U.S. President Joe Biden blocked Nippon Steel’s (5401.T), proposed $14.9 billion purchase of U.S. Steel (X.N), on Friday, citing national security concerns, dealing a potentially fatal blow to the contentious plan after a year of review.
The deal was announced in December 2023 and almost immediately ran into opposition across the political spectrum ahead of the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election. Both then-candidate Donald Trump and Biden vowed to block the purchase of the storied American company, the first to be valued at more than $1 billion. U.S. Steel once controlled most of the country’s steel output but is now the third-largest U.S. steelmaker and 24th biggest worldwide.
“A strong domestically owned and operated steel industry represents an essential national security priority and is critical for resilient supply chains,” Biden said. “Without domestic steel production and domestic steel workers, our nation is less strong and less secure.”
Nippon, the world’s fourth-largest steelmaker, paid a hefty premium to clinch the deal and made several concessions, including a last-ditch gambit to give the U.S. government veto power over changes to output, but to no avail.
In a statement, Nippon and U.S. Steel blasted Biden’s decision, calling it a “clear violation of due process” and a political move, and saying they would “take all appropriate action” to protect their legal rights.
Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel had warned that thousands of jobs would be at risk without the deal.
U.S. Steel CEO David Burritt said late on Friday the company planned to fight Biden’s decision, which he termed “shameful and corrupt.” He added that the president had insulted Japan and also refused to meet with the U.S. company to learn its point of view.
“The Chinese Communist Party leaders in Beijing are dancing in the streets,” Burritt added.
The United Steelworkers union, which opposed the merger from the outset, praised Biden’s decision, with USW President David McCall saying the union has “no doubt that it’s the right move for our members and our national security.”
White House spokesperson John Kirby defended the decision.
“This isn’t about Japan. This is about U.S. steelmaking and keeping one of the largest steel producers in the United States an American-owned company,” Kirby said, rejecting suggestions the decision could raise questions about the reliability of the U.S. as a partner.
Nippon Steel has previously threatened legal action if the deal was blocked. Lawyers have said Nippon Steel’s vow to mount a legal challenge against the U.S. government would be tough.
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States spent months reviewing the deal for national security risks but referred the decision to Biden in December, after failing to reach consensus.
A United Steelworkers sign is seen outside the Great Lakes Works United States Steel plant in River Rouge, Michigan U.S., September 16, 2024. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
It is unclear whether another buyer will emerge. U.S. Steel has reported nine consecutive quarters of falling profits amid a global downturn in the steel industry. U.S.-based Cleveland-Cliffs, which previously bid for the company, has seen its share price fall to the point where its market value is lower than that of U.S. Steel.
Shares of U.S. Steel closed down 6.5% at $30.47 on the New York Stock Exchange.
A spokesperson for President-elect Trump, who also vowed to block the deal, did not immediately comment on Friday.
KEY ASIA ALLY
Japanese industry and trade minister Yoji Muto expressed disappointment over Biden’s decision, saying it was both difficult to understand and regrettable.
“There are strong concerns from the economic circles of both Japan and the U.S., and especially from Japanese industry regarding future investments between Japan and the U.S., and the Japanese government has no choice but to take this matter seriously,” he said in a statement.
Japan is a key U.S. ally in the Indo-Pacific region, where China’s economic and military rise and threats from North Korea have raised concerns in Washington. In November, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba urged Biden to approve the merger to avoid marring efforts to improve economic ties, Reuters exclusively reported.
U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel had sought to assuage concerns over the merger. Nippon Steel offered to move its U.S. headquarters to Pittsburgh and promised to honor all agreements in place between U.S. Steel and the USW.
A source familiar with the matter said this week that Nippon Steel had also proposed giving the U.S. government veto power over any potential cuts to U.S. Steel’s production capacity, as part of its efforts to secure Biden’s approval.
Nippon Steel faces a $565 million penalty payment to U.S. Steel following the deal’s collapse, which is set to prompt a major rethink of the Japanese company’s overseas-focused growth strategy.
With the acquisition of U.S. Steel, Nippon Steel aimed to raise its global output capacity to 85 million metric tons a year from the current 65 million, nearing its long-term goal of taking capacity to 100 million tons.
INCREDIBLE plans have been revealed for the world’s fastest “bullet” train that comes with a restaurant-style dining car and has a plush business-class section.
