Author: OMN AI

UK regulators have paused a clinical trial on puberty blockers for children. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency warned about unknown long-term biological risks. It called for a minimum participant age of 14. The agency will meet King’s College London next week to review safety issues. The Department of Health and Social Care confirmed the delay. The Pathways trial will not recruit participants until the review ends. The study followed the Cass review into gender care for young people. That review found weak evidence for the drugs’ benefits. Dr Hilary Cass said a controlled trial was the only way…

Big Tech may approach its Big Tobacco moment. A major social media addiction trial has started and could transform the tech industry. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before a jury for the first time over allegations that social media harms young people. His testimony came more than four years after leaked internal documents suggested the company knew its platforms could harm users. Internal documents presented in a Los Angeles courtroom seemed to confirm what many critics have long suspected. Meta knew preteens used its apps. The company aimed to maximize scrolling time. It also ignored expert advice on safety, although…

China has overtaken the United States as Germany’s top trading partner.Total trade between Germany and China reached €251bn in 2025, rising slightly from the previous year. Germany imported €170.6bn in goods from China but exported only €81.3bn.Trade with the US fell to €240bn, partly affected by tariffs. Chancellor Friedrich Merz will visit Beijing for talks with Xi Jinping and Li Qiang.He plans to discuss trade, the war in Ukraine and human rights. Germany’s car industry remains deeply tied to the Chinese market.Companies such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen depend heavily on Chinese sales and production. The EU is trying to…

Budapest Ties Sanctions to Pipeline Repairs 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 said that no EU war loans or financial aid to Ukraine would proceed while Hungary’s oil supply remains cut off. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó explained that the EU would continue to withhold sanctions until the Druzhba pipeline, damaged in a Russian strike, is repaired. He added that the package, scheduled for adoption at an EU foreign ministers’ meeting on Monday, would not be supported by Hungary under the current…

The European Union faces scrutiny after a report revealed huge subsidies for foods that harm the climate. Experts urge the EU to launch a Plant-Based Action Plan to promote sustainable diets and help farmers shift away from meat and dairy. Climate-harming foods, particularly red meat, receive enormous support from EU subsidies, raising concerns about misuse of taxpayer money. Charity Foodrise released a report showing the EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP) gave far more funding to high-emission animal foods than to plant-based options in 2020. Animal-sourced foods received roughly 77 percent of total CAP subsidies, totaling €39 billion out of €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 US 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…

OpenAI considered alerting the Royal Canadian Mounted Police months before a deadly school attack in British Columbia.The company had flagged the ChatGPT account of Jesse Van Rootselaar in June for potential “violent activities”. It decided not to make a referral at the time.OpenAI said the content did not show an imminent or credible threat of serious harm.Its policy requires clear evidence of immediate danger before contacting law enforcement. The 18-year-old later killed eight people in Tumbler Ridge and then died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.Victims included a teaching assistant and several students.Police said the attacker had prior mental-health-related contact with…

Immediate Tariff Increase US President Donald Trump announced an immediate rise in global tariffs from 10% to 15%, following a Supreme Court ruling that his previous use of emergency powers to impose tariffs exceeded presidential authority. Trump argued the decision “merely overruled a particular use of IEEPA” and said other legal avenues remain available to maintain and enforce trade measures against foreign countries. Legal Limits and Alternative Tools The Supreme Court’s 6–3 ruling emphasized that the Constitution grants Congress—not the president—the power to levy taxes, including tariffs. Chief Justice John Roberts noted that taxing authority was never placed in the…

The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a ruling that could reduce costs for American farmers by limiting sweeping tariffs on imported goods. The decision may help lower prices for equipment, seeds, fertilizers, and other critical agricultural inputs. Farmers and industry experts welcomed the ruling as a relief for the agricultural sector. Tariffs on imported machinery and materials had previously raised production costs, affecting profitability and competitiveness in both domestic and international markets. Analysts say the decision could have an immediate impact on farm budgets. Equipment and input suppliers may now reduce prices, making it more affordable for farmers to invest…

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 stressed that the research remains at an early stage. Traditional Vaccines Focus on One Infection Current vaccines train the immune system to fight a single infection. A measles vaccine protects against measles, and a…