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Finnair Adapts Pilot Training Amid Daily Baltic GPS Interference

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Finnair has changed its pilot training and flight operations to deal with daily GPS interference in the Baltic region, CEO Turkka Kuusisto told Reuters. The airline says pilots are trained to operate safely in airspace affected by satellite-navigation disruptions.

GPS interference has intensified across the Baltic region as European airlines operate closer to NATO’s eastern flank following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Finnair has stopped flying over Russia and Belarus, increasing its exposure to the Baltic area, where satellite navigation signals have faced frequent disruption.

Finnair previously suspended flights to Tartu, Estonia, for about a month in 2024 after GPS interference affected safe approaches. Modern aircraft can use multiple backup navigation systems, but Finnair says the growing scale of interference has attracted interest from airlines in regions where such disruptions are less common.

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Explosion Collapses Building in Central Athens, Three Injured

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An explosion caused a two-storey residential building to partially collapse in Athens’ popular Plaka district on Friday, injuring three people and damaging nearby homes, shops and cars. The cause of the blast has not yet been determined.

The explosion occurred near major tourist attractions including the Acropolis and the Temple of Zeus, sending debris and shattered glass several blocks away. Emergency crews, ambulances and police rushed to the scene as smoke rose above the historic neighbourhood.

A passer-by was injured, while two women trapped in a neighbouring building were rescued and taken to hospital. Authorities said at least five people were staying in the damaged building, which was partly rented to tourists, and inspections were continuing to determine whether anyone else remained trapped.

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East German Town Bans Future Holocaust Memorial Plaques

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A town in eastern Germany has approved a motion backed by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to prevent the future installation of Stolpersteine, brass plaques commemorating victims of Nazi persecution. The decision was made in Heidenau, near Dresden in Saxony.

The town council voted to stop additional plaques and instead concentrate future commemorations at a memorial site in the town’s northern cemetery. The decision has sparked debate over cooperation between the CDU and AfD, amid Germany’s longstanding political practice of keeping a formal distance from the far-right party.

The move also drew criticism from Jewish community representatives. City officials had recommended against a blanket ban, saying a central memorial could be created without preventing future Stolpersteine. Supporters of the motion argued that the plaques, embedded in pavements, were inappropriate because people could walk over them.

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105-Year-Old Investigated Over Nazi POW Camp Crimes

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German prosecutors are investigating a 105-year-old man over allegations that he was an accessory to multiple murders at the Stalag 326 VI K prisoner-of-war camp in Senne during World War Two. The suspect is alleged to have served as a camp guard.

A second investigation involving another former guard at the same camp had also been ongoing, but prosecutors said the suspect died several months ago at the age of 99. The cases highlight the challenges of pursuing Nazi-era crimes more than 80 years after the war, as most remaining suspects are now elderly or have died.

Stalag 326 was one of the largest Nazi POW camps, with an estimated 180,000 to 200,000 Soviet prisoners registered there. Many prisoners died from brutal conditions, malnutrition and mistreatment, with tens of thousands buried at the site. Germany has had no statute of limitations for murder or accessory to murder since 1979.

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Finnish President Urges Musk to Expand Starlink for Ukraine

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Finnish President Alexander Stubb has urged SpaceX owner Elon Musk to expand Starlink satellite internet coverage for Ukraine, including over areas inside Russia where Russian ballistic missile launchers are located. Stubb said such access could help Ukraine identify and strike missile launchers and potentially save lives.

Ukraine is facing shortages of air-defense systems and ammunition as winter approaches, while Russia has increased its use of ballistic missiles. Ukrainian officials believe Starlink coverage in Russian territory could help their forces target mobile missile launchers located near the border.

Stubb also called for an unconditional ceasefire followed by negotiations on security, territory, reconstruction and compensation. He said Ukraine’s immediate winter priorities include air defense, energy infrastructure and financial support, while acknowledging that he does not expect the war to end before winter.

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SoftBank Raises $11.1 Billion in Record High-Yield Bond Sale

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SoftBank Group has raised $11.1 billion through dollar- and euro-denominated bonds, marking the largest high-yield corporate bond sale globally. The fundraising comes as the Japanese investment group seeks to finance its major investments in OpenAI and other artificial intelligence ventures, adding to a broader increase in corporate borrowing linked to AI.

