Author: staff
Europe has once again dominated The 50 Best Hotels list, with 21 properties on the continent making the cut for 2026. Asia came in a close second, with 18 hotels, followed by North America with six, South America and Africa with two apiece, and one in Oceania. The World’s Best Hotel gong went to Rosewood Hong Kong, which first took the title last year, having been placed third in 2024. The ranking is now in its fourth edition. The 413-key skyscraper property above Victoria Harbour was praised for its foodie credentials, with 11 restaurants and bars across the 65 storeys,…
While in previous years, the Commission president’s annual address has been about a list of ideas and policies the EU should implement, this time a combination of more fragile national governments and the myriad challenges facing the world meant von der Leyen sounded more like she was delivering a direct appeal to Europeans about what kind of place they want to live in. And in this more fragmented world, as Carney’s attendance signaled, for von der Leyen, “Europe” now means more than just the European Union. “This is a Europe that stands up for each other,” she said, referencing two…
Published on 16/09/2026 – 10:17 GMT+2•Updated 10:18 Five people have been killed and at least seven are injured after a Russian drone strike hit a bus carrying passengers near the frontline in southern Ukraine. The bus was travelling on a known route in the Nikopol district. In a post on Telegram, the regional governor of Dnipropetrovsk, Oleksandr Ganzha said: “Five people have been killed and at least seven wounded as a result of an enemy strike on a minibus in the Nikopol district. The Russians hit the bus with a drone,”. Photos provided by the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration show…
Robots are getting to grips with the physical world in Tokyo, where technology companies are showcasing machines designed to handle objects, perform industrial tasks and work alongside humans. The demonstrations offer a glimpse of how AI could move beyond screens and software, giving machines the ability to interact with their surroundings and carry out physical tasks. Among the prototypes on display is a machine developed by THK, which picks up bottles, bags and boxes under the remote control of a single operator. Its articulated arms and grippers also allow it to hammer a nail into a piece of wood, demonstrating…
Published on 16/09/2026 – 8:15 GMT+2•Updated 8:16 Global telecoms industry body GSMA is calling for urgent action to make smartphones more affordable for people living in low- and middle-income countries so that everyone can “benefit from the AI revolution”. The call to action comes as the organisation launches its State of Mobile Internet Connectivity Report 2026, an annual study of global mobile connectivity. The report found that while 4.8 billion people now use mobile internet on their own device, 3.4 billion do not, despite 90% of them living within mobile broadband coverage. GSMA refers to this as the “usage gap”.…
By Tokunbo Salako with AP Published on 16/09/2026 – 9:07 GMT+2 The US tour of British pop singer Ed Sheeran has been thrown into jeopardy after all support acts quit in response to the rapper Macklemore being dropped from the line-up for making pro-Palestinian comments on stage. The move came hours after Sheeran took to social media to explain his views about Macklemore’s ouster, attributing the decision to the tour’s promoters, Messina Touring Group. “Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine,” Sheeran wrote on Instagram on Tuesday. “I would never let down the fans who had made plans,…
Sam Coates and Anne McElvoy look at how political communication has changed – from Keir Starmer’s government paying influencers to promote its message, to Andy Burnham putting himself front and centre of the social media operation. Sam has a scoop on how much it all costs. Elsewhere, former Number 10 chief of staff Morgan McSweeny is launching a new thinktank designed to shape Downing Street thinking, but with less scrutiny. Plus, with energy bills forecast to rocket to near £450 in January, how worried is the government, and what can it do to help families?
Published on 16/09/2026 – 9:41 GMT+2 The EU will support industry efforts to slow the development of more disruptive AI technologies and will collaborate with partners such as Canada and the UK on AI safety, the Commission chief said on Wednesday. In her annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed AI’s potential to benefit humanity, provided its risks and opportunities are properly balanced. She singled out the growing risks posed by so-called frontier AI models, those pushing the boundaries of the technology. “As the frontier models become more capable,…
Yemen has seen a new wave of displacement as fighting between Houthi rebels and Saudi‑backed forces intensifies, forcing families from their homes in Taiz province. On Tuesday, 15 September, displaced people arrived at makeshift camps with few belongings, while others built shelters from wooden branches and plastic sacks. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said at least 125,000 people had been newly displaced across Yemen since the start of September, including tens of thousands in Taiz alone. The renewed fighting has ended a ceasefire that had largely halted the civil war since 2022. The World Health…
By Maja Kunert Published on 16/09/2026 – 8:19 GMT+2 Since this week, a lorry without a cab and without a driver has been on the road in public traffic in Edermünde in the German state of Hesse, near Kassel. Lidl says it is the first food retailer in Germany to deploy a cabless electric HGV with autonomous driving capability in live operations. Its partner is Swedish technology company Einride. What the lorry can do The vehicle operates at SAE Level 4, the second-highest of six automation levels (0 to 5). Under the definition used by the German Federal Motor Transport Authority,…