US and Iran exchange fire and disagree on whether strait of Hormuz is open | First Thing

Good morning.

The US military has launched a fresh wave of attacks against Iran amid the escalating standoff over the strait of Hormuz.

Tehran said the latest strikes had “rendered futile” all the diplomatic efforts of the past few months, while Donald Trump said: “We’re beating them ​up”, as oil prices surged again.

This week in PC games: vert-ramping trains, a retold murder mystery, and Cthulhu’s new gig as an AI Director

What we're feeding the Maw

Merry Monday, readers. Edwin’s been struck down by a post-TennoCon lurgy, and we were only too happy to allow him some rest, provided he file his Soulframe and Warframe: Tau stories before collapsing into a feverish heap. We even agreed to feed the Maw in his absence, albeit without reaching a similar accord on responsibility for the litter tray.

German court convicts Iraqi couple of enslaving Yazidi girls

A court in Germany has convicted an Iraqi couple of enslaving two Yazidi girls in Iraq.

The Munich Higher Regional Court also found them guilty of membership of the Islamic State group (IS).

Kalshi launches 'Pro' product for users trading multiple markets at same time, perpetual futures

Illustration of the Kalshi logo.

Dado Ruvic | Reuters

Prediction market platform Kalshi is launching a product for its highly active traders on Monday, the company told CNBC.

Kalshi Pro, now available to the public, is designed for speculators who trade multiple markets at the same time and or move with speed during live events, according to a memo provided to CNBC. The platform is also designed to support those who run resting orders, trades that don't execute until certain prices are met, the memo said.

Brendon McCullum sacked as England Test head coach but will retain white-ball role

Brendon McCullum has been sacked as Test coach in another staggering twist in the unravelling of the England team.

Two weeks after Ben Stokes made the stunning announcement to step down as captain and retire from international cricket, McCullum's exit brings a definitive end to the Bazball era.

AI giants learn what everyone else on the modern internet already knows

By Alistair Barr

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X-Men '97 voice actor weighs in on Marvel's most iconic love triangle: 'I'll ship that'

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Published Jul 12, 2026, 10:01 AM EDT

"I'll ship that"

Image: Marvel Studios

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Emma Frost is one of the most complex and nuanced characters in the X-Men universe, but if your main point of contact with the franchise is X-Men: The Animated Series, you wouldn't know it.

Creating synthetic life in a lab? SpudCell falls short of the goal, but raises even more useful questions

Nature is beautiful, powerful and essential. But nature is not always gentle. The same biological world that gives rise to forests, coral reefs and human life also produces infections, cancer, genetic disease, crop blights and toxins. Natural processes can heal, sustain and inspire, but they can also destroy.

Black Flag Resynced certainly scratches my nostalgia itch, but do you know what else does? Assassin's Creed Black Flag

I've sunk legendary galleons, sailed across the Caribbean procuring plunder, and I've experienced Edward Kenway's redemption arc from start to finish. But upon rolling credits on Ubisoft's nostalgia-fuelled remake, I came to a realisation: almost everything good in Black Flag Resynced exists in the original game.

PICS INVESTOR DEADLINE: PicS N.V. Investors with Substantial Losses Have Opportunity to Lead Investor Class Action Lawsuit before August 4, 2026 Deadline

San Diego, California--(Newsfile Corp. - July 12, 2026) - The law firm of Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP announces that purchasers of PicS N.V. (NASDAQ: PICS) Class A common stock in and/or traceable to PicS N.V.'s January 30, 2026 initial public offering ("IPO"), have until Tuesday, August 4, 2026 to seek appointment as lead plaintiff of the PicS N.V. class action lawsuit. Captioned FirstFire Global Opportunities Fund, LLC v. PicS N.V., No. 26-cv-04793 (S.D.N.Y.), the PicS N.V. class action lawsuit charges PicS N.V and certain of PicS N.V.'s top executive officers, directors, controlling shareholders, as well as underwriters of the IPO with violations of the Securities Act of 1933.