China has successfully tested a prototype of its next-generation high-speed rail that can reach a top speed of 281mph – breaking its own record.
Photo shows the CR450AF bullet train in Beijing, capital of ChinaCredit: Alamy
The latest CR450 prototype has been hailed for high speed, excellent design and innovative features.
Breakthrough technologies including safe high-speed operation, reduced drag and consumption, vibration and noise control, comprehensive lightweight construction, and integrated intelligent systems have been introduced.
Clever designers from China designed what looked like a train from the future, with a striking angular design and a bullet-shaped front.
Incredible pictures show what the train looks like from the inside including the highly sophisticated business class carriage and dining car.
Meanwhile, the CR450 is equipped with intelligent monitoring and diagnostic systems, which allow the train to collect data such as axle temperature and pressure from over 4,000 monitoring stations in real-time.
This advanced technology has enabled the train to recognize, assess and determine its actions by itself.
The train is also designed with adaptive lighting that can adjust brightness according to the outdoor environment, touchless restrooms with “airborne buttons,” and additional options like family compartments and multi-functional spaces.
Ren Guangqiang, an executive with the Locomotive & Car Department of China Railway, said: “We are committed to providing passengers with diverse, convenient, and personalized services to enhance their travel experience.”
It’s understood the prototype has gone through more than 5,000 tests including simulations and real-life platform tests.
But designers say further refinements are required before it is launched for the passengers.
China’s rail network spans over 100,000 miles, including more than 30,000 miles of high-speed rail lines.
Over the years, the country has focused on developing high-speed rail coaches with futuristic designs in a bid to stay at the top of the train race in the world.
Meanwhile, a floating that is faster than a plane has begun construction, marking a huge step forward for the 621mph lighting locomotive.
China Railway will use magnetic levitation (maglev) technology to zip passengers through vacuum tubes faster than they have ever gone.
The magnets on the train are able to interact with the metal on the sides of the pipe to levitate the train and propel it forward.
China’s high-speed trains operate currently at 217mph and support 5G connectivity, even in long tunnels.
This new design will allow passengers to travel over 400mph faster than they are currently able to.
The average cruising speed for a long-haul commercial passenger aircraft ranges from approximately 547 to 575mph.
According to China Railway, their aim is to quicken the development of trains that are faster, smarter, more environmentally friendly, and more energy-efficient.
Magnetic levitation, otherwise known as maglev, uses superconducting magnets in a low-vacuum pipe to strengthen the magnetic field.
These latest trains eliminate friction, to zoom by, effectively floating on thin air.
The names of around 425,000 people suspected of collaborating with the Nazis during the German occupation of the Netherlands have been published online for the first time.
The names represent individuals who were investigated through a special legal system established towards the end of World War 2. Of them, more than 150,000 faced some form of punishment.
The full records of these investigations were previously only accessible by visiting the Dutch National Archives in The Hague.
The Huygens Institute, which helped digitise the archive, says this is a major barrier for people wishing to research the Netherlands’ occupation, which lasted from its invasion in 1940 to 1945.
“This archive contains important stories for both present and future generations,” the Huygens Institute says.
“From children who want to know what their father did in the war, to historians researching the grey areas of collaboration.”
The archive contains files on war criminals, the approximately 20,000 Dutch people who enlisted in the German armed forces, and alleged members of the National Socialist Movement (NSB) – the Dutch Nazi party.
But it also contains the names of people who were found to be innocent.
This is because the archive is comprised of files from the Special Jurisdiction, which from 1944 investigated suspected collaborators.
The online database only contains the names of suspects – as well as the date and place of their birth – which are only searchable using specific personal details.
It does not specify whether a particular person was found guilty, or what form of collaboration they were suspected of.
But it will tell users what file to request to see this information if they visit the National Archives. People accessing the physical files must declare a legitimate interest in viewing them.
There has been some concern in the Netherlands about personal information pertaining to a sensitive period of history being made freely available – prompting the information published online to be initially limited.
“I am afraid that there will be very nasty reactions,” Rinke Smedinga, whose father was an NSB member and worked at Camp Westerbork, from which people were deported to concentration camps, told Dutch online publication DIT.
“You have to anticipate that. You should not just let it happen, as a kind of social experiment.”
