Author: staff
Published on 16/04/2026 – 18:22 GMT+2 Chancellor Friedrich Merz plans to present a concrete offer for German participation in a possible military mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz at talks in Paris on Friday. According to the proposal, the Bundeswehr is to provide minehunting boats, an escort ship and reconnaissance aircraft after the end of hostilities, on the condition that certain conditions are met. The mission would specifically include mine clearance and maritime reconnaissance, as well as long-range surveillance of the sea area, according to sources at the German Press Agency (dpa). The Bundeswehr currently has eight minehunting boats…
Updated: 16/04/2026 – 18:01 GMT+2 Aerial footage captures the scale of “Estancia La Guitarra,” a vast tree formation in southern Córdoba province, Argentina. Created by Pedro Martin Ureta in memory of his wife, the project began in 1979 using more than 7,000 cypress and eucalyptus trees. … More
Plans are in the pipeline for a short- and long-term stay complex in Saudi Arabia overlooking a motor racing track where Formula 1 tyres will soon burn rubber. Beyond just a single hotel, the plans spearheaded by the Kingdom’s Qiddiya City project, will include a five-star Sports Car Hotel with 89 keys, a four-star F1 Overlook Hotel with 168 keys, and 65 serviced apartments designed for longer stays. According to Fact Magazine Saudi Arabia, the multi-property destination will be located in Qiddiya’s Core Resort District, within East Village South. It’s also reported that the residential complex is tentatively expected to…
The architect of the EMFA, former Commission Vice President Věra Jourová, told Czech outlet Irozhlas.cz that the whole point of the EU legislation was to strengthen the independence of public service media. “I know what we wanted because I drafted it … the Czech law, as it has been proposed, gives me the impression that it rather seeks to dismantle a functioning system and eliminate them,” Jourová said. The draft law is a key promise of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s right-wing government and would end license fees from 2027 and reduce funding for Czech Television and Czech Radio by about…
The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has criticised Iran for disrupting trade in the vital shipping lane and for carrying out “barbaric attacks” on the group’s members. “Iran started this and should be the one responsible for taking all the effect that comes back from its policies,” AlBudaiwi, who has led the GCC since January 2023, said on Euronews’ interview programme 12 Minutes With. “Nobody has done this. The region has seen many wars before, many conflicts. The Strait of Hormuz was never used. They should be the ones responsible for taking the blame.” Iran took steps to…
Published on 16/04/2026 – 16:44 GMT+2 Space capacities have grown significantly in the last several years, with NASA’s Artemis II mission taking astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen to the Moon in the first lunar mission in more than 50 years. Now, the US space agency is eyeing an even more ambitious goal: to put nuclear reactors on the Moon by 2030 through its Fission Surface Power Project, with plans to launch a medium-power reactor into orbit by 2028. For this tall order, NASA will have to join forces with the US Department of Energy and…
The minesweeping plan was first reported by Süddeutsche Zeitung. Merz reiterated his government’s position after meeting Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in Berlin on Thursday. He stressed that Germany is “fundamentally ready” to help secure shipping routes, but only under strict conditions. Those include a stable ceasefire, a mandate within a system of collective security — “preferably” from the United Nations — and formal approval by both the federal government and the Bundestag. Merz underlined that Berlin remains “far away” from such a decision. The signal comes as a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran is in effect…
Published on 16/04/2026 – 16:05 GMT+2 Using artificial intelligence for basic cognitive tasks can damage a person’s intellectual ability after just 10 minutes, a new study showed. The preprint study asked 1,200 people to complete either 15 fraction math problems or eight basic reading comprehension tasks, with and without AI. In both experiments, the AI group had access to the technology for most questions but had to answer a few without it. Those in the AI group were more likely to solve problems correctly at first, but when AI was removed, they got more questions wrong or skipped them entirely.…
Poland’s Minister of Finance Andrzej Domański addressed the issue of cash storage by Poles in case of possible digital crises, in an interview with Polsat News. The immediate impetus for this discussion was the recommendations of, among others, Estonia’s central bank, which recommended that citizens keep a stockpile of cash in their homes sufficient for up to a week of daily expenditure. The reason for this is the growing risks associated with possible payment system failures, cyberattacks or power cuts. Experts emphasise that in the event of a major disruption to the financial infrastructure, cash may be the only means…
The benchmark US equity indices surged to new territory entering price discovery, reflecting a market that appears to be looking past immediate geopolitical risks in favour of potential de-escalation and corporate strength. On Wednesday the S&P 500 closed 0.8% higher at 7,022 points, up on the day and surpassing its previous peak from January of this year. The S&P 500 is now 11% higher since it bottomed on 30 March and after it first dropped 9% during last month. The Nasdaq Composite also posted a record, rising 1.6% to over 24,000 points while the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged 0.15%…