Alphen aan den Rijn/Berlin – January 7, 2026 – Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory announced today the launch of the Libra Legal AI Workspace in the Netherlands. The solution combines Libra’s leading AI technology with Wolters Kluwer’s reliable and authoritative legal content offering and signifies the first tangible result of the acquisition of Libra Technology in November 2025.
The Libra Legal AI Workspace provides users with an integrated working environment for legal research, drafting, review and analysis of legal documents, while having direct access to Wolters Kluwer legal content including legislation, commentaries, specialist literature, practical guides and digital formats. The content is seamlessly connected with Libra’s generative AI capabilities and supports legal workflows across the entire process.
For law firms and corporate legal departments in the Netherlands, Wolters Kluwer and Libra set new standards for using AI in the legal profession:
Tailored, AI-powered workspace for research, analysis, and document creation, seamlessly integrated into existing processes and workflows.
Trusted AI outputs based on current, curated and country-specific legal content from one of the most renowned information providers.
Significantly higher efficiency by bringing together all legal workflows for the first time in a single, central Legal AI Workspace.
Comprehensive transparency and traceability of sources, ensuring that quality, liability, and compliance requirements are met with confidence.
Rimco Spanjer, VP & Managing Director Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory Benelux: “Being deeply rooted in the workflows of our customers with our content solutions, we are happy to enhance our offerings in the Netherlands by launching the Libra Legal AI Workspace. The integrated AI working environment combines high-quality legal content from Wolters Kluwer and innovative technology, making the day-to-day work of law firms and corporate legal departments significantly more efficient.”
Viktor von Essen, Co-Founder and CEO of Libra: “We are delighted to start our pan-European expansion with the market entry in the Netherlands. It allows us to immediately showcase the full potential of the Libra Legal AI Workspace in one of Wolters Kluwer’s core markets. We are looking forward to launching Libra in further European countries soon.”
As of today, existing Wolters Kluwer customers in the Netherlands can start a free trial version of the Libra Legal AI Workspace immediately. More information can found on www.libratech.ai/nl.
The City of Toronto, in partnership with United Way of Greater Toronto, has opened nominations for the 2026 Toronto Community Champion Award. Launched in 2023, this annual program celebrates community organizations that strengthen Toronto, support residents and foster inclusion, with a focus on those serving Indigenous, Black and other equity-deserving groups.
Residents can nominate organizations based on their lived/living experiences, highlighting the work of non-profit organizations who are making a difference in their communities.
Nominations will be reviewed by a panel of community leaders. Award recipients will be selected from organizations that:
are community-focused and adapt their services to respond to community needs
demonstrate an inclusive and innovative approach to their work
serve Indigenous, Black and/or equity-deserving groups and communities
provide community service as their primary focus rather than fundraising or grant-making
have not previously received a Toronto Community Champion Award or another City award.
To be eligible, nominated organizations must:
be based in Toronto with most programs/services offered to Toronto residents and have an office/location in Toronto
operate as a not-for-profit or charitable organization, or be grassroots serving Indigenous, Black and/or other equity-deserving groups
have a volunteer board of directors, executive or committee made up of at least three people
not be a school, hospital or other government institution
not be a program or organization run on behalf of the City.
Nominations are open until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, February 1. Residents can submit a nomination or learn more on the City’s website: toronto.ca/communitychampion.
Award recipients will be announced and honoured at a ceremony on Tuesday, May 12, 2026.
Toronto is home to more than three million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture and innovation and climate action, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit the City’s website or follow us on X, Instagram or Facebook.
Americans have taken an increasingly dim view of sports betting in the seven years since the Supreme Court overturned a federal ban, as online wagers have skyrocketed, igniting concerns over the personal and social costs.
According to a recent poll from the Pew Research Center, 43 percent of U.S. adults say the fact that sports betting is now legal in much of the country is a bad thing for society. That’s up from 34 percent in 2022.
Harvard experts and others suggest that gambling addiction appears to be growing as a public health concern for individuals, and some see the likelihood of wider economic fallout.
Counselors have reported an growing number of patients with gambling problems. And a February study in JAMA Internal Medicine noted that internet searches for gambling-addiction help have risen 23 percent nationally from the 2018 court ruling through June 2024.
