Big Tech faces a historic 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…
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China has overtaken the United States as Germany’s largest trading partner in 2025.Total trade between Germany and China reached €251bn, according to official figures.Trade with the US fell to €240bn after a 5% decline. Germany imported €170.6bn in goods from China but exported only €81.3bn.The growing imbalance highlights Berlin’s continued dependence on Chinese manufacturing. Friedrich Merz will travel to Beijing for his first visit since taking office.He is scheduled to meet Xi Jinping and Li Qiang for talks on trade, Ukraine and human rights. Germany’s car industry remains deeply tied to the Chinese market.Companies such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen…
Budapest Holds Sanctions Hostage Hungary has announced it will block the EU’s 20th sanctions package against Russia until Ukraine restores oil deliveries to the country. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that the EU will also withhold the previously approved €90 billion war loan to Ukraine until energy shipments resume. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó confirmed that Hungary would not back the sanctions package, which is set for discussion at a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday, citing the need for the Druzhba pipeline to be repaired after a Russian strike. Energy Supplies and Regional Impact The Energy Security Council highlighted…
The European Union faces strong criticism after a report revealed massive subsidies for foods that worsen the climate. Experts urge the EU to launch a Plant-Based Action Plan to promote sustainable diets and help farmers transition away 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…
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 debated alerting the Royal Canadian Mounted Police months before a deadly school shooting in British Columbia.The company had flagged the ChatGPT account of Jesse Van Rootselaar in June for possible violent activity. After reviewing the case, OpenAI concluded the content did not show an imminent or credible threat.Its policy requires clear evidence of a near-term risk of serious harm before contacting law enforcement.The attack later left eight people dead in Tumbler Ridge, and the 18-year-old died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Following the shooting, OpenAI contacted the RCMP and shared information about the account.Police said the suspect…
Swift Action Amid Legal Setback US President Donald Trump announced an immediate hike in global tariffs from 10% to 15% just one day after the Supreme Court struck down his previous tariffs for overstepping executive authority. Trump called the court’s ruling “poorly written and extraordinarily anti-American” but insisted the administration could still act under other trade laws to protect US interests. Legal Hurdles and Alternative Authorities The Supreme Court ruled that only Congress has the constitutional authority to impose taxes, including tariffs, limiting the use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) that Trump had invoked. To maintain trade…
US researchers say a single nasal spray vaccine could protect against coughs, colds and flu. The vaccine could also prevent bacterial lung infections and may even reduce allergies. Scientists at Stanford University tested the universal vaccine in animals and still need human clinical trials. They describe the approach as a radical break from more than 200 years of vaccine development. Experts called the findings exciting but emphasized that the research remains at an early stage. Current Vaccines Protect Against One Illness Current vaccines train the immune system to fight a single infection. A measles vaccine protects against measles, and a…
Amazon’s cloud division suffered outages last year that were reportedly triggered by its own AI systems.One disruption in December lasted 13 hours after an AI agent deleted and recreated part of its environment. AWS said the incidents were limited and only one affected customer-facing services.The company described the problem as user error caused by misconfigured access controls, not AI failure. The outages have renewed concern about heavy reliance on a small number of cloud providers.AWS runs large parts of the internet and holds major public-sector contracts. The issue comes as Andy Jassy pushes efficiency measures and job cuts.Amazon announced 16,000…
Justices Limit Presidential Power The US Supreme Court on Friday struck down Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs, ruling that the president exceeded his authority by using emergency powers to impose them. The 6–3 decision focused on tariffs applied under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), including the broad “reciprocal” duties Trump levied on nearly every US trading partner. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the Constitution “very clearly” assigns taxing power to Congress, not the executive branch. Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, and Brett Kavanaugh dissented, with Kavanaugh arguing the tariffs were legally justified despite policy debates. Legal Challenges…