Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 9h

The environmentally focused tour operator #Intrepid, is scrapping #carbonoffsets and abandoning its emissions targets as unreachable. As more urgent action is required to get even close to 1,5C it will support switching to #electricvehicles and #renewableenergy www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Tour operator Intrepid drops carbon offsets and emissions targets

Firm will instead invest A$2m a year in ‘climate impact fund’ supporting renewables and switching to EVs

www.theguardian.com

alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 9h

#Toyota aims to launch the ‘world’s first’ all-solid-state EV #batteries. It said that its new batteries could significantly enhance driving range, charging times, and output, potentially transforming the future of automobiles electrek.co/2025/10/08/t... #ElectricVehicles #EVs #ActOnClimate

Toyota aims to launch the 'world's first' all-solid-state EV batteries

Toyota is doubling down on the “holy grail” of EV tech — all-solid-state batteries. Its first EV could arrive as...

electrek.co

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alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 9h

In 1903, a progressive woman named Elizabeth “Lizzie” Magie designed a board game she called The Landlord's Game. Her goal was to show the world the dangers of monopolies and unchecked wealth concentration.
#Monopoly #DonaldTrump #ElonMusk #JeffBezos #MarkZuckerberg

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alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 9h

US demands EU dismantle green regulations in threat to trade deal just months after agreeing a tariff pact as Washington has asked Brussels to scrap requirements for non-EU companies to provide “climate transition plans”. on.ft.com/3VX93nT #ClimateEmergency #oilandgas #DonaldTrump #ActOnClimate

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alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 10h

As prison overcrowding reaches staggering levels, #Belgium is exploring an ambitious solution: building or renting a prison abroad. With 13,000 inmates for just 11,000 places, in some jails, detainees now sleep on mattresses laid directly on the floor www.brusselstimes.com/belgium/1781... #drugs

Belgium wants to send foreign prisoners to the Balkans to tackle overcrowding

As overcrowding reaches staggering levels, Belgium is exploring a rather ambitious solution: building or renting a prison abroad.

www.brusselstimes.com

alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 13h

#DonaldTrump #WeirdTraump #MakeAmericaSmall #Republicans #ICE #migrants

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Reposted

European Commission @ec.europa.eu · 16h

The world needs investment.
The right kind of investment.

The Global Gateway Forum starts Thursday, uniting global leaders and stakeholders to explore innovative ways for scaling up Global Gateway investments in partner countries.

Follow the event ↓
link.europa.eu/Fdr74d

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alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 14h

#HadjaLahbib We must protect #LGBTIQ+ people from all violence. The numbers are shocking. 25% of LGBTIQ+ people have experienced conversion practices, including physical and sexual violence, verbal abuse, and humiliation.
This must stop! ec.europa.eu/commission/p... #LGBT #HateSpeech #Racism

Remarks by Commissioner Lahbib on LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy

I want to dedicate this new LGBTIQ+ Strategy to someone special.\nMoustapha — a boy I knew at school, when we were twelve.\nHe was kind, gentle, and sensitive. He loved being around us girls, listenin...

ec.europa.eu

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alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 14h

#NextGenerationEU drives #sustainablegrowth across the EU by supporting the #decarbonisation and digitalisation of industrial production, or deploying over 900,000 clean vehicle #recharging stations and connecting 16 million households to #highspeedinternet ec.europa.eu/commission/p... #ActOnClimate

Next Generation EU drives sustainable growth across the EU

As the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) approaches its 2026 deadline, it continues to drive positive reforms and investments across the EU. As a cornerstone of NextGenerationEU, the RRF has alre

ec.europa.eu

alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 15h

Outgoing PM #SébastienLecornu expressed confidence that enough lawmakers could agree on a budget for next year to avoid the need for snap elections. He said he had “good news” of a “desire to have a budget before end of yr which “distances the prospect of dissolution” www.politico.eu/article/risk...

Risk of French general election receding, outgoing PM says

Sébastien Lecornu will hand Macron his conclusions on what — if any — agreement can be reached later Wednesday.

www.politico.eu

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alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 16h

#DonaldTrump ’s tariffs won’t deliver many jobs - “There is always a . . . solution to every human problem — neat, plausible, and wrong.” Tariffs are a supreme example of such a false solution. Sane people must now find a far better one on.ft.com/4o0IFVW via @FT #TariffsAreTaxes #MakeAmericaSmall

Trump’s tariffs won’t deliver many jobs

Nostalgia is not a strategy: the past cannot return

on.ft.com

alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 18h

Republican congresswoman #MarjorieTaylorGreene has indicated she is willing to negotiate with Democrats over healthcare insurance costs – the central political issue that has kept the US government shut down since 1 October www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025... #DonaldTrump #healthcare #Republicans

Marjorie Taylor Greene open to healthcare deal with Democrats amid shutdown

Republican says she is ‘disgusted’ by rising insurance premiums and may defy her party over expired tax credits

www.theguardian.com

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alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 19h

EU backs Italy after the US threatened Barilla and other Italian pasta makers with tariffs of up to 92 per cent over what Washington describes as dumping practices on.ft.com/46BiEXE via @FT #pasta #inflation #TariffsareTaxes #DonaldTrump #MakeAmericaSmall #GiorgiaMeloni

