Author: staff

Europe is being inundated with fake news about environmental, climate and energy policy, Poland’s environment minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska said on Tuesday as she opened an informal summit of EU climate ministers.Ministers, who met in Warsaw under the auspices of the Polish presidency of the EU Council, arrived with a fresh example following the catastrophic power failure in Spain and Portugal, which triggered a wave of conspiracy theories and false reports.“In recent months we’ve have more targeted disinformation used for political purposes, very often by our political adversaries,” Hennig-Kloska told reporters after the discussion, which was held behind closed doors.There was…

Russia launched drone strikes on civilian areas of Ukraine in another deadly overnight attack, Ukrainian authorities said on Tuesday, while Kyiv dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s declaration of a unilateral three-day ceasefire beginning next week. The assault damaged homes in Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region, authorities said, killing a 12-year-old girl and wounding three others, including a six-year-old.Russia also launched 20 drones and 31 powerful guided bombs at Kharkiv, the second-largest Ukrainian city, according to officials. Debris from an intercepted Russian drone started a fire in a neighbourhood of the capital, Kyiv, authorities said. Meanwhile, Russia’s defence ministry said on Tuesday…

The French ministry said that the hacking group was used “to target or compromize a dozen French entities” since 2021, and was also being used to put pressure on Ukraine’s infrastructure. France’s cybersecurity agency said in a paper that French ministerial agencies were targeted as well as various private sector actors, including in the finance and aerospace sectors. France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot posted a message on X saying France “observes, blocks and fights its adversaries,” along with a video about the “silent war” waged by Russia against France. It is rare for the French government to call out perpetrators…

While millions of people were impacted by a massive power blackout in Spain and Portugal on Monday, only parts of the southwest region of neighbouring France experienced any disruption. France’s swift disconnection from the Spanish grid spared the country a more severe impact, resulting in only a few minutes of outage.The question on many minds now is could such a large-scale grid failure happen in France?According to experts and French government officials, the risk is relatively low but not non-existent. France’s last major incident was in 1978France has not experienced a nationwide blackout of such a scale since December 1978,…

India’s commerce minister was speaking during his second day of talks with Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds as the two sides try to push the long-sought deal over the finish line after years of negotiations. British stakeholders expect to be briefed on the talks by Amanda Brooks, director general for Trade Negotiations at the Department for Business and Trade, at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. An announcement is coming “soon,” said a fourth person familiar with the negotiations. All were granted anonymity to speak freely. Talks on a bilateral trade deal began in early 2022. Then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised the…

Amazon has launched its first batch of internet satellites into orbit, the latest entry in the mega-constellation market currently dominated by SpaceX’s Starlink network.The United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket carried up 27 of Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellites, named after the frigid fringes of our solar system beyond Neptune.Once released in orbit, the satellites will eventually reach an altitude of nearly 630 km.Two test satellites were launched in 2023, also by an Atlas V.Project officials said major upgrades were made to the newest version. The latest satellites are coated with a mirror film designed to scatter reflected sunlight in an attempt to accommodate astronomers.Stargazers…

A painting by Mark Rothko has been damaged by a child during an “unguarded moment,” according to a Dutch museum.  The abstract painting from 1960, “Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8”, was “scratched” by a child visiting the Rotterdam gallery Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen where it was on display. The museum shared a statement: “The painting Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8 by Mark Rothko has sustained superficial damage after a child touched the painting when it was on display. As a result, small scratches are visible in the unvarnished paint layer in the lower part of the painting. Conservation expertise has…

It was a week when penguins, bonds, the new German coalition, Louisiana soybeans, fossil fuels, the EU’s Digital Markets Act, France’s creaking politics and American bourbon all became one news story. POLITICO explains what got us all yippy. Apr 11 11 mins read

While Malta suspended the scheme for Russian and Belarusian citizens following the invasion of Ukraine, recipients before the ban took effect included sanctioned Russian businesspeople, according to media reports. Malta’s government said it would comply with Tuesday’s ruling and update its laws accordingly, according to local media. “As always, the government of Malta respects the decisions of the courts,” the government said in a statement. “At this moment the legal implications of this judgment are being studied in detail, so that the regulatory framework on citizenship can then be brought in line with the principles outlined in the judgment.” The…

Four children were killed and several others were injured when a car crashed through a after-school camp building Monday afternoon in a town outside of Springfield, Illinois, police said. According to the local authorities, the officers responded at about 3:20 p.m. (22:30 CET) to calls about a vehicle fatally hitting three people outside, ramming through the building and then hitting another person before exiting the other side, Chatham Police Department Deputy Chief Scott Tarter said. Those killed were between the ages of 4 and 18, Illinois State Police said in an emailed statement. Several other people were hurt and taken…