Us revives concerns about european defense plans

Flood-affected people stand on a road damaged by the flood waters after heavy rains in Nagaon district, Assam, on May 19, 2022. (Photo: Anuwar Hazarika/Reuters) Large swathes of Northeast India, especially Assam and Meghalaya, are experiencing extreme weather this year, as unusually heavy rain in May and June cause heavy flooding and deadly landslides, which experts say can be linked to some extent to climate change. In Assam, at least 108 people have died so far as flood waters triggered by torrential rain inundated towns, villages, paddy fields, forests and wildlife sanctuaries. Millions have been affected or marooned across the state. Meghalaya has fared no better, with landslides and flash floods caused by heavy rain blocking roads, washing away bridges and snapping power supply. Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Manipur have also reported landslides and floods. IMD data show Assam received 398.7 mm of rain from May 1-31, against a normal of 286.7 mm. (Photo: AFP) … [Read more...] about Climate change concerns rise as heavy rain batters Assam, Meghalaya

Representative image (Image: Shutterstock) Amid reduced flows of Russian gas supply, European nations are left scrambling for alternative choices buoyed by inflationary pressures and supply chain disturbances. Gas prices have hit record levels in Europe, adding to challenges for policymakers trying to haul Europe back from an economic slowdown. Also Read: What are Europe's options in case of Russian gas disruption? EU relied on Russia for 40 percent of its gas needs before war: The European Union (EU) relied on Russia for as much as 40 percent of its gas needs before the Russia-Ukraine war — rising to 55 percent for Germany, leaving a huge gap to fill in an already tight global gas market. According to experts, coal is the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel in terms of emissions, yet the most important target for replacement to alternative energy sources, reported Reuters. Close Coal as an alternative choice: The energy disruption has prompted some … [Read more...] about What is the EU gas crisis? Here’s all you need to know

The Pentagon pledged to protect “seamless access” to abortion in a statement Friday, citing the potential impact of a landmark Supreme Court ruling on troop readiness. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed concern about military “readiness and resilience” following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court decision that put states in control of regulating abortion in a statement . Currently, the Department of Defense (DOD) does not have procedures for allowing female service members to have abortions if they are stationed in one of the states that bans or tightly restricts the practice, Politico reported. (RELATED: REPORT: Disney Sends Memo To Employees Promising To Cover Travel Costs For Abortion) “Nothing is more important to me or to this Department than the health and well-being of our Service members, the civilian workforce and DOD families,” said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, addressing concerns about abortion access in a statement Friday. … [Read more...] about Biden Pentagon Pledges To Protect Abortion Access For Troops

The U.S. Space Force announced that the service’s new intelligence agency, the National Space Intelligence Center, will see its first day in operation on Friday, according to the center’s deputy director. The newly-formed Space Delta 18, named in reference to the NSIC’s status as the 18th U.S. intelligence agency, will operate the center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, according to a statement released Wednesday. Col. Marqus Randall will oversee the NSIC’s mandate to track foreign capabilities and threats in space. “It has been a long time coming but after two decades of trials and tribulations, June 24th will see the activation of Space Delta 18, the National Space Intelligence Center,” said Deputy Director John Gass in a social media post . Previously, the Space Force Intelligence Activity served as an interim intelligence unit, drawing staff from the Department of Defense’s National Air and Space Intelligence Center, according to Space News. President Joe … [Read more...] about The Space Force Gets Its Own Spy Agency

Dish Network’s agreement to build a new national wireless network has the potential to bring thousands of jobs to metro Denver and restore the region’s faded status as a telecommunications hub. As a condition of approving T-Mobile’s $26.5 billion acquisition of Sprint , the Nos. 3 and 4 wireless carriers in the United States, the Department of Justice demanded a new national wireless carrier be formed to address anti-trust concerns and preserve competition. Dish Network, which was sitting on $21 billion worth of wireless spectrum, was in a rare position to take on the challenge. Dish, based in Douglas County, will pay $1.4 billion to acquire Sprint’s three prepaid brands and their 9.3 million customers. Sprint is providing necessary wireless spectrum for another $3.6 billion. T-Mobile will allow Dish to use its wireless network for seven years as Dish builds out a 5G network from scratch, something the company estimates will cost around $10 billion. “Imagine if somebody … [Read more...] about Dish wireless — a result of T-Mobile, Sprint merger — could give metro Denver a second shot at telecom glory

