Смартфони, на яких встановлена програма Pegasus, дозволяють операторам записувати телефонні дзвінки, отримувати доступ до текстових повідомлень, фотографій, електронної пошти та паролів, відстежувати дані GPS і таємно активувати мікрофони та камери
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An Earth-flight giant contributes to NASA’s upcoming moon missions. Plus, words from the next crew to visit the International Space Station and grim news from NASA about the future of food on Earth. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us the Week in Space.
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In the fight to curb climate change, several major coal-using nations announced steps Thursday to wean themselves — at times slowly — off of the heavily polluting fossil fuel.
The pledges to phase out coal come on top of other promises made at the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, that the head of an international energy organization said trimmed several tenths of a degree from projections of future warming. But outside experts called that optimistic.
Optimism also abounded in relation to the promises on coal, which has the dirtiest carbon footprint of the major fuels and is a significant source of planet-warming emissions.
“Today, I think we can say that the end of coal is in sight,” said Alok Sharma, who is chairing the conference of nearly 200 nations, known as COP26.
Critics say that vision is obscured by a lot of smoke because several major economies have yet to set a date for ending their dependence on the fuel, including the United States, China, India and Japan — which was targeted outside the summit venue Thursday by protesters clad as animated characters.
What nations have promised varies. Some have pledged to quit coal completely at a future date, while others say they’ll stop building new plants, and even more, including China, are talking about just stopping the financing of new coal plants abroad.
The British government said pledges of new or earlier deadlines for ending coal use came from more than 20 countries including Ukraine, Vietnam, South Korea, Indonesia and Chile.
Some came with notable caveats, such as Indonesia’s request for additional aid before committing to bring its deadline forward to the 2040s.
Meanwhile, Poland, the second-biggest user of coal in Europe after Germany, appeared to backtrack on any ambitious new commitments within hours of the announcement.
“Energy security and the assurances of jobs is a priority for us,” Anna Moskwa, Poland’s minister for climate and environment, said in a tweet, citing the government’s existing plan which “provides for a departure from hard coal by 2049.” Earlier in the day, it had seemed that Poland might bring that deadline forward by at least a decade.
Campaigners reacted angrily to the apparent U-turn.
“Moskwa has underscored that her government cannot be trusted to sign a postcard, let alone a responsible climate pledge,” said Kathrin Gutmann, campaign director of the group Europe Beyond Coal.
Separately, more than two dozen countries, cities and companies joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance, whose members commit to ending coal use by 2030, for developed countries, and no later than 2050 for developing ones. Banks that are members pledge not to provide loans for the worst types of coal-fired power plants.
Meanwhile, the United States, Canada, Denmark and several other nations signed a different pledge to prioritize funding clean energy over fossil fuel projects abroad.
While not completely ruling out financial support for coal-fired power plants, the countries said they would refrain from any “new direct public support” for coal except in limited circumstances.
That move was seen as a significant step by environmental campaigners, who said that it could push international lenders to stop providing loans for new fossil fuel projects.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss officials’ thinking, said that while the U.S. hadn’t opted to join the coal phase-out pledges, its commitment to a clean energy future was clear. The Biden administration wants to reach 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035.
Underlining the urgent need for action on coal, a new analysis by scientists at Global Carbon Project found emissions from the fuel increased dramatically in 2021, not just from pandemic-struck 2020 levels, but even when compared to pre-pandemic 2019 levels. The world spewed 14.7 billion metric tons (16.2 billion tons) of carbon dioxide from coal burning, 5.7% more than last year, said the group, which tracks annual carbon pollution.
That was mostly spurred by a dramatic increase in China, which hit a new peak of coal emissions this year of 7.6 billion metric tons (8.4 billion tons) of carbon dioxide, more than half the globe’s coal emissions, the report said.
Still, experts said the announcement and others made so far at the summit showed the growing momentum to ditch coal.
“Today’s commitments will help to shift whole continents on their journey to phase out coal,” said Dave Jones of the energy think tank Ember.
Ukraine, the third-biggest coal consumer in Europe, is bringing forward its coal deadline, from 2050 to 2035.
Coal production in Ukraine has dropped significantly over the past few years: From 40.9 million metric tons in 2016 to 28.8 million in 2020 (45 million tons to 32 million), according to the Energy Ministry.
The figures do not include production in the coal fields of separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine, which accounted for about half of Ukraine’s mines before the 2014 uprising.
“The progress on coal being shown at COP26 demonstrates that the conditions are ripe for a global coal exit,” said Leo Roberts, a senior researcher at the environmental think tank E3G.
“We now need to see the incoming massive scale-up in clean energy finance made available quickly to ensure all countries can confidently move from coal to clean,” he added.
