The Know Daily - Thursday 13 August 2026

_{Read in 4m 09s ∙ Listening to Calum Bowie ∙}

The Women’s Professional Baseball League has officially made its debut! The new league’s opening weekend in Illinois drew a sold-out crowd, with fans travelling from all over the US. Four teams are taking part in the inaugural six-week season, giving women professional baseball players the chance to compete together for the first time in 70 years… and most of us have been waiting for this moment since A League of Their Own came out 🔥

🗳️ The Clacton by-election

Clacton voters go to the polls today, with Nigel Farage seeking to win back the seat he resigned just weeks ago.

A bit of background.
The by-election was triggered by Farage’s resignation as Clacton’s MP, meaning voters are choosing their representative for the sixth time in 12 years. The constituency stretches beyond Clacton itself, taking in seaside towns including Jaywick, Frinton and Walton-on-the-Naze, as well as rural villages. According to the BBC, it is also an older-than-average constituency, with a median age of 50, while around a third of working-age residents are unemployed.

So what is this election about?
For voters, the by-election is about more than just whether Nigel Farage returns to Parliament. Local concerns include immigration, NHS waiting times, access to GPs and dentists, the cost of running small businesses and the condition of local communities. POLITICO reports that even some voters who intend to back Farage are frustrated by the decision to trigger the by-election and feel it has made Clacton look like a “laughing stock”.

And what about all those candidates?
There are 34 people on the ballot paper, more than in any previous UK parliamentary election, including Count Binface and a number of other independent and satirical candidates. The unusual ballot has also created some practical challenges: the paper is nearly a metre long and the count is expected to take longer than usual. The Independent reports that the result may not be declared until the early hours of Friday morning, with counters having to use larger tables to sort and count the ballots.

So what happens next?
A poll conducted in July put Farage on 73%, with Count Binface on 20% once undecided voters were excluded. That means a Farage victory is widely expected, but there are still a few things to watch: turnout, the number of spoiled ballots and how many votes go to the smaller and independent candidates. As the Associated Press reports, if he does win, the parliamentary investigation of his finances will resume.

🧬 England is on track to become one of the first countries in the world to eliminate hepatitis C, with more than 100,000 people diagnosed and treated since 2015.

• The bigger story: The NHS has already reached its target of treating 80% of known cases, while deaths from hepatitis C have fallen by 36% over the past decade. The virus can often go undetected for years, but new testing initiatives in A&E departments, GP surgeries and through free home kits are helping find people who may not know they have it. With antiviral tablets able to cure more than 95% of cases, England is now aiming to finish the job ahead of the World Health Organization’s 2030 target.

💬 Men can make the first move on Bumble for the first time after the dating app dropped its hallmark rule. 

🤫 The quietest countries in the world have been revealed in the Noise-Free Nations Index (spoiler alert: none of them are in Europe!).

✈️ China’s first passenger jet that has been “independently developed” is set to make its first commercial international flight – a move experts have said is more of a PR exercise than a major step into the global aviation market.

🪩 The celebrity lineup for this year’s Strictly Come Dancing has been unveiled ahead of its first series with a new set of hosts.  

🧠 Want a sharper brain? Spending just 5–10 minutes a day on brain training could help boost cognitive function at any age, new research suggests.

☀️ A solar eclipse was visible across Europe last night – here are some fab pics in case you missed it or couldn’t get your hands on a pair of special glasses.

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Trivia answer: A) The beautiful villa features at the end of Casino Royale.

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