Apple has trained a China-specific large language model alongside Alibaba and received regulatory approval from Beijing — making it the first foreign company authorised to deploy proprietary AI on iPhones in mainland China.
Posted inMarkets
Crude Oil Retreats on US Inventory Build and Weak Demand as Hormuz Risks Linger
WTI crude slipped to around $81 a barrel on August 14 as a substantial US stock build and signs of slowing global demand overshadowed ongoing supply risk from the Strait of Hormuz.
Posted inEconomy
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in Q2 as Industrial Output Contracts
Britain’s GDP expanded 0.4% in the second quarter of 2026, easing from Q1’s 0.6% pace, as a fall in industrial production and manufacturing cast doubt on the durability of the recovery.
Posted inGeopolitics
Ukraine Pushes Russia from Dnipropetrovsk, Reclaiming 745 Square Kilometres
A Ukrainian summer offensive has recaptured 26 settlements and at least 745 square kilometres in the Dnipropetrovsk region, pushing Russian forces back across the Donetsk and Zaporizhia borders.
Posted inWorld
Israel’s October Election Takes Shape as Neither Bloc Nears a Majority
Fresh polling through July puts Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party level with Likud while Netanyahu’s bloc trails at 49–52 seats, well short of the 61 needed to form a government.
Posted inWorld
Colombia Earthquake Kills 265 in Strongest Tremor Since 1906
A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on August 11, killing at least 265 people and injuring 2,595 in the country’s strongest seismic event in over a century.
Posted inEconomy
Germany’s China Trade Deficit Swells to €55 Billion as Exports Collapse
German exports to China fell 12% in the first half of 2026, pushing the bilateral trade deficit to €55 billion as Beijing deepens its domestic supply chains and cuts reliance on European goods.
Posted inTech
Google Gemini Crosses One Billion Monthly Users
Sundar Pichai announced on August 11 that the Gemini app has passed one billion monthly active users, making it the fastest-growing product in Google’s 28-year history.
Posted inGeopolitics
Washington Brokers Deal to Remove Assad-Era Nuclear Material from Syria
The US has brokered a deal with Syria’s new government and the IAEA to remove uranium powder from a clandestine atomic site built under Bashar al-Assad, with Israel pressing for removal before year-end.
Posted inMarkets
Gold Holds Above $4,400 as Cooling CPI Dims September Rate-Hike Bets
Gold futures held near $4,408 per ounce on August 13 after two consecutive months of cooling US inflation reduced the probability of a Federal Reserve rate hike in September to around 34%.