Author: staff
An Egyptian television presenter faces execution after a Cairo court sentenced her to death for financing and coordinating a synthetic drug network, but her lawyer says they will appeal, and legal experts say the case is far from over. Sarah Khalifa, known for hosting the crime programme Mission Impossible on private channel Al-Mehwar and for her events business, was sentenced on Saturday alongside 11 others in a major synthetic drug manufacturing and trafficking case. Nine defendants received life sentences and seven were acquitted. Those sentenced to death were also fined 500,000 Egyptian pounds (€8,000). Khalifa’s brother Mohamed was among those…
The United Nations human rights chief has warned that advanced artificial intelligence could pose an “existential risk to humanity”, calling for immediate action to make the technology safer. Addressing the UN Human Rights Council on Monday, Volker Türk said people faced “unfamiliar, even unprecedented” threats to their rights. “The need for AI governance is widely acknowledged, but where is the action?” he asked, warning that “delay only benefits the massive tech companies, their owners and enablers”. Türk said that “a handful of men has almost unlimited power over AI, which we are repeatedly told has unimaginable computing capacity”. “They talk…
Published on 07/09/2026 – 14:10 GMT+2•Updated 14:19 The World Nomad Games may be over for another year but the impact of the event is likely to echo throughout Central Asia for some time. After the grand opening at Kyrgyzstan’s Bishkek Arena, the games and more than 3,000 athletes from 110 nations moved to a lake-side venue in the Isyk Kul region, a popular tourist destination. Traditional equestrian and archery skills filled every corner of the Kyrchyn Gorge, as competitors pitted their wits and strengths against each other, giving visitors a lookback in time travelling experience at an ancient style settlement.…
A Renew official, granted anonymity to speak candidly about the meeting agenda, said lawmakers are growing particularly concerned about the prospect of far-right parties taking power in Germany and France, where Marine Le Pen has a commanding lead in the polls for the spring 2027 presidential race. “Pro-Europeans … are worried about what happens after Macron because they recognize his vision and ambition for Europe,” said the official. The burning question on everyone’s lips is what Macron, who cannot run for a third consecutive term, can and will do next. The 48-year-old has given little indication of his plans after…
From everyday staples such as dairy and poultry products to record-breaking regional outbreaks, Salmonella cases are quietly surging across Europe — leaving health officials on high alert as infections reach levels not seen in years. Noodles, eggs, and pumpkin seeds are among the products that have been linked with Salmonella outbreaks in the past months. More recently, in August, more than 300 people fell ill with Salmonella in Belgium after they ate eggs, resulting in a record Salmonella outbreak for the country. Salmonella is the second-most common foodborne illness in the world, and cases have been steadily increasing in Europe…
Published on 07/09/2026 – 13:37 GMT+2 Search and rescue teams combed through the debris of a collapsed hostel building in the Indian capital New Delhi as the death toll climbed to seven, officials said on Monday. The five-storey building, which housed a boys’ hostel, collapsed on Sunday in Satya Niketan, a densely populated neighbourhood known for its private student accommodations near a Delhi University campus. Police, firefighters and crews from India’s disaster response agency continued their search for a second day as earthmovers cleared debris and sniffer dogs worked the site to help rescuers reach those still trapped inside. Rescue…
Germany crossed a line on Sunday that had held since the Federal Republic was founded in 1949. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) took 43.8% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt, the first outright win for a far-right party in a German state since the war. It secured 39 of the 83 seats in the Magdeburg parliament, three short of a majority. The result was equally striking for what happened to Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Its vote share collapsed to 17.2% from 37.1% in 2021. The Social Democrats, Greens and Left Party each secured eight seats. The immediate economic…
AI’s boom has a water problem. Data centres are facing growing public anger in the United States over the amount of water and electricity they use. The technology giants spending billions of dollars on them say the water problem, at least, can be addressed. Data centres are warehouses filled with computer servers that power the internet and, increasingly, artificial intelligence. Those computers generate heat, and keeping them cool can require large amounts of water. Data centres worldwide consumed 222 billion litres (59 billion gallons) of water for cooling in 2025, according to consultancy Rystad Energy. Without measures to reduce consumption,…
We’re just days away from Céline Dion’s major return to the stage after a six-year hiatus from the spotlight, and fans have been busy planning trips to see the star in one of her favourite cities. Paris is proving increasingly popular with international travellers ahead of Dion’s upcoming residency, with new data from Amadeus Travel Intelligence showing an 11% surge in international flight searches to the French capital compared to last year. Searches from the Americas are driving much of this demand. The US accounts for 26.5% of searches, followed by Brazil at 11% and Canada at 7.4%, together almost…
A comedy festival in Portugal is currently giving people little reason to laugh. The 1st edition of the Lisbon International Humour Festival, Commedia a La Carte Fest, is being overshadowed by controversy, with several Portuguese artists cancelling their shows. The most recent case is that of actress Inês Aires Pereira, who announced on Saturday that her show “Namastê” was being removed from the comedy festival’s line-up. The performer wrote on social media that “one of the names persistently defends ideas and acts that I consider indefensible.” She added: “We cannot relativise or normalise a genocide.” Her criticism did not explicitly…