Brussels Pushes to Close Loophole Two Years Early The European Commission is moving to abolish a long-standing customs exemption for low-value imports by early 2026 — two years earlier than originally planned. The decision aims to curb unfair competition from foreign e-commerce giants and tighten oversight on billions of parcels entering the European Union each year. In a letter seen by POLITICO, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič urged EU finance ministers to fast-track the reform, writing that “a workable solution could be in place for Q1 2026 if we act with the required political determination and…
Author: Emily Harper
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President Donald Trump on Wednesday night signed a government funding bill that ends a record 43-day shutdown, reopening federal agencies that had been partially closed since October 1. The lapse in funding, the longest in U.S. history and longer than the 35-day partial shutdown of 2018–2019, halted basic federal services and left hundreds of thousands of federal employees either working without pay or furloughed, forcing many to rely on savings, credit or local charities. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump again blamed Democrats for the stalemate, accusing them of using federal workers and the public as leverage in a dispute…
Europe’s tourism industry has entered 2025 in stronger shape than many expected, with travel demand holding up despite persistent price pressures and extreme weather. According to the latest quarterly report from the European Travel Commission (ETC), international arrivals to Europe in the year to date are up 3% compared with last year, while overnight stays have increased by 2.7%. Travellers are also dedicating a larger share of their budgets to holidays: travel expenditure is projected to represent 3.1% of total consumer spending in Europe this year, above both 2024 levels and the 2010–2019 average. Inflation in tourism-related services is gradually…
Denver Star Leads Team to Sixth Straight Win Nikola Jokić delivered a performance for the record books on Wednesday night, scoring 55 points to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 130-116 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. The win not only extended Denver’s streak to six games but also marked the first time the team has triumphed when Jokić scores 50 or more. “It’s a good feeling,” said the three-time MVP after matching Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 55-point outing from earlier this season. Until now, the Nuggets had gone 0-4 in games where Jokić reached the half-century mark. The…
A New Home for Storytelling Through Art After more than a decade of anticipation, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is set to open its doors in Los Angeles on September 22, 2026. The ambitious project, founded by filmmaker George Lucas and business leader Mellody Hobson, will celebrate storytelling across cultures and generations, showcasing how visual art conveys emotion, imagination, and shared human experience. Located in Exposition Park, the five-story, 300,000-square-foot museum will feature over 40,000 works spanning centuries of narrative art — from Renaissance paintings and early photography to comic books, digital art, and cinema memorabilia. Designed by MAD…
Apple has removed two of China’s most widely used gay dating apps, Blued and Finka, from the App Store after receiving an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC). The company said it abides by local laws in the markets where it operates, without offering further details on the specific grounds cited by regulators. The move underscores the balancing act Apple faces in a strategically important market while navigating tightening content rules and political sensitivities. The takedown aligns with a pattern in which Apple has previously withdrawn services or apps in response to Chinese directives, including earlier removals of…
The U.S. Senate approved legislation to reopen the federal government, pushing a negotiated deal to the House of Representatives for final action. The measure is a short-term stopgap that would extend funding through Jan. 30 and is intended to end the current shutdown once the House returns to Washington to vote. Senate leaders said the chamber’s passage brings the standoff markedly closer to resolution after cross-party talks produced a compromise. According to the Associated Press, the Senate’s action sets up a brief window in which the shutdown could technically persist for a few more days as House members reconvene to…
Famous “Seven Sisters” Revealed to Have a Vast Stellar Family Astronomers have uncovered that the iconic Pleiades star cluster — long known as the “Seven Sisters” — is home to thousands more stars than previously believed. Using data from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and the European Space Agency’s Gaia observatory, researchers found that the cluster contains around 20 times more stars than earlier estimates suggested. The discovery redefines humanity’s understanding of one of the most recognizable features in the night sky and offers fresh insights into how stars are born and evolve together over time. “This study changes…
The Bank of England (BoE) said the broader benefits of its government bond-buying program help counterbalance the sizable losses now crystallizing on its balance sheet, a politically sensitive issue because His Majesty’s Treasury indemnifies those losses. The BoE revised its standard estimate of the net lifetime loss arising directly from quantitative easing (QE) to a range of £60 billion to £120 billion, depending on how interest rates evolve. That compares with an August projection of £55 billion to £115 billion, reflecting market moves since the summer and the ongoing unwind of the portfolio. Governor Andrew Bailey conveyed the updated figures…
Newly released emails from Jeffrey Epstein have reignited debate over President Donald Trump’s past friendship with the disgraced financier. The messages, unveiled by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, include a 2019 email in which Epstein claimed Trump “knew about the girls.” The White House quickly pushed back, calling the leak a politically motivated attack aimed at tarnishing Trump’s reputation. Epstein’s Emails Surface Again The cache of messages, totaling over 23,000 documents from Epstein’s estate, includes a 2011 email where Epstein told Ghislaine Maxwell, “I want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is Trump. (Redacted name) spent…
