Author: staff
The European Parliament voted on Wednesday to refer the EU-Mercosur trade agreement to the EU Court of Justice, a move that significantly delays the deal and could potentially derail its final approval. As expected, the vote was tight, with 334 MEPs in favour of the referral, 324 against, and 11 abstaining. The agreement signed on 17 January, which will create a free trade area of over 700 million people, is controversial across Europe, and several countries like France and Poland have opposed it. The agreement’s advocates consider it a major opportunity for European industries and a way to bolster the…
An inn located in the central Japanese city of Takayama has created an ice forest, taking advantage of the freezing cold weather. Located in Gifu Prefecture at an altitude of about 1,000 metres, the inn builds what it calls a Subzero Forest each year by spraying water onto trees and nearby slopes. The forest looks fantastical with some icicles hanging from the trees like curtains and others resembling jellyfish. As temperatures stay below zero, the water freezes into thick layers of ice. Icicles form on branches like curtains, while others hang in rounded shapes that visitors compare to jellyfish. The…
Published on 21/01/2026 – 11:31 GMT+1 Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence (AI) platform Grok is still being used to generate sexually explicit images despite recent restrictions by the company, according to a new analysis. Last summer, xAI, Grok’s operating company, introduced an image-generator feature that included a “spicy mode” that could generate adult content. In recent weeks, the feature was used to undress images of women. After mounting criticism, parent company X said on January 14 that it had “implemented technological measures” to prevent Grok from editing images of real people in revealing clothing. But European non-profit AI Forensics found that…
In politics, authority must be shown and manifested if it is to be believed, and the role of symbolism, or even staging, can not be a gimmick. Unless, perhaps, if you’re Donald Trump. In the age of social media, an image can stir emotions much faster than words and the sight of the French President sporting reflective aviator sunglasses while speaking to the World Economic Forum at the Davos literally went around the planet in seconds. Whatever words came out of his mouth were secondary for many who wondered ‘why on earth is he wearing dark glasses indoors?’ Had he…
The European Commission on Tuesday unveiled its proposal to revamp the bloc’s Cybersecurity Act. The bill seeks to crack down on risky technology vendors in critical supply chains ranging across energy, transport, health care and other sectors. Though the legislation itself does not name any specific countries or companies, it is widely seen as being targeted at China. 5G suppliers Huawei and ZTE are in the EU’s immediate crosshairs, while other Chinese vendors are expected to be hit at a later stage. European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier responded to the Chinese foreign ministry, saying Europe has allowed high-risk vendors from outside…
Huge protests broke out in central Bucharest last week against a law that participants claimed would strip away Romania’s freedom of speech, with social media posts describing the law as one that would jail people for expressing opinions online. But a closer look at the legislation shows a more complex picture. The protest, which drew just over 10,000 participants, was organised by far-right MEP Claudiu Târziu, founder of the newly established Conservative Action Party. Demonstrators called for the repeal of what they refer to as the “Vexler Law”, alleging it represents a major restriction on civil liberties. A law targeting…
Published on 21/01/2026 – 10:07 GMT+1 European police said on Wednesday they had busted a major synthetic drug ring working across several countries in the “largest-ever operation” of its kind, striking a “massive blow” to organised crime. Authorities dismantled 24 industrial-scale labs and seized around 1,000 tonnes of chemicals used to make street drugs such as MDMA, amphetamine and meth. “I’ve been in this business for a while. This is by far the largest-ever operation we did against synthetic drug production and distribution,” Andy Kraag, head of Europol’s European Serious Organised Crime Centre, told the AFP news agency. “I think…
By Euronews with AP Published on 20/01/2026 – 13:18 GMT+1 Portugal’s skies were treated to a rare and beautiful phenomenon on Monday evening as a solar storm brought the northern lights southward. The auroras borealis was mainly visible in the north of the country, in places such as Vila Pouca de Aguiar, Bragança, Macedo de Cavaleiros, São Pedro do Sul and even Grândola. Witnesses took to social media to share images of pink skies. As well as Portugal, the phenomenon has been reported in other European countries where it is also uncommon, such as Germany and the United Kingdom. What brought the northern…
Several other leaders have received invitations but have so far declined to commit or said they are still mulling their participation, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Some fear Trump could seek to create a shadow United Nations, which he has long lambasted as ineffective, as the board’s charter makes no direct reference to Gaza and gives it a broad mandate to resolve global conflicts. Trump for his part said Tuesday his board “might” replace the U.N. but added, “I believe you got to let the U.N. continue because the potential is so great.” French President Emmanuel Macron…
Updated: 21/01/2026 – 10:45 GMT+1 US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday decried Europe’s “anger” and “bitterness” over Trump’s tariff threat. Speaking in Davos, Bessent said he believes Europeans will be persuaded to support Trump’s concerns about Greenland once they hear his argument. … More