Author: staff
Published on 09/07/2026 – 10:17 GMT+2 The FIFA World Cup quarter-finals are about to begin, and as the pressure on each team ramps up, so too has the misinformation surrounding the tournament. AI-generated images, false claims and fake news reports have all spread online over the past couple of weeks, many with racist overtones aimed at European teams that have already been knocked out of the competition. For example, one TikTok video allegedly shows the Netherlands’ manager, Ronald Koeman, launching into a racist rant after Morocco knocked his team out on penalties on 30 June. The clip amassed more than…
Central banks risk keeping inflation above target if they lower interest rates too quickly, economists warn, as policymakers face a more difficult phase after years of elevated prices and repeated economic shocks. The warning came during the first Monetary Policy Dialogue in Tashkent, where representatives from the International Monetary Fund, central banks and academia examined how monetary policy should respond to uncertainty, inflation pressures and changing financial conditions. Athanasios Orphanides, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and former governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus, said the post-pandemic period had exposed the cost of misreading inflation. “If we look…
By Una Hajdari with AP Published on 09/07/2026 – 9:58 GMT+2 Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta said Wednesday it will invest more than $9.1 billion (€8.4bn) to build its first artificial intelligence data centre in Canada and its largest outside the United States. The facility will be built in Sturgeon County, Alberta, and powered by a natural gas-fired plant being developed by a consortium that includes Calgary-based Pembina Pipeline Ltd. Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish called the project “a big deal for Alberta,” saying the province had created a regulatory framework to attract data centre investment. Alberta has been courting hyperscale…
Sustainability: Maximize tokens per kWh Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has sent shockwaves through energy markets. In Europe, natural gas prices are up almost 50 percent from the end of February, while storage sites are expected to refill to just 76 percent of capacity by October — their lowest level since 2011 heading into winter. Meanwhile, increased AI use puts pressure on the energy grid; electricity consumption from European data centers is expected to increase by 49-187 percent to 2030. We must therefore avoid the perverse incentives of ‘tokenmaxxing’ and, rather, take a more frugal approach that seeks to…
Updated: 09/07/2026 – 9:38 GMT+2 “You cannot build Rome in one day.” Belgium’s Defence Minister Theo Francken joins Euronews’ Shona Murray for a special report live from the NATO Summit in Ankara, discussing Ukraine, Iran, NATO and Belgium’s largest defence investment in more than two decades. … More
Mongolian wrestlers are preparing for the annual Naadam festival with rigorous training sessions at the Basu sport complex. The footage shows athletes sparring, working on strength exercises and playing football as part of their preparation for the traditional competition. Held every July, Naadam is one of Mongolia’s most important cultural celebrations and features traditional wrestling, horse racing and archery. The wrestlers combine modern training methods with traditions passed down through generations, with the Mongolian flag flying at the camp as they prepare for the event.
When people think of a luxury destination by the sea, the image that usually springs to mind is the Maldives: turquoise waters, white-sand beaches and villas perched above the ocean. Saudi Arabia wants to tap into that image, but go far beyond it. On the kingdom’s western coastline, one of the world’s most ambitious tourism developments is taking shape: The Red Sea, a vast ultra-luxury project that aims to become a new international benchmark. Covering 28,000 square kilometres, the destination encompasses an archipelago of more than 90 untouched islands. However, development will only be permitted on 22 of them in…
Published on 09/07/2026 – 8:32 GMT+2 The jarring Americanization of football will continue till the last World Cup game. Following the controversial commercial breaks – sorry, hydration breaks – which have segmented games into four quarters more readily associated with American sports like the NFL, the World Cup final on 19 July will feature a halftime show. The 11-minute Super Bowl-style performance, curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin, will feature the likes of Madonna, Shakira, BTS and the newly announced Justin Bieber. FIFA and Global Citizen announced Bieber will be the fourth main headliner. “The FIFA World Cup brings the world…
Published on 09/07/2026 – 8:34 GMT+2 Andy Burnham has taken another big step towards becoming the UK’s next prime minister after his last potential rival for the Labour Party leadership ruled out mounting a challenge. Former armed forces minister Al Carns told Sky News that a drawn-out, divisive leadership contest was “not the best use of Labour’s time” and called on his party to “get on board” with Burnham. Carns’ decision leaves Burnham as the only candidate left in the field. Nominations for the contest are set to open on Thursday. If no other candidate declares, then Burnham would take…
House prices and rents continued to rise across the EU in early 2026. This comes as households spent almost one fifth (18.9%) of their disposable income on housing in 2025. In some countries, that share exceeded 30%. In the first quarter of 2026, house prices in the EU rose by 5.1% and rents increased by 3.0% compared with a year earlier. Both outpaced the EU inflation rate of 2.3%, although the pace of growth varied widely across Europe, according to Eurostat. So, which countries saw the largest annual rise in house prices and rents during this period? Among the 28…