A researcher at Slovenia's InnoRenew Centre of Excellence describes winning a nearly €2 million European Research Council grant to develop self-repairing, UV-protective fungal-biofilm coatings for buildings. The five-year award, secured after a lengthy application and resubmission process, immediately reshaped the scope of her research group's work and her own daily responsibilities, shifting her focus from hands-on experiments toward managing people and projects.
nature.com
· 2026-09-18
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed granting Canada associate membership in the EU, a first-of-its-kind status meant to deepen ties as U.S. pressure pushes Ottawa toward Europe. President Trump called the plan a 'hostile act' and warned he would respond with additional tariffs on the bloc.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-17
The European Commission unveiled the EU Kids Act, a proposal that would bar children under 13 from social media entirely, require parental-managed sub-accounts with restrictions for 13- and 14-year-olds, and only allow independent accounts at 15. The plan also mandates platforms remove addictive design features like infinite scroll, nighttime notifications, and unsolicited contact from strangers, while requiring AI chatbots be disabled by default for minors.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-17
Australian trade minister Don Farrell said Canberra is watching Canada's push for a deeper relationship with the EU, after PM Mark Carney described seeking a 'unique alliance' rather than full EU membership. Farrell did not specify what form closer Australia-EU ties might take, but said Australia is 'on the same page' as Canada on the issue.
independent.co.uk
· 2026-09-16
Langdock, a Berlin-based enterprise AI platform serving roughly 13,000 organisations, has dismantled its US holding company and reorganised into a Societas Europaea registered in Germany. The switch, which began in early 2026 and cost several million euros, reverses the common practice among European startups of setting up US parent entities to attract investors.
euronews.com
· 2026-09-16
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled a proposal to bar children under 13 from using social media across all 27 EU member states. The plan also calls for supervised 'mini accounts' with restricted features for teens aged 13-15, and mandates 'safe design' standards for platforms serving 15-to-18-year-olds.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-16
A new analysis argues that long-standing estimates of Australia's Indigenous population before European contact were far too low. Researchers say the actual pre-colonial population was likely much larger than previously assumed, based on updated modeling and evidence.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-16
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen indicated Canada could gain an 'associate member' status linked to a proposed European Security Council, framing the move as a response to escalating geopolitical risks. The remarks suggest the EU is considering deeper defense and security ties with non-member allies as threats intensify.
bbc.com
· 2026-09-16
New research by Benjamin Shultz, published by think tank Agora Digitale Transformation, analyzed about 160 websites hosting nonconsensual deepfake sexual content and found 138 women members of parliament from 22 EU countries were referenced or depicted, compared with just nine men. The study covered over 5,800 national lawmakers across the EU, with politicians from Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and France most frequently appearing.
wired.com
· 2026-09-14
Semiconductor shares fell across European and Asian markets after executives at major artificial intelligence companies publicly called for a more cautious, slower approach to developing the technology, citing safety concerns. The remarks rattled investors who had been betting heavily on rapid AI expansion driving chip demand.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-14
Since the Strait of Hormuz closure sent Brent crude up 58% year-on-year, the European Commission has only trimmed its 2026 growth forecast from 1.5% to 1.1%, with unemployment steady near 6%. That resilience stems from a structural shift: Russian gas has dropped from 45% to 12% of EU imports while US LNG now supplies two-thirds of Europe's gas, backed by $750 billion in commitments through 2028, and EU output uses 44% less energy per euro than in 1995.
oilprice.com
· 2026-09-12
China's Yaogan 50-02 reconnaissance satellite, which had settled into an unusual retrograde orbit roughly 590 miles up, broke apart months after launch. The US Space Force has tracked 43 fragments now circling Earth at altitudes between 372 and 683 miles, and the cause of the breakup remains unannounced, though astronomer Jonathan McDowell speculated it could be a battery explosion or a debris strike.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-12
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