Colombia earthquake toll passes 200 as rescuers dig through Cali US helicopter disables cargo ship as Hormuz stays shut Russian barrage kills at least ten as Kyiv warns of new mobilisation Syria sentences Assad and eight others to death for war crimes Iran to join BRICS Bank as war economy sheds jobs Congo's Ebola toll passes 2,000 as deaths accelerate Cargo ship burns in Bab al-Mandeb as strikes kill crew and rescuers Spain fights worst wildfires in years as new heatwave hits Europe Credit and power questions follow Nvidia's AI pact Attackers kill 60 in South Sudan cattle raid Aid agencies say eastern Chad is past breaking point as Sudanese flee Taipei condemns planned Chinese-Indonesian drill east of Taiwan Gaza medical evacuations stall as US plan makes no progress Palestinians urge Security Council to act on West Bank settlements North Korea fires ballistic missile ahead of US-South Korean exercise Drone halts flights at Hanover as Romania destroys drones at sea Meta on trial over youth addiction as court clears thousands of suits Relief and doubt in Kurdish southeast after Turkey's PKK dissolution vote Hong Kong urges parents not to delay shots after US cuts vaccine schedule Drones set Zawiya oil tanks ablaze after Haftar intelligence chief killed China's car market shrinks for a tenth month as exports surge Study traces Ceuta migrant surge to viral videos as Morocco builds barrier Intel raises $20bn as Sony and TSMC seal Japan sensor venture Trump flown out of Turkey on second jet after Iranian threat Unitree's Shanghai IPO oversubscribed 5,500 times Low water on the Rhine forces first production cuts in Germany Russia frees former US Marine Robert Gilman after four years Qatar backs Turkey-Saudi-Pakistan defence pact as India weighs fallout Rights groups sue Trump administration over ICC sanctions UN says 2.4 million Afghan girls are barred from secondary school Fuel shortage and refinery fire add to strain on Russia's economy Britain approves Eli Lilly's obesity pill in a European first Chinese AI models top global rankings as Beijing tightens rules Israeli strike kills one in Lebanon as Beirut slows talks Lebanon abolishes the death penalty Spotify and Anthropic move to label AI-generated content US immigration agents could get electric-shock gloves Meta unwinds $2 billion Manus deal after Beijing's block Hungary's parliament elects Orban critic Baka as president French newspapers file complaint over Google's AI summaries At least 15 dead after ferry capsizes on Lake Kariba IAEA delegation to visit Syria over nuclear material left by Assad government China's C919 begins first international passenger service Hanwha offers to buy builder of US Navy ships Investigation documents rape of women recruited from Russian prisons as front-line medics Truck collision in Ismailia kills 18, most of them child labourers Judge widens block on Trump's mail-in voting rules Yen intervention fades as Tokyo and Washington split over BOJ Israel and Venezuela restore consular ties after 17 years Panama Canal fees hit record as drought and Iran war squeeze shipping Thailand suspends gun licences after school shooting Philippine vice-president charged over alleged threat to kill Marcos Castro grandson emerges as broker in talks with Washington Golden Dome contractors complete first tests Madagascar divides mpox vaccine doses as outbreak grows US and Canada work to finalise trade deal Trump backs Infantino in FIFA power struggle BSW would tolerate an AfD state premier in Saxony-Anhalt China seeks framework as residential land leases expire Zambia votes as debt and copper revenues dominate campaign Sweida residents expect Damascus to assert control Mine dump collapse kills at least 14 in South Africa Colombia earthquake toll passes 200 as rescuers dig through Cali US helicopter disables cargo ship as Hormuz stays shut Russian barrage kills at least ten as Kyiv warns of new mobilisation Syria sentences Assad and eight others to death for war crimes Iran to join BRICS Bank as war economy sheds jobs Congo's Ebola toll passes 2,000 as deaths accelerate Cargo ship burns in Bab al-Mandeb as strikes kill crew and rescuers Spain fights worst wildfires in years