Forestry is becoming digital and automated

TU Graz is launching the COMET project AutoForst for digitalisation and automation of the forestry value chain. The research project has a budget of 6 million euros and is being implemented in collaboration with three other universities and more than 20 i

Graz University of Technology

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Loading logs onto trucks is set to become safer

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Credit: FTG - TU Graz

With 440,000 employees and a value added of around 43 billion euros, the Austrian forestry and timber sector is a significant economic factor. However, the sector is suffering from a considerable shortage of skilled labour. “Forestry is characterised by physically demanding and sometimes dangerous work,” says Mario Hirz from the Institute of Automotive Engineering at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz), “Forestry companies cannot find enough people who are capable of carrying out the dangerous and difficult tasks.” Mario Hirz heads the recently launched COMET project AutoForst together with Christoph Stocker. Over the next four years, a consortium of three universities and more than 20 industrial partners will develop technical solutions to increase safety in forestry work, alleviate the labour shortage and make forest logistics and maintenance more efficient. The project budget amounts to 6 million euros, around half of which is contributed by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG).

“In the AutoForst project, we want to develop digital and automated systems that make work along the forestry value chain more efficient, easier and safer. This will also make forestry work more attractive to new groups of people,” explains Mario Hirz. 

Automated assistance systems

The project consortium will develop fully automated machines and assistance systems designed to make dangerous activities, such as handling and loading tree trunks, safer. In a preliminary project, researchers at TU Graz and their partners have already developed a prototype of an automated loading crane that lifts logs onto the lorry independently; forestry workers only have to monitor the loading outside the danger zone. The COMET project now plans to develop sensor and camera systems that recognise critical situations during loading, such as when people approach the danger zone or when the supports of lorries and trailers are not correctly aligned. The sensor technology is also being used to automate the transport systems as a whole. 

Digitalisation of forest logistics

Forestry offers a wide range of potential for the use of digital technologies. The Autoforst consortium will conduct research into processes and solutions with which comprehensive data can already be collected, processed and made available online in the forest. “The systems will record key parameters such as wood type, quality and diameter directly when the tree trunks are harvested and forward the data to the owners in real time,” explains Mario Hirz. In addition, it should be possible to track the wood along the entire logistics chain in order to organise processes at customers such as sawmills or paper manufacturers more efficiently.

Using drones against the bark beetle

Sustainable forest management should also benefit from digital technologies. One example of this includes drones equipped with cameras that automatically recognise diseased trees. “In the event of a bark beetle infestation, the diseased trees must be removed from the forest within a few days to prevent the insects from spreading further,” says Mario Hirz. Drones save an enormous amount of time here.

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London’s murder rate at record low as mayor says it disproves Trump's 'dystopian' claims

Copyright AP Photo

By Gavin Blackburn

Published on 12/01/2026 - EURONEWS

The Metropolitan Police force says the rate by population is the lowest since comparable records began in 1997, at 1.1 murders for every 100,000 people.

London's murder rate fell to its lowest level in decades in 2025, officials said on Monday, with Mayor Sadiq Khan saying the figures disprove claims by US President Donald Trump and other critics that crime is out of control in Britain's capital.

Police recorded 97 homicides in London in 2025, down from 109 in 2024 and the fewest since 2014.

The Metropolitan Police force says the rate by population is the lowest since comparable records began in 1997, at 1.1 murders for every 100,000 people.

That compares to 1.6 per 100,000 in Paris, 2.8 in New York and 3.2 in Berlin, the force said.

"There are some politicians and commentators who've been spamming social media with an endless stream of distortions and untruths, painting an image of a dystopian London," Khan said.

"And nothing could be further from the truth."

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks during an interview in London, 12 January, 2026 AP Photo

Trump, who has been sniping at Khan for a decade, said in September that crime in the city is "through the roof".

He has called Khan a "stone-cold loser," a "nasty person" and, in front of the UN General Assembly in September, a "terrible, terrible mayor."

City officials say a combination of targeted policing aimed at organised crime and a violence reduction unit that aims to stop young people getting involved with gangs has helped reduce violent crime.

While the murder rate has gone down, other crimes such as phone-snatching and shoplifting have been on the rise, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales, which asks people about their experience of crime rather than relying on police figures, found that overall crime rose by 7% in the year to March 2025 compared with the previous 12 months, although it remains significantly lower than in 2017.

Arguments that London is a crime-plagued dystopia under Khan have mushroomed on social media platforms, including the Elon Musk-owned X and are echoed by opposition politicians, often tied to anti-immigrant views.

"There are certain politicians, certain commentators who have been using London as a punchbag" to fit their own political agenda, Khan said.

