Author: staff

Russian gas flows to Europe through Ukraine were shut off this month, leading to fierce complaints from Slovakia and Hungary, which were still receiving significant deliveries from Russia. Zelenskyy made the comments during a press conference with Moldovan President Maia Sandu. During talks on Saturday, the pair agreed to “provide urgent and concrete solutions” to the energy crisis in Moldova’s Russian-backed breakaway region of Transnistria, after Moscow shut off the flow of gas via Ukraine and has so far refused to use alternative routes. “We will not let the Russians profit,” Zelenskyy said. “But will we let the Azerbaijanis earn?…

Wild boars are known for their love of plowing up meadows and pastures. For some people, they are not more than a tasty roast. In France, however, one has conquered hearts. A wild boar under threat of euthanasia by local authorities has become a celebrity in France, with support from animal rights campaigners and French actress Brigitte Bardot. The boar, named Rillette after a slow-cooked pork spread, was rescued by Elodie Cappé, the owner of Saint-Clair equine farm in Chaource, north-central France.Rillette was first found injured in April 2023 after she escaped from a hunting trip. Cappé cared for the boar,…

Thousands are attempting to help lessen the damage, but some volunteers say the government is not doing enough to help. Russian officials have warned of severe environmental damage after tons of fuel oil spilled out of two storm-stricken tankers more than two weeks ago in the Kerch Strait, near Moscow-occupied Crimea.Local news reports say that, from Wednesday, more than 10,000 people – mostly volunteers – raced to rescue wildlife and remove vast amounts of sand saturated with mazut, a heavy, low-quality oil product.Last week, authorities in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region announced a region-wide emergency as the fuel oil continued washing…

“We understand that this country’s political leadership can’t imagine that anyone could act freely and independently without some kind of personal gain,” Maštalír said. The protest rallies, which happened simultaneously in more than 30 Slovak towns, were organized by the “Slovakia is Europe” NGO in response to a sharp foreign policy turn toward Moscow by Fico’s government since it took office in October 2023. In addition to their demands for good governance and a more transparent foreign policy, the organizers called on Fico to resign. Fico, who was a member of the Communist Party in the former Czechoslovakia and is…

Days before leaving office, Biden has made a move that environmental groups are “thrilled and thankful’’ for. In a last-minute bid to block Trump from expanding offshore oil and gas drilling, outgoing President Biden is banning new offshore drilling in most US coastal waters. Biden, whose term expires in two weeks, said he is using authority under the federal Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to protect offshore areas along the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and portions of Alaska’s Northern Bering Sea from future oil and gas leasing.“My decision reflects what coastal communities, businesses and beachgoers have…

The UK is lagging behind the rest of Europe with around two heat pumps per 1000 households. A total ban on gas boilers by 2035 is set to be scrapped by the UK government despite plans to drive up the use of heat pumps. Homeowners won’t now be forced to replace gas boilers with a green alternative when their home heating needs an upgrade, the UK’s i newspaper reported. New housebuilding standards, known as the future homes standard (FHS), are set to be published this year. These will reportedly still include a de facto ban on gas boilers in new…

Climate scientists describe Greenland as an open refrigerator door for a warming world. Remote, icy and mostly pristine, Greenland plays an outsized role in the daily weather experienced by billions of people and in the climate changes taking shape all over the planet.Greenland is where climate change, scarce resources, tense geopolitics and new trade patterns all intersect, said Ohio University security and environment professor Geoff Dabelko.The world’s largest island is now “central to the geopolitical, geoeconomic competition in many ways,” partly because of climate change, Dabelko said.Since his first term in office, President-elect Donald Trump has expressed interest in acquiring…

Hamas had announced the names of the soldiers — all women — on Friday. Karina Arif, Daniel Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Elbag had been in captivity since Oct. 7, 2023. Reuters reported that Israel would free 200 Palestinian prisoners in return. The swap is the second time hostages have been released under the terms of a cease-fire deal that has temporarily halted the 15-month-long war. Under the terms of the deal, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and Hamas will hand over 33 hostages. Hamas is believed to hold around 100 Israelis. The Israeli military said the freed…

Sustainable alternatives to rare metals are needed as the demand for batteries increases. Scientists have discovered a way to turn previously useless industrial waste into a vital material used in batteries. The waste molecule, triphenylphosphine oxide (TPPO), is produced in the manufacture of products like vitamin tablets. A new process discovered by scientists at Northwestern University in the US turns it into a useful agent for storing energy that could replace rare metals in some situations. Unlike more common lithium batteries, which store energy in electrodes, the redox flow batteries that can be created with this new process use a…

Then, on Wednesday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, an EPP politician, appeared to blame the EU’s new climate legislation — much of which has yet to come into effect — for the bloc’s high energy prices.  He called for a “review of all legal acts including those under the Green Deal” and for “courage to change those rules that might result in prohibitively high energy prices,” attacking, in particular, a carbon fee on fossil fuels used to heat homes and power cars coming into force in 2027. Tusk’s remarks were welcomed by conservative Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala. Another EPP politician, Romanian…