Author: staff
China’s annual Lunar New Year’s Eve spectacular made headlines this year as humanoid robots stole the show, performing coordinated martial arts and parkour routines. It marked several groundbreaking achievements and is a bold demonstration of the country’s rapid technological advancement. According to a video posted by CCTV, two dozen robots performed the first continuous freestyle table-vaulting parkour, the first aerial flip, continuous single-leg flips, a two-step wall-assisted backflip, and the first 7.5-rotation Airflare grand spin. China has been accelerating efforts to build more capable AI-powered robots with less human input. The robots have come a long way since last year’s…
Central Asia is gaining cultural momentum. Across the region, major art and cultural institutions are opening in rapid succession, signaling a shift in how these countries see themselves and how they want to be seen. What is driving this wave of cultural investment and how might it reshape the region’s artistic landscape and its global visibility? From philanthropy to public impact Since its opening in mid-September last year, the Almaty Museum of Arts (ALMA) has quickly become one of the most talked-about cultural developments in the region. Positioning itself as a contemporary art hub for Central Asia, the museum presents…
Representatives for Johnson and Truss declined to comment. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ‘Act of stupidity’ Trump’s position on the Chagos deal has flipped multiple times in recent weeks. He first came out against the “act of GREAT STUPIDITY” on Jan. 20, in what British officials believed was linked to Starmer criticizing his threats to seize Greenland. After the PM led a diplomatic operation to get Trump back on board, the president conceded on Feb. 5 that it was the best deal Starmer could’ve made. But Trump unleashed his latest attack on the…
Hungary’s threat to veto the loan is a major setback for Ukraine, whose coffers will begin running low on cash from April. Kyiv will struggle to sustain its war effort without fresh funds, leaving it at a disadvantage in ongoing peace talks with Russia. The first signs of trouble began earlier in the day on Friday. Hungary’s ambassador to the EU demanded that its national assembly get the standard eight weeks to scrutinize EU legislation during a meeting of envoys in Brussels, three EU diplomats told POLITICO. EU ambassadors were set to give their final approval for the loan ahead of Tuesday, which marks the…
BRUSSELS — The European Union called for stability in the transatlantic trade relationship after the Supreme Court of the United States struck down President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs in a 6-3 ruling on Friday. “We remain in close contact with the U.S. Administration as we seek clarity on the steps they intend to take in response to this ruling,” European Commission Deputy Chief Spokesperson Olof Gill said in a statement. “Businesses on both sides of the Atlantic depend on stability and predictability in the trading relationship. We therefore continue to advocate for low tariffs and to work towards reducing them,” Gill…
Everyone knows the pictures of the Brandenburg Gate on 9 November 1990: people standing on the Wall, cheering, celebrating history at the moment of its creation. The scenes are emotional, stirring, iconic – even for those who weren’t there or weren’t born at the time. But just a few kilometres away is a place that also played a central role in German reunification: the former Berlin border station Friedrichstrasse. Hardly any other place experienced the rapid change of the fall of the Wall so directly. “We knew the fears on both sides, the sweats […] when you had to cross…
The IPC said six Russian and four Belarusian athletes have been awarded invitations to compete at the Games in para-alpine skiing, para cross-country skiing and para-snowboarding. The committee lifted its broader suspension of the two countries in September, after previously allowing athletes to compete only as neutrals following Russia’s 2022 full-invasion of Ukraine. The decision is now drawing political backing across Europe. EU Sports Commissioner Glenn Micallef said he would skip the ceremony, warning that the IPC’s decision risked undermining solidarity with Ukraine. Estonia’s Paralympic Committee has also condemned the move, with its governing officials saying they will not attend…
By Euronews with AP, AFP Published on 20/02/2026 – 18:15 GMT+1 German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will make his first visit to China next week, a few days after the start of the Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival. “May the Year of the Horse bring strength and give new impetus to German-Chinese relations”, Merz wrote on X, adding he is looking forward to traveling to China soon. The chancellor, who took office in May, announced his trip to China as he spoke at the congress of his conservative CDU party in Stuttgart. “We need economic relations with the entire world, and…
After over a century, Barcelona’s iconic Sagrada Família basilica reached its peak height on Friday. A 17-metre-high white cross now stands on top of the Tower of Jesus Christ, the church’s central piece. “Today was a day we had been eagerly awaiting. Everything has gone well, very well,” head architect Jordi Fauli told reporters. As planned by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, the cross has four arms, enabling it to be recognised from any direction. The interior of the Tower of Jesus Christ remains under construction, and its exterior is still surrounded by cranes and scaffolding. However, only for a few…
For Canada, the ruling reinforces its position that Trump’s tariffs are “unjustified,” said Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc. “While Canada has the best trade deal with the United States of any trading partner, we recognize that critical work lies ahead to support Canadian businesses and workers who remain affected by Section 232 tariffs on steel, aluminum and automotive sectors,” LeBlanc said in a statement. He added Canada’s relationship with America is currently going through a “period of transformation.” Business uncertainty For companies doing business in the United States, the greatest concern is uncertainty. William Bain, head of trade policy at…