HRT

The EU is introducing two mandatory labels to make it easier for consumers to understand their rights when products like washing machines break down shortly after purchase. The labels are meant to clearly distinguish statutory warranty rights from voluntary commercial guarantees, so shoppers no longer have to guess what coverage applies when goods fail within weeks of buying them.

WhatsApp is introducing a new security barrier that blocks the messenger from running on devices with outdated operating system versions. The company says the measure is meant to protect users, since old systems no longer receive security updates. Notably, the app will still support Android 6, a version released in 2015, meaning the cutoff affects only much older systems. Users on affected devices will need to update their operating system or switch devices to keep using the service.

German public broadcaster Tagesschau reports that British Prime Minister Burnham has fuelled discussion about the United Kingdom possibly rejoining the European Union with a recent statement. The report notes there are plenty of reasons for closer UK-EU cooperation, but questions whether an actual return to the EU is realistic, revamping the debate over Brexit's legacy.

More than 40 percent of all bitcoin have not moved from their wallets in over three years, according to figures circulating in German-language crypto discussions. Commenters argue that this long-term holding shrinks the supply available on exchanges, so rising demand from institutions or ETFs meets an increasingly scarce market, which historically has driven sharper price increases.

Travel trade coverage highlights Shrtlst, a new platform aimed at people who aspire to luxury travel. The service is positioned to help users plan and access high-end travel experiences, and it has drawn attention in the travel industry press. Details on funding, founders or user numbers have not been disclosed in the coverage so far.

The justice ministry of Hesse, led by the Christian Democrats, has ordered a review into whether judges and prosecutors who signed a call to initiate a ban procedure against the AfD could face disciplinary measures. The move has sparked debate about judicial independence and freedom of expression for public-sector legal professionals in Germany.

New figures compiled with Statista are prompting debate over which country holds the most artificial intelligence patents, with China, the United States and European countries including France in the frame. Commenters are tying patent rankings to wider questions of economic strategy, data centre infrastructure, investment levels and the race between open and proprietary AI models.

Promoted basketball side Phoenix Hagen remain without a win in the German Basketball Bundesliga after losing 88:93 at home to the Skyliners Frankfurt. Radii Caisin led Frankfurt with a new career-best performance, while Hagen's players under coach Chris Harris were praised for a courageous effort that ultimately went unrewarded.

Ukraine reports that its air defence forces intercepted more than 91% of the drones launched by Russia during a large overnight attack. German-language Ukraine news outlets are carrying the figure, highlighting the scale of the nightly drone bombardments and the performance of Ukraine's interception systems in repelling most of them.

Lower Saxony's Bundesliga basketball clubs have swapped roles this season. Vechta, who reached the playoff quarter-finals and qualified for the Champions League, have slumped after a poor start to the campaign, with the early euphoria giving way to sober reflection. Braunschweig, meanwhile, entered the league on a wildcard but are sitting near the top of the table, a surprising turnaround for the promoted side.

A German commentator recalls how companies switched from reusable to disposable materials last century to cut costs, and now suggests AI could help build a solid case for why reusable packaging is more sustainable and economically sensible. The remark has sparked discussion about whether the shift back to Mehrweg (reusables) is finally getting the well-founded justification it lacked decades ago, combining sustainability arguments with modern technology.

The diagnostic app Network-Doctor offers guided A/B tests comparing WiFi against mobile connections, and against usage right next to the router, to show whether slow internet stems from the home network, the provider, or coverage. Users discuss whether connection problems lie with their ISP or their own WiFi setup.

Poland has introduced a windfall profit tax on mineral oil companies, targeting excess profits made during the period of high energy prices. The measure follows similar moves across Europe, where governments have sought to make energy firms contribute part of their windfall earnings to relief programmes for consumers facing high fuel and heating costs.

Croatian media are covering the development of the counties in the Slavonia region of eastern Croatia. Reports aired on national television news address economic and infrastructure progress in the area, a long-standing topic given Slavonia's population decline and lagging investment compared with Zagreb and the coast.

A buyer of a second-hand AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor found that Valorant and other Riot Games titles would not run on his PC. The reason: the previous owner had been banned for cheating, and Riot's anti-cheat hardware bans are tied to the system, leaving the innocent new owner locked out of the games.

ProShares has declared a monthly distribution of $0.0390 per share for its Short Bitcoin ETF, the fund designed to deliver inverse exposure to bitcoin's daily performance. The payout gives investors in the hedging product a small periodic income component, and the announcement is circulating among crypto and ETF traders tracking bitcoin-linked fund flows.

Mercedes is running a special livery at the Formula 1 race in Malaysia while also introducing the long-awaited upgrade package for its W17 car. The team says it is still too early for any championship decision, so the focus is on evaluating whether the new parts deliver the expected performance gain.