Tom De Smet, the director of the National Archives, told DIT that relatives of both collaborators and victims of the occupation had to be taken into account.
But he added: “Collaboration is still a major trauma. It is not talked about. We hope that when the archives are opened, the taboo will be broken.”
In a letter to parliament on 19 December, Culture Minister Eppo Bruins wrote: “Openness of archives is crucial for facing the effects of [the Netherlands’] difficult shared past and to process it as a society.”
The man who died in the Tesla explosion is believed to be Matthew Alan Livelsberger, a US army soldier
The man who authorities believe died in the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside one of Donald Trump’s hotels was an active-duty army soldier who served in the special forces, US officials have said.
Speaking at a news conference, Las Vegas sheriffs and FBI officials said the identity of the driver had not yet been officially confirmed through DNA, but evidence pointed towards it being Matthew Livelsberger, 37, of Colorado Springs in Colorado.
The man who died had suffered a gunshot wound to the head prior to the rented Tesla vehicle bursting into flames outside the Trump International Hotel on New Year’s Day, said Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill.
Officials believe the wound was self-inflicted and said a firearm was found at the driver’s feet.
A second gun was also discovered inside the truck, along with a passport, military identification, an iPhone and a smartwatch, Mr McMahill said. The identification and two tattoos on the driver’s body “give a strong indication” that Livelsberger was driving, he added.
Damage from the blast was mostly limited to the interior of the truck, the officials told reporters.
The level of sophistication of the explosive “is not what we would expect from an individual with this type of military experience”, said Kenny Cooper, a special agent in charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The vehicle was first rented in Denver, Colorado, on 28 December and was driven through New Mexico and Arizona before reaching Las Vegas, in Nevada, the officials said.
After tracking the vehicle’s journey, Livelsberger is the only person officers have seen in the vehicle, the news conference was told.
Who is Matthew Livelsberger?
Livelsberger was a decorated officer who served in the Green Berets, highly trained special forces who work to counter terrorism abroad and train partners, the US army said in a statement.
He had served in the army since 2006 and spent some time at a base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a centre in North Carolina that is home to special forces command. He also had a long career of overseas assignments, deploying twice to Afghanistan and serving in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
He was awarded two Bronze Stars, including one with a valour device for courage under fire, a combat infantry badge and an Army Commendation Medal with valour.
He was still on active duty and on approved leave at the time of the explosion. Seven other people suffered minor injuries when the vehicle caught fire.
The explosion is being looked at as a possible terror attack, officers previously said. As yet, no cause for the blast has been given, but fireworks mortars, cannisters and other explosive devices were found in the back of the truck.
A possible motive is yet to be uncovered.
Possible links with New Orleans attack
The incident occurred just hours after a man drove a truck into crowds celebrating the New Year in New Orleans, Louisiana, killing 14 people before he was shot dead by police.
The suspect in that attack has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, who was a US army veteran. An Islamic State flag was flown from the truck.
Officials are investigating a possible connection between the attacks.
During the Las Vegas news conference, Mr McMahill said his force was not ruling anything out – despite the FBI earlier appearing to play down a potential connection, saying there was “no definitive link” at this stage during a separate news conference in New Orleans.
“It’s an interesting thing in these kind of investigations that, if these turn out to be simply similarities, (they are) very strange similarities to have,” Mr McMahill said.
Like Livelsberger, Jabbar also spent time at Fort Bragg. However, no overlap in their assignments there has been found so far.
Law enforcement officers are also looking into the fact both men used the Turo car app to rent the vehicles involved in both incidents.
The truck involved in the explosion in Vegas arrived in the city at 7.30am local time (3.30pm UK time).
“It went immediately up and down Las Vegas Boulevard before immediately pulling into the Trump Towers,” Mr McMahill said at an earlier news conference.
The 64-storey hotel is just behind the famous Las Vegas Strip and opposite the Fashion Show Las Vegas shopping mall.
Tesla video helped track journey
Tesla is owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk who has been a close ally of Mr Trump – donating millions to his successful 2024 US election campaign. He has also been tasked with leading Mr Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency.
Video captured at Telsa charging stations provided by Mr Musk helped authorities track the vehicle’s journey prior to the explosion.
The New Orleans terror suspect was a US Army veteran (Image: Getty)
The FBI now believes that the suspect responsible for the terror attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on New Year’s Day was a lone wolf terrorist with no other accomplices.
