The UN General Assembly appointed 40 members to the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence on Thursday, reported Xinhua. The members' three-year term will begin on Feb. 12, 2026, and run until Feb. 11, 2029. In a statement, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the appointment "marks a foundational step toward global scientific understanding of AI." The members were selected from more than 2,600 candidates, after independent review by the International Telecommunication Union, the UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies, and UNESCO, he said. The members of the new panel, established within the United Nations, will serve in their personal capacity, according to the statement. The UN chief said the panel is a multidisciplinary group of leading AI experts from across the globe, geographically diverse and gender-balanced, who will provide independent and impartial assessments of AI's opportunities, risks and impacts, including to the new Global Dialogue on AI Governance. "In a world where AI is racing ahead, this Panel will provide what's been missing -- rigorous, independent scientific insight that enables all Member States, regardless of their technological capacity, to engage on an equal footing," he said.

• Daily Finland
• 1 gün, 6 saat, 10 dakika

A Porter Airlines passenger plane slid on a runway at Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) in eastern Canada on Wednesday night amid a severe winter storm, local media reported Thursday, reported Xinhua. According to CTV News, the flight, arriving from Toronto, had landed without incident at 8:21 p.m. local time. However, the aircraft slid laterally and became disabled in snow as it was exiting the runway onto the taxiway. All 59 passengers and five crew members were safe and unharmed, said the report. In a statement, Porter Airlines confirmed the incident was due to weather conditions and said, "Resources are en route to YHZ to tow the aircraft to facilities on site for inspection and an investigation will be undertaken to determine the circumstances associated with this incident." The runway involved in the incident remains temporarily closed pending the aircraft's removal. The airport's other runway is still operational, but the winter storm has caused widespread delays and cancellations. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said it is collecting information and assessing what happened, CTV News reported.

• Daily Finland
• 1 gün, 6 saat, 13 dakika

Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Wednesday revised the death toll from a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia province, confirming that nine people died, including the suspect, down from the previously reported 10, reported Xinhua. Police told a news conference that one female victim, initially believed to have died while being transported for medical care, is still alive. She remains in serious condition. The attack left at least 25 others injured. Most of the victims at the school were born in 2012 and 2013, meaning they were between the ages of 12 and 14. The suspect has been identified as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, a former student of the school who had dropped out. Responding officers recovered a long gun and a modified handgun at the scene.

• Daily Finland
• 1 gün, 6 saat, 16 dakika

• Iltalehti
• 1 gün, 6 saat, 22 dakika

Yhdysvaltain avaruushallinnon Nasan on määrä lähettää tänään kolme astronauttia ja yksi kosmonautti Kansainväliselle avaruusasemalle ISS:lle. Laukaisu tapahtuu Cape Canaveralin avaruuskeskuksesta Floridasta. Aluksena toimii avaruusyhtiö SpaceX:n Dragon. Avaruusasemalla Crew 12 -miehistön on tarkoitus tehdä tieteellisiä kokeita muun muassa mikropainovoiman vaikutuksesta ihmiskehoon ja keuhkokudoksen kasvattamisesta avaruudessa. Asemalle lähtevät Nasan astronautit Jessica Meir ja Jack Hathaway, Euroopan avaruusjärjestön […]

• Suomenmaa
• 1 gün, 6 saat, 28 dakika

At least six people were killed and another injured on Thursday morning in a shooting in a rural area of Ecuador's western province of Manabi, local authorities said, reported Xinhua. The attack occurred in the municipality of Santa Ana, where a group of gunmen broke in a house and fatally shot six residents, according to preliminary investigations. A woman, who was seriously wounded in the assault, has been transferred to a hospital in Portoviejo, the capital of Manabi. The motive for the shooting remains under investigation. Manabi has been under a state of emergency since August, when the government imposed the measure in response to a surge in organized crime linked to drug cartels.

