 1%.

Non-profit .org websites also recorded a relatively low rate, at 4.6%.

Pew cautioned that AI detection tools can incorrectly classify human-written content. However, researchers said the scale of the analysis makes the overall trend directionally meaningful.

AI Writing Patterns Are Also Changing

Alongside direct signs of AI authorship, Pew identified an increase in several writing patterns often associated with AI-generated text.

These include greater use of em dashes, Oxford commas and constructions such as “it’s not X, it’s Y.”

The findings suggest that AI is becoming an increasingly visible part of the web’s content infrastructure, even as automated systems are also becoming a larger part of the audience consuming that content.

The Tax Department has found violations at 60% of more than 100 businesses inspected in Cyprus’s main coastal tourist areas, as authorities step up efforts to tackle tax evasion during the summer season.

Checks focused on sea sports and boat excursion operators, souvenir shops and catering businesses in Paphos, Ayia Napa, Protaras and Larnaca.

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Surprise Checks Find Receipt Violations

More than 100 unannounced inspections were carried out over the past two weeks, with 60 businesses found not to have issued receipts after selling goods or providing services.

Inspectors also found cases where receipts did not match the actual transaction value. Some businesses reportedly refused card payments for small purchases or accepted cash only, making it easier to conceal income.

The inspections are part of a business-sealing measure introduced last June and intensified during the peak tourist period.

Businesses Given Time To Comply

Businesses that break the rules initially receive a warning and 15 days to comply. A second warning provides another 15 days, followed by a final five-day deadline.

Failure to comply can lead to the premises being sealed. The Tax Commissioner can lift the seal once the business meets the requirements and receives a compliance certificate, while continued violations can result in closure for up to 20 days.

Follow-up checks have already shown that businesses previously found in violation changed their practices and began issuing receipts and accepting card payments.

Major Tax Debtors Next

The crackdown will now expand to businesses with tax debts exceeding €20,000. Authorities have identified around 500 businesses owing more than €1 million in taxes, with enforcement action expected in the coming weeks.

From January 1, 2027, the sealing measure will also cover failures to submit tax returns, VAT returns and tax and contribution withholding declarations.

Taxpayers have been given a year to settle outstanding liabilities and file overdue returns.

Cyprus, Greece and Malta are expanding their maritime cooperation, with Italy set to join the group for the first time at a meeting in Limassol on September 9.

Cyprus Deputy Minister of Shipping Marina Hadjimanoli said Italy’s participation reflects ongoing efforts to strengthen regional cooperation and Cyprus’s strategic partnerships in the maritime sector.

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She added that bringing Italy into the format signals a shared commitment to closer coordination on the challenges and opportunities facing the industry. The initiative followed Hadjimanoli’s visit to Rome at the invitation of her Italian counterpart.

Talks Return To Cyprus

Scheduled for September 9, the meeting will be the ninth in the series and the first to take place in Cyprus in eight years. Cyprus previously hosted the sixth trilateral meeting with Greece and Malta in 2018, while the latest meeting was held in Greece in 2023.

Discussions will cover several issues shaping the future of shipping, including the competitiveness of European shipping, decarbonisation and new European legislation and policies.

Participants are also expected to address issues that will feature on the agenda of the International Maritime Organization and EU institutions in the coming months.

Focus On Europe’s Maritime Future

Hadjimanoli said these developments will have a significant impact on the shipping industry and require closer dialogue between countries with major maritime sectors.

Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Malta are among Europe’s most significant shipping centres and also have an important presence in the global maritime industry.

Larnaca has been ranked the third-best destination in southern Europe for an autumn 2026 holiday, placing ahead of resorts in Greece, Portugal, Spain and Italy, according to a survey by British travel insurance comparison site Quotezone.

Only Antalya in Turkey and Tenerife in the Canary Islands ranked higher in Quotezone’s list of the 10 best shoulder-season destinations. The ranking considered factors including sunshine, temperatures, rainfall and accommodation costs.

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Warm Weather And Low Rainfall

Larnaca scored highly for its autumn conditions, with average sea temperatures of 27°C, average air temperatures of 25.5°C and only 12 millimetres of rainfall across the two months covered by the survey.

Nearby Nissi Beach was also highlighted as one of Europe’s top beaches.

Quotezone created its 2026 Shoulder Season Index to identify destinations offering warm weather without the extreme temperatures and higher prices associated with the peak summer season.

Autumn Travel Gains Popularity

According to the research, hotter summers are encouraging more travellers to reconsider when they take their holidays. Some 52% of respondents said they would actively avoid southern Europe during summer because of the heat, while 48% would consider moving their annual holiday from the peak summer period to autumn.

Price is another factor. Around 26% cited lower costs as a reason to travel in autumn, while 42% said they would wait for a last-minute price reduction before booking. Another 11% said they always wait for an autumn deal.

Fewer crowds are also appealing, with 21% identifying reduced congestion as a key reason for choosing autumn travel. A further 16% valued having fewer children around, while 3% said autumn made it easier to take time off work.

Quotezone said the shift towards shoulder-season travel is increasingly visible across different age groups, rather than being limited to older travellers.

Larnaca Municipality is inviting residents across its three municipal districts to share their views as work begins on a new Local Plan.

Following the Interior Ministry’s decision to prepare the plan, three public meetings have been scheduled with the participation of planning consultancy ALA Planning Partnership Consultancy.

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The first meeting will take place on September 1 at 6pm at the Livadia Municipal District event hall. A second session is scheduled for September 3 at 6pm at the Oroklini Municipal District Amphitheatre, followed by a third on September 7 at 6pm at Larnaca Municipality’s Multipurpose Social Welfare and Employment Centre.

Residents Invited To Shape Future Development

During the meetings, officials will explain how the new Local Plan will be prepared, outline the expected timeline and present its main planning principles and priorities.

Existing planning zones and the challenges facing future development in each area will also be discussed.

Residents will have an opportunity to share their views on how urban development should evolve, as well as on the future of Larnaca, Livadia and Oroklini.

Wider Vision For Larnaca

Larnaca Mayor Andreas Vyras said the process goes beyond deciding which areas should be designated for housing. It will also address broader urban planning policies, development, green spaces and other factors shaping the city’s future.

He encouraged residents to attend the meetings and learn more about the proposals.

According to the municipality, the new Local Plan provides an opportunity to develop a shared vision for Larnaca’s coming years, with a focus on creating a modern, sustainable and people-centred city that makes better use of its strengths and responds to the needs of those who live, work and participate in the community.

Larnaca District Local Government Organisation (EOA) has announced a €300,000 tender for the design of flood protection measures in Larnaca and Aradippou.

The project aims to improve flood prevention and support better drainage infrastructure in areas that have experienced flooding in the past.

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Study To Focus On Kalo Chorio

A detailed study will be carried out for flood protection works in Kalo Chorio, along with the preparation of documentation required before construction can begin. Worth €300,000 plus VAT, the contract will be funded by the government and is expected to take 12 months to complete once awarded.

Specialists will examine water flows across the area and design a drainage system capable of collecting and managing rainwater more effectively. Technical and environmental documentation needed for the future construction phase will also be prepared as part of the project.

Planning Future Flood Defences

Previous flooding incidents in the Larnaca district, particularly around the Kamares aqueduct, were among the reasons for commissioning the study, according to the organisation.

Once the work is completed, EOA is expected to have a comprehensive plan for the area, allowing it to proceed with the construction of the proposed flood protection infrastructure.