Author: OMN AI

Legal Uncertainty Halts Implementation European Parliament negotiators have paused the EU-US trade agreement after a recent US Supreme Court ruling questioned the legality of tariffs imposed in 2025. The court found that President Donald Trump had exceeded his authority by imposing duties without Congress under emergency powers. In response, Trump announced fresh 15% tariffs on imports, leaving the pact’s future in doubt. German MEP Bernd Lange, who chairs the parliamentary trade committee, stressed that the legal framework had “totally changed” and that a clear statement from Washington is needed before the deal can move forward. Parliament Demands Clear Commitments The…

UK regulators have halted a clinical trial on puberty blockers for children. They warned about uncertain long-term biological risks and set a minimum age of 14. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will meet King’s College London to review safety issues. The Department of Health and Social Care confirmed the pause. The Pathways trial will not recruit participants until experts resolve the concerns. The study followed the Cass review on gender care. The review found weak evidence for benefits in young people. Dr Hilary Cass said only a controlled trial could clarify the treatment’s effects. Government officials said participant…

Big Tech faces a historic courtroom battle. 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 regained its position as Germany’s largest trading partner, with goods worth €251bn exchanged in 2025.The figure marks a 2.2% rise from the previous year, according to Germany’s Federal Statistical Office. Trade with the United States totalled €240bn, down about 5%.Analysts point to tariffs and rising trade tensions as contributing factors. Chancellor Friedrich Merz will visit Beijing this week for talks with Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Qiang.He is expected to discuss Ukraine, human rights and trade relations. Germany imported €170.6bn in goods from China while exporting €81.3bn in return.Major carmakers such as Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz rely…

Budapest Demands Pipeline Repairs Before Supporting Sanctions Hungary has announced it will block the EU’s 20th package of sanctions against Russia until Ukraine restores oil deliveries to the country. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that the EU would also withhold the €90 billion war loan to Ukraine until shipments resume. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó explained that Hungary will not back the sanctions package at the EU foreign ministers’ meeting on Monday, citing the need for Ukraine to repair the Druzhba pipeline, which was damaged in a Russian attack. The Energy Security Council also discussed electricity supplies to Ukraine, which rely…

The European Union faces criticism after a report revealed massive subsidies for foods that harm the climate. Experts urge the EU to adopt 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 about misuse of taxpayer money. Charity Foodrise published a report showing that in 2020, the EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP) directed 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 spent…

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 considered contacting Canadian police months before a deadly school shooting in British Columbia.The company said it flagged the account of Jesse Van Rootselaar in June for “furtherance of violent activities”. OpenAI reviewed whether to report the activity to the RCMP.It decided the account did not meet its threshold for law enforcement referral.The company said it requires evidence of imminent and credible risk of serious harm. Van Rootselaar, 18, killed eight people in Tumbler Ridge last week before taking her own life.Police said she first killed family members at home and then attacked a nearby school.The victims included a teaching…

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. Traditional Vaccines Target Only One Infection Current vaccines train the immune system to fight a single infection. A measles vaccine protects against measles, and a…

Amazon’s cloud division reportedly suffered at least two outages last year linked to its own AI tools.The incidents have raised questions about the company’s expanding use of artificial intelligence. According to reports, a 13-hour disruption in December occurred after an AI agent called Kiro deleted and recreated part of its environment.Another outage in October disrupted dozens of websites for several hours.Only one of the AI-related incidents is said to have affected customer-facing services. AWS provides critical infrastructure for much of the internet.Its dominance has already sparked debate over reliance on a few major providers.The company has also secured 189 UK…