Author: staff

“I think at the very least it’s necessary for Filip Turek to explain absolutely thoroughly and responsibly everything that’s going on around him, because otherwise it creates the impression that he really isn’t a suitable person for any ministerial position,” Pavel added. Pavel stopped short of confirming whether he would use the constitutional veto to block Turek’s appointment. In an earlier statement, Pavel said that he would refuse nominees advocating for Czechia’s withdrawal from NATO or the EU, noting that protecting democratic institutions remains another crucial criterion for him. Pavel will this week hold one-to-one discussions with the proposed ministers…

Ajax’s league match against Groningen was abandoned on Sunday after supporters set off fireworks and flares at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam. Referee Bas Nijhuis halted play within minutes, and a second attempt to resume the game also failed as fireworks continued. The match was officially abandoned at 0-0. Ajax issued a statement calling the incidents “utterly outrageous” and said the safety of spectators and players had been put at risk. The fixture will now be played on Tuesday without fans, according to the club.

Published on 01/12/2025 – 14:18 GMT+1 Researchers in Italy have discovered that writing harmful prompts in poetic form can reliably bypass the safety mechanisms of some of the world’s most advanced AI chatbots. The study, conducted by Icaro Lab, an initiative of ethical AI company DexAI, tested 20 poems written in English and Italian. Each ended with an explicit request for harmful content, including hate speech, sexual content, instructions for suicide and self-harm, and guidance on creating dangerous materials such as weapons and explosives. The poems, which researchers chose not to release, noting that they could be easily replicated, were…

The WHO wants pharma companies to consider tiered pricing (lower prices in lower-income countries) and voluntary licensing of patents and technology to allow other producers around the word to manufacture GLP-1s, to help expand access to these drugs. Jeremy Farrar, an assistant director general at the WHO, told POLITICO the guidelines would also give an “amber and green light” to generic drugmakers to produce cheaper versions of GLP-1s when the patents expire. Francesca Celletti, a senior adviser on obesity at the WHO, told POLITICO “decisive action” was needed to expand access to GLP-1s, citing the example of antiretroviral HIV drugs…

Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent has taken centre stage in Eurasia’s rapidly evolving higher-education landscape, hosting the inaugural QS Eurasia Forum 2025. It was a gathering that signalled Central Asia’s growing ambition to shape global academic trends, rather than simply follow them. Organised by QS Quacquarelli Symonds, the body behind one of the world’s most influential university rankings, the event brought together more than 300 leaders from universities, government and industry across Central Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The forum underscored a message repeated throughout the day: Central Asia is no longer a peripheral player in global education — it is…

Among the dead were 55 workers on Total’s project, according to a house-to-house survey carried out by POLITICO. A Mozambican military unit operating out of the gatehouse of the site massacred at least 97 civilians in summer 2021, POLITICO reported last year. British financial backing, in the form of taxpayer loans and guarantees for U.K. exporters and banks supporting the project, had been on hold after TotalEnergies invoked force majeure — a contract clause that allows firms to suspend obligations in the event of a disaster — after the security situation deteriorated in the region. Referring to the massacre of civilians, the…

France is one of the few European countries where poverty rates have increased over the past decade. According to the latest Eurostat data, Paris has reported an almost 2% increase since 2014 in the number of people experiencing “difficulties” or “great difficulties” in making ends meet, as the statistics institute puts it. Aside from France, over the past ten years poverty rates have risen only in northern Europe: Denmark (+2.4%), Finland (2%), Sweden (2.8%) and, outside the EU, Norway (+4.7%). Which EU countries have reduced poverty rates the most? At the same time, many Eastern and Southern European nations have…

Published on 01/12/2025 – 13:19 GMT+1 The president of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said during the institution’s annual meeting on Monday that it will not bow to pressure from the United States and Russia. Nine staff members, including six judges and the court’s chief prosecutor, have been sanctioned by US President Donald Trump for pursuing investigations into US and Israeli officials, while Moscow has issued warrants for staff in response to an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine. “We never accept any kind of pressure,” Judge Tomoko Akane told delegations from the court’s 125…

In his Monday morning speech, Starmer gave a staunch defense of last week’s budget, insisting he does have a long-term economic plan for the U.K. “The most important things that we can do for growth and business is first, drive inflation down and second, to retain market confidence that allows for recall economic stability,” he said. But the U.K. must “confront the reality” that the deal struck with Brussels post-Brexit “significantly hurt our economy, he said. “For economic renewal we have to keep reducing frictions. We have to keep moving towards a closer relationship with the EU, and we have…

Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro unveiled an 80-meter floating Christmas tree in Botafogo Cove, adding a new attraction to the city’s holiday season. The structure, illuminated by more than 2.3 million LED lights, is installed about 100 meters from the shoreline and is visible along roughly 700 meters of Botafogo Beach. Set against Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer, the installation drew large crowds during its inauguration, which featured a fireworks display and positive reactions from visitors. The installation is expected to become a new seasonal landmark in one of Rio’s most visited waterfront areas.