What happened
The cost of government borrowing has climbed sharply across major economies, with investors increasingly concerned about ballooning debt, persistent inflation and political uncertainty. US 30-year Treasury yields have reached 5.33%, which is their highest level in two decades, while Britain sold £4 billion of bonds at a 5.155% yield – the highest rate since 2007. Japan and France have also seen borrowing costs reach multi-year highs.

Who said what
Robin Brooks of the Brookings Institution said global bond markets were “on fire”, arguing that countries with heavy debt burdens were particularly exposed to economic shocks. Simon French, chief economist at Panmure Liberum, said the figures were “a warning to the chancellor” about plans to increase borrowing.

What next?
Rising debt costs “are posing a headache” for John Healey (pictured above), said Szu Ping Chan in The Telegraph. As the new chancellor prepares to unveil his first Budget on 28 October, economists warn that higher inflation could further squeeze government finances. Inflation is expected to approach 4% by year’s end, potentially keeping interest rates elevated and increasing mortgage costs.

What happened
England’s increasingly dry and hot summers are killing its ancient oak trees, according to the Woodland Trust. Most oaks are losing too much water, causing their leaves to wilt and die in a visible “early autumn” phenomenon, the conservation charity warned.

Who said what
These “really old trees” are “survivors, but, like us, when they get old they get a bit less resilient”, said Ed Pyne, senior conservation adviser at the Woodland Trust. Extreme weather was a key factor in the death of the Major oak, one of Europe’s oldest and largest trees, in June. The “incessant droughts” each year create “a cumulative effect that compounds across time”, added Pyne. “Almost all of our ancient trees” are “dying of this drought stress”. Beech trees are also struggling and “may die, which would be disastrous”.

Even Europe’s drought-tolerant species, such as pine, are dying, experts told The Guardian.

What next?
The Woodland Trust estimates that at least half of the ancient oaks in England and Wales could die over the next 60 years, with many already in a critical condition.

A methamphetamine known as the “crazy pill” is wreaking havoc in Bangladesh and fuelling an addiction crisis. Authorities there have struggled to crack down on “yaba”, which is also known as “Nazi speed”. Their efforts are bearing some fruit, but tackling the widespread use of the drug remains an uphill battle.

Yaba is a street name for pills containing methamphetamine, a powerful, highly addictive stimulant. Users generally crush and smoke the pills, although some swallow them whole. The drug increases alertness and energy, and raises the heart rate and blood pressure of users. Heavy use can bring on a range of problems, including paranoia, psychosis, seizures, cardiovascular problems and even death.

Yaba, which means “crazy pill” in Thai, is “pushing thousands into addiction” in Bangladesh, said The Telegraph. The tablets, which are a blend of the stimulant with caffeine and other adulterants, are particularly common in South and Southeast Asia.

Bangladesh has become a leading destination and market for yaba because of its geographic proximity to Myanmar, where production of the drug is particularly concentrated. Since 2006, yaba has been a common escape for the poor from the realities of the “daily drudgery that makes life so hard for so many of Bangladesh’s 178 million people”, meaning there is “little to dull the allure” of the drug, added The Telegraph.

Bangladeshi officials have been fighting for years to stamp out trade in the stimulant. However, drug lords are still able to “churn out” millions of yaba pills from camps in the jungle borderlands of Myanmar at a “relentless” rate, according to The Telegraph.