Oil pumping jacks, also known as "nodding donkeys", in an oilfield near Neftekamsk, in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia, Nov. 19, 2020. Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg Oil prices skidded in early trade on Wednesday amid a push by U.S. President Joe Biden to bring down soaring fuel costs, including pressure on major U.S. firms to help ease the pain for drivers during the country's peak summer demand. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell $1.34, or 1,2%, to $108.18 a barrel at 0031 GMT, while Brent crude futures dropped $1.33, or 1.2%, to $113.32 a barrel. As the United States struggles to tackle soaring gasoline prices and inflation, U.S. President Joe Biden is expected on Wednesday to call for temporarily suspending the 18.4-cents a gallon federal tax on gasoline, a source briefed on the plan told Reuters. Biden had disclosed on Monday he was considering whether to call for a pause in the tax. "Even oil traders acknowledged that higher oil … [Read more...] about Oil prices slide as Joe Biden pushes for US fuel cost cuts

Henrik Stiesdal was technically on holiday when the bright-yellow floating steel platform he designed set off on its maiden voyage across the North Sea in late July 2021 with a single wind turbine mounted on top. advertisement advertisement The contraption—a hulking 740 feet tall and weighing several thousand tons—represented the culmination of five years of work for Stiesdal and his small team, who had endlessly tested and tinkered with the design so that the turbine and its platform would withstand the harsh conditions at sea. The wider energy industry was watching the launch, too. While other companies had set up similar projects, none had the cachet of Stiesdal’s. A legendary figure in the renewables industry, the 65-year-old Dane was one of a few pioneers who championed the three-bladed turbine in the late 1970s, paving the way for wind power’s expansion as one of the world’s dominant sources of renewable energy. advertisement … [Read more...] about Henrik Stiesdal helped create wind power as we know it. Will he usher in its next chapter?

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The Supreme Court on Friday overturned the nationwide right to abortion in its landmark Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling, causing major uncertainty about the future of abortion access in the United States. Here are answers to some of the biggest questions: What did the Supreme Court’s ruling say? In a decision by Justice Samuel Alito, the court upheld a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. A majority of justices also voted to strike down Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), effectively ruling abortion is no longer a nationwide right and giving states the power to ban the procedure. Alito called Roe v. Wade “an abuse of judicial authority” that relied on “egregiously wrong” reasoning, and argued the right to abortion is not expressly mentioned in the Constitution and isn’t “deeply rooted in this Nation's history and tradition.” Four other conservative … [Read more...] about Roe V. Wade Overturned: The Ultimate Explainer On What It Means

DISH lit up a new 5G cellular network in more than 120 cities on June 14, including Grand Junction and Pueblo, meeting an early target federal regulators had set for the construction of the nation’s fourth wireless network. Whether Project Genesis, as the network is called, succeeds or fails will determine the fate of one of Colorado’s largest public companies, and could weigh heavily on Denver’s future as a center of telecommunications innovation, a legacy that goes back decades to the early days of cable television. “Through DISH’s efforts, Denver is becoming a wireless hub,” said John Swieringa, president and chief operating officer of DISH Wireless. “Our partners are coming here, too, and investing in people and resources in this market. We expect Denver to become a leader in 5G.” DISH Wireless has hired more than 1,600 workers in the past 18 months and is looking to add 500 more, Swieringa said. DISH, the parent company, already employs 6,000 people along the Front Range. A … [Read more...] about From satellite television to a new 5G cellular network: DISH engineers a massive transformation

- A + A PARIS (June 26): The chief executive officers (CEO) of Electricite de France SA (EDF), Engie SA, and TotalEnergies SE have urged French companies and consumers to immediately conserve electricity, gas, and oil to be better prepared for winter amid mounting concerns about shortages tied to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "We must collectively take action on energy demand by reducing our consumption to recoup margins of manoeuvre," Jean-Bernard Levy, Catherine MacGregor, and Patrick Pouyanne said in a joint opinion piece on Sunday in Le Journal du Dimanche. "We will need them to manage the coming consumption peaks and to smooth out technical events or geopolitical shocks that we may have to face." Acting as soon as this summer, notably by preserving gas reserves, will make France better prepared ahead of this winter, the bosses of the country's largest energy groups wrote. France must immediately make a huge collective effort to boost energy efficiency, which … [Read more...] about EDF, Engie, TotalEnergies CEOs urge energy savings to prepare for winter