• Daily Finland
• 1 gün, 6 saat, 34 dakika

At the Milano Ice Skating Arena, Dutch star Xandra Velzeboer shattered the women's 500m short track world record on Thursday, clocking 41.399 seconds in the semifinals to better her own mark set in 2022. She went on to claim gold in 41.609. While much of the attention was on American star Chloe Kim's attempt at a historic third straight Olympic snowboard halfpipe title, South Korea's Choi Ga-on delivered the shock of the Games. 17-year-old Choi stormed to gold in the women's halfpipe final with a stunning final run, denying Kim a three-peat and securing South Korea's first gold medal of the Games. Snowfall made conditions treacherous, triggering crashes throughout the competition. Choi fell on her first two runs and entered the final attempt largely unnoticed. She then delivered a flawless, high-difficulty ride to score 90.25, the top mark of the final. "Mentally it was so tough," Choi said. "My knees aren't great, but right now I'm the happiest I've ever been." Kim, two-time defending Olympic champion, led after the first run with 88 points but was unable to improve. "I'm so proud of her," Kim said. "That's what this sport is about - inspiring the next generation." Japan's Mitsuki Ono took bronze, while China's Cai Xuetong finished sixth. Austria's Alessandro Haemmerle defended his men's snowboard cross title in dramatic fashion, edging Canada's Eliot Grondin by 0.03 seconds in a photo finish, nearly identical to his victory margin at the Beijing Games. Jakob Dusek of Austria took bronze. Australia's Cooper Woods produced one of the Games' biggest breakthroughs, defeating Canadian moguls legend Mikael Kingsbury on a tiebreak after both scored 83.71 points. Woods earned gold on superior turns, while Japan's Ikuma Horishima took bronze. Host nation Italy celebrated its first alpine skiing gold as Federica Brignone powered to victory in the women's super-G. France's Romane Miradoli won silver and Austria's Cornelia Huetter took bronze, both earning their first Olympic medals. Elsewhere, Italy's Francesca Lollobrigida captured her second Olympic gold medal by edging Merel Conijn of the Netherlands by 0.10 seconds in the women's 5,000m speed skating. Norway's Ragne Wiklund claimed bronze. Sweden's Frida Karlsson claimed her second gold at the Games in the women's cross-country 10km individual event, following her victory in the women's 10km+10km skiathlon, while her teammate Ebba Andersson placed second. Germany took gold in the team relay with a new track record of three minutes 41.672 seconds to wrap up the luge competition. Austria and Italy finished second and third respectively. In skeleton, Britain's Matt Weston surged into the lead after two runs, breaking the track record with a blistering 55.88 seconds and taking a 0.30-second advantage into the final day. Canada sent an early message in men's ice hockey. Macklin Celebrini scored the first goal of the NHL's Olympic return and Jordan Binnington made 26 saves, as Canada routed the Czech Republic 5-0, showcasing the tournament favorite's depth despite most of the roster making its Olympic debut. The United States rolled past Latvia 5-1, while Germany earned a 3-1 victory over Denmark. China's Sun Long rebounded from earlier disappointment to claim silver in the men's 1,000 meters short track speed skating on Thursday, earning the country's first medal of the discipline at Milan-Cortina 2026. The two-time Olympian finished in one minute, 24.565 seconds, just 0.028 behind gold medalist Jens van 'T Wout of the Netherlands. South Korea's Rim Jong-un took bronze in 1:24.611. "I told myself to stay steady and take it round by round," Sun said, fighting back tears. "I wasn't thinking about a specific medal, just keeping a good position and avoiding mistakes." The result came two days after Sun's costly error in the mixed team relay left China in fourth place, a setback he admitted was hard to overcome. "It's not easy to recover in such a short time," he said. "But the team supported me. Once a race is over, you move on and focus on the next one."

• Daily Finland
• 1 gün, 6 saat, 42 dakika

Vuonna 2006 lähes kokonaan hyvinkääläisistä koottu curlingjoukkue nousi sensaatioksi Torinon olympialaisissa. Aamuposti palasi Suomen joukkueen kankeaan starttiin ykkösheittäjän, Hyvinkäällä edelleen asustelevan Teemu Salon kanssa.