The suspect, identified as a 42-year-old US Army veteran, Shamshud-Din Jabbar, drove the truck into revelers at around 3:15 a.m. in New Orleans’ French Quarter, at the intersection of Canal and Bourbon Streets on New Year’s Day at high speed before crashing.
The FBI have deemed the attack an act of terrorism during a press conference on Thursday, stating that Jabber was likely operating solo.
Investigators were trying to determine if there were other people responsible for placing the IEDs separate from the truck that Jabbar rammed into the crowds.
“We do not assess at this point that anyone else is involved in this attack except for Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the subject you’ve already been briefed on,” said Deputy Assistant Christopher Raia, associated with the bureau’s Counterterrorism Division.
This is in contrast to their previous statement less than 24 hours earlier, when Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan said: “We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible. We are aggressively running down every lead, including those of his known associates.”
Police were trying to investigate a possible connection between Jabbar and the Cybertruck driver in Las Vegas that caused an explosion outside the Trump Tower after it emerged that both had a military connection.
Raid added: “As you know, there’s also an FBI investigation in Las Vegas. We are following up on all potential leads and not ruling everything out. However, at this point, there is no definitive link between the attack here in New Orleans and the one in Las Vegas.
“And again, I’ll preface as I close, I’ll preface everything with what I started with in the beginning, which was this is very early in an investigation like this.”
According to New Orleans police superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick, the driver was “hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did.”
After the truck stopped, the driver opened fire on police. Officers returned fire, killing the driver. Two officers were wounded and are in stable condition.
The FBI said that an ISIS flag was found in the car and investigators are working to determine his affiliations with terrorist organizations.
Forty years after the Bhopal gas tragedy, 377 tons of hazardous waste has been shifted from the defunct Union Carbide factory for its disposal, an official said.
The toxic waste was transported on Wednesday night in 12 sealed container trucks from Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal to Pithampur industrial area in Dhar district, 250 km away from here.
“The 12 container trucks carrying the waste set off on a non-stop journey around 9 pm. A green corridor was created for the nearly-seven journey of the vehicles to the Pithampur industrial area in Dhar district,” said Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department Director Swatantra Kumar Singh.
Nearly 100 persons worked in 30-minute shifts since Sunday to pack and load the waste in trucks, he said.
“They underwent health check-ups and were given rest every 30 minutes,” Singh added.
The highly toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leaked from the Union Carbide pesticide factory on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, killing at least 5,479 persons and leaving thousands with serious and long-lasting health issues.
It is considered to be among the worst industrial disasters in the world.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court on December 3 rebuked authorities for not clearing the Union Carbide site in Bhopal despite directions from even the Supreme Court.
The HC set a four-week deadline to shift the waste, observing that even 40 years after the gas tragedy, authorities were in a “state of inertia”.
The high court bench had warned the government of contempt proceedings if its directive was not followed.
“If everything is found to be fine, the waste will be incinerated within three months. Otherwise, it might take up to nine months,” Singh told PTI on Wednesday morning.
Initially, some of the waste will be burnt at the disposal unit in Pithampur and the residue (ash) will be examined to find whether any harmful elements are left, he said.
The smoke from the incinerator will pass through special four-layer filters so that the surrounding air is not polluted, he added.
Once it is confirmed that no traces of toxic elements are left, the ash will be covered by a two-layer membrane and buried to ensure it does not come in contact with soil and water in any way.
A team of experts under the supervision of officials of the Central Pollution Control Board and State Pollution Control Board will carry out the process, Singh said.
Some local activists have claimed that 10 tons of Union Carbide waste was incinerated on a trial basis in Pithampur in 2015, after which the soil, underground water and water sources in surrounding villages became polluted.
New research shows 55% of cases involve American victims
In an eye-opening study that sheds new light on the evolving landscape of digital financial crime, researchers have uncovered a striking pattern in Nigerian cryptocurrency fraud: all convicted perpetrators are male, and nearly two-thirds are under 30 years old. This revelation comes from recent research conducted through an unprecedented collaboration between academic institutions and Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The study arrives at a critical moment in global digital finance. Nigeria has emerged as the third-largest player in Bitcoin transactions globally, trailing only Russia and the United States, with cryptocurrency transactions reaching approximately $400 million. This surge in digital currency adoption reflects both opportunity and risk in Africa’s most populous nation, where only 36.8% of adults have access to traditional banking services.
