12 August 2026, in sixty words

A total solar eclipse was visible across parts of Europe on Wednesday, with the moon completely blocking the sun in some areas.

Karoline Leavitt, who holds the record as the youngest White House press secretary, is resigning her position by the end of August.

Andy Burnham, the Prime Minister, has requested that all stores cease sales of single-use barbecues, aiming to curb wildfires amidst the current heatwave.

Google delayed its new Gemini software by eight weeks in August because it struggled with computer coding.

Two journalism groups have taken the president to a New York court, describing his new subscription feed as corrupt and unconstitutional.

The $12 billion valuation makes the basketball team the most valuable franchise in the NBA, overtaking the Golden State Warriors.

The 78-year-old was killed at her Haytor home in July, and a 28-year-old man is now facing a murder charge.

The utility company recorded 2,871 broken street-level mains in July, roughly double the total from the same month last year.

Real-time flight tracker FlightAware is suing prediction market Kalshi, claiming it used FlightAware's data without permission for gambling markets.

Google has revealed its 2026 hardware lineup, including the Pixel 11 series, an updated Pixel Watch 5, and its first tracker device, the Pixel Tag.

SpaceXAI, formerly xAI, has launched Grok Bot, an early beta AI agent designed to continuously work across existing software.

The Trump administration has reversed a 2022 ban, allowing federal employees to use TikTok on their work devices again.

Chinese regulators demanded Meta reverse its $2 billion purchase of AI startup Manus, which will now operate independently.

Iran is keeping the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil route, firmly shut while both nations argue over a broken June ceasefire.

The money comes from a £200 million fund agreed last year over claims the firm charged unlawful fees.

Financial Times reporting suggests the buyout could value the global theatre chain at around £4.5 billion.

The famous London department store made nearly £85 million before tax in the year to January.

Despite earlier predictions of widespread job destruction, economists say AI has not yet led to mass unemployment, similar to past tech revolutions.

Warnings have been issued to new prime minister Andy Burnham, indicating that the UK economy might experience minimal growth in 2027 if the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted until the close of 2026.

Lionel Messi revealed on Wednesday that he is uncertain about carrying on with his career, following the death of his father, Jorge, last week at 68.

England and Wales have recorded 1,017 wildfires so far this year, matching last year's total, with a major blaze still burning in the New Forest.

The main index at the London Stock Exchange gained a mere 0.04% to reach 10,848.75 points during trading on Wednesday.

The newest racing squad on the grid made the sudden leadership swap just ahead of the upcoming Dutch Grand Prix.

Police detained the two men in July after the UK asked to extradite them over rape charges, which they strongly deny.

The Reform UK deputy leader is suing the National Crime Agency and demanding documents from the newspaper over reports about secret party donations.

Telecom giant Airtel wants to float its mobile money division by the end of 2026, valuing the business at roughly $10bn.

China's C919 passenger jet completed its first scheduled international commercial flight on Wednesday, flying from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

NESO, the electricity grid operator, expects a 1,200-megawatt shortfall between 6pm and 8pm when the moon covers the sun.

The military plane went down on Wednesday in Yalova, a province located in the northwest of the country.

Sergey Brin, a Google co-founder, has significantly funded a group opposing a new tax on billionaires in California.

Shipping costs through the Panama Canal are rising sharply due to low water levels from the El Niño weather system.

Zhu Rongji, known as China's "economic czar," died on Wednesday morning in Beijing after leading the country's economic policy for over a decade.

N Chandrasekaran, the 63-year-old chairman of Tata Group, which owns Jaguar Land Rover, will step down when his term concludes next February.

Scotland's public spending deficit dropped by £600m last year, reaching £25.3bn, as tax revenue increased more quickly than expenditure.

The currency settled around $1.35 on Wednesday, just shy of the peak it reached earlier this week.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham is considering a ban on disposable barbecues to help prevent further wildfires during the ongoing extreme heat.

The European Union has recently stepped up its crackdown on Moscow's fleet of sanction-dodging tankers.

Lebanon's parliament voted on Tuesday to replace capital punishment with life imprisonment and hard labour, a historic step for the country.

Former US Marine Robert Gilman, 32, has been released from a Russian prison on humanitarian grounds after four years, following discussions between Presidents Trump and Putin.

A ferry capsized on Lake Kariba on Tuesday, with 15 confirmed fatalities and 27 individuals unaccounted for.

The US and 40 other nations are seeking a minimum of 24 hours' warning ahead of long-range missile launches, after a Chinese test last month.

The first 43 locations for the scheme have been revealed, with households living within 1,600ft (500m) of upgraded infrastructure eligible.