But some environmental activists said the commitments didn’t go far enough.
“Emissions from oil and gas already far outstrip coal and are booming, while coal is already entering a terminal decline,” said Murray Worthy of the campaign group Global Witness. “This is a small step forwards when what was needed was a giant leap.”
The agreements on coal are not part of the formal negotiations at the U.N. talks in Glasgow. But British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose country is hosting the conference, had said he wanted to see deals on coal, cars, trees and cash.
Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, said Thursday that a new analysis by the Paris-based body shows that fully achieving all the emissions-reduction pledges made on previous days — including for the potent greenhouse gas methane — could allow the world to limit warning to 1.8 degrees Celsius (3.2 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.
The goal that countries set at a previous conference in Paris is to limit temperature increases to 1.5C (2.7F). A United Nations analysis showed that before Glasgow the world was heading to a 2.7C (4.9F) increase while other analyses showed warming in the mid- to upper-2-degree range also.
Niklas Hohne, of the New Climate Institute and Climate Action Tracker, called Birol’s figure optimistic and noted it was based on countries achieving pledges to only emit what can be absorbed — so called net-zero plans — when they haven’t yet implemented any actions that would get them there.
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Журналісти оприлюднили раніше невідомі фрагменти зі стенограми закритого засідання комітету ВР з питань національної безпеки і оборони
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Путін і Лукашенко також затвердили спільну військову доктрину
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Зараз потрапити до Яцкіна неможливо, каже Микола Полозов
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У 2019 році видання Baird Maritime повідомляло, що канадський туроператор One Ocean Expeditions звинуватив Росію в тому, що вона здала йому в оренду цей корабель та однотипне судно «Академік Вавілов» для перевезення туристів, але потім забрала їх на порушення договору
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Social media behemoth Facebook is facing public and regulatory scrutiny after the disclosure of thousands of pages of internal documents by a whistleblower who used to work for the company.
What are the Facebook papers?
After compiling the documents while working as a Facebook product manager, Frances Haugen distributed them to a group of 17 U.S. news organizations that collaborated on a project to individually publish stories on their findings.
The stories, released on a coordinated day in late October, portray Facebook as pursuing audience growth and profits while ignoring how people were using the platform to spread hate and misinformation.
The documents showed Facebook particularly struggled with monitoring for hate speech, inflammatory rhetoric and misinformation by users posting in certain countries, including some that Facebook had determined were at the most risk for real-world consequences of such abuses.
The failures included both inadequate artificial intelligence systems and not enough human moderators who speak the many languages spoken by Facebook users.
Who else received them?
In addition to providing the documents to journalists, Haugen has also made them available to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Congress. Haugen has also appeared before the Senate Commerce Committee and testified before the British Parliament.
Haugen used her smartphone camera to capture the documents.
Why are they important?
The company has massive global reach. Facebook had 2.74 billion active users as of the end of September, according to company statistics. That is about 1 out of every 3 people on the planet, and the company also operates other popular services such as WhatsApp and Instagram.
How has Facebook responded?
Facebook spokesperson Mavis Jones said in a statement that the company is working to stop abuse on its platform in places where there is a higher risk of conflict, and that it has native speakers to review content in 70 languages.
Founder Mark Zuckerberg spoke during a quarterly earnings conference call Monday and said Facebook is facing “a coordinated effort to selectively use leaked documents to paint a false picture of our company.”
Some information for this report came from the Associated Press, the Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
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Йдеться про двоповерховий будинок у котеджному містечку «Сонячна долина» під Києвом площею 600 квадратних метрів
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Britain has granted conditional approval to the first pill shown to effectively treat COVID-19.
The pill, molnupiravir, was jointly developed by the U.S. pharmaceutical companies Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.
Data showed the drug, when given orally during the onset of COVID-19 symptoms, could cut COVID-related deaths and hospitalizations in half among people at high risk of developing severe illness, according to Reuters.
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Britain’s drug regulator recommended that it be administered as soon as possible to those 18 and older who test positive for COVID-19 and within five days of the onset of symptoms.
It was not immediately clear when the pill would be available in Britain.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in October a committee of independent experts would scrutinize the drug’s safety and effectiveness later this month.
Regulators in the European Union and in other countries said they would also soon review the drug.
Some information in this report also came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
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Ukraine on Thursday appointed a new defense minister with a mandate to strengthen the army, as the country remains locked in conflict with pro-Russia separatists.
Oleksiy Reznikov, a lawyer with limited military experience, replaces Andriy Taran, who resigned earlier this week reportedly for health reasons.
