{
  "id": 694376,
  "title": "WhatsApp ‘drops’, price hikes and queues: scramble for solar eclipse specs",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/whatsapp-drops-price-hikes-and-queues-scramble-for-solar-eclipse-specs",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-12T16:05:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Guardian Science",
    "slug": "guardian-science",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/aug/12/secret-drops-whatsapp-threads-queues-hunt-solar-eclipse-specs"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Amid doubling prices and fraying tempers, shoppers hunt for elusive eyewear to prepare for rare eclipse of sun • Europe solar eclipse – latest updates A secretive WhatsApp group was pinging with notifications throughout Wednesday, letting its members know where in London the latest “drop” would take place. The group’s focus, rather than being for an illicit substance, was for the much-coveted…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}