Author: staff
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reversed his controversial decision on Sunday to close a liberal private university in Istanbul, according to a decree published in the official gazette. Hundreds of students and lecturers demonstrated earlier in the day outside the main campus of Istanbul Bilgi University, which has been closed since Friday, to demand its reopening. Erdoğan on Friday ordered its closure in the middle of the school year, in an official decree. It cited a law allowing for the closure of a private institution if “the expected level of education and training…is insufficient,” a charge rejected by Bilgi students…
The encyclical is the pope’s first since his election last year. Emphasizing its significance, the pontiff took the unusual step of presenting it in person, accompanied by Canadian tech billionaire Christopher Olah, a co-founder of AI giant Anthropic. In his letter to Catholic bishops and faithful around the world, Leo described AI not just as a technological issue, but as a turning point for civilization. The encyclical places particular emphasis on the dangers posed by autonomous weapons systems, algorithmic decision-making and the detachment of human responsibility from acts of war. Leo, who holds a graduate degree in mathematics and once…
By Euronews Persian Published on 25/05/2026 – 11:30 GMT+2 Iran has executed at least two people in connection with the January protests and the ongoing war, while a Tehran court has sentenced four others to death over the killing of a Basij-affiliated student during the 2022 protests. A man identified by the judiciary-affiliated Mizan News Agency as Abbas Akbari Feyzabadi was hanged after being convicted of charges including moharebeh or “enmity against God,” destruction of public property, collusion against national security and related offences. Iranian authorities said he took part in attacks on the governor’s office in the city of Naein…
Published on 25/05/2026 – 10:57 GMT+2 Oura, the Finnish company that created the ring-shaped health tracker worn by millions worldwide, has confidentially submitted draft paperwork to the US Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed IPO, according to several reports. While the number of shares and the expected price range remain undisclosed, the company had a recent funding round in the fall of 2025 that valued the business at around $11 billion (€9.5bn), more than double the $5 billion (€4.3bn) valuation it earned in a previous round in 2024. According to CEO Tom Hale, more than 5.5 million Oura rings…
Multiple cities in the west of France are set to break May temperature records by several degrees, with Nantes expecting 35C heat on Monday — which would break a 2017 May temperature record by nearly three degrees. The UK’s weather agency warned of “a notable heatwave” with highs of up to 33 degrees on Monday, which would break May temperature records for the country, while Belgium is set for highs of up to 31C. A “heat dome” is responsible for the current high temperatures, France’s Météo-France weather agency said. Warm air moving up from Northern Africa has become trapped…
Published on 25/05/2026 – 10:53 GMT+2 Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday that Tehran was collecting fees for “navigational services” on ships transiting the strategic Strait of Hormuz, but is not imposing tolls. “The services that are provided – navigational services in addition to the measures necessary to protect the environment of the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman – require the collection of certain fees,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a weekly press briefing. He added that Iran was “not seeking to collect tolls.” Last week, Iran published a map claiming regulatory…
By Egle Markeviciute, EU Tech Loop with Euronews Published on 25/05/2026 – 10:04 GMT+2 The European Union is seeking ways to promote the use and application of AI across European businesses, thereby boosting European competitiveness and productivity, while policymakers are trying to simplify the artificial intelligence and data protection rulebook to ease the administrative burden and remove overlapping rules. In this context, the data from Eurostat’s recent survey on the very basic question – why European businesses are not using AI tools – is highly useful for further political discussion, particularly in the context of the AI Omnibus, Digital Omnibus, and…
Pensions might seem like a distant reality to young Europeans, but many are worried about whether they will actually get one. Despite 22% naming pensions as a primary concern, 30% of those surveyed say they only have a limited knowledge of how the system works, according to new research by independent think tank Friends of Europe. Young Danish and French respondents have the least knowledge of how the pension system functions, at 34% and 33%, respectively, the study shows. In contrast, Italians and Spaniards claim to have the strongest knowledge. “My biggest concern about pensions is that the pension system…
Pope Leo XIV marked Pentecost on Sunday with a plea for peace, praying that humanity might be saved “from the evil of war.” “Let’s pray that it may free humanity from misery, which is redeemed not by incalculable wealth, but by an inexhaustible gift,” said the pontiff during the mass. The service, which marks the 50th day after Catholic Easter, was celebrated in St Peter’s Basilica in the presence of more than 5,000 worshippers. “Dearest friends, with ardent hearts, let’s pray today that the Spirit of the Risen One may save us from the evil of war, which is overcome…
Published on 25/05/2026 – 9:00 GMT+2•Updated 9:32 Germany is launching a €125 million artificial intelligence (AI) competition to help Europe build its own frontier artificial intelligence labs amid a global race. The initiative by Germany’s federal innovation agency SPRIND, called “Next Frontier AI,” aims to fund companies that could eventually become Europe’s own OpenAI or DeepSeek. Next Frontier AI comes as governments across Europe are becoming more concerned about dependence on American and Chinese AI companies. “Germany is leading this because we have no time to waste in waiting for other actors to get in that space. A competition globally…