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An experiment with artificial intelligence at the annual Richard Wagner festival in the German town of Bayreuth has drawn boos from the audience after producing a staging that appeared to leave some spectators confused. Curator Marcus Lobbes and his team were greeted with boos and whistles as they took to the stage at the end of Saturday evening’s performance of “Götterdämmerung.” The German news agency dpa reported there was warm applause for the singers and musicians, and particularly for conductor Christian Thielemann. Festival organizers had said ahead of the performance that it would be the first time AI took part on stage at the event.

Michigan has joined Minnesota in reporting cyberattacks on water systems but an official said all were operating “safely.” Earlier this week, authorities said cyberattacks targeted over 30 water systems in Minnesota. The source of the attacks is being investigated, but they came amid warnings that Iranian hackers have been focused on such systems. Minnesota IT Services said Thursday that the investigation into the attacks that happened on Sunday and Monday was continuing, and that state officials had not identified who was behind them. There were no reports that residents had been impacted by the attacks.

For the first time in more than a century, a total solar eclipse is coming to mainland Spain with an even longer encore next summer. Daytime darkness will descend Aug. 12 across the Iberian Peninsula, plus slivers of Greenland and Iceland. Totality will last up to two minutes and 18 seconds. A partial eclipse will delight as far away as Alaska and Siberia, enveloping Canada, the northern U.S., and much of Europe and West Africa. This year's solar spectacle is a warmup to 2027 when a 6½-minute extravaganza will sweep from Spain to North Africa and the Middle East.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is urging President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials to help Ukraine gain permission from tech titan Elon Musk to use Starlink for guiding strikes inside Russia. Zelenskyy made the request directly to Trump during an Oval Office meeting this week, according to one person familiar with the matter. He also told lawmakers later on Capitol Hill that he wanted Starlink's help, according to a person in the room. Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive private discussions. Trump did not commit to Zelenskyy’s request. Musk currently allows Starlink use within Ukraine, including Russian-occupied areas, but restricts it inside Russia.

The parents of four teenagers who died by suicide are suing Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube. They claim the platforms caused “years of escalating harms” leading to their deaths. The lawsuit was filed Thursday in Delaware. The Social Media Victims Law Center represents the families from Texas, North Carolina, Minnesota, and Tennessee. The teens reportedly suffered from social media addiction, sleep deprivation, depression, and anxiety. The complaint alleges the companies knew they were causing harm. Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Snap face numerous lawsuits over harms to minors.

A SpaceX rocket is on a collision course with the moon after launching a pair of lunar landers last year. Space tracking experts say the upper stage will unintentionally slam into the moon on Wednesday. The high-speed impact will carve out a crater and send up a plume of dust and rubble that scientists and skygazers are eager to observe. The eastern portions of the U.S. and Canada, and much of South America, should have the best views. SpaceX's abandoned rocket stage hoisted a pair of private lunar landers in January 2025 and has been drifting ever since.

The European Union has introduced a new team to regulate AI companies globally. This move is part of the EU's aggressive approach to managing the high-tech sector amid rising concerns about AI's risks to society. Starting Sunday, AI companies must label or watermark AI-generated content under the new AI Act. Henna Virkkunen, the EU's tech sovereignty chief, emphasized the importance of building trust in AI. The EU is expanding its AI Office in Brussels with 38 new staff to monitor compliance. Companies failing to adhere to the regulations could face fines or market access restrictions.

Landmark fundraising deals by two of Africa’s largest off-grid solar companies are raising hopes that private capital markets could become a major source of funding to help bring electricity to millions of homes lacking access to reliable power. A $50 million green bond issued by affordable energy company D.light and $286 million in securitized debt by Sun King are testing whether institutional investors will back a pay-as-you-go business model on a commercial scale. Experts say the transactions mark a milestone in climate financing. But they caution that wider adoption will require stronger data, supportive regulations, credit guarantees and lower financing costs for smaller companies.