The company issued dollar bonds across three maturities with interest rates ranging from 8.625% to 9.75%, along with two euro-denominated bond tranches yielding 7.125% and 8%. The borrowing costs are significantly higher than SoftBank’s 2021 bond sale, when yields ranged from 2.125% to 5.25%. SoftBank has also raised ¥1 trillion ($6.3 billion) through a recent bond issue aimed at retail investors.

SoftBank has committed about $64.6 billion to OpenAI and is pursuing additional deals, including acquisitions in robotics and digital infrastructure. The scale of its borrowing has increased scrutiny of its finances, while the cost of insuring its debt against default has risen. Analysts noted that SoftBank’s concentration in assets such as Arm and OpenAI has increased, although strong Arm share performance has provided some support to the company’s credit position.

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Netherlands to Return to Eurovision After 2026 Boycott

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The Netherlands will return to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027 after skipping the 2026 competition. Dutch broadcaster Avrotros had withdrawn over concerns about Israel’s participation and said the contest could no longer be viewed as neutral amid divisions linked to the Gaza war.

The country’s public broadcasting body, NPO, said broadcaster NOS will handle Eurovision coverage, while an independent panel of experts will select the Dutch entry. NPO said the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) had made significant changes to the contest’s rules and stressed the importance of Eurovision’s role as a unifying European event.

The EBU has introduced measures including a rule preventing countries involved in armed conflicts from hosting the contest and proposed changes to voting rules over concerns about politically motivated voting. Eurovision director Martin Green welcomed the Netherlands back, while Avrotros said it remained unconvinced that the changes had fully restored the contest’s neutrality. The 2027 Eurovision final is scheduled for 14 May in Burgas, Bulgaria.

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French Literary World in Uproar Over Author’s Alleged AI Use

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French author Thélyson Orélien is facing allegations that artificial intelligence was used extensively to write his award-winning debut novel, C’était ça ou mourir. The 38-year-old Canadian-Haitian writer recently won the Prix du Roman Fnac and is also a finalist for the Goncourt and Renaudot literary prizes. A group called Balance ton Claude claimed that tests on several passages showed a strong AI-generated pattern, but Orélien has denied the allegations.

Orélien said he is working with his publisher to provide evidence that he wrote the novel himself. His publisher, Grasset, also defended him and described the accusations as damaging to a writer whose work is original. The novel follows a teacher fleeing gang violence in Haiti before eventually reaching Canada. Orélien has said its first draft was written in 2019, before generative AI tools became widely available.

The controversy has also renewed debate over the reliability of AI-detection software. Critics and researchers have pointed out that such systems can wrongly identify human writing as AI-generated and can also miss AI-written material, particularly after editing or paraphrasing. The dispute comes as the publishing industry continues to grapple with where to draw the line between human and AI-assisted creativity.

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Denmark Warns Russia Could Intensify Hybrid Warfare in Coming Months

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Denmark’s defence intelligence service has warned that Russia is likely to increase its hybrid warfare activities against Western countries and NATO in the coming months. The assessment points to a growing risk of attacks that could have greater consequences for targeted countries, amid heightened European concerns over sabotage and cyber threats.

The intelligence service said there is a low but growing risk of a limited military attack against one or more NATO countries bordering Russia. Potential actions could include drone or missile strikes on infrastructure supporting Ukraine, false-flag operations involving Ukrainian-made drones, or a limited deployment of Russian troops near a NATO border.

Intelligence chief Thomas Ahrenkiel said Russia’s objective could be to create divisions within NATO rather than seize territory. Meanwhile, Denmark’s Resilience Agency said Russia was likely to attempt destructive cyberattacks against Denmark and raised its threat level. Moscow has repeatedly denied involvement in hybrid warfare or sabotage operations in NATO countries.

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Italy’s Colosseum Closes After Worker Dies in Accident

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Italy’s Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli ordered the Colosseum in Rome to remain closed until Thursday following the death of 22-year-old technician Andrea Moretti in an overnight workplace accident. Moretti died after falling several metres while installing a new lighting system inside the ancient amphitheatre.

The Colosseum, built around 2,000 years ago, is Italy’s most visited tourist attraction and one of Rome’s most prominent landmarks. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed shock and sadness over the worker’s death, while Giuli also ordered the suspension of all construction and maintenance work at the site until further notice.

The initial decision to partially close the monument prompted protests from Italy’s largest trade union, CGIL, which called for a full closure and demanded clarification of the circumstances surrounding the accident. The incident comes less than a year after another worker died following the partial collapse of a medieval tower near the Colosseum.

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