Oil surges past $100 as Middle East tensions mount

52 min agoPutin and Trump held an "extremely frank" and constructive phone call Tuesday to discuss Ukraine, the Kremlin said, following weekend visits by US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv. Trump told Putin that US-Russia ties could be fully restored with a swift end to the war. The leaders discussed a possible three-way meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at an APEC summit in November.

1 h agoArgentina's Lionel Messi has agreed in principle to acquire a controlling interest in CD Eldense, a club competing in Spain's second tier. This represents his second ownership venture in Spanish football, following his April acquisition of Cornella.

2 h agoAn explosion struck a temporary storage site for weapons and war remnants Wednesday near Sarmada, a city in Idlib province, killing at least 14 people and wounding 11. The Defense Ministry said the site was being used to hold weapons and remnants before they were transported elsewhere, and that some ministry personnel were among the wounded.

2 h agoThe Anthropic researcher said the more than 10% chance of AI killing all humans could occur by the end of the decade. A colleague at the company resigned over concerns that AI labs and their rivals are racing to build superintelligent systems they cannot control.

2 h agoCrude prices broke through the $100 barrier Wednesday morning for the first time since late July, driven by escalating military action across the region. American forces struck Iranian tankers while Houthi fighters attacked Saudi oil infrastructure, sending the benchmark contract up nearly 3 percent to $100.72.

3 h agoAI music startup Suno launched new models with Warner Music Group and BMG, allowing users to generate music inspired by licensed work from participating artists. Suno CEO Mikey Shulman said the company is developing opt-in experiences where individual artists can choose to participate and receive payment.

4 h agoGerman Chancellor Friedrich Merz accused the Alternative for Germany of supporting Russia and backing anti-migration policies he described as ethnic cleansing. Merz made the remarks in parliament after his party's defeat to the AfD in a Saxony-Anhalt election. The AfD said Merz was deliberately mischaracterising its position.

5 h agoBen Shelton defeated defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set quarter-final at the US Open, with the match ending at 03:34 local time—the latest finish in the tournament's history. The contest lasted four hours and 28 minutes.

5 h agoGoogle said it will invest $15 billion in artificial intelligence infrastructure in Finland. The investment includes the purchase of nuclear power to support the expansion.

5 h agoBrent crude oil reached $100 a barrel for the first time since July as military escalation between the US and Iran disrupts energy markets. The US military destroyed five Iranian tankers in response to Iranian attempts to strike a US Navy warship, while Chinese oil demand has resumed after a months-long buying pause.