“Our research reveals a disturbing surge in cryptocurrency fraud,” says study lead author Dr. Suleman Lazarus, a cybercrime expert at the University of Surrey, in a statement. “We’re observing a rising generation of young, tech-savvy male offenders who adeptly exploit digital platforms and cryptocurrencies to perpetrate high-stakes fraud.”
The research, published in Current Issues in Criminal Justice, reveals a clear geographical targeting pattern, with 55% of cases involving American victims. This international reach demonstrates how digital currencies have transformed the scope and scale of financial crimes, enabling fraudsters to operate across borders with unprecedented ease.
What makes these findings particularly intriguing is the fraudsters’ educational background. Despite the technical nature of cryptocurrency transactions, only a quarter of convicted fraudsters held university degrees, challenging assumptions about the expertise required for such crimes.
The digital toolbox of these fraudsters primarily consists of mainstream social media platforms. Facebook emerged as the preferred platform, used in 27% of cases, followed by Gmail at 22% and Instagram at 14%. These familiar platforms serve as hunting grounds where fraudsters establish trust before executing their schemes.
The financial scale of these operations is staggering. While some cases involved modest sums around $1,000, others reached heights of $475,000 in cash, with one case involving 1,200 Bitcoin – approximately $81.96 million. These figures underscore the lucrative nature of cryptocurrency fraud and its potential for devastating financial impact.
Bitcoin dominates as the preferred cryptocurrency for fraudulent activities, featuring in 46% of cases. This preference likely stems from Bitcoin’s decentralized nature and the relative anonymity it provides, presenting significant challenges for law enforcement in tracking and recovering stolen funds.
“As cryptocurrencies continue to gain popularity, our research serves as a wake-up call for law enforcement agencies, policymakers, and the general public to remain vigilant against the evolving threats in the digital financial landscape,” warns Dr. Lazarus.
The study illustrates how Nigerian cybercrime has evolved from traditional advance-fee scams to sophisticated cryptocurrency operations, reflecting broader changes in global financial systems and highlighting criminal enterprises’ adaptability. In a digital age where cryptocurrency promises financial inclusion and opportunity, this research serves as a crucial reminder of the shadow economy emerging alongside legitimate digital finance.
THIS is the dramatic moment a Tesla Cybertruck explodes outside one of Donald Trump’s hotels killing one – and leading tech tycoon Elon Musk to speak out about the blast himself.
Cops are probing whether the deadly explosion was an “act of terror” after the truck pulled up to the hotel in Nevada and blew up – killing the driver and injuring seven bystanders.
The Tesla Cybertruck blew up outside the Trump hotel in Las VegasCredit: X/@clashreport
Shocking footage caught the moment the blast occurred outside the glass entrance of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas just before 9am on Wednesday.
The Cybertruck was ripped apart by the huge explosion that sent its’ metal paneling flying.
Shattered glass was thrown across the entrance of the hotel with seven others injured.
Inside the truck were fireworks, gas tanks, and camping fuel connected to a detonation system controlled by the driver, CNN reports.
The truck was then left as a blazing wreck that continued to burn for some time.
In a post on his social networking site X, Tesla founder Musk said the explosion was caused by “very large fireworks and/or a bomb.”
He added the explosion was “unrelated to the vehicle itself.”
Billionaire Musk said in an earlier post his team was looking into the cause of the blast, which left him stunned.
He said: “Will post more information as soon as we learn anything.
“We’ve never seen anything like this.”
Investigators haven’t been able to determine what caused the explosion and they’re looking into if it was an intentional act of terror, ABC News reported.
The Cybertruck was reportedly carrying fireworks at the time of the blast.
A hotel guest shared video of the Tesla Cybertruck engulfed in flames just beyond the hotel’s doors.
The explosion came just hours after a suspected terrorist rammed a truck into a crowd celebrating New Year in New Orleans, killing ten and wounding more than 30.
The suspect was killed by cops after he got out of his truck and started shooting at them,
Police found an ISIS flag on the back of his truck and they’re searching for associates of the suspect who may have helped him in the terror plot.
It’s believed he may have had help from four or five others.