A total of 273 lawmakers in the 450-seat Ukrainian parliament voted to approve the candidacy of Reznikov, who was nominated by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Introducing Reznikov to lawmakers in parliament, Zelensky said that his main task would be “to strengthen the defense capacity of the army”.
The Ukrainian army is locked in a simmering conflict with pro-Russia separatists in the country’s east that erupted after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014.
“The cost of temporary occupation must constantly increase” for the separatists, Reznikov, 55, told lawmakers ahead of the vote.
He added that a strong army is “one of the most powerful diplomatic” tools, vowing “to improve military compatibility with NATO countries”.
Reznikov had been working as the minister for reintegration of separatist-held areas from March 2020, and represented Ukraine in peace talks with Russia and OSCE monitors.
His predecessor Taran was criticized for insufficient reform of the country’s under-resourced military.
The appointment comes after Ukraine on Monday denied reports of a Russian military build-up near its eastern border that raised fears of a new escalation in fighting with the separatists.
After a spike in violence early this year, Russia in March amassed around 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders.
Under pressure from Kyiv’s Western allies, Moscow later announced a pullback, but both Ukraine and the United States said at the time the withdrawal was limited.
The conflict has claimed more than 13,000 lives to date.
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За прогнозом доповіді, викиди у 2021 році зростуть на 4,9%, майже нівелювавши зниження 2020 року
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Російська влада заявляє, що значна частина смертей припадає на невакцинованих громадян
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Сьогодні минає три роки з дня смерті Катерини Гандзюк
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Андрія Мотовиловця обрали на зборах фракції 1 листопада, повідомив спікер Руслан Стефанчук
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Також у порядку денному парламенту – розгляд 16 урядових законопроєктів
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Зурабвішвілі зазначила, що Саакашвілі не відповідає критеріям політичного в’язня та невинуватості
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The U.S. government has added four foreign technology companies to its restricted companies list, saying they “developed and supplied spyware to foreign governments” and that the spyware was used “to maliciously target government officials, journalists, businesspeople, activists, academics, and embassy workers.”
The State Department accused the companies of “engaging in activities contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States.”
The companies are Israel’s NSO Group and Candiru, Russia’s Positive Technologies, and Singapore’s Computer Security Initiative Consultancy PTE. LTD.
These companies will now face severe restrictions in exporting their products to the U.S., and it will make it difficult for U.S. cybersecurity firms to sell them information that could be useful in developing their products.
“This effort is aimed at improving citizens’ digital security, combating cyber threats, and mitigating unlawful surveillance,” the State Department said.
According to Reuters, both NSO Group and Candiru have been accused of selling their products to authoritarian regimes. NSO said it takes actions to prevent the abuse of its products.
Positive Technologies has been in the crosshairs before, having been sanctioned by the Biden administration for allegedly providing assistance to Russian security forces. The company said it has done nothing wrong.
None of the companies commented on their blacklisting.
Some information in this report comes from Reuters.
your ad hereRussia’s military buildup along its border with Ukraine is not yet setting off any alarms in Washington.
The United States’ highest-ranking military officer Wednesday said the U.S. was aware of Moscow’s military movement, describing it as “significant” but also as “nothing overtly aggressive.”
“We’ve seen this before,” General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a security forum in Washington, noting Russia’s annual Zapad exercises often involve tens of thousands of troops.
“So, what does this mean? We don’t know yet,” Milley said. “But we’re continuing to monitor with all of our capabilities.”
U.S. military and intelligence officials voiced repeated concerns this past April, after Russia massed as many as 150,000 troops along its border with Ukraine, calling that buildup the biggest since Moscow’s invasion of Crimea in 2014.
But Milley’s comments come as tensions between Russia and the U.S. and NATO appear to be again on the rise.
Russia this week complained about U.S. and NATO activity in the Black Sea as its naval forces practiced destroying enemy targets in the Black Sea.
And last month, Russia suspended its diplomatic mission to NATO in retaliation for the expulsion of eight Russian officials.
In an apparent effort to lower tensions, U.S. President Joe Biden this week sent his top spymaster, Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns, to Moscow for a series of talks.
According to a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Burns was to meet with “members of the Russian government to discuss a range of issues in the bilateral relationship.”
While not commenting directly on the talks, Milley voiced support for discussions.
“I firmly believe that you should not only talk to your allies and partners and friends, but you absolutely need to talk to your adversaries and your enemies,” Milley said Wednesday. “The last thing this world needs, the last thing the United States needs or anybody else needs, is a great power war. And so, the extent to which we the military or NATO, through intermediaries or directly, can communicate back and forth with Russia, China or any other country, I think is in the plus column of things to do.”
This past June, the U.S. gave Ukraine a $150 million security package aimed at bolstering the country’s defensive capabilities.
Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.
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