Oil prices surged on Monday as fading hopes for a US-Iran settlement renewed fears of prolonged supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude closed above $90 a barrel, while WTI oil also climbed sharply as traders reacted to stalled diplomacy and Iran's warning of possible military escalation. Brent crude rises as Iran ceasefire hopes fade Brent crude futures settled $2.22 higher at

President Donald Trump says Iran wants an agreement with the United States, but the Trump Iran deal remains out of reach because Tehran is not prepared to accept the terms Washington considers necessary. His comments come as Iran nuclear talks remain stalled and tensions around the Strait of Hormuz continue. Iran nuclear talks remain stalled Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, T

Higgsfield AI support is drawing closer attention as the fast-growing video startup reaches a $5.4 billion valuation and expands beyond 30 million users. The company has scaled revenue and funding at exceptional speed, but some customers continue to raise questions about billing, refunds and how quickly support problems are resolved. AI video growth pushes Higgsfield valuation to $5.4 billion

Hayden Panettiere death is under investigation after the Heroes and Nashville star was found unresponsive in Greenville, South Carolina, on August 16, 2026. Police reported no signs of foul play, while officials have not released a final cause or manner of death. Actor Hayden Panettiere, known for starring in “Heroes” and “Nashville,” died at age 36 on Sunday, August 16, 2026, in Greenville, South Carolina. Her rep

The U.S. visa interview for minors in India generally requires children to appear in person, including newborns and teenagers. The U.S. Embassy in India reiterated the rule as State Department interview-waiver standards remain narrower than in earlier years. The U.S. Embassy in India has reminded parents that minor applicants generally must appear in person for a U.S. visa interview, including newborns and teenagers approaching age 18. Sending only a parent or guar

USS Abraham Lincoln mental health concerns are drawing scrutiny after its unusually long deployment, prompting CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper to defend the crew's resilience. Cooper said the carrier has among the Navy's lowest number of reported mental health cases while acknowledging the strain of prolonged service at sea. CENTCOM response addresses menta

America's US open-weight AI push is accelerating as Meta and Nvidia introduce new models within days of each other. The releases arrive as Chinese developers, led by Moonshot AI and its massive Kimi K3 model, have gained significant momentum in downloadable and customizable AI. Meta AI model puts open weights back at center Meta launched M

Anthropic is moving closer to Wall Street with a reported $47 billion annualized revenue run rate and expectations of its first quarterly operating profit. The Anthropic IPO now gives public-market investors an early chance to test whether frontier AI can combine extraordinary growth with improving economics. Anthropic IPO moves deeper into Wall Street process Anthropic confirmed in early June

Four Renaissance artworks attributed to Antonello da Messina have been stolen in a daring Sicily museum theft during Ferragosto. The Antonello art heist targeted works of enormous cultural importance, including three surviving panels from the celebrated San Gregorio Polyptych. Sicily museum theft targets Renaissance treasures Thieves enter

Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh is placing employment generation at the centre of the state’s development strategy, with a focus on attracting major technology companies, strengthening urban infrastructure and reducing the long-running migration of young professionals to other states. Employment Opportunities Remain a Major Challenge Creating quality jobs within Andhra Pradesh continue

New Delhi: India has sent the first tranche of 20 metric tonnes of humanitarian assistance to earthquake-hit Colombia, supplying medicines, medical equipment, temporary shelters, hygiene materials and other essentials needed for emergency recovery. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar announced the India Colombia aid initiative as rescue and rehabilitation efforts continue across badly affected regions. According to the Ministry of Exter

US Vice President JD Vance says Vance Iran war goals now place affordable oil and gasoline for Americans at the top of Washington’s priorities, followed by preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. His remarks also put renewed focus on the Strait of Hormuz and its impact on energy markets. Oil price goal moves to top of Vance’s priorities Speaking in a Fox News interview on August 13

The United States is examining how Chinese artificial intelligence companies gain access to advanced Nvidia chips outside China, putting a new focus on cloud GPU use and overseas data centres. The US AI chip review highlights a growing challenge for export controls built mainly around physical hardware shipments. China GPU use shifts beyond physical chip exports The Bureau of Industry and Secur

Google is entering a major new chapter in artificial intelligence after a Google AI leadership shake-up changed the top of DeepMind while four prominent researchers left to create Discovery Loop. Demis Hassabis is moving into a broader scientific role as Jeff Dean ends a 27-year career at Google. DeepMind leadership reset changes Hassabis role Demis Hassabis is stepping away from the day-to-day

Europe has entered a new phase of artificial intelligence regulation as EU AI Act transparency rules under Article 50 began applying on August 2, 2026. The rules affect AI chatbot disclosure, AI-generated content marking, deepfake transparency and other forms of Europe AI compliance. AI chatbot disclosure rules take effect People interacting directly with certain AI systems in the European Unio

Jammu and Kashmir faces another spell of unsettled weather as the Meteorological Centre Srinagar forecasts widespread rain and thundershowers over the coming days. Heavy to intense showers could increase the threat of flash floods, landslides and mudslides, particularly in vulnerable and hilly areas. Heavy rain likely from August 16 to 19 The Meteorological Centre Srinagar said several spells o

The Air India pilot slept for about 30 to 35 minutes during flight AI2379 from Phuket to Delhi before the aircraft experienced a sudden 300-foot altitude variation, according to accounts emerging during the investigation. The AAIB probe is examining the pilot’s rest, medication, drug test results and possible technical factors behind the August 4 incident. Pilot sleep medication comes under scrutiny

Karnataka has launched Tathyakosh.in, an open, non-commercial digital public good designed to simplify the discovery and assessment of India’s fragmented public datasets for researchers, startups, developers and policymakers. Karnataka Launches Tathyakosh Public Data Discovery Platform The Karnataka government’s Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence, ACSEL Technology Forum, laun

Iran has called for environmental protection to become part of any future Iran Strait of Hormuz arrangement after reporting oil pollution near Qeshm Island. Tehran says commercial shipping, energy consumers and other parties benefiting from the strategic waterway should share responsibility for environmental damage. Qeshm oil spill raises environmental concer

A senior adviser to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has suggested Tehran could prolong the Iran-US war until President Donald Trump leaves office, framing a lengthy conflict as a strategy to impose costs on Washington and strengthen Iranian deterrence. Mohammad Reza Naqdi made the remarks during an interview with PBS. IRGC adviser outlines war attriti