Both the Cybertruck that exploded and the pickup truck used in the New Orleans terror attack were rented through the Turo car-sharing app.
Investigations are looking into any potential links between the two disasters.
There is no suggestion yet that the attacks were linked.
“Cybertruck blew up in front of Trump hotel in Las Vegas. Those are our luggage by the door and that’s where we were when it happened,” the guest wrote on X.
Another person wrote, “Some sort of explosion at Trump tower in Las Vegas.
“Heard what sounded like a dumpster being dropped on the ground and dragged across the ground for 10 seconds,” another person wrote on X.
Loud bangs can be heard throughout the short video as the fire rages.
Stranded luggage sits just beside the sprawling entrance’s revolving doors.
The video also shows fire alarms going off inside the hotel as the blaze spread throughout the vehicle.
An ambulance and multiple cop cars were seen racing to the hotel, located just off the main world-famous Las Vegas Strip.
Footage shared on X showed people standing in a parking lot near the hotel after being evacuated.
Fashion Show Drive has been shut down while officials tend to the scene.
The Trump Hotel released a statement on social media acknowledging the incident that was also shared by Eric Trump, the Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization.
“Earlier today a reported electric vehicle fire occurred in the porte cochère of Trump Las Vegas. The safety & well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority. We extend our gratitude to the Las Vegas Fire Department and local law enforcement for their swift response,” the statement read.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Tesla and the hotel for comment.
MUSK & TRUMP TOGETHER
News of the blaze comes hours after President-elect Donald Trump – whose name adorns two other hotels in addition to the Las Vegas one – and Musk celebrated the New Year together in Florida.
Musk was one of hundreds of attendees at Trump’s star-studded Mar-a-Lago bash.
The Space X boss’ four-year-old son, X, was also in attendance.
The Soviet-era pipeline enters Ukraine near the Russian village of Sudzha, which has been occupied by Ukrainian forces which have staged an incursion into areas of Russia’s Kursk region
Russian gas supplies to EU states via Ukraine have ended after a five-year deal between Ukraine’s gas transit operator Naftogaz and Russia’s Gazprom expired.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier that his country would not allow Russia to “earn additional billions on our blood” and had given the EU a year to prepare.
The European Commission said the continent’s gas system was “resilient and flexible” and that it had sufficient capacity to cope with the end of transit via Ukraine.
Russia can still send gas to Hungary, as well as Turkey and Serbia, through the TurkStream pipeline across the Black Sea.
The stopping of the flow through Ukraine marks the end of an era of cheap Russian gas in the EU.
Slovakia is the most affected, while the European Commission says the impact will be limited, thanks to careful planning and alternative supplies.
However, the strategic and symbolic impact for the whole of Europe is enormous.
Russia has lost an important market but its president, Vladimir Putin, says EU countries will suffer most.
The EU has significantly reduced imports of gas from Russia since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but a number of eastern member states still depend largely on the supplies, making Russia about €5bn ($5.2bn; £4.2bn) a year.
Russian gas was less than 10% of the EU’s gas imports in 2023, according to the bloc. That figure was 40% in 2021.
But several EU members, including Slovakia and Austria, continue to import significant amounts of gas from Russia.
Austria’s energy regulator said it did not forecast any disruption as it had diversified sources and built up reserves.
But Ukraine’s decision has already caused serious tensions with Slovakia, which is now the main entry point of Russian gas into the EU and earned transit fees from piping the gas on to Austria, Hungary and Italy.
On Friday, Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico – who had just made a surprise visit to Moscow for talks with Putin – threatened to stop supplying electricity to Ukraine.
This prompted Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, to accuse Fico of helping Putin “fund the war and weaken Ukraine”.
“Fico is dragging Slovakia into Russia’s attempts to cause more suffering for Ukrainians,” the Ukrainian president said.
Poland has offered to support Kyiv in case Slovakia cuts off its electricity exports – supplies that are crucial to Ukraine, whose power plants come under regular attack from Russia.
Moldova – which is not part of the EU – could be seriously affected by the end of the transit agreement. It generates much of its electricity at a power station fuelled by Russian gas. It also supplied the Russia-backed breakaway region of Transnistria, a small sliver of land sandwiched between Moldova and Ukraine.
Moldova’s energy minister, Constantin Borosan, said his government had taken steps to ensure stable power supplies but called on citizens to save energy.
