Friday, August 14

Eco-friendly vehicles lead July export gains
The ministry linked the July export increase to more operating days and continued overseas demand for eco-friendly vehicles and SUVs. Major automakers shifted summer vacation schedules from July in 2025 to August in 2026. That change increased the number of working days during the month. Higher production followed the same calendar effect, with output rising 11.3% year on year to 352,000 vehicles. June production had reached 394,000 vehicles, an increase of 11.6% from a year earlier.

Business

The latest slide followed a sharp Tuesday retreat that exceeded the 4% decline reported earlier in the session. Brent settled 5.3% lower at $79.36 a barrel, its first close below $80 since July 13. WTI settled 5.7% lower at $75.77. Both contracts reached their lowest closing levels in three weeks. The Tuesday losses extended Monday’s drop, when Brent fell 7% and WTI declined 5.1%.

Oil prices surged on July 29, pushing Brent crude above $90 a barrel as renewed Middle East fighting and tighter U.S. inventories lifted global benchmarks. Brent futures settled at $90.74, up $6.65, or 7.9%. West Texas Intermediate gained $5.20, or 6.6%, to $84.46. Both contracts posted their strongest daily advances in several weeks. The contracts had already gained more than 20% during July as regional supply disruptions affected energy markets.

June delivered the second-highest monthly installation count recorded in the UK. Only March 2026 ranked higher, with 28,782 installations. Solar capacity increased by 2.2 gigawatts, or 10.9%, during the 12 months through June. The country also recorded 269,000 installations during 2025, the highest annual total to date. Most systems installed that year were on homes, businesses and other buildings. Utility-scale projects also continued to raise the country’s overall solar generation capacity.

The financial framework allocates capital across four principal program pillars to transform the upstream petroleum landscape. According to official disclosures issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, the government designated 28,534 crore rupees specifically for offshore seismic data acquisition, processing, and high-resolution interpretation. This data segment includes 12,000 crore rupees for basin-wide two-dimensional seismic surveys, 12,534 crore rupees for three-dimensional seismic coverage, and 4,000 crore rupees to modernize the National Data Repository using artificial intelligence tools. The structured allocation ensures comprehensive mapping of unexplored frontier basins and erstwhile restricted maritime zones across the eastern and western sea boards.

Health

Technology

The valuation shift reflects broader recalibrations across international financial markets as institutional managers re-evaluate capital commitments tied to artificial intelligence infrastructure. While competing hyperscale computing enterprises including Alphabet and Tesla accelerated capital investments toward data centers, robotics, and autonomous transport networks, Apple maintained disciplined expenditure controls over consecutive fiscal quarters. Market participants increasingly view Apple’s disciplined spending approach as a operational buffer, allowing the firm to expand its proprietary Apple Intelligence software ecosystem without incurring high infrastructure depreciation costs.

SHANGHAI, CHINA / RankWire.AI / – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for wider global participation in artificial intelligence governance during a major conference in Shanghai. He said AI must serve people across all regions, not only governments and companies with the largest resources. Guterres pointed to its growing…

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA / RankWire.AI / – Australian creators are pressing for a direct role in the federal government’s new Office of AI. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese launched the body on July 15 as part of Australia’s national artificial intelligence framework. The office will coordinate policy on copyright, infrastructure, consumer…

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – Samsung Electronics plans to start operations at its first chip plant in Yongin in 2029. The revised target brings the opening forward by one to two years from the earlier 2030 to 2031 schedule. The facility will anchor Samsung’s planned national semiconductor…

SHANGHAI / RankWire.AI / – Chinese researchers have unveiled an AI-assisted platform that converts computer-designed protein sequences into physical samples for laboratory testing. The National Facility for Protein Science in Shanghai and Kangma (Shanghai) Biotechnology developed the automated D2Pi-2.0 system. Developers say it is designed to produce up to…

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA / RankWire.AI / – OpenAI has released the GPT-5.6 model family and introduced ChatGPT Work, an agent designed for longer and more complex assignments. The family includes GPT-5.6 Sol, Terra and Luna. Each model targets a different balance of capability, speed and cost. OpenAI said the…

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES / MENA Newswire / – Emirates said customers have made more than one million connections to Starlink Wi-Fi since the service entered its fleet seven months ago. The Dubai-based airline said passengers have used more than one petabyte of data through the satellite internet service.…

NEW DELHI, INDIA / MENA Newswire / – Amazon CEO Andy Jassy met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and announced plans to invest $48 billion in India from 2026 to 2030. The plan includes an additional $13 billion for artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure. The new…

TOKYO, JAPAN / MENA Newswire / – Japan has released a draft revision of its Artificial Intelligence Basic Plan that calls for wider global cooperation on AI risks. The proposal focuses on cyberattacks, model safety, misinformation and governance of high-performance AI. The Cabinet Office opened public comments on the…

Lifestyle

Southern California interior designer and popular lifestyle influencer Becki Owens has launched her home furnishings line, Becki Owens Living beckiowensliving.com. Owens created this custom collection of over 1000 pieces across 40 categories – from furniture to lighting to…

To celebrate the indescribable drive and competitive spirit of all athletes and fans, Apple launched the International Collection bands for Apple Watch, featuring 22 limited-edition Sport Loop bands with colorful designs that represent those nations across the globe.…

The talented team of watchmakers and designers at OLTO-8 just launched a unique mechanical watch for those who seek individuality and bold style. The motorsport inspired Infinity II watch boasts superb craftsmanship, precise timekeeping and iconic design. This…

Casio Computer Co., Ltd. announced the release of four new GST-B400 watches, the latest additions to the G-SHOCK family of shock-resistant watches. The new watches boast the slimmest*1 profile of any in the G-STEEL series, which is known…