“When new forms of gambling appear, the rate of savings go down, then you see the rate of credit card defaults going up. And you see the rate of mortgage defaults going up. So these are long-term financial and societal costs with broad implications,” said Malcolm Sparrow, professor of the practice of public management at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
“Having it on your phone with push notifications and constant advertisements is able to kind of hijack your brain in a really fascinating way. Before, you’d have to drive to a casino, and I think that served as a bit of a barrier.”
Spencer Andrews
In the U.S., the floodgates for sports betting were opened in 2018 following a Supreme Court decision to overturn a federal sports gambling ban and turn over regulation to state governments. Currently, 39 U.S. states have passed legislation legalizing sports betting in some form.
The JAMA study found that total sports wagers increased from $4.9 billion during 2017 to $121.1 billion during 2023, with 94 percent of wagers during 2023 being placed online.
“It takes between five and seven years before countries become more painfully aware of all the misery that increased access wreaks on public health, public finances, and so on,” said Sparrow, much of whose work involves who studying the regulation of societal risks, including gambling.
The initial push for legalization stemmed from a desire for state governments to create an alternate form of tax revenue. Lobbyists for sports betting companies have downplayed the addictive nature of the behavior, experts say.
“It made a lot of sense to do. It was popular, and everyone was going to make money off of it,” said Spencer Andrews, a student fellow at Harvard’s Petrie-Flom Center. Andrews, who spent several years as a research fellow at the National Institutes of Health, is the author of a two-part series for the Bill of Health Blog regarding the dangers of sports gambling.
“I just think it was a short-sighted decision,” he said. “In the end, as ubiquitous as it is now, it’s clearly gotten out of hand.”
In his series Andrews picks up on an aspect of sports betting that, according to psychologists, lends itself to addictive behavior.
“Having it on your phone with push notifications and constant advertisements is able to kind of hijack your brain in a really fascinating way,” he said. “Before, you’d have to drive to a casino, and I think that served as a bit of a barrier.”
Debi LaPlante, director of the Division on Addiction at the Cambridge Health Alliance and an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, said she thinks it may be hard for clinicians to spot and treat negative sports betting behaviors because most have so little experience with it.
“Many healthcare providers don’t have the knowledge, skills, or tools to address gambling-related problems among their clients and patients,” she said.
LaPlante suggests making screening for gambling widely available for healthcare professionals to better connect people to help.
“Sometimes people don’t recognize when gambling is causing a problem,” she said.
Sparrow added that research suggests that even mild participation in sports betting may be harmful.
“We suspect up to 50 percent of gamblers suffer some degree of harm and regret, and a much broader definition say it’s having an adverse effect on their life, and they’ve tried to stop but can’t,” he said. “Now that’s not enough to get you designated as a gambler, but it still means it’s having a lasting detrimental effect in one dimension of life or another.”
Some safeguards have been implemented in recent years. Some sports betting apps allow users to set loss limits, and nearly every advertisement for sports betting across the U.S. is accompanied by addiction helpline information.
Andrews added that banning advertising during sports events may help state governments cut down on risky betting.
“It’s kind of like a cigarette brand advertising at a nicotine lovers conference or something. It’s a cheat code,” he said. “At the end of the day, the government owes their consumers a protection from being led astray by private interests. And I think taking a step back and letting anything happen here is just not the answer.”
Sparrow said another strategy is for states that haven’t approved online sports betting to stand firm.
“The industry would like to have us all believe that it’s inevitable all 50 will get there eventually,” he said. “The economic benefits are grossly over-emphasized in the policy debates leading up to legalization or increased legalization, and that’s a deliberate tactic on behalf of the industry.”
Samsung Tech Forum series continues at CES 2026 with industry leaders convening to explore the evolution of streaming
1/6/2026
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. held “FAST Forward: How New Streaming Models Are Shaping the Next Generation of TV” as part of its Tech Forum panel series at CES 2026. Taking place at The Wynn in Las Vegas, Nevada, the panel brought together leaders from entertainment and media to explore the evolution of streaming and the rapid rise of free-ad-supported television (FAST).
The session highlighted the interconnected relationship between today’s rapidly evolving consumer behaviors and preferences, the transformation of content by technology and monetization models, the expanding role of creators as studios and the ways in which interactive and live experiences are catalyzing a shift from passive viewing into active engagement.
Moderated by Natalie Jarvey of The Ankler, the panel featured Salek Brodsky, SVP and Global Head of Samsung TV Plus; Alessandra Catanese, CEO of Smosh and Bruce Casino, EVP, Sales & Distribution, U.S., NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution.
