Author: staff
As artificial intelligence and advanced scanning systems transform border controls, customs services still rely on one of their oldest detection tools: trained dogs. AI can analyse images and data, identify patterns and help customs officers decide which shipments or containers warrant closer inspection. But customs officials, dog handlers, and other specialists from more than 50 countries gathered at the World Customs Organisation’s 7th Global Canine Forum in Tashkent argued that this does not remove the need for dogs trained to detect scents. Antonio Lo Parco, head of the WCO’s Regional Office for Capacity Building for Europe, told Euronews that dogs…
Published on 16/09/2026 – 16:00 GMT+2 In Spain, earning a good salary does not necessarily make it easy to buy a home. An analysis by iAhorro reveals wide disparities between regions: while salaries vary by around 10,000 euros a year across Spain, the price of a 90-square-metre home can differ by almost 383,000 euros. The biggest hurdle is the money that has to be saved before applying for a mortgage. To buy a 90-square-metre home, the buyer has to put down around 30% of the price for the deposit and other costs. In the Balearic Islands, that comes to about…
Some voices you recognise in a split second. Catherine Ringer’s was one of them. A voice that could laugh, rasp, scream, sing of love, desire or madness. A voice that never wanted to be put in a box. The announcement of her death has triggered a wave of emotional reactions. Among them, French President Emmanuel Macron, who paid tribute to a personality he called “unclassifiable, irreverent, profoundly French”. On X, the president accompanied his message with a clip from 2024 in which the artist sang ‘La Marseillaise’ during a ceremony marking the enshrining of the right to abortion in the…
That’s not deterring Novo, however. The Danish pharma giant said it would use the American artificial intelligence company’s models and Claude Science to advance its research as it aims to become “the world’s most AI-driven healthcare company.” “Joining forces with Anthropic will supercharge our R&D organisation and help us on our mission to bring new, transformative health solutions to people living with chronic diseases,” Mike Doustdar, CEO of Novo, which has shortened its name from Novo Nordisk, said in a statement. “AI tools can also offer completely new scientific opportunities and aid reasoning and understanding of human biology and drug…
Published on 16/09/2026 – 15:48 GMT+2 Ottawa and Brussels are in talks for Canada to join the Erasmus+ exchange programme, which would let students from both sides study at each other’s universities. EU-Canada relations have rarely been closer, as Prime Minister Mark Carney has sought to build a tighter relationship with the European bloc following the aggressive trade agenda and erratic foreign policy of the second Trump administration. On Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen invited Canada to become the first “associate member” of the EU, an unprecedented arrangement short of full membership, which remains off the table…
The fire broke out shortly after 3.30pm and had burned around 690 hectares by Wednesday morning, with flames spreading along a 17-kilometre perimeter. Fire engines, helicopters and aircraft were deployed as crews worked to contain the blaze in dense and difficult-to-reach vegetation. The Emergency Military Unit (UME) joined the operation overnight, using vehicles, drones and aircraft to monitor and tackle the fire. Footage filmed on 15 September showed firefighters clearing vegetation and working through the night to prevent the flames from spreading, particularly towards the Benagéber reservoir. Two forest firefighters suffered minor injuries. One was burned, while another sustained bruising…
People aren’t loving the shape of Ed Sheeran right now… All of the remaining support acts on the British singer’s US tour have quit, after the rapper Macklemore was dropped from the line-up for making pro-Palestinian remarks on stage. The Israeli American Council had launched a petition to remove Macklemore from the tour following the rapper’s “Free Palestine” comments at the MetLife Stadium on 4 September. Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe, Irish folk band Beoga, Danish band Lukas Graham, and Finneas, the brother of pop star Billie Eilish, all announced they were dropping out. Rowe said that Sheeran had been a…
Nach dem Wahlsieg in Sachsen-Anhalt steht AfD-Spitzenkandidat Ulrich Siegmund vor der Regierungsbildung – doch sein Vorgehen weckt Zweifel an seinen wahren Absichten. Anstatt Mehrheiten zu sondieren, brüskiert er potenzielle Partner wie das BSW und knüpft die Umsetzung von Wahlversprechen an unrealistische Bedingungen wie eine AfD-Alleinregierung. Die Analyse zeigt auf, ob die Partei in den Ländern tatsächlich Machtverantwortung anstrebt oder sich strategisch in der Oppositionsrolle einrichtet. Hinter verschlossenen Türen feilt der Arbeitskreis Außen der AfD-Bundestagsfraktion derweil an einer Neuausrichtung zwischen Russland und den USA. Die Teilnahme von Putin-Vertrauten wie Alexander Rahr an einer Fraktionsklausur und Pläne des außenpolitischen Sprechers Markus Frohnmaier…
Published on 16/09/2026 – 14:28 GMT+2•Updated 14:38 Belarus has released 25 political prisoners in exchange for the US lifting sanctions put on two Belarusian companies, in a deal was brokered by US envoy John Coale who was in the capital Minsk. Coale announced the release of prisoners, describing it as “As a sign of goodwill”, in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. He indicated further talks could lead to “a further release of individuals and additional sanctions relief”. The US and many other Western countries imposed sanctions on Belarus after it allowed Russia to use its territory to invade Ukraine…
Published on 16/09/2026 – 13:50 GMT+2 Saudi Arabia has not commented on reports that it has cancelled or delayed crude oil shipments to European refiners following last week’s drone strikes on its East-West pipeline, as the scale of the disruption to European deliveries remains unclear. Energy pricing agency Argus reported on Tuesday that at least three European refiners had cargoes scheduled for late September cancelled or postponed, in some cases until November, citing unnamed market sources. Saudi Arabia’s energy ministry announced a precautionary shutdown last Friday after drone attacks on the pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions the previous…