World
EU negotiators reach deal to double renewables by 2030
European Union member states and members of the European Parliament on Thursday reached an settlement to double the manufacturing of renewables throughout the bloc by the tip of the last decade.
Beneath the provisional deal reached shortly round 07:00 CET following in a single day negotiations, the share of renewable vitality within the EU’s general vitality consumption will have to be 42.5% by 2030 with a further “aspirational” 2.5% top-up in a bid to achieve 45%.
In 2021, renewable vitality represented 21.8 % of vitality consumed within the EU, in accordance with Eurostat.
The brand new goal set within the Renewable Power Directive (RED) is beneath the 45% requested by MEPs however above member states’ most well-liked 40% and ups the present goal in vigour by simply over 10 share factors.
French MEP Pascal Canfin (Renew), who chairs Parliament’s Setting Committee, stated negotiators “created guidelines which might be unprecedented on this planet to provide us the means to win the battle for the local weather.”
He additionally stated that the deal higher regulates the usage of biomass, “even when Parliament needed to go additional”, and that it additionally recognises “the particular function of nuclear energy, which is neither inexperienced nor fossil.”
The latter is seen as a serious victory for France, which had aggressively lobbied in latest weeks for nuclear-powered hydrogen to be thought of low-carbon, a transfer fiercely opposed by nations together with Germany, Austria and Luxembourg.
The textual content thus units new renewable hydrogen targets for transport and trade. For the latter, the goal is about at 42% for 2030 and 60% by 2035 however could be lowered to twenty% if “the share of hydrogen from fossil fuels consumed within the member states will not