FAST Gains Momentum as Audiences Recalibrate Value
As audiences grapple with subscription fatigue and a fragmented streaming landscape, the panel focused on how FAST is restoring simplicity and value to television. Samsung TV Plus anchored the conversation as a platform designed to reduce friction, offering hundreds of live and on-demand channels in one free, easily accessible experience across Samsung TVs and devices worldwide.
“The TV experience today can often feel like too much work for the viewer,” said SVP Brodsky. “Our goal with Samsung TV Plus is to simplify television again and combine the power of linear discovery with a modern, connected experience that feels effortless, curated and truly valuable.”
The panelists emphasized that FAST has evolved into a core part of the streaming ecosystem, complementing subscription and traditional models while delivering premium, proven programming at scale. For Samsung TV Plus, that evolution is rooted in shared experiences that elevate viewing and meet users not just where they already are, but where they want to be.
Hybrid Models Redefine the Streaming Ecosystem
Panelists emphasized that the evolution of streaming is less about replacing traditional models and more about expanding how audiences engage with content. FAST, subscription and linear distribution models are increasingly working in tandem, allowing studios to extend the life of proven franchises, reach new viewers and unlock additional value without sacrificing performance elsewhere. By leveraging data, audience behavior and decades of content insight, media companies are deploying FAST to complement existing channels and create a more resilient and diversified ecosystem.
EVP Bruce Casino highlighted how this approach has enabled NBCUniversal to bring both classic and contemporary content to FAST audiences while continuing to see strong performance across platforms. “FAST doesn’t replace traditional distribution, it extends it,” said Casino. “What we’re seeing is that when great content shows up in multiple places, it creates incremental value rather than cannibalization — allowing franchises to thrive across FAST, streaming and linear channels.”
Creators Emerge as the New Studios
The panel also examined how the changing nature of consumer habits and television platforms means content creators do not have to work exclusively with legacy studios to reach a broad audience. As this medium expands from social platforms to the living room, FAST is helping bridge digital culture and traditional TV, while also serving to elevate its production quality.
Samsung TV Plus was highlighted as a platform that helps creators evolve from digital-first brands into full-fledged television studios, helping expand reach, unlock new monetization opportunities and introduce content to broader, global audiences.
One of the clearest examples of a brand that has taken the step from digital-first brand to legitimate TV studio is sketch comedy-improv collective Smosh. By launching a FAST channel with Samsung TV Plus, Smosh has been able to strengthen its connection with its already-dedicated fans while gaining access to a much larger viewer base. Due to this evolution, Smosh has enhanced long-term growth.
“Partnering with Samsung TV Plus allowed us to elevate our production quality and invest in the future of the Smosh brand,” said CEO Alessandra Catanese. “It was the right platform to help us reach a broader audience while positioning our content in a premium environment that supports where we’re headed as a company.”
LANSING, Mich. – Michigan’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by one-tenth of a percentage point between September and November, according to data released today by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget. Employment receded by 6,000 between September and November and the number of unemployed people fell by 7,000, resulting in a workforce decline of 13,000 during this period.
“Although the state lacked several key labor metrics for October, data for the two-month period from September to November revealed continued trends of a declining unemployment rate and total labor force,” said Wayne Rourke, labor market information director for Michigan’s Center for Data and Analytics. “Payroll job growth was marginal in November and showed little net change since April.”
October Estimates and the Federal Government Shutdown
Household survey: Due to the suspension of Federal government services from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12, October 2025 employment, labor force, and unemployment data will not be published. Household survey data were not collected for October 2025 and were not collected retroactively.
Establishment survey: The collection periods for October and November estimates were extended, which allowed October payroll jobs data to be made available.
For more information on the impact of the 2025 federal government shutdown on data availability, please go to www.bls.gov/cps/methods/2025-federal-government-shutdown-impact-cps.htm.
Labor force trends and highlights
Michigan’s labor force dropped by 13,000 workers between September and November and has fallen by 58,000, or 1.1 percent, since March 2025.
The total number of unemployed people in the state fell by 2.7 percent between September and November, whereas the national unemployment level rose by 3.0 percent during the same period.
Total employment in the state decreased by 0.6 percent over the year, while the national employment level advanced by 1.6 percent since November 2024.
The statewide labor force participation rate decreased by two-tenths of a percentage point between September and November to 61.1 percent. Michigan’s employment-population ratio receded by one-tenth of a percentage point during the same period to 58.1 percent.
