UK and France prepare for another heat wave as western Europe sets new temperature record

August 11, 2026

PARIS (AP) — The U.K. and France are bracing for the fifth heat wave of the season, adding to an intense stretch of hot weather that has repeatedly sent temperatures soaring across Europe since May. National weather agency Meteo-France is warning about temperatures approaching 40 C (104 F) from Tuesday onward in southeastern France. And in the U.K., an amber heat health alert for most of England will be in place beginning Tuesday as temperatures are forecast to climb to 36 C (96.8 F) later this week. Across Europe, the extreme heat began in May and has contributed to major ...

Chinese users of AI companions bereft after government tightens regulations

August 11, 2026

Li Linlin cried for days after losing her AI boyfriend. She had exchanged about 700,000 words in messages over two years, and never got to say goodbye. Li, 24, wasn’t the only left mourning the loss of a virtual companion when major Chinese tech companies recently pulled the plug on ...

As AI grips world, the thrill of collecting vintage computers is growing

August 11, 2026

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) — Software engineer Josh Dersch loves old computers. He spends countless hours tinkering in his garage, trying to coax decades-old machines back to life. He estimates he owns more than 200 vintage computers and devices in his Seattle home. “It’s always ...

Zuckerberg manifesto pushes an open-source approach on AI as Meta releases its latest model

August 11, 2026

Meta Platforms on Monday announced the release of a new artificial intelligence model that’s open for other software developers to use as CEO Mark Zuckerberg warned of the risks if control of advanced AI is concentrated under a select few companies, institutions or governments. The tech company included a “permissive” open source license for Muse Glimmer, a lightweight AI model that can run on a personal computer. Zuckerberg said the company would also would provide a way for developers to access a more powerful AI model, Muse Spark 1.2. Meta has long been a proponent of ...

From Uniqlo to Zara, clothing brands try to win over Gen Z with a needle and thread

August 11, 2026

NEW YORK (AP) — Encouraging customers to mend worn clothes instead of buying new ones might seem like a self-defeating sales strategy. But in-store repairs and sewing workshops are becoming essential retail services for clothing brands as they try to appeal to young consumers who want to ...

Berkshire Hathaway’s new CEO Greg Abel spends a chunk of the company’s massive cashpile

August 11, 2026

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Berkshire Hathaway’s new CEO Greg Abel spent a significant chunk of the company’s massive pile of cash as it invested $10 billion in Google’s parent company and repurchased about $4.5 billion of its shares. The conglomerate that legendary investor Warren Buffett built reported its second-quarter earnings Saturday morning and disclosed that its cash holdings had shrunk to $365.5 billion from nearly $400 billion at the end of March. Berkshire’s report suggested that it had added more than $21 billion worth of commercial, industrial and other stocks to its ...