• Aamuposti
• 1 gün, 6 saat, 47 dakika

A former Norwegian Prime Minister and high-ranking international diplomat has been formally listed as a suspect for aggravated corruption over the Epstein files, his lawyer confirmed on Thursday, reported Xinhua. The announcement followed coordinated raids by Okokrim, Norway's national authority for investigating and prosecuting economic and environmental crime, on multiple properties belonging to Thorbjorn Jagland. The raids occurred less than 24 hours after the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers voted unanimously to waive Jagland's diplomatic immunity, allowing Norwegian authorities to investigate acts performed in his official capacity during his decade-long tenure as secretary general of the Council of Europe. The investigation comes after the U.S. Department of Justice said on Jan. 30 that more than 3 million additional pages of materials had been published under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019, was a U.S. financier accused of sex trafficking. Norwegian media have reported that the newly released materials shed further light on Jagland's contacts with Epstein, including plans for a family visit to Epstein's private Caribbean island in 2014 that was later canceled. On Thursday morning, investigators from Okokrim searched Jagland's primary apartment in Oslo and his holiday residence in Risor. Witnesses saw officers removing boxes and suitcases from the Oslo property, according to Norwegian broadcaster NRK. Under Norwegian law, the use of such coercive measures automatically grants an individual the formal status of "charged." "I have only one thing to say, and that is that I am very glad the case is being clarified," Jagland told the press as he left his apartment, accompanied by his lawyer. Jagland served as Norway's prime minister from 1996 to 1997, as secretary general of the Council of Europe from 2009 to 2019, and as chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee from 2009 to 2015.

• Daily Finland
• 1 gün, 6 saat, 54 dakika

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday announced the revocation of a key 2009 climate determination that has served as the legal foundation for federal climate regulations, including rules on greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles and mandates supporting electric vehicle adoption, reported Xinhua. Trump and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin unveiled the decision at the White House, describing it as the "single largest deregulatory action in U.S. history." "We are officially terminating the so-called endangerment finding, a disastrous Obama-era policy that severely damaged the American auto industry and drove up prices for American consumers," Trump said at a news conference. The determination, known as the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding, concluded that carbon dioxide, methane and four other greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare. It has been used to justify regulations such as vehicle emissions standards and requirements for fossil fuel companies to report their emissions. "This determination had no basis in fact -- none whatsoever. And it had no basis in law. On the contrary, over the generations, fossil fuels have saved millions of lives and lifted billions of people out of poverty all over the world," Trump said. Former U.S. President Barack Obama said on X that the endangerment finding has served as the basis for limits on tailpipe emissions and power plant rules. "Without it, we'll be less safe, less healthy and less able to fight climate change -- all so the fossil fuel industry can make even more money."

• Daily Finland
• 1 gün, 7 saat, 3 dakika

Britain's Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service, Chris Wormald, has become the third senior official to step down in less than a week amid the political fallout over former British ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson, the Cabinet Office announced Thursday, reported Xinhua. "It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as a civil servant for the past 35 years, and a particular distinction to lead the Service as Cabinet Secretary," Wormald said in a statement. The Cabinet Office added that Prime Minister Keir Starmer will appoint a new Cabinet Secretary "shortly." According to the British government, the Cabinet Secretary is the Prime Minister's most senior policy adviser and acts as Secretary to the Cabinet, responsible to all ministers for the running of Cabinet Government. Wormald was appointed to the post in December 2024. Previously, he served as Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health and at the Department for Education. The wave of resignations started when Morgan McSweeney, the first senior official to step down in the fallout, quit on Sunday as Starmer's chief of staff following controversy over the appointment of Mandelson. Mandelson was appointed ambassador to Washington in early 2025 but was dismissed by Starmer after seven months as renewed questions about his links to late American financier Jeffrey Epstein emerged. "The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself. When asked, I advised the prime minister to make that appointment and I take full responsibility for that advice," McSweeney said in a resignation letter published by local media. "In public life responsibility must be owned when it matters most, not just when it is most convenient. In the circumstances, the only honourable course is to step aside," he added. After his departure, Starmer asked his deputy chiefs of staff, Jill Cuthbertson and Vidhya Alakeson, to serve as acting chiefs of staff. The series continued on Monday with the resignation of Starmer's director of communications Tim Allan. "I have decided to stand down to allow a new No. 10 team to be built. I wish the PM and his team every success," Allan said in a brief statement sent to local media. Allan took up the post in September 2025 and served for five months. The scandal has put growing pressure on both the British government and the royal family. A Kensington Palace spokesperson said Monday that Prince of Wales, William, and Princess of Wales, Catherine, were "deeply concerned" by the latest revelations in the Epstein files. "Their thoughts remain focused on the victims," the spokesperson said. Earlier this month, on February 5, Starmer apologized for his decision to appoint Mandelson as British ambassador to the United States. Speaking at an event in the town of Hastings in southeast England, Starmer said he had underestimated the seriousness of Mandelson's past association with Epstein. He offered an apology to victims connected to the Epstein case and said he understood the anger voiced across parliament. "I want to say this. I am sorry, sorry for what was done to you, sorry that so many people with power failed, sorry for having believed Mandelson's lies and appointed him, and sorry that even now you're forced to watch this story unfold in public once again," the prime minister said.

