China has made significant strides in green and low-carbon technology innovation, granting 53,000 invention patents in 2024. This marks nearly double the number granted in 2020, demonstrating strong momentum in sustainable technology development. Domestic enterprises have played a central role in this surge. Chinese companies are increasingly leading in research and development of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and low-carbon industrial technologies, positioning the country among the world’s top innovators in green tech. Patents span multiple sectors, including solar and wind energy, electric vehicles, battery storage, carbon capture, and energy-efficient manufacturing processes. This growth reflects strategic investment in environmentally sustainable technologies…
Author: Rachel Maddow
Strong iPhone demand lifted Apple’s revenue in the three months ending September, capping its fiscal year with record earnings. The company outperformed expectations despite global trade tensions and pressure to match its rivals in artificial intelligence. Apple credited the surge to heavy demand for the iPhone 17 series launched last month. “Apple proudly reports a September quarter record of $102.5 billion in revenue, with all-time highs for iPhone and Services,” said CEO Tim Cook. The company earned $27.5 billion (€23.8bn), nearly doubling last year’s profit. Investors pushed Apple shares up 2% in after-hours trading. Apple redesigned the iPhone 17 with…
Human Rights Watch urged Friedrich Merz to condemn Turkey’s suppression of dissent, including the detention of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu. During his first official visit to Ankara, Merz emphasized the need for Europe to strengthen its strategic partnership with Turkey amid rising global instability. Standing beside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Merz highlighted Turkey’s vital mediating role in both the Ukraine and Gaza conflicts. Days earlier, Turkey and the United Kingdom had finalized a multi-billion-euro agreement for the sale of 20 Eurofighter Typhoon jets. Germany, part of the manufacturing consortium for these advanced aircraft, had only recently withdrawn its opposition…
Massive destruction across Gaza has made it nearly impossible for Hamas to recover the bodies of remaining Israeli hostages buried under rubble. On Saturday, an Egyptian convoy carrying bulldozers and excavators entered Gaza to assist search operations. Under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement, Israel agreed to return 15 Palestinian prisoners’ bodies for every Israeli hostage’s body. So far, Israel has handed over 195 Palestinian bodies, while Hamas has returned 18 Israeli remains. Earlier this month, Hamas released all 20 surviving Israeli hostages. U.S. President Donald Trump said he is “watching very closely” to ensure all bodies are recovered within 48 hours.…
The Louvre quietly transferred parts of its jewellery collection to the Bank of France vaults on Friday, French radio RTL reported. Police escorted the transfer, which included items from the Apollo Gallery and other exhibits. Officials acted after last week’s audacious theft of eight crown jewels from the museum. The vault, located 27 metres beneath the Bank of France headquarters, stores about 90% of the nation’s gold reserves. The precautionary move aims to protect the remaining treasures while investigators search for the thieves. Thieves Execute Daring Daylight Robbery Last week, several burglars carried out a bold daylight heist inside the…
The Pentagon announced Friday that it will deploy an aircraft carrier off South America.Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group to deploy.He directed the carrier to support US Southern Command operations and regional security tasks.Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell posted the deployment will boost detection, monitoring, and disruption capabilities.The USS Gerald R. Ford currently operates in the Mediterranean Sea.Her strike group includes five destroyers accompanying the carrier.Military officials called the move a significant escalation in the region’s force posture. Intensified Strikes Target Suspected Narco Vessels Hours earlier, Hegseth said forces executed their tenth…
Two Russian military aircraft entered Lithuania’s airspace on Thursday for 18 seconds, the Lithuanian military reported. The planes, identified as an Su-30 fighter jet and an Il-78 refueling tanker, crossed from Russia’s Kaliningrad region around 1600 CET during a refueling exercise. NATO’s Baltic Air Police immediately scrambled Spanish Eurofighter Typhoon jets to patrol the area. In a post on X, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda condemned the incident as a “blatant breach of international law and territorial integrity.” Nausėda said in a video statement that he “strongly condemns” Russia’s violation of Lithuanian airspace and insisted, “We have to react to this.”…
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, cut 600 jobs in its AI division, US media reported. The company confirmed on Wednesday that it removed around 600 roles even while hiring new workers for its superintelligence lab. FAIR and AI Infrastructure Teams Face Layoffs Axios reported that the cuts hit Meta’s Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) group along with its product-focused AI and infrastructure teams. The company’s newer TBD Lab remains unaffected. Chief AI officer Alexandr Wang told employees in a memo that affected workers should apply for other Meta roles, and most are expected to secure new positions within…
TIRANA — Mounting evidence suggests that sanctioned Russian and Iranian networks may be exploiting Albania’s infrastructure and opaque regulatory environment to evade Western sanctions — raising alarms among European and NATO allies about the country’s growing role as a regional weak link. Reports indicate that through negligence, smuggling, or possible corruption within the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama, entities operating in sectors of critical infrastructure have facilitated transactions that appear to violate international sanctions. One investigation by RBC Ukraine uncovered how banned Russian fuel products were allegedly smuggled into Europe via Albanian ports. The report described ships arriving at…
European markets recovered on Tuesday morning after weeks of weakness and uncertainty. Most major indexes opened slightly higher, following gains across Asia and small declines in U.S. futures. By midday, Milan led European markets with a 0.80% rise, lifted by UniCredit, Intesa Sanpaolo, Eni, and Leonardo. Defence and energy stocks powered most of the momentum. Germany’s DAX slipped 0.13%, though defence stocks helped limit losses. German submarine maker TKMS climbed 6.28% after debuting in Frankfurt on Monday at €60 per share. Rheinmetall gained 0.48%, while BAE Systems fell 0.91% in London. Airbus, Thales, and Leonardo confirmed a satellite merger agreement,…