"London is, in my view, the best city in the world. We are liberal, we are progressive, we are diverse. And we are incredibly successful," he said.

London 'number one city in the world,' Khan claims

Khan said London is the "number one city in the world for tourism, the sporting capital of the world, the cultural capital of the world, more international students than in any city in the world, a record amount of foreign direct investment."

"Last year, more Americans came to London to study or to work or to invest since records began. So we're the antithesis to everything these nativists believe in. And if you're President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, or if you're an imitator in Europe or indeed in the UK, I can see why this is a problem to you," he added

London ranked third globally for international tourist arrivals in 2025 with 22.7 million visitors, according to Euromonitor. Bangkok topped the rankings with 30.3 million visitors, followed by Hong Kong. London held second place in the 2024 rankings after Istanbul, but has never ranked first in international arrivals.

In Europe, Rome estimated it had a record year, with between 30 million and 38 million visitors in 2025, mostly due to the Catholic Church's Holy Jubilee celebrations.

Greater London attracted 265 foreign direct investment projects in 2024, making it Europe's leading region, but this represented a 31% decline from 359 projects in 2023.

The US remains the largest source of tourists to London, but was overtaken by India as the top source of technology-related foreign direct investment to the UK for the first time in 2024. US tech-related foreign direct investment in the UK fell 80% between 2019 and 2024.

US freezes immigrant visa processing for 75 countries including Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan

Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are listed in the new travel ban from the Trump administration citing Citizenship by Investment concerns. / bne IntelliNews

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By bnm Gulf bureau January 14, 2026

The United States will freeze immigrant visa processing for 75 countries starting on January 21 as part of efforts to prevent applicants deemed likely to rely on public benefits from entering the country, Fox News Digital reported on January 14.

According to the US, Central Asian and Caucasus states like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Georgia were selected due to data showing high rates of visa overstays, welfare dependency risks and consular concerns over weak local economies and fraud histories. Under tightened “public charge” rules, officials deem applicants from these regions likely to burden US taxpayers, prioritising self-sufficient immigrants as part of Trump’s immigration crackdown.

A State Department leaked memo directs consular officers to refuse visas under existing law while the department reassesses screening and vetting procedures. The pause will continue indefinitely until the reassessment is completed, according to the memo.

Tommy Piggott, State Department spokesperson, said the department will use its authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States.

"Immigration from these 75 countries will be paused whilst the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits," Piggott said.

The guidance instructs consular officers to deny visas to applicants deemed likely to rely on public benefits, weighing factors including health, age, English proficiency, finances and potential need for long-term medical care.

Older or overweight applicants, as well as those who have had any past use of government cash assistance or institutionalisation, could be denied.

Somalia has drawn heightened scrutiny from federal officials following a fraud scandal centred in Minnesota, where prosecutors uncovered abuse of taxpayer-funded benefit programmes. Many of those involved are Somali nationals or Somali-Americans.

The 75 countries affected are Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Yemen.

Exceptions to the pause will be "very limited" and only allowed after an applicant has cleared public charge considerations, the State Department said.

 

Mexico moves to contain US military pressure after Trump threats

Internal deliberations within Sheinbaum’s cabinet reflect anxiety. While there is broad agreement on opposing US intervention, there is disagreement over how publicly confrontational Mexico should be.

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By Alek Buttermann January 13, 2026

The latest phone call between Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and US President Donald Trump was not significant because of its duration or tone, but for what it revealed about the current balance of power in the bilateral relationship. The 15-minute exchange, confirmed by the Mexican government on January 12, functioned as an exercise in crisis containment rather than diplomacy in the conventional sense. 

According to the Mexican presidency, Trump again raised the possibility of direct US military involvement in Mexico’s fight against organised crime, an option the country explicitly rejected on constitutional and sovereignty grounds.

The episode must be understood within a broader strategic context. Since returning to the White House last year, Trump has ramped up his rhetoric around narcotics, singling out Mexican cartels as a direct national security threat to the United States. That framing hardened after the US military operation in Venezuela earlier this month, which resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro. 

The Venezuela operation has shifted perceptions in Mexico City from viewing Trump’s threats as rhetorical pressure to treating them as credible policy options, according to senior Mexican officials cited by The New York Times.

Against that backdrop, the phone call was less about persuasion than boundary-setting. Sheinbaum’s central objective was to eliminate ambiguity regarding US “assistance” on Mexican soil. She reiterated that cooperation was acceptable, intervention was not, and that any security collaboration must respect Mexico’s constitutional prohibition on foreign military operations. 

This position, she said, was acknowledged during the call, with no further insistence from Trump, as she publicly stated during her morning briefing.