• Daily Finland
• 1 gün, 7 saat, 8 dakika

NATO leaders urged European allies and Canada to take on more responsibility for the alliance's security on Thursday, as member states announced new military and financial assistance for Ukraine at a meeting in Brussels, reported Xinhua. Defense ministers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) met here to discuss issues including strengthening collective security and supporting Ukraine. They also convened a session of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), attended by Ukraine's new defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov. Speaking at the defense ministers' meeting, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the United States has been urging NATO and European and Canadian allies to do more, adding that it is crucial for Europe and Canada to step up within the alliance. Rutte said the shift in leadership from the United States to Europe is also reflected in command roles and force deployments, with Europeans set to lead certain commands, expand initiatives such as the "Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List" (PURL) program, a NATO-led U.S. arms-buying scheme, and with countries like Germany planning to station a full brigade in Lithuania. He said this change in mindset would strengthen NATO by addressing long-standing U.S. concerns over burden-sharing. "You have to spend more, at least equalize with the U.S.," Rutte said. U.S. Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby told the gathering that the United States aims to transform NATO into an alliance based on partnership rather than dependency. Last year, NATO member states committed to investing 5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) in defense and security by 2035. "Some allies, like Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, are already at or above our investment goals," Rutte said. "Others, like Germany, are on track to double their investment from just a few years ago." "And at the same time, a NATO where Europe is stepping up, with Canada, taking more of a leadership role," Rutte added. A new 35 billion U.S. dollars aid package to support Ukraine was announced during a press conference after the meeting by British Defense Secretary John Healey. Earlier, Healey also announced a half-a-billion-pound (680 million U.S. dollars) package for urgent air defense support to Ukraine. "Today, I'm announcing a new half-a-billion-pound package of urgent air defense support, which is President Zelensky's top priority," Healey told a meeting of the UDCG. He explained that 150 million pounds of the total will be allocated for air defense interceptors in the PURL program, and 400 million pounds will be used for lightweight multirole missiles. In addition, Britain will provide an extra 1,200 air defense missiles together with its partners from the air defense consortium. Healey also said that in 2025, the UDCG collectively raised 45 billion U.S. dollars in military aid for Ukraine, and for 2026, they "must do more and push harder." German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Germany would continue delivering weapons, including guided missiles. According to Pistorius, Ukraine will need at least 60 billion U.S. dollars in 2026 to defend itself. He added that Germany is prepared to deliver five additional interceptor missiles to Ukraine, subject to certain conditions.

• Daily Finland
• 1 gün, 7 saat, 18 dakika

• Hämeen Sanomat
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• Etelä-Saimaa
• 1 gün, 7 saat, 27 dakika

• Etelä-Saimaa
• 1 gün, 7 saat, 28 dakika

• Hämeen Sanomat
• 1 gün, 7 saat, 28 dakika