Marcus Rashford plays for Manchester United for the first time in 19 months during tonight's friendly against Leeds in Dublin.

Millions of savers under 65 will face new bank account rules from April 2027, as the annual cash ISA allowance drops from £20,000 to £12,000.

Potato farmers across the UK are facing big losses as hot, dry summer conditions have damaged crops.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits his current cost of living measures are not enough and hints at more support.

OpenAI's head of AI ethics, Chloé Bakalar, has left the company less than a year after joining, following other safety researchers' departures.

Warner Bros announced the huge new Harry Potter shop, spanning over 21,000 sq ft, will open on Oxford Street in November.

Manchester City's new manager, Enzo Maresca, wants to sign Chelsea winger Pedro Neto, who he previously worked with at Stamford Bridge.

The chief inspector of probation for England and Wales says releasing thousands of offenders early could lead to serious sexual or violent crimes, or even murder.

The US military fired missiles into a Panamanian-flagged ship's engine room yesterday in the Gulf of Oman, disabling it.

The AI cloud computing company CoreWeave reported a 112% rise in revenue to $2.575 billion in the second quarter, beating expectations.

AI-assisted development is forecast to have the largest impact on the gaming industry over the next three years.

The Queensway Tunnel beneath the Mersey is now accessible again following a significant collision that involved an off-road bike earlier on Wednesday.

The French lifeboat service, the SNSM, says there's no longer any limit to how many migrants can pile onto "mega dinghies" crossing the Channel.

Paul Pogba, a former World Cup winner, will reportedly depart Monaco, with discussions to terminate his contract prematurely nearing completion.

Repeated heatwaves across the UK this summer are estimated to have cost the economy over £4 billion in lost output by the end of July.

Elon Musk believes SpaceX's AI revenue will surpass all its other earnings as soon as next month.

Satya Nadella, Microsoft's CEO since 2014, received a record $96.5 million pay package in fiscal 2025, a 22% rise from the previous year.

Google TV Freeplay, the company's free streaming service, now offers access to over 10,000 films and television programmes available for on-demand viewing.

Napoli is showing interest in Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus, with the Italian club now having more room in their squad.

Tennis legend Roger Federer's wealth decreased considerably following a drop in share value for On, the luxury Swiss athletic brand where he possesses a 2.5 per cent holding.

Despite previously saying their transfer business was done, Bayern Munich has reportedly enquired about Brentford's Igor Thiago.

Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona have reached a verbal agreement for the transfer of Spain international Ferran Torres for €55 million.

Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique conceded his side lacks complete preparedness for this evening's match in Salzburg, where they will face Aston Villa for the UEFA Super Cup.

Barcelona have approached Tottenham regarding their right-back Pedro Porro, anticipating potential alterations to their defence.

Nigel Farage triggered Thursday's special election in Clacton by quitting his seat last month.

Google has now fixed a bug in its Photos app that stopped users from easily selecting multiple items by dragging their finger.

Koray Kavukcuoglu, DeepMind's new head, is tasked with closing the performance gap with AI rivals OpenAI and Anthropic.

Fifty police leaders across the UK have urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to prevent PC Andrew Harper's killers from being released early.

Labour has topped five national polls since Andy Burnham became prime minister, ending Reform UK's year-long lead.

Employees at major AI firms like OpenAI and Meta say the push for AI is leading to long hours and constant pressure.

Andy Burnham believes richer parts of the UK need to take in more asylum seekers to share the responsibility.

Thailand's government has immediately suspended new gun permits after a 14-year-old was responsible for the deaths of eight people and himself last week.

America's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to spend up to $20 million on thousands of "conductive distraction and de-escalation devices" by March 2027.

Families say multiple sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier have tried to jump overboard during an extended deployment.

Russia's only liberal, anti-war party, Yabloko, has been barred from taking part in next month's parliamentary elections by a Moscow court.

Police in Spain have dismantled a criminal group accused of moving unaccompanied migrant girls from Gran Canaria to mainland Spain and France.

Lucy Davis, who played Dawn Tinsley, disclosed on Instagram on Tuesday that she received a diagnosis of stage 4 breast cancer approximately 18 months prior.

A review found 477 under-16s were treated for e-scooter injuries at three trauma centres, with cases rising from under 10 in 2019 to almost 150 in 2024.

Rescue teams are racing to find people trapped in rubble following Monday's powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake, felt across a vast area.

Iran is holding the Strait of Hormuz closed, saying America must end the war and blockade before it reopens.

Football star Cristiano Ronaldo and model Georgina Rodríguez have married in a civil ceremony in Portugal.

Brad Lightcap, a key executive who joined OpenAI in 2018, is departing the AI lab to begin a new venture.