Rutte urges Europe to boost defense spending and trust us commitment
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has called on European allies to put less energy into questioning Washington’s reliability and more into meeting their own defense spending pledges, arguing that a stronger European contribution will help lock in the United States’ role in the alliance. Speaking alongside Lithuanian Prime Minister......
Pakistan-Afghanistan air clashes spark social media misinformation amid border war escalation
Unverified videos claiming Afghan forces shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet have proliferated online, fueling confusion as deadly clashes erupt along the Durand Line. The footage, shared on February 27 by an X account named "Afghanistan Defence," allegedly shows the wreckage of a Pakistani aircraft bearing a national insignia......
Germany expands military powers to tackle rising drone threats
Germany’s parliament has approved new legislation granting the military wider authority to combat drone incursions, an escalating concern linked by officials to Russian hybrid interference across Europe. The Bundestag voted Thursday to amend the Aviation Security Act, enabling the Bundeswehr to use electronic jamming systems or direct......
Satellite mega-constellations raise climate and ozone concerns
The rapid expansion of satellite constellations in low Earth orbit is drawing increasing concern from the scientific community. Researchers warn that the routine incineration of decommissioned satellites as they reenter the atmosphere could alter Earth’s climate and threaten the ozone layer. As companies like SpaceX seek approval to......
Gaming industry backlash intensifies over use of AI in development
The global video game industry is facing mounting resistance to the use of generative artificial intelligence, as both players and developers warn the technology is eroding creative work and threatening jobs in a sector worth roughly 200 billion dollars annually. A large-scale survey by analytics firm Quantic Foundry, which polled about 1.75......
Stellar Blade director criticized over alleged AI image celebrating new Evangelion project
Stellar Blade director and Shift Up CEO Hyung-tae Kim is under fire after sharing what appears to be an AI-generated crossover illustration to celebrate a new Neon Genesis Evangelion anime written by NieR creator Yoko Taro. Kim posted the image on his personal X account following the announcement that Taro would handle series composition for......
Ukraine and US press Geneva talks on peace and reconstruction after mass Russian strikes
Ukrainian and US negotiators opened a fresh round of talks in Geneva on Thursday, seeking to lock in a sweeping economic “prosperity package” for Ukraine even as Russia pummeled the country with one of its heaviest overnight barrages in months. The discussions, led by Ukraine’s national security chief and chief negotiator......
Microrobot swarms use spinning flows to move massive objects
Swarms of magnetic microrobots can now rotate and transport objects tens of thousands of times heavier than a single robot by stirring surrounding liquid instead of pushing directly on their targets. Each microrobot is a tiny disk roughly 300 micrometers across that spins under a controlled magnetic field, creating circulating fluid flows......
Puma pins hopes on $260 Hyrox sneaker amid deeper corporate losses
Puma SE has introduced a high-end $260 training shoe designed for the rapidly growing Hyrox fitness segment, betting on new performance categories to offset heavy financial setbacks. The German sportswear brand unveiled its Deviate Nitro Elite Hyrox model on February 19, coinciding with the release of its 2025 earnings, which showed a net......
Ivory Coast advances cocoa mid-crop and cuts farmer prices amid surplus shock
Ivory Coast will bring forward the start of its cocoa mid-crop season and sharply lower the price paid to farmers, in an unprecedented move to ease a mounting surplus that has clogged warehouses and ports across the country. Cocoa harvested from March will now be classified as mid-crop instead of main crop, with the guaranteed farmgate price......
Imagination and virtual enterprise training reshape youth employability
Imagination is increasingly regarded as a strategic resource in today’s labour market, particularly for young graduates confronting a demanding and competitive employment environment. Academic qualifications remain fundamental, yet they no longer guarantee professional integration on their own. Employers are placing greater emphasis......
Louvre chief quits after jewel heist and mounting museum scandals
Laurence des Cars, the first woman to lead the Louvre Museum, has stepped down less than five months after a spectacular crown jewel robbery exposed serious security lapses at the world’s most visited museum. French President Emmanuel Macron accepted her resignation, describing it as an act of responsibility at a time when the institution......
BlackRock highlights rare yield window in Japan’s bond market
Japan’s government bond market is offering some of the most attractive returns in years for dollar-based investors using currency hedges, according to BlackRock. The asset manager estimates that buyers of long-dated Japanese sovereign debt can currently secure yields of about 6 percent once the pickup from hedging yen exposure back into......
St. Francis of Assisi’s bones go on display for first time
The remains of St. Francis of Assisi have been put on public display for the first time in nearly eight centuries, attracting tens of thousands of visitors to the Umbrian hill town where the revered friar lived and died. Enclosed in a nitrogen-filled, bulletproof plexiglass case inscribed with the Latin phrase "Corpus Sancti Francisci,"......
Archaeologists unearth 1,000-year-old tomb revealing pre-Hispanic elite in Panama
Archaeologists in Panama have completed the excavation of a millennium-old tomb at the El Caño archaeological site, uncovering a lavish burial belonging to a high-ranking figure of a pre-Hispanic society. The find includes gold ornaments, ceramic pieces, and multiple human remains that offer rare insight into the power structures of......