Daily Digest — 12 Aug 2026

Oil prices climbed on Wednesday after deadly Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Oman killed six people, the first fatalities in over a year, heightening supply concerns and straining global shipping routes. The US struck a containership in response, while Trump claimed the US “owns” the Hormuz strait and Iran laid out conditions to reopen it. Brent crude rose 0.5% to $⁠83.60, while gold and silver also edged higher as safe-haven demand persisted. The violence in the Red Sea is a stark reminder of how war in the Middle East continues to disrupt energy markets and trade routes critical to Asia and Europe.

In Ukraine, President Zelenskyy said Kyiv has sent proposals to the US to end the war with Russia, warning that Moscow will use an upcoming election as a pretext for a new mobilisation. Meanwhile, Israeli raids and demolitions in the West Bank continued, with the UN warning the territory is at a breaking point — 23 Palestinians were arrested and a home demolished. Tensions between Trump and Netanyahu are also exposed, as Israel’s PM rejects Trump’s Gaza peace plan.

In tech, India’s electric-bike startup Yulu raised $⁠93 million as quick-commerce demand surges, aiming for 200,000 bikes. Accel closed an oversubscribed $⁠550 million India fund just 19 months after its last. Google’s new AI boss Koray Kavukcuoglu inherits a race to catch OpenAI and Anthropic. In crypto, Bitcoin slipped near $⁠63,800 while Dogecoin and BNB led majors higher; Harmony’s ONE plunged 26% after an attacker minted tokens equal to a quarter of its supply.

In the UK, an analysis found heatwaves may have cost the economy £4.4 billion in lost output so far this year, with the figure potentially topping £25 billion by 2030. The country is also set to experience its best solar eclipse since 1999, with up to 96% of the Sun obscured. Elsewhere, a British man with dementia was told to leave Sweden, and probation officers warned of crime risks from early prison releases.

References

1. UK heatwaves may have cost economy £4.4bn in lost output so far this year, analysis finds
2. British man with dementia told to leave Sweden after losing migration case
3. Could Clacton bin off Nigel Farage? – podcast
4. India’s Yulu raises $⁠93M as quick-commerce boom fuels e-bike demand
5. Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni reportedly knew Phia was ‘cookie stuffing’ for months
6. Accel closes oversubscribed $⁠550M India fund within weeks, 19 months after its last
7. Here’s what bitcoin and ether traders are doing ahead of the binary U.S. CPI print
8. Harmony’s ONE dives 26% after an attack appears to mint tokens equal to quarter of supply
9. Dogecoin and BNB lead majors higher as bitcoin slips near $⁠63,700
10. Dropbox, loved by the masses, a shareholder dead end
11. Compression is prediction
12. The hardest working font in Manhattan (2025)
13. Oil prices rise as Red Sea, Gulf of Oman attacks heighten supply concerns
14. Houthi attack kills six in first fatalities in Red Sea in over a year; U.S. strikes containership
15. Google’s new AI boss inherits a race to catch OpenAI and Anthropic
16. Hud 11:104
17. Judgments (Ahkaam) -
18. Az Zaahir - الظَّاهِرُ - The Manifest
19. ‘Overwhelmed’ probation officers warn of early prison release crime risk
20. Woman assaulted by double murderer says nightmare became ‘real life’ when police let him attack again
21. UK to get best eclipse since 1999 as Moon blocks out Sun across Europe
22. Zelenskyy says Ukraine has sent proposals to US to end war with Russia
23. Can Trump keep his ‘irritation’ with Netanyahu in check?
24. Israeli raids, demolitions continue as UN warns West Bank at breaking point
25. Did Trump flee an Iranian assassination plot on a catering truck? | AJ #shorts
26. Colombia earthquake death toll rises above 200 as rescuers race to find survivors
27. Trump says secret plane switch ‘up to the Secret Service’ | AJ Shorts
28. Trump claims US ‘owns’ Hormuz as Iran lays out conditions to reopen strait
29. Fact-checking Trump’s claims as he rolls back some recommended vaccines. #BBCNews