A 60-day state of emergency in the energy sector has been in place since mid-December.
At least 71 people died in Ethiopia when a truck packed with passengers plunged into a river, according to the spokesperson for the southern Sidama regional government and a statement.
The accident occurred in the Bona district, the regional communication bureau said in a statement issued late on Sunday.
Wosenyeleh Simion, spokesperson for the Sidama regional government, told Reuters on Monday at least 71 people had died, including 68 males and 3 females.
“Five are in a critical condition and taking treatment at Bona General Hospital,” he said.
In a statement late on Sunday the regional communication bureau had given the death toll as 60.
Mourners stand next to a wrecked Isuzu truck after it fell off a bridge in Bona village of Sidama Regional State in Ethiopia, December 30, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer Purchase Licensing Rights
Wosenyeleh said the truck had missed a bridge and fell into a river and that the road had many bends.
Some of the passengers were returning from a wedding ceremony and some families had lost multiple members, he said, adding traffic police in the region had reported the truck was overloaded, which likely caused the accident.
The state-run Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) also reported that the passengers were travelling to a wedding when the accident occurred on Sunday.
Deadly traffic accidents are common in Ethiopia, where driving standards are poor and many vehicles badly maintained.
At least 38 people, mostly students, were killed in 2018 when a bus plunged into a ravine in Ethiopia’s mountainous north.
Chinese President Xi Jinping laid down a clear warning to pro-independence forces within and outside Taiwan in his new year message.PHOTO: REUTERS
No one can stop China’s “reunification” with Taiwan, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in his New Year’s speech on Dec 31, 2024, laying down a clear warning to what Beijing regards as pro-independence forces within and outside of the island of 23 million people.
In the past year, Beijing has stepped up military pressure near Taiwan, sending warships and planes almost daily into the waters and airspace around the island in what Taiwanese officials view as a creeping effort to “normalise” China’s military presence.
China regards democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory. But Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s claims and says only its people can decide their future and Beijing ought to respect the choice of the Taiwanese people.
“The people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family. No one can sever our family bonds, and no one can stop the historical trend of national reunification,” Mr Xi said, in a speech televised on China’s state broadcaster CCTV.
In his New Year’s speech in 2023, Mr Xi said China’s “reunification” with Taiwan is inevitable, and that people on both sides “should be bound by a common sense of purpose and share in the glory of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation”.
Tensions have remained high throughout the year in the sensitive Taiwan Strait, especially after Mr Lai Ching-te, deemed a “separatist” by Beijing, became the island’s latest president in May.
Earlier in December, China staged a large massing of naval forces around Taiwan and in the East and South China Seas after Mr Lai stopped over in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam on a Pacific trip criticised by Beijing.
Earth’s inner core, a solid iron sphere nestled deep within our planet, has slowed its rotation, according to new research. Scientists from the University of Southern California say their discovering challenges previous notions about the inner core’s behavior and raises intriguing questions about its influence on Earth’s dynamics.
The inner core, a mysterious realm located nearly 3,000 miles beneath our feet, has long been known to rotate independently of the Earth’s surface. Scientists have spent decades studying this phenomenon, believing it to play a crucial role in generating our planet’s magnetic field and shaping the convection patterns in the liquid outer core. Until now, it was widely accepted that the inner core was gradually spinning faster than the rest of the Earth, a process known as super-rotation. However, this latest study, published in the journal Nature, reveals a surprising twist in this narrative.
“When I first saw the seismograms that hinted at this change, I was stumped,” says John Vidale, Dean’s Professor of Earth Sciences at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, in a statement. “But when we found two dozen more observations signaling the same pattern, the result was inescapable. The inner core had slowed down for the first time in many decades. Other scientists have recently argued for similar and different models, but our latest study provides the most convincing resolution.”
Slowing Spin, Reversing Rhythm
By analyzing seismic waves generated by repeating earthquakes in the South Sandwich Islands from 1991 to 2023, the researchers discovered that the inner core’s rotation had not only slowed down but had actually reversed direction. The team focused on a specific type of seismic wave called PKIKP, which traverses the inner core and is recorded by seismic arrays in northern North America. By comparing the waveforms of these waves from 143 pairs of repeating earthquakes, they noticed a peculiar pattern.