Rather than engaging Trump on principles alone, Sheinbaum anchored her argument in data-backed operational outcomes. She cited a reduction of up to 50% in fentanyl crossings into the United States and a 43% decline in fentanyl-related deaths north of the border, figures she attributed to joint security efforts. 

She also highlighted a 40% reduction in homicides in Mexico since she took office, the dismantling of dozens of clandestine drug laboratories, and tens of thousands of arrests, data reiterated by El País.

A tactical calculation underpins this emphasis. Trump has repeatedly argued that Mexico is “captured” by organised crime and Sheinbaum is afraid of facing cartels, a claim he does not need to substantiate legally, only politically. In response, Mexico’s strategy has been to undermine the usefulness of that narrative by demonstrating measurable enforcement outcomes, even if those outcomes do not fully align with Trump’s preferred rhetoric of militarised escalation.

According to El País, senior Mexican officials privately describe this approach as “delivering the homework”: securing the northern border with 10,000 troops, expanding intelligence-sharing, extraditing high-value targets, and sharply reducing irregular migration flows. The broader objective is not limited to domestic security, but aims to remove any pretext for unilateral US action.

Venezuela as a warning signal

The discussion of Venezuela during the call underscored the depth of Mexico's concern. According to the presidency, Trump inquired directly about Mexico’s position on the US intervention and Maduro’s ouster. Sheinbaum responded by restating Mexico’s long-standing doctrine of non-intervention, rooted in its constitution. She condemned the operation without escalating the exchange, and the issue was dropped, according to her own account.

However, the Venezuelan precedent has had a profound impact on Mexican threat perception. US prosecutors have accused Maduro of narcoterrorism and explicitly linked his government to Mexican cartels, mentioning Mexico dozens of times in the indictment, according to The New York Times. 

Mexican officials are acutely sensitive to any narrative that associates their state with Venezuela’s legal or political situation, fearing it could be used to justify extraordinary measures.

Internal deliberations within Sheinbaum’s cabinet reflect this anxiety. While there is broad agreement on opposing US intervention, there is disagreement over how publicly confrontational Mexico should be.

Some officials worry that repeated condemnations of US actions could harden Washington’s stance during upcoming trade and tariff negotiations, including the high-stakes review of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement later this year.

Publicly, US officials have struck a conciliatory tone. US ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson described the current relationship as the “most cooperative and mutually beneficial of recent decades” following the call between the two presidents, as stated in a public message. 

That assessment aligns with the operational reality: intelligence cooperation has expanded, arms trafficking is now a formal item on the bilateral agenda, and high-level meetings are continuing, according to Mexican government briefings reported by multiple outlets.

Yet analysts warn against overinterpreting diplomatic language. Guadalupe Correa Cabrera of George Mason University told DW that structural asymmetry leaves Mexico with limited leverage and that unilateral US actions, including targeted strikes or covert operations, cannot be ruled out.

Ulises Flores Llanos of FLACSO offered a more cautious assessment, telling DW that Trump’s confrontational rhetoric is often followed by negotiation, but still requires careful management.

The upcoming binational security meeting in Washington on January 22-23 will be a critical indicator. Mexican officials, including the foreign minister and the security secretary, are expected to present updated enforcement data and seek firm commitments against unilateral action. According to El Economista, the outcome will clarify whether the United States is prepared to operate within existing coordination mechanisms or intends to escalate demands and, potentially, take unilateral action.

Mexico’s current posture is best described as defensive pragmatism. Sheinbaum has avoided public confrontation, prioritised direct communication, and reinforced enforcement to buy diplomatic space. 

This strategy has temporarily reduced pressure, as reflected in the decline of Mexico-related rhetoric in US media following the call, a trend tracked internally by the Mexican government. 

But the margin for error is minimal. Trump’s willingness to weaponise security, trade, and legal narratives simultaneously means that Mexico’s compliance must be continuous, visible, and politically legible to Washington. In this environment, results are not merely policy outcomes; they are instruments of deterrence.

The 15-minute phone call did not resolve the underlying tension. It postponed it. What follows, not what was said, will determine whether containment remains viable or whether the relationship enters a phase of open coercion.

COMMENT: Instability in Iran bigger threat to global oil markets than Venezuela

Iran has a lot more oil, oil that it is actaully producing and selling, than Venezuela. If that oil goes off line that will be a much bigger problem for global markets and China in particular. / bne IntelliNews

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By Ben Aris in Berlin January 14, 2026

The mass demonstrations rocking Iran presents a far more serious risk to global oil markets than the US decapitation of Venezuela, according to note by Kieran Tompkins, Senior Climate and Commodities Economist at Capital Economics.

