- Ukraine’s AI ‘Mothership’ Drone Ready for First Autonomous Strikes Kyiv Post
- Ukraine’s AI-powered ‘mother drone’ sees first combat use, minister says The Kyiv Independent
- Ukraine scrambles to set up ‘drone wall’ as it braces for Russian summer offensive CNN
- Ukraine’s ‘drone war’ hastens development of autonomous weapons Financial Times
- If drone companies don't have their kit on the frontline in Ukraine they 'might as well give up,' says UK minister Yahoo
Carbon footprint of Israel’s war on Gaza exceeds that of many entire countries
Exclusive: Climate cost of war is more than than the combined 2023 emissions of Costa Rica and Estonia, study finds
The carbon footprint of the first 15 months of Israel’s war on Gaza will be greater than the annual planet-warming emissions of a hundred individual countries, exacerbating the global climate emergency on top of the huge civilian death toll, new research reveals.
A study shared exclusively with the Guardian found the long-term climate cost of destroying, clearing and rebuilding Gaza could top 31m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e). This is more than the combined 2023 annual greenhouse gases emitted by Costa Rica and Estonia, yet there is no obligation for states to report military emissions to the UN climate body.
Over 99% of the almost 1.89m tCO2e estimated to have been generated between the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack and the temporary ceasefire in January 2025 is attributed to Israel’s aerial bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza.
Almost 30% of greenhouse gases generated in that period came from the US sending 50,000 tonnes of weapons and other military supplies to Israel, mostly on cargo planes and ships from stockpiles in Europe. Another 20% is attributed to Israeli aircraft reconnaissance and bombing missions, tanks and fuel from other military vehicles, as well as CO2 generated by manufacturing and exploding the bombs and artillery.
Solar had generated as much as a quarter of Gaza’s electricity, representing one of the world’s highest shares, but most panels, and the territory’s only power plant, have been damaged or destroyed. Gaza’s limited access to electricity now mostly relies on diesel-guzzling generators that emitted just over 130,000 tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, or 7% of the total conflict emissions.
More than 40% of the total emissions were generated by the estimated 70,000 aid trucks Israel allowed into the Gaza Strip – which the UN has condemned as grossly insufficient to meet the basic humanitarian needs of 2.2m displaced and starving Palestinians.
Continue reading...‘The ultimate liberty’: how Nigel Farage became a cryptocurrency convert
Reform leader aims to make London a ‘crypto powerhouse’ and has previously hailed an ‘economic insurgency’
As Liz Truss prepared to make a U-turn on her mini-budget in October 2022, Nigel Farage discussed the economic instability on his GB News show. But he was not broadcasting from the channel’s studios in Paddington. Instead, Farage was speaking from a bitcoin conference in Amsterdam.
“With inflation forecast to perhaps get up to 20%, with increasing distrust of fiat currencies, people are looking for alternatives … Are you ready for bitcoin?” he said in his opening remarks.
Continue reading...Presidential vote likely to determine Poland’s place on the EU stage
Close-run race between pro-EU and nationalist candidates pits liberal vision against a radical-right, EU-critical stance
Poland’s presidential election runoff could have far-reaching implications for its place in Europe – either cementing the country’s hard-won seat at the EU’s top table, or heralding a return to altogether trickier times.
The mayor of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski, faces off against the historian Karol Nawrocki on Sunday in a neck-and-neck race, pitting a liberal vision of Poland at the heart of European policymaking against a nationalist, radical-right, EU-critical stance.
Continue reading...Poland’s Tight Election Puts Europe on Alert for Another Jolt – Bloomberg
- Poland’s Tight Election Puts Europe on Alert for Another Jolt Bloomberg
- High stakes as Poland heads to round two of presidential election Al Jazeera
- Karol Nawrocki, a possible Polish president with a shadowy past The Economist
- Polish knife-edge presidential vote pits liberal mayor against conservative BBC
- Skeletons in Nawrocki’s closet fail to dent his Polish presidential bid politico.eu
One Nation picks up four Senate spots, with surprise NSW seat for former British soldier Warwick Stacey
Final Senate result confirms pathway for Labor to pass legislation with either Coalition or Greens support alone, or majority of diverse crossbench
Full federal election results: live Australian Senate seat count
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One Nation has gained an unexpected Senate seat in New South Wales, taking Pauline Hanson’s party to four members in the upper house – equalling its best-ever result in a federal election.