Detroit region unemployment rate advances between September and November
The Detroit-Warren-Dearborn Metropolitan Statistical Area’s (MSA) seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose by 0.1 percentage points between September and November to 4.7 percent. Employment fell by 12,000, and total unemployment edged up by 1,000. The Detroit metro area labor force fell by 12,000 between September and November.
Over the year, the Detroit metro area jobless rate decreased by 0.3 percentage points. The region’s labor force was nearly unchanged, edging down by 1,000 since November 2024.
Michigan nonfarm payroll jobs increase during November
According to the monthly survey of employers, Michigan seasonally adjusted payroll employment rose by 3,000 in November, resulting in a job total of 4,539,000.
Industry employment trends and highlights
Statewide total nonfarm jobs advanced for the fifth consecutive month during November.
Monthly job gains were led by trade, transportation, and utilities and private education and health services, with employment increasing by 2,000 in each industry.
Seasonally adjusted payroll jobs rose by 40,000, or 0.9 percent, since November 2024.
Industries with the most pronounced over-the-year numerical job gains included private education and health services (+12,000), government (+11,000), and construction (+10,000).
For more detailed information, including data tables, view the full release.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nvidia, AMD and Intel all had important chip and AI platform announcements on the first day of CES 2026, but all audiences wanted to see more of was Star Wars and Jensen Huang’s little robot buddies.
CES is a huge opportunity annually for companies both large and small to parade products they plan to put on shelves this year. As predicted, artificial intelligence was anchored in nearly everything as tech firms continue to look for AI products that will attract customers.
Here are the highlights from Day 1:
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks about autonomous-driving vehicles during a Nvidia keynote address at CES 2026, an annual consumer electronics trade show, in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. January 5, 2026. Photo by Steve Marcus/REUTERS
Nvidia gets physical
The biggest buzzword in the air at CES is “physical AI,” Nvidia’s term for AI models that are trained in a virtual environment using computer generated, “synthetic” data, then deployed as physical machines once they’ve mastered their purpose.
CEO Jensen Huang showed off Cosmos, an AI foundation model trained on massive datasets, capable of simulating environments governed by actual physics. He also announced Alpamayo, an AI model specifically designed for autonomous driving. Huang revealed that Nvidia’s next generation AI superchip platform, dubbed Vera Rubin, is in full production, and that Nvidia has a new partnership with Siemens. All of this shows Nvidia is going to fight increased competition to retain its reputation as the backbone of the AI industry.
But once Huang called for two little, waddling, chirping robots to join him on stage, that’s all the audience wanted to see more of.
Lisa Su, CEO of AMD, speaks during an AMD keynote address at CES 2026, an annual consumer electronics trade show, in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., January 5, 2026. Photo by Steve Marcus/REUTERS
The chips are back in town
AMD CEO Lisa Su announced a new line of its famed Ryzen AI processors as the company continues to expand its footprint in the world of AI-powered personal computers.
For gamers, AMD also showed off the latest version of its gaming-focused processor, the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D.
Meanwhile, Intel announced its new AI chip for laptops, Panther Lake (also known as the Intel Core Ultra Series 3), and said the company has plans to launch a new platform to address a growing market for handheld video gaming machines.
WATCH: What’s next for AI and has its explosive growth in 2025 created a bubble?
Intel, a Silicon Valley pioneer that enjoyed decades of growth as its processors powered the personal computer boom, fell into a slump after missing the shift to the mobile computing era unleashed by the iPhone. It fell further behind after the AI boom propelled Nvidia into the spotlight.
President Donald Trump’s administration stepped in recently to secure a 10% stake in the company, making the government one of Intel’s biggest shareholders. Federal officials said they invested in Intel to support U.S. technology and domestic manufacturing.
A Volkswagen concept I.D Buzz Uber driverless vehicle is shown at the convention center in Los Angeles, California, U.S. November 20, 2025. Photo by Mike Blake/REUTERS
Uber dives back into the robotaxi game
Uber is giving the public a first look at their robotaxi at CES this week. Uber, along with luxury electric vehicle manufacturer Lucid Motors and vehicle tech company Nuro, introduced an autonomous vehicle with an Uber-designed in-cabin experience.
Uber calls it the most luxurious robotaxi yet. It features cameras, sensors and radars that provide 360-degree perception and a low-profile roof “halo” with integrated LEDs that will display riders’ initials to help them spot their car and track their ride status. Inside, riders can personalize everything from climate and seat heating to music, while real-time visuals show exactly what the vehicle is seeing on the road and the route it plans to take.