Many of the earthquake pairs exhibited seismic waveforms that changed over time, but remarkably, they later reverted to match their earlier counterparts. This observation suggests that the inner core, after a period of super-rotation from 2003 to 2008, had begun to sub-rotate, or spin more slowly than the Earth’s surface, essentially retracing its previous path. The researchers found that from 2008 to 2023, the inner core sub-rotated two to three times more slowly than its prior super-rotation.
The inner core began to decrease its speed around 2010, moving slower than the Earth’s surface. (Credit: USC Graphic/Edward Sotelo)
The study’s findings paint a captivating picture of the inner core’s rotational dynamics. The matching waveforms observed in numerous earthquake pairs indicate moments when the inner core returned to positions it had occupied in the past, relative to the mantle. This pattern, combined with insights from previous studies, reveals that the inner core’s rotation is far more complex than a simple, steady super-rotation.
The researchers discovered that the inner core’s super-rotation from 2003 to 2008 was faster than its subsequent sub-rotation, suggesting an asymmetry in its behavior. This difference in rotational rates implies that the interactions between the inner core, outer core, and mantle are more intricate than previously thought.
Limitations: Pieces Of The Core Puzzle
While the study offers compelling evidence for the inner core’s slowing and reversing rotation, the study of course has some limitations. The spatial coverage of the seismic data is relatively sparse, particularly in the North Atlantic, due to the presence of chert layers that hindered continuous coring. Furthermore, the Earth system model used in the study, despite its sophistication, is still a simplified representation of the complex dynamics at play.
The authors emphasize the need for additional high-resolution data from a broader range of locations to strengthen their findings. They also call for ongoing refinement of Earth system models to better capture the intricacies of the inner core’s behavior and its interactions with the outer core and mantle.
Clean water is essential for the survival of all people on Earth. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to clean water, and many more don’t even have access to any water at all. Now, a new study is warning that this crisis could soon get much worse.
Researchers at Utrecht University note that roughly 55 percent of the global population currently lives in regions that lack clean water for at least one month per year. Their projections find that this number will soon rise to 66 percent by the year 2100. Simply put, as conditions worsen around the globe, two in three people won’t have a dependable source of water all year long.
What’s driving these life-threatening changes? According to the study published in Nature Climate Change, socioeconomic and current climate trends will continue to make life harder for people, especially in the Southern Hemisphere.
“Climate change and socioeconomic developments have multi-faceted impacts on the availability and quality of, and demands for, water resources in the future,” says lead author Dr. Edward Jones in a media release. “Changes in these three aspects are crucial for evaluating future water scarcity.”
The team’s state-of-the-art water quantity and quality model projects that global water scarcity will continue to increase throughout the 21st century. However, these changes won’t occur evenly throughout the world. In Western Europe and North America, water scarcity will likely make things harder for people a few months per year. In developing countries, however, the problem will likely affect more people over a longer period of time each year, according to the team’s projections.
“Increases in future exposure are largest in the Global South. These are typically driven by a combination of rapid population and economic growth, climate change and deteriorating water quality,” Jones explains.
Researchers at Utrecht University note that roughly 55 percent of the global population currently lives in regions that lack clean water for at least one month per year. (pexels.com)
Although it may sound strange, quality has become a forgotten factor in recent fears about water availability. Dr. Jones explains that many studies on water scarcity only focus on the amount of drinking water people have available to them — not the actual quality of that water.
“Previous assessments still predominantly focus on water quantity aspects only,” Jones notes. “Yet, the safe use of water also depends on the quality.”
Here are just a few of the dangerous consequences of drinking dirty water:
Waterborne Diseases: Dirty water can contain pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites, leading to diseases like cholera, typhoid fever, and giardiasis.
Diarrheal Diseases: Contaminated water is a leading cause of diarrhea, which can be particularly dangerous for children and the elderly, leading to severe dehydration and even death.
Hepatitis A: This liver infection is caused by a virus that can be transmitted through contaminated water.
Intestinal Parasites: Water that has not been properly treated can host parasites, such as hookworms and roundworms, which can cause a range of gastrointestinal problems.
Chemical Poisoning: Dirty water may also contain toxic chemicals from industrial waste, agricultural runoff, or natural sources, leading to acute poisoning or long-term health issues like cancer and organ damage.