as new heatwave hits Europe Credit and power questions follow Nvidia's AI pact Attackers kill 60 in South Sudan cattle raid Aid agencies say eastern Chad is past breaking point as Sudanese flee Taipei condemns planned Chinese-Indonesian drill east of Taiwan Gaza medical evacuations stall as US plan makes no progress Palestinians urge Security Council to act on West Bank settlements North Korea fires ballistic missile ahead of US-South Korean exercise Drone halts flights at Hanover as Romania destroys drones at sea Meta on trial over youth addiction as court clears thousands of suits Relief and doubt in Kurdish southeast after Turkey's PKK dissolution vote Hong Kong urges parents not to delay shots after US cuts vaccine schedule Drones set Zawiya oil tanks ablaze after Haftar intelligence chief killed China's car market shrinks for a tenth month as exports surge Study traces Ceuta migrant surge to viral videos as Morocco builds barrier Intel raises $20bn as Sony and TSMC seal Japan sensor venture Trump flown out of Turkey on second jet after Iranian threat Unitree's Shanghai IPO oversubscribed 5,500 times Low water on the Rhine forces first production cuts in Germany Russia frees former US Marine Robert Gilman after four years Qatar backs Turkey-Saudi-Pakistan defence pact as India weighs fallout Rights groups sue Trump administration over ICC sanctions UN says 2.4 million Afghan girls are barred from secondary school Fuel shortage and refinery fire add to strain on Russia's economy Britain approves Eli Lilly's obesity pill in a European first Chinese AI models top global rankings as Beijing tightens rules Israeli strike kills one in Lebanon as Beirut slows talks Lebanon abolishes the death penalty Spotify and Anthropic move to label AI-generated content US immigration agents could get electric-shock gloves Meta unwinds $2 billion Manus deal after Beijing's block Hungary's parliament elects Orban critic Baka as president French newspapers file complaint over Google's AI summaries At least 15 dead after ferry capsizes on Lake Kariba IAEA delegation to visit Syria over nuclear material left by Assad government China's C919 begins first international passenger service Hanwha offers to buy builder of US Navy ships Investigation documents rape of women recruited from Russian prisons as front-line medics Truck collision in Ismailia kills 18, most of them child labourers Judge widens block on Trump's mail-in voting rules Yen intervention fades as Tokyo and Washington split over BOJ Israel and Venezuela restore consular ties after 17 years Panama Canal fees hit record as drought and Iran war squeeze shipping Thailand suspends gun licences after school shooting Philippine vice-president charged over alleged threat to kill Marcos Castro grandson emerges as broker in talks with Washington Golden Dome contractors complete first tests Madagascar divides mpox vaccine doses as outbreak grows US and Canada work to finalise trade deal Trump backs Infantino in FIFA power struggle BSW would tolerate an AfD state premier in Saxony-Anhalt China seeks framework as residential land leases expire Zambia votes as debt and copper revenues dominate campaign Sweida residents expect Damascus to assert control Mine dump collapse kills at least 14 in South Africa

Narrative thread · 1 event

Manus AI deal unwind

Where things stand

Meta is fully unwinding its $2 billion purchase of the Chinese-founded AI platform Manus, more than three months after Beijing blocked the deal on national security grounds. Manus is to continue as an independent company.

Meta struck a $2 billion deal to buy Manus, an AI platform founded in China. Chinese authorities assessed the takeover on national security grounds, setting the US company against Beijing's regulators over the sale of a homegrown AI firm. The case has run since Beijing's block earlier this year.

Timeline in detail

Wednesday, 12 August 2026Technology

Meta unwinds $2 billion Manus deal after Beijing's block

Meta is fully unwinding its acquisition of the Chinese-founded AI platform Manus, more than three months after Beijing blocked the deal on national security grounds. Manus is to return as an independent company.