Author: staff
Published on 19/01/2026 – 17:36 GMT+1 Qatar has announced it will host a major international football showcase this March, unveiling the Qatar Football Festival 2026, a six-match event featuring the men’s Finalissima between Argentina and Spain. The festival will take place from 26-31 March, during an official FIFA international window, ensuring the participation of full national teams and first-team players. The headline fixture will see European champions Spain face South American champions Argentina at Lusail Stadium on 27 March, marking one of the most high-profile international matches scheduled ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Alongside the Finalissima, the festival…
BRUSSELS — The European Commission is exploring a ban on artificial intelligence-powered apps that undress people online in the wake of abusive content generated through X’s Grok. European Parliament lawmakers last week launched a call — first reported by POLITICO — to ban apps and tools that allow users to generate fake intimate images of individuals without consent under the bloc’s flagship AI law. The EU’s executive is “looking into the matter,” European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier told POLITICO. It follows a proliferation of sexualized deepfake images created by the Grok bot and hosted on Elon Musk’s social network X.…
Key transport projects intended to increase connectivity of people and goods across the European Union by 2030 are well behind schedule despite the €15.3 billion invested from EU funds since 2020, the latest report from the European Court of Auditors (ECA) published on Monday reveals. The bloc’s legislation designed to improve transport networks, the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), was adopted in 2013, but suffered major setbacks first from the COVID pandemic and then Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which led to a massive surge in energy and construction prices. The EU auditors write that the eight megaprojects previously assessed in…
Updated: 19/01/2026 – 12:00 GMT+1 Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this January 19th, 2026 – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel. … More
Tehran has faced international condemnation in recent weeks after anti-government protests sparked a violent crackdown by authorities that killed more than 3,900 people, according to the AP news agency based on reports by activists. Araghchi has denounced the protestors’ actions as “ violent riots.” Hours before the Swiss forum’s announcement, U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham slammed organizers for having invited Tehran’s top diplomat. “I am sure an invite to the Iranian Foreign Minister to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos will be a morale booster to the protestors who are dying in the streets to attain the liberties and freedoms Europe…
Over the past decade, with the rapid rise of digital technologies and their integration into everyday life, online spaces and digital tools have offered opportunities for connection and information. However, technology-facilitated violence against women and girls has also grown significantly. More than 90% of deepfake videos online are pornographic in nature, with women almost exclusively the target, according to a 2023 Security Hero report. Across Europe, cyberstalking, surveillance, and the use of spyware were the most common forms of cyberviolence reported by women and girls, according to the latest Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE) report. WAVE is a network of…
Spaniards held a minute of silence in tribute of the victims of a deadly train derailment. Lawmakers also paused outside the Congress of Deputies in Madrid, while Real Madrid players observed a moment of reflection during training, showing nationwide solidarity. At least 39 people were killed and more than 120 injured in the crash, the deadliest rail accident in Spain in over ten years. The incident occurred on Sunday evening when an Iryo train travelling from Malaga to Madrid derailed near Adamuz. It crossed onto the opposite track and collided with an oncoming train, which also left the rails. Emergency…
By Rebecca Ann Hughes Published on 08/04/2025 – 16:00 GMT+2 •Updated 19/01/2026 – 14:43 GMT+1 The number of airlines restricting power bank usage is growing across the globe in response to incidents caused by malfunctioning electronics. Lufthansa Group, which includes Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Discover Airlines, Eurowings, ITA Airways and Swiss International Air Lines, became the latest to introduce new rules on 15 January. Flyers are limited to two power banks per person, and usage in-flight, including charging using on-board power sockets, has been banned. So what are the rules, and which airlines are clamping down on passengers bringing these small…
Published on 19/01/2026 – 14:30 GMT+1 Don’t bet against Officer Judy Hopps. American animated buddy cop comedy Zootopia 2 has been breaking records since its debut in cinemas over the Thanksgiving period last November. It became the highest global animated opening of all time, the highest global debut of 2025, the highest global opening for any animated film in Disney history, and crossed the $1 billion mark at the global box office in just 17 days. It also became Walt Disney Animation Studios fifth billion-dollar title since 2013, following in the footsteps of Frozen, Frozen 2, Moana 2 and Zootopia.…
BERLIN — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday that Berlin and Paris would negotiate a joint strategy to stave off U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threats in the run up to a gathering of the bloc’s 27 leaders in Brussels this week. French President Emmanuel Macron’s office on Sunday asked the European Union to activate the bloc’s Anti-Coercion Instrument, nicknamed the trade bazooka. Germany — dependent on trade with the U.S. to a greater extent than France — has been more reluctant to hit back hard at Washington. “France is affected by the American tariffs to a different extent…