Autonomous on-road testing began last month in San Francisco, led by Nuro, marking a major step toward what the companies said is a planned launch before the end of the year.
Star Wars and Lego announce a new partnership
When Lucasfilm chief creative officer David Filoni brought out an array of X-Wing pilots, Chewbacca, R2D2 and C-3PO, he won the Star Wars fandom for Lego.
Lego announced its Lego Smart Play platform on Monday, which introduces new smart bricks, tags and special minifigs for your collection. The new bricks contain sensors that enable them to sense light and distance, and to provide an array of responses, essentially lights and sounds, when they are used in unison.
Combine this with a newly announced partnership with the Star Wars franchise and now you can create your own interactive space battles and light-saber duels.
Steve Scarbrough, an eco solution sales with LG North America, fist bumps with the LG CLOiD robot during an LG Electronics news conference at CES 2026, an annual consumer electronics trade show, in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. January 5, 2026. Photo by Steve Marcus/REUTERS
LG reveals a new robot to help around the home
File this one under intrigued, for now.
The Korean tech giant gave the media a glimpse Monday of its humanoid robot that is designed to handle household chores such as folding laundry and fetching food. Although many companies have robots on display at CES, LG certainly is one of the biggest tech companies to promise to put a service robot in homes.
It will be on display beginning Tuesday, so we’ll have more to report soon.
What’s new with lollipops?
Music you can taste was on display Monday at CES: Lollipop Star unveiled a candy that plays music while you eat it. The company says it uses something called “bone induction technology,” which lets you hear songs — like tracks from Ice Spice and Akon — through the lollipop as you lick it or bite it in the back of your mouth, according to spokesperson Cassie Lawrence.
The musical lollipops will go on sale after CES on Lollipop Star’s website for $8.99 each. And if that wasn’t enough star power, Akon was expected to visit the company’s booth Tuesday when CES opens to the public.
Atlas holds up Hyundai’s (manufacturing) world
Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics publicly demonstrated its humanoid robot Atlas for the first time at the CES tech showcase, ratcheting up a competition with Tesla and other rivals to build robots that look like people and do things that people do.
The company said a version of the robot that will help assemble cars is already in production and will be deployed by 2028 at Hyundai’s electric vehicle manufacturing facility near Savannah, Georgia.
Delta gets spherical
Delta Air Lines is taking entertainment to new heights as the “official airline” of the Sphere in Las Vegas. The airline announced a new multiyear partnership with Sphere Entertainment Co. that it says will deliver premium experiences to the venue, including a Delta SKY360° Club lounge.
The carrier said SkyMiles members can unlock exclusive access to other experiences at the Sphere, starting during the final weekend of the Backstreet Boys’ residency in February with features including private suite seating, food and beverages. The partnership brings Delta branding to the Sphere’s massive exterior LED screen. Delta says more exclusive SkyMiles experiences will roll out in 2026 and beyond.
A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy.
Kawartha Lakes – Following the launch of the new Blue Box Recycling Program on January 1, Kawartha Lakes staff recognize that some residents have concerns or experienced challenges with their recycling collection. We are working with Circular Materials and Emterra to support a smooth adjustment period, and in the meantime, would like to clarify some information to reduce confusion.
Program roles
The new provincial recycling program was developed by Circular Materials to meet provincial regulations, with Emterra contracted to provide recycling collection services in Kawartha Lakes.
Program details specific to Kawartha Lakes are available on the Circular Materials website here.
Who to contact
Residents with recycling service questions or concerns should contact Emterra first, as they are responsible for service delivery and best equipped to respond:
Similar to municipal operations, Emterra does not respond to after-hours calls or weekend emails until the next business day. As a result, residents may experience longer response times due to higher-than-normal call and email volumes.
Escalations
If residents are eligible for service, have already contacted Emterra, and remain dissatisfied, the next step is to contact Circular Materials.
The recycling program is a function of the province and as such, further questions or concerns can be directed to:
Set-out and pick-up times
Residents must place garbage and recycling at the curb by 7am. Collection times may vary due to new routes, weather issues and collection volumes. Residents are also asked to wait until 7pm before reporting a missed collection to Emterra.
Alcoholic beverage containers
Provincial Blue Box regulations require a separate collection system for alcoholic beverage containers, such as the Ontario Deposit Return Program (also known as the “Bag It Back” program). Alcoholic beverage containers are not intended to be included in curbside recycling, despite having been picked up by the previous collector.