Warwick Stacey, a former member of the British army, has snagged the sixth Senate seat in NSW and will join fellow new senator Tyron Whitten who was yesterday elected in Western Australia.
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Continue reading...North Korea’s Surging Military Aid to Russia Detailed in Report – Bloomberg
- North Korea’s Surging Military Aid to Russia Detailed in Report Bloomberg
- US and allies accuse North Korea and Russia of flagrantly violating UN sanctions in military deals AP News
- Ukrainian cities ‘terrorised’ by North Korean weapons in Russian hands – report The Guardian
- 100 Ballistic Missiles, Rocket Launchers. What N Korea Gave Russia: Report NDTV
- Russia's Reward to North Korea for Troops Revealed Newsweek
Hong Kong releases second group of democrats jailed for four years in national security trial
Among those freed was long-time political and LGBTQ activist Jimmy Sham, who also led one of Hong Kong’s largest pro-democracy groups
Four people jailed in the landmark national security trial of the “Hong Kong 47”, the pro-democracy figures accused of conspiracy to commit subversion, were freed on Friday after more than four years behind bars, the second group to be released in a month.
Among those freed was longtime political and LGBTQ activist Jimmy Sham, who also led one of Hong Kong’s largest pro-democracy groups, the Civil Human Rights Front, which disbanded in 2021.
Continue reading...Tariffs court fight threatens Trump’s power to wield his favourite economic weapon
Despite the legal mire, all signs point to this being a battle the Republican president won't give up easily.
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,191
These are the key events on day 1,191 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
‘You don’t love your country’: Conservative exposes ‘moral rot at the core of Trumpism’ – Alternet
Trump tariffs can stay in place for now, appeals court rules
The president's signature import taxes win a legal reprieve, as the White House rails against "activist judges".
Hamas says US ceasefire proposal means ‘continuation of killing’ in Gaza
Israel has agreed to the deal, according to the US, but Hamas said it does not meet its demands and is under discussion.
Woman’s life-saving treatment delayed by Trump cuts to NIH: ‘Cancer shouldn’t be political’
Natalie Phelps, who has stage 4 colorectal cancer, has raised the alarm over how patients in the agency’s clinical trials are facing setbacks in treatment
A 43-year-old woman and mother of two with advanced cancer says she is experiencing life-or-death delays in treatment because of the Trump administration’s cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Natalie Phelps, who has stage 4 colorectal cancer, has spoken publicly, raising the alarm about a setback in care for herself and others who are part of clinical trials run by the agency. Her story has made it into congressional hearings and spurred a spat between a Democratic senator and the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr. Behind the scenes, she and others are advocating to get her treatment started sooner.
Continue reading...Polish knife-edge presidential vote pits liberal mayor against conservative
Opinion polls say Rafal Trzaskowski and Karol Nawrocki are running neck and neck ahead of Sunday's vote.
Five musicians murdered in suspected Mexican cartel killing
Nine alleged members of the Gulf Cartel have been arrested.
Hamas official says it rejects new US Gaza ceasefire plan backed by Israel
The US says Israel has "signed off" on envoy Steve Witkoff's plan and that it is waiting for a formal response from Hamas.
Idyllic Swiss village stood for centuries – until a roaring glacier wiped it out
Nine million cubic metres of rock and ice came crashing down on Blatten after a landslide.
Idyllic Swiss village stood for centuries – until a roaring glacier wiped it out
Nine million cubic metres of rock and ice came crashing down on Blatten after a landslide.
Germany Moves To Thwart Trump’s Ukraine Peace Initiative – OpEd – Eurasia Review
- Germany Moves To Thwart Trump’s Ukraine Peace Initiative – OpEd Eurasia Review
- Germany's Merz promises to help Ukraine produce long-range missiles BBC
- What are Germany’s Taurus missiles that Ukraine wants? Al Jazeera
- Germany to Step Up Ukraine Aid as Europe Scrambles to Replace U.S. WSJ
- Germany Agrees on €5 Billion in Fresh Military Aid to Ukraine Bloomberg