Bar

Maine lawmakers have backed a pause on new large data centres, putting the state on track to become the first in the US to slow construction tied to the intensifying AI boom. The measure cleared both the state house and senate and now heads to Democratic Governor Janet Mills, according to the bill’s sponsor, Representative Melanie Sachs. It will take effect unless Ms Mills decides to veto it. "This bill positions Maine to respond deliberately and responsibly to a rapidly evolving industry," said Ms Sachs. The rise of…

Spain will move to ban social media for under-16s and force platforms to adopt robust age checks, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced, positioning the country among a growing number of governments tightening rules to protect minors online from pornography, violence and manipulation. "Spain will ban access to social media for minors under the age of 16. Platforms will be required to implement effective age verification systems, not just checkboxes, but real barriers that work," Mr Sanchez told a summit in Dubai. Framing…

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — The death toll from the New Year’s Day bar fire at the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana rose to 41 after an 18-year-old victim died from injuries in a Zurich hospital, regional prosecutors said Saturday. “An 18-year-old Swiss national died at a hospital in Zurich on January 31,” Wallis canton’s public prosecutor, Beatrice Pilloud, said in a brief statement. “The death toll from the fire at Le Constellation bar on January 1, 2026 has now risen to 41.” The inferno, which tore through the basement…

A Swiss court has released on bail the co-owner of Le Constellation, the Crans-Montana bar where a New Year’s Day fire killed 40 people and injured 116, as investigators probe possible negligent offenses in one of the country’s deadliest recent nightlife disasters. The Compulsory Measures Court in the canton of Valais said it lifted the detention of Jacques Moretti, 49, after bail of 200,000 Swiss francs (about €215,600) was posted on his behalf. Moretti, a French national who co-owns the venue with his wife, Jessica, 39,…

A Swiss court has ordered that the co-owner of a bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana that caught fire on New Year’s Day, killing 40 people, must remain in custody as the criminal investigation proceeds. In a statement, the court said Jacques Moretti will be held for a provisional period of three months. The order can be reviewed if measures are taken to reduce the risk of flight, including the possibility of a security deposit. Prosecutors in the Valais canton initially ordered Moretti’s detention on Friday after a…

Switzerland will observe a national day of mourning today for the 40 people, many of them teenagers, killed when fire tore through the Le Constellation bar during New Year’s celebrations in the ski resort of Crans-Montana. A minute of silence is set for 2 p.m. local time, to be followed by church bells ringing across the Alpine nation. The government called the silence a “testament to the shared grief felt by the entire nation with all the families and friends directly affected.” The ceremony will be livestreamed on large…

Crans-Montana’s mayor said no official safety inspections were carried out at the Swiss bar where a New Year’s fire killed 40 people and injured 116, acknowledging systemic failures as the Alpine resort town prepares for a national day of mourning. “Periodic inspections were not conducted between 2020 and 2025. We bitterly regret this,” Mayor Nicolas Feraud told reporters five days after the blaze tore through Le Constellation bar in the early hours of Jan. 1. “We are profoundly sorry. We did not have an indication that the…

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — Swiss authorities said they have identified all 40 people killed in a New Year’s Day bar fire at this Alpine ski resort, intensifying pressure for answers as prosecutors investigate potential lapses in safety at the popular nightlife spot. Most of the victims were teenagers. Prosecutors in the canton of Valais said the blaze, which spread rapidly in the early hours of Jan. 1 in the basement of Le Constellation bar, was likely ignited by sparkling “fountain” candles that caught the ceiling alight.…

Swiss police have identified the bodies of four Swiss victims, including two minors, from the New Year’s bar fire that tore through Le Constellation in the Alpine resort of Crans-Montana, as the national death toll rose to 40 and families braced for further grim confirmations. Valais canton police said investigators identified a 21-year-old woman, an 18-year-old man, a 16-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy. Their remains have been returned to their families while authorities continue the painstaking process of confirming…

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — Swiss authorities are working to identify victims after a pre-dawn fire tore through Le Constellation, a popular bar in this Alpine resort town, turning New Year’s celebrations into a national tragedy and leaving more than 100 people injured. The first confirmed victim is 16-year-old Emanuele Galeppini, an Italian international golfer who had been living in Dubai, the Italian Golf Federation said. Galeppini was in Crans-Montana with his family and had gone to the bar with two friends, who escaped…