UN Submission Sparks Fresh Row A new maritime filing by Iraq to the United Nations has reignited tensions with Kuwait, reopening sensitive questions over sea borders in the northern Gulf. Baghdad submitted updated coordinates and a map outlining its claimed waters, a move Kuwait says overlaps with territory it considers its own, including the Fasht al-Qaid and Fasht al-Aij shoals. The disagreement highlights the strategic weight of the region’s waterways and offshore resources, long a source of friction between the two neighbours. Regional Support for Kuwait Several Gulf countries swiftly voiced support for Kuwait’s position. Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates,…
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US President Donald Trump has introduced a new global tariff set at ten percent. The tariff took effect after the Supreme Court blocked many of his earlier import taxes on Friday. Trump signed an executive order just hours after the ruling to impose the levy from 24 February. He later threatened to raise the tariff to fifteen percent but has not issued an official directive to increase the rate. The White House has not confirmed whether the higher rate will take effect. Emergency Powers and Rising Business Uncertainty The administration applies the levy under Section 122 of the 1974 Trade…
Supreme Court Ruling Sparks Fresh Uncertainty The European Parliament has suspended progress on the EU-US trade agreement following a US Supreme Court ruling that declared some of Washington’s 2025 tariffs illegal. The decision triggered a sharp response from President Donald Trump, who announced new 15% import duties, further clouding the future of the deal. German MEP Bernd Lange, who chairs the Parliament’s trade committee, said the legal landscape had shifted dramatically. According to him, the combination of the court ruling and the introduction of new tariffs has fundamentally altered the basis on which the agreement was negotiated. Lawmakers are now…
The UK has delayed a clinical trial on puberty blockers after the medicines regulator demanded a higher minimum age. Officials warned about unknown long-term biological risks and called for stricter safeguards. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will hold talks with King’s College London next week. The Department of Health and Social Care confirmed that recruitment will not start until they resolve the concerns. The Pathways trial followed a recommendation from the Cass review. That review found weak evidence for the benefits of puberty blockers in young people. Dr Hilary Cass said a controlled trial was the only way…
Big Tech faces a landmark legal challenge. A major trial over social media addiction has begun and could reshape the technology industry. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before a jury for the first time over claims that social media harms young people. His testimony came more than four years after leaked internal documents suggested the company knew its platforms could cause harm. Internal documents presented in a Los Angeles courtroom appeared to confirm long-standing concerns. Meta knew preteens used its apps. The company aimed to maximize scrolling time. It also ignored expert advice on safety, though Meta said the documents…
China has overtaken the United States as Germany’s top trading partner in 2025.Total trade between Germany and China reached €251bn, according to official data. Germany imported €170.6bn in goods from China and exported €81.3bn in return.Trade with the US fell to €240bn, partly linked to tariff disputes. The figures were released as Chancellor Friedrich Merz prepared for his first official visit to Beijing.He will meet Prime Minister Li Qiang and President Xi Jinping for talks on trade, Ukraine and human rights. Germany’s economy remains closely tied to the Chinese market.Major carmakers such as Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz depend heavily on…
Budapest Links Sanctions to Energy Security Hungary has made it clear it will not back the European Union’s 20th sanctions package against Russia unless oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline are restored. After a meeting of the Energy Security Council, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said no further financial assistance — including the EU’s planned €90 billion war loan to Ukraine — should move forward while Hungary’s oil supply remains cut off. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó confirmed that Budapest will block the new sanctions package, expected to be discussed by EU foreign ministers. He said Hungary’s position will not change until…
The European Union faces criticism after a report revealed massive subsidies for foods that worsen the climate. Experts call on the EU to introduce a Plant-Based Action Plan to promote sustainable diets and help farmers transition from meat and dairy. Red meat and other high-emission foods receive disproportionate EU subsidies, raising concerns over misuse of taxpayer money. Charity Foodrise published a report showing that in 2020, the EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP) allocated far more funding to animal-based foods than to plant-based options. Animal-sourced foods received roughly 77 percent of total CAP subsidies, totaling €39 billion of the €51 billion…
The US Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump exceeded his authority when he imposed sweeping global tariffs last year.The court decided by six votes to three that Trump could not use a 1977 emergency law to tax imports from nearly every country.The judges said only Congress can create new taxes under the Constitution. The ruling left open whether consumers and companies could receive refunds for the estimated $130bn generated by the tariffs.The court did not address refunds, and further legal disputes are expected.Hours after the decision, Trump signed a proclamation under a different law to impose a new 10%…
OpenAI said it identified the account of Jesse Van Rootselaar months before a deadly school attack in British Columbia.Its systems flagged the activity in June for the “furtherance of violent activities”. The company reviewed whether to alert the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.It decided the case did not meet its threshold for referral.That threshold requires a credible and imminent risk of serious harm. Van Rootselaar later killed eight people in Tumbler Ridge before taking their own life.Police said the victims included a teaching assistant and several students.The attacker had previous mental-health-related contact with authorities. After the shooting, OpenAI contacted the RCMP…
