Foreign state control of British newspapers is to be outlawed, effectively blocking the UAE’s attempted takeover of The Telegraph. Ministers revealed plans on Wednesday “explicitly to rule out newspaper and periodical news magazine mergers involving ownership, influence or control by foreign states”. The move, announced by Lord Parkinson, the culture minister, was made to see off a...
Extreme heat, drought, wildfires, and flooding, as experienced in recent years, will worsen in Europe even under optimistic global warming scenarios and affect living conditions throughout the continent. The EEA has published the first ever European Climate Risk Assessment (EUCRA) to help identify policy priorities for climate change adaptation and for climate-sensitive sectors. According to the assessment,...
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the European Union (EU) has pursued policies aimed at shifting its energy sources away from Russia. This has resulted in a decline in the bloc’s dependence on Russian energy. Meanwhile, Russia has focused on exporting oil and natural gas to regions outside the EU to maintain...
The undertaking is proving not to be financially or environmentally viable. Deep-sea mining could cause up to 25-times more damage to the world’s biodiversity than land-based mining, resulting in $500bn of lost value, according to a new study published on Thursday. Many of the critical minerals needed in the production of electric vehicles (EV) can...
A new satellite that will track climate-heating methane emissions from oil and gas companies around the world launched this week from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base. The washing-machine-sized satellite, named MethaneSAT, lifted off Monday (March 4) atop a Falcon 9 rocket, one of 53 payloads on SpaceX’s Transporter-10 rideshare mission. MethaneSAT is designed to ultimately help policymakers...
11 March is the fated date on which Ofcom, the media regulatory body from the UK, will release the report concerning the desirability of the acquisition of The Daily Telegraph and The Spectator by an UAE investment fund. In the meantime, the debate between those against the buyout and those supporting it is shaping up...
Ramchandra Khadka stood in front of a temple in the middle of Kathmandu, Nepal, praying for his fellow countrymen who are fighting for Russia in Moscow’s war against Ukraine. As the ceremonial bells rang and the sweet smell of incense filled the air, he lit candles and offered flowers to a deity. All he wants...
Funeral rites have not escaped the glare of the ecological transition. While alternative methods of burial are slowly emerging, traditional means of burial and cremation are evolving to reduce ecological impact, in particular with the advent of greener cemeteries. In the words of André Malraux, “the most beautiful tomb is the memory of man”. The...
Industry could be producing more cancer-causing PCB chemicals today than at any other point in history, despite their production having been banned more than 40 years ago. PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, are human-made substances that were used as coolants and lubricants in electrical equipment until they were banned due to their links to health problems and because...
Hotter temperatures and decreased rainfall increase stress on elephants older than 40 by reducing the amount of food available and prompting migrations, according to a modeling study based on 50 years of data in the Greater Virunga region of East Africa. The risks add to the threat of poaching and an increased conflict with humans...