Business
Health
Russian scientists modified a spruce wood polysaccharide into compounds that slowed blood clotting and showed antioxidant activity in laboratory tests.
WHO launched a yearlong World Health Day 2026 campaign urging governments, scientists and the public to back science, trust evidence and work together.
Technology
Austria’s patent filings rose sharply in 2025, beating wider European growth as industrial companies and inventors lifted national and EPO applications.
UNESCO urges nations to regulate AI and digital tools in education as new charter promotes equitable access amid funding cuts and rising global inequality risks.
WIPO launched the AI Infrastructure Interchange in Geneva, creating a technical forum on AI and intellectual property with creators, companies and governments.
BMW Group begins Germany’s first in-plant humanoid robot pilot, deploying Hexagon Robotics’ AEON at Leipzig to support battery and component production.
India and Finland launched a strategic partnership focused on digitalisation and sustainability, highlighting cooperation from AI and 6G to clean energy and quantum computing.
European Parliament disables built-in AI tools on work-issued devices in Brussels, citing cybersecurity and data-protection risks tied to cloud processing today.
News
Travel
Thousands of US flights were canceled or delayed after a major winter storm hit key hubs, with Chicago, Atlanta and New York among the hardest hit.
European Commission adopted an EU visa strategy that could allow multiple-entry Schengen visas to last beyond five years, alongside digital visa reforms in 2026.
China will grant visa-free entry for British visitors for stays up to 30 days, the UK says after Keir Starmer met Xi Jinping in Beijing. Details pending soon.
Statistics Canada reported December 2025 return trips from the U.S. fell 18.7% by air and 30.7% by automobile, signaling much weaker cross border travel demand.
UK joins US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand in 2026 travel warnings, urging people to avoid high risk destinations including Mexico, Iraq, Belarus and Venezuela.