Author: staff

It is almost a year since Liberation Day, when US President Donald Trump stood in the Rose Garden and declared “reciprocal tariffs” against more than 50 countries. Looking back, the tariff war did not kill global trade. That is the counterintuitive conclusion of McKinsey Global Institute’s “Geopolitics and the Geometry of Global Trade” report, published this month. Against US tariff rates at their highest since the Second World War, global trade grew faster than the world economy. Both US imports and Chinese exports reached all-time highs. Trade dynamics were effectively reshaped, but did not collapse. Speaking to Euronews, one of…

Meta and YouTube have to pay a 20-year-old woman $6 million (€5.1 million) in damages after a jury decided that the social media companies designed their platforms to addict young users. The plaintiff, known by her initials KGM, testified at the trial that she spent up to 16 hours a day on social media platforms, specifically Meta platforms and Google’s YouTube, as a child and that it exacerbated mental health struggles. The jury agreed and, after 40 hours of testimony, asked for $3 million (€2.54 million) in damages. Jurors later recommended an additional $3 million in punitive damages after deciding…

There are cities that organise events and there are cities that turn them into something more. Seville has been trying to cross that line for years, and the data suggests it is succeeding. For the first time in its 24-year history, the Latin Grammy Awards in 2023 were held outside the United States, at the Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones de Sevilla (FIBES) on 16 November. Before that, in 2019, the Andalusian capital had already hosted the MTV Europe Music Awards (whose channels stopped broadcasting in 2025), and in the same year the Goya Awards chose it again as the…

“Therefore we appeal for a ceasefire as soon as possible,” he explained, directing his message mainly to Iran, but also the United States. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, however, said Wednesday that he did not intend to negotiate with Washington. “[The conflict] is a real huge risk for rising and increasing instability in the region, and that has always an impact, as we know from history, for the entire world,” Pistorius continued. The defense minister reiterated Germany’s more critical stance on the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, which has hardened in recent weeks. “We have not been consulted before, nobody asked…

As the war in the Middle East rages on, thousands of flights in the region have been cancelled. Although the total number of European nationals currently in the Middle East is not known, the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) has supported around 90 flights bringing citizens back to 14 EU countries, including France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Sweden. The ERCC has two schemes with different expense coverage. The EU can cover up to 75% of repatriation costs for national flights, provided that at least 30% of available seats are offered to citizens of other EU countries. However, if no…

Published on 26/03/2026 – 9:51 GMT+1•Updated 9:52 Ships attemping passage through the Strait of Hormuz are increasingly having to coordinate with Iranian authorities, as rising risks and surging insurance costs change how traffic moves through the waterway. Access is no longer straightforward for many vessels. Thailand said on Tuesday one of its oil tankers, owned by Bangchak Corporation, had passed through the strait after talks with Iranian authorities, while a second vessel remains waiting for clearance alongside other ships seeking safe transit. Recent attacks and ongoing uncertainty have left shipowners deciding whether to enter the waterway at all, with decisions…

There is no greater feeling than hearing the words ‘boarding complete’ when you still have two empty economy seats next to you, aka poor man’s business class. What was once an unexpected joy has become something you can pay for, with airlines cashing in on customers who will stump up the cash to keep adjacent seats empty. Now, United Airlines has become the latest carrier to appeal to economy class customers who will pay extra for comfort but aren’t willing to upgrade to business or first with the launch of its “Relax Row”. From 2027, passengers will be able to…

After observing the soft power effect that Spanish-language music has had over the past decade for Spain, both for the prestige of the language and for the country itself, the Cervantes Institute and Spain’s Culture Ministry have decided to step in. The body, which is the largest public institution dedicated to promoting Spanish internationally, particularly its language and literature, has this week approved the creation of a similar structure for music composed (or produced) in the language of Cervantes, though with a focus on Spain itself. It will be called Music by Spain and will be backed by the Es_Música…

Impromptu alliances Campaigning against Meloni’s judicial reforms was an easy rallying point for the opposition, as they could all pile on the prime minister for attacking independent state institutions. In Rome’s Piazza Barberini on Monday night, opposition leaders and activists from several centrist and leftist parties gathered to celebrate a result few had considered likely just weeks earlier. Supporters waved party flags and chanted as leaders from across the political spectrum shared a stage in a rare display of unity. But the fraternity shown on the piazza masked deeper divisions: The coalition that came together to defeat Meloni in the…

Venezuela’s Chacao municipality, in eastern Caracas, has introduced two robotic dogs named Turbo and Voltio as part of a new public security programme unveiled in March 2026. The AI-powered machines, presented by Mayor Gustavo Duque, are expected to patrol plazas and other public areas, especially at night, using high-resolution cameras and motion sensors to send live images back to the municipal command centre. Officials say the robots are designed to detect suspicious movement, monitor licence plates and support officers during routine patrols, rather than replace human police or traditional canine units. The move matters because Chacao, one of the capital’s…