While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Aug 14, 2026
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A satellite image shows damage to a grain conveyor, following a Ukrainian drone and missile attack, in Novorossiysk, Krasnodar region, Russia, on Aug 12.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Ukraine offers Russia truce in Black Sea as food supply fears mount
Ukraine has sent Russia an offer suggesting they both halt attacks on civilian targets in the Black Sea, a source said, after mounting strikes on vessels and ports there raised fears over global food supplies.
The offer to suspend attacks was transmitted by Kyiv via a third party, and Ukraine was still waiting for a response, the source who is familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Both Russia and Ukraine, major players in the world agriculture market, have accused each other of intensified attacks on vessels used for exports.
Kyiv was forced to turn to alternative shipment routes when many shipowners halted stops at ports in late July in the southern region of Odesa — a key hub for grain exports - wary after Russian strikes on dozens of ships.
Millions in Europe struggle with another wave of extreme heat
PHOTO: REUTERS
Millions of people across Europe – particularly in France, Italy, Spain and the UK – sweltered through another wave of extreme temperatures on Aug 13 as the continent’s latest heatwave intensified.
Weather agencies recorded temperatures of more than 35 deg C in several European countries, where more than 135 million people had been forecast to endure such weather.
“The heat has been unbearable here, honestly,” said pharmacist Bailey Williamson, voicing concern for hospital patients as the UK saw its fifth-hottest day on record.
Google debuts new Gemini Flash while top AI model still delayed
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
Alphabet Inc’s Google released another instalment of its workhorse Gemini Flash artificial intelligence model, but didn’t say when it would release its most powerful AI model, Gemini 3.5 Pro, which has been hampered by delays.
The new Gemini 3.7 Flash model outperforms its predecessor in coding tasks like debugging, and is more capable at generating deployable, production-ready code on the first try, Google said in a blog post on Aug 13.
The models can also complete app production in fewer prompts, deliver a better developer experience and lower the price of tokens needed to operate it, the company added.
S&P 500 notches record-high close as US rate-hike worries ease
PHOTO: REUTERS
The S&P 500 notched a record-high close on Aug 13, fuelled by advances in Sandisk and other heavyweight technology stocks, as tame producer price inflation data supported expectations the Federal Reserve will not raise interest rates at its September meeting.
Memory chip makers Sandisk and Micron Technology surged 13.7 per cent and 4.2 per cent, respectively, while Microsoft added almost 1 per cent and Meta Platforms rose 2.8 per cent.
Shares of AI cloud company CoreWeave dipped 1.3 per cent. The stock surged 19 per cent a day earlier after the company lifted its annual capital spending forecast.
‘This was my World Cup’ says Somali referee after UEFA Super Cup
PHOTO: AFP
Somali referee Omar Artan described taking charge of Aug 12’s UEFA Super Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in Salzburg as his “World Cup”.
The 34-year-old was denied the chance to referee at the World Cup itself after being refused entry to the United States.
He was turned away on arrival at Miami International Airport, despite being part of the panel of referees selected by FIFA for the tournament.