Residents should plan to use the separate collection system for these materials going forward, so materials don’t get left behind. More information, including information on where to return empties is available at Ontario Deposit Return Program website and The Beer Store website.
Weather and holiday impacts
Recycling continues on an alternating weekly schedule. If recycling is missed due to weather, the contractor will not return the following week to collect the missed material. Residents must wait until the next eligible collection week (two weeks later).
Alternatively, recycling materials are currently accepted at landfill sites during regular operating hours (note: fees apply to residential materials in quantities greater than 150kg).
Recycling containers
A list of recyclable materials is available on the Circular Materials Ontario website. If you are still unsure, acceptable containers should be confirmed with Emterra. The following guidelines also apply:
Residents requiring new or additional recycling bins must contact Emterra directly. Bins will not be replaced if lost or damaged by a resident, but should otherwise be provided.
Thank you
We acknowledge and appreciate your desire to organize your recycling correctly to maximize the municipality’s efforts, and we thank you for your patience as everyone adjusts to the new program. We will continue to share updates as information becomes available.
Freezing temperatures plunged swathes of Europe into a second day of travel chaos on Tuesday, with six people dying in weather-related accidents during the continent’s bitterest cold snap so far this winter.
Since the mercury dropped on Monday, five people have died in France and one woman in Bosnia as heavy snow and rain sparked floods and power outages across the Balkans.
With the chill making roads perilous, three people died in accidents linked to black ice in southwestern France on Monday morning, authorities said, while a taxi driver died in hospital on Monday night after his vehicle veered off the road and plunged into the Marne river in the Paris region.
After nearly 40 centimetres of snow fell in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo at the weekend, a woman died in hospital after being hit by a tree that collapsed under the weight of the snowfall on Monday, according to police.
Dutch weather woes
As snow fell across the Netherlands, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport reported that some 600 flights were grounded during the day as crews worked to clear runways and de-ice planes waiting to depart. More snow was forecast for the rest of the week.
Dutch airline KLM said it was running short of the glycol fluid it uses combined with hot water to de-ice planes before they take off. It said airports across Europe were facing similar problems after days of freezing temperatures.
Just getting to and from the airport outside the Dutch capital was a struggle with frozen points and an early morning software glitch throwing the Netherlands’ rail system into turmoil.
Limited rail services resumed later in the morning but routes around Amsterdam remained largely closed because of the icy conditions, national railway company NS said on its website.
It urged commuters to “only travel if it’s absolutely necessary.”
Commuters forced to drive to work also faced time-consuming journeys as a combination of the snow and ice snarled traffic on some highways.
Wet weather in Rome
In Rome, weeks of rain that have swollen the Tiber River over its banks again muted Pope Leo XIV’s Christmas-time celebrations.
St. Peter’s Square was only partially full on Tuesday as a few thousand people crowded under umbrellas to hear the pontiff deliver his Epiphany blessing from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Rome has been soaked by steady rains since before Christmas and Mayor Roberto Gualtieri issued an ordinance for Tuesday limiting public access to parks and other areas at risk for falling trees and flooding.
Farther north, snow dusted Bologna and gave skiers in the Dolomites reason to cheer, though freezing temperatures are forecast for much of the north and central part of the peninsula over the coming days.
Temperatures plummet in the UK
A cold snap sent the temperature in northern parts of Britain down to minus 12.5 degrees Celsius overnight, as snow disrupted rail, road and air travel and closed hundreds of schools.
Horse races and football matches have been called off because of snow and frost, while a power failure caused by ice closed Glasgow’s metro system.
Up to 15 centimetres of snow was forecast for northern Scotland on Tuesday, where some people have already been snowed in by previous falls.
Northeast Scotland lawmaker Andrew Bowie said the situation was “critical,” calling for soldiers to be sent in to clear snow and get food and medical supplies to stranded people.
Icy Balkans
Both heavy snow and heavy rain swept through Balkan countries, swelling rivers and creating problems in traffic and disruptions in power and water supplies.
In Serbia, some western municipalities introduced emergency measures due to bad weather.
While in Bosnia, black ice stopped cars and forced drivers to park on the side on their way to Mount Bjelasnica above Sarajevo on Tuesday morning.
Heavy wind and stormy seas battered the Adriatic coastline in Croatia and Montenegro. Video footage showed the sea sweeping through holiday cottages at Ada Bojana in southern Montenegro during a storm.