EU backs Italy in Trump’s pasta tariff war

US threatens to apply tariffs of up to 107% on Barilla and other makes of Italian staple over alleged dumping

on.ft.com

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alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 19h

#Cocoa price tumbles to 20-month low as record rally ends - London prices, which had almost tripled in the opening months of last year, are now down about 58 per cent from their April 2024 peak at $4,262. on.ft.com/4odsipq via @FT #chocolade

Cocoa price tumbles to 20-month low as record rally ends

Drop in demand and expectations of increased supply weigh on market

on.ft.com

alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 1d

Scientists warn that events as the unprecedented marine #heatwave of 2023 will become more frequent. The “unheard of” heatwave during a summer of 40C raised concerns that fish, shellfish and kelp would not be able to survive www.theguardian.com/environment/... #ClimateEmergency #ActOnClimate

Marine heatwaves to become more frequent off UK and Irish coasts, experts say

Scientists find 10% chance that similar events to the ‘unheard of’ temperatures in 2023 could occur each year

www.theguardian.com

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alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 1d

The world is witnessing a true revolution in energy. In 2024, the cost of #solarenergy dropped so dramatically that it is now cheaper than #oilandgas. Solar even about twice as affordable as the cheapest fossil fuel sources says #IEA #DonaldTrump #MakeAmericaSmall #ActOnClimate #Republicans

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alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 1d

The IEA downgraded its #renewableenergy forecast for the US, but upgraded #India’s growth by 10%, putting it on track to become the second-largest #renewables market. #GreenEnergy is up 23% in the #MiddleEast and #NorthAfrica whilst #DonaldTrump makes America small on.ft.com/3IJyIgT #ActOnClimate

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alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 1d

The Commission proposes to protect the EU #steel sector from unfair impacts of global overcapacity, by limiting tariff-free import volumes to 18.3 mio tons a year (-47% compared to 2024 and doubling the level of out-of-quota duty to 50% ec.europa.eu/commission/p... #EUtrade #DonaldTrump #tradewar

Commission proposes plan to protect EU steel industry from unfair impacts of global overcapacity

The Commission has presented a proposal to protect the EU steel sector from unfair impacts of global overcapacity, a vital step towards ensuring the long-term viability of a strategically crucial indu...

ec.europa.eu

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alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 1d

#Hyundai is discounting #EVs in the US and overseas.
2026 IONIQ 5 by up to $9,800 in the US starting at just $35,000, making it one of the most affordable EVs available alongside the #ChevyEquinox EV and the Nissan #LEAF electrek.co/2025/10/07/h... #ElectricVehicles #Volkswagen #BMW #ActOnClimate

Hyundai is discounting EVs by over $34,000 as price cuts expand beyond the US

After cutting prices on its top-selling electric vehicle by nearly $10,000 in the US, Hyundai is now bringing the savings...

electrek.co

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alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 1d

Zuhälter, Möchtegern-Großköpfe. #FDP Kriminelle

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alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 1d

#Nobel Physics Prize awarded for the discovery of #quantum mechanical effects that lay the ground for a potential new generation of powerful computers, sensors and encryption technology on.ft.com/4mWMoDg #SuperComputer #Physics #DigitalTransformation

Nobel Physics Prize awarded for quantum work powering next-gen computers

Three US-based scientists honoured for showing how strange submicroscopic effects can be harnessed in electronic devices

on.ft.com

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alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 1d

With the assistance of #Eurojust and #Europol, police in Italy, Spain and Belgium have arrested 9 members of a gang of thieves stealing one hundred high-end luxury cars worth an estimated total of at least € 3 mio, in Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands www.eurojust.europa.eu/news/coordin...

Coordinated action to arrest gang members stealing over one hundred luxury cars across Europe

With the assistance of Eurojust and Europol, authorities in Italy, Spain and Belgium have arrested nine members of a gang of thieves stealing high-end luxury cars. Well-targeted thefts of over one hun...

www.eurojust.europa.eu

alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 1d

#LarsKlingbeil “In order to get many more #electriccars on the road in the coming years, we need to provide the right incentives now. That is why we will continue to exempt electric cars from vehicle tax until 2035” www.electrive.com/2025/10/06/g... #ElectricVehicles #EVs #ActOnClimate #DonaldTrump

Germany to excempt electric cars from vehicle tax until 2035 - electrive.com

The German government wants to extend the vehicle tax exemption for electric cars until 2035. Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil has announced a

www.electrive.com

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alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 1d

#Rheinmetall rival slams ‘direct award’ to German arms group after the RM group was selected to develop anti-drone laser technology that he says #ElectroOpticSystems can already supply. on.ft.com/4oaxHgN via @FT #Competition #BorisPistorius #FriedhelmMerz #Defence #drones #EUCompetition

Rheinmetall rival slams ‘direct award’ to German arms group

Electro Optic Systems says Berlin’s lack of open tender bypasses better and cheaper options

on.ft.com

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alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 1d

How politicians and passengers gave up on greener #airtravel - Passenger numbers in the EU are set to double by 2050. #Ryanair boss “The idea that the French, Dutch, Germans were lecturing us for the last 20 yrs that we should all cycle or go by train, those days are over” on.ft.com/3VPOhqj via @FT

How politicians and passengers gave up on greener air travel

A renewed push for economic growth has added to technological challenges and problems with carbon offset schemes

on.ft.com

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