Both the scale of Iran’s oil production and the number of potential flashpoints that could disrupt supply make it “a much thornier problem for the global oil market,” says Tompkins.

“Iran accounted for 4.7mn bpd, or 4.4%, of global oil supply last year,” he noted. “That’s despite a backdrop of international sanctions that have caused oil output to fluctuate since the 2010s.” By contrast, Venezuela’s contribution is far smaller, about 800,000 barrels a day in 2025, and market reactions to Operation Maduro on January 3 reflected this. Brent crude prices have risen by approximately 6% since January 8, a movement Tompkins attributes to increased investor perception of geopolitical risk stemming from Iran not Venezuela.

Tompkins warned that some plausible escalation scenarios could “severely” reduce the current global oil surplus, which Capital Economics forecasts at around 3mn bpd in 2024. “Some of these flashpoints could halve that surplus,” he said.

While Iran is also a major natural gas producer — the world’s third largest in 2023, according to the US Energy Information Administration — its impact on the global gas market is limited.

“The country consumes almost all of its gas domestically,” Tompkins noted, with only 1% of global exports in 2023 coming from Iran, mostly via pipeline to Turkey and Iraq. That share has likely declined further due to the continued expansion of global LNG trade.

Looking to the past, Tompkins pointed to historic episodes in which Iranian political instability sharply impacted output. “Oil production peaked at 6mn bpd before the Iranian Revolution,” he said, “but slumped following politically-motivated strikes by oil workers and a flight of foreign expertise.” With exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi now calling for strikes in key sectors, including oil, there are growing concerns that history could repeat itself.

The most severe risks stem from the possibility of military conflict. As bne IntelliNews reported, Arab leaders across the region are lobbying the White House to forego a mooted large-scale military strike on Iran to “help” the protestors. They fear regional instability or a possible regional war and the unleashing of extremist elements.

“That would risk oil infrastructure being targeted, or Iran retaliating by attempting to restrict shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz,” Tompkins warned. The strategic waterway handles a fifth of the whole world’s oil transits and LNG shipments; any disruption could send global prices soaring. However, he noted that both outcomes were avoided during the 12-day Israel–Iran conflict in 2025, suggesting that such scenarios remain low probability — for now.

US policy could also factor into the risk calculus. Tompkins recalled that former President Donald Trump threatened 25% secondary tariffs on countries trading with Iran, though similar threats toward Venezuela and Russia did not materialise.

“Iran has increasingly relied on the shadow fleet and a smaller number of buyers,” he said, estimating that China takes in around 90% of Iran’s 1.8mn bpd of seaborne exports.

Looking ahead, Tompkins argued that Iran has the resource base to become a far more prominent energy player — but only if sanctions are lifted and foreign investment returns.

“Iran has the world’s third-largest oil reserves and the second-largest gas reserves,” he said. “But the sector has lacked the technology and investment needed to ramp up production meaningfully.” Even so, low extraction costs in the region mean that, under different circumstances, Iranian oil could be highly competitive.

Iran internet blackout enters seventh day, isolating 90mn people

Netblocks notes longest-ever internet shutdown in Iran. / bne IntelliNews

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By bnm Tehran bureau January 14, 2026

Iran has entered the seventh day of a near-total telecommunications blackout, with the disruption passing 144 hours and ranking among the longest on record, NetBlocks reported on January 14.

The network monitoring organisation said the blackout continues to isolate over 90 million Iranians from the outside world. Network data show the telecommunications shutdown began as nationwide protests erupted across the Islamic Republic.

According to several calls made to Iran by bne IntelliNews, locals were entirely uncontactable; however, several reports suggest that one-way calls to foreign telephone numbers were made. Social messaging apps have also been entirely disconnected, including several Iranian newspapers, who have been entirely disconnected; others have, however, somehow managed to stay online via government internet networks. 

The extended disruption comes as Iran faces its most significant wave of civil unrest in decades. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported on January 14 that at least 2,571 people have been killed during the protests, a death toll that surpasses any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades.

Details of the government crackdown began emerging on January 13 as some Iranians were able to make international phone calls for the first time in days after authorities initially severed nationwide communications when the demonstrations began.

Earlier, on January 14, Iran's judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei indicated that authorities would conduct swift trials and executions for detained protesters. US President Donald Trump warned he would "take very strong action" if executions proceed and announced he was terminating negotiations with Iranian leaders.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on January 13 that the government's failure to address complaints from merchants and guild members in a timely manner created conditions for the protests, according to Tasnim News Agency.

The telecommunications blackout has prevented independent verification of events inside Iran and hindered communication between protesters and international media organisations. Previous internet shutdowns in Iran during the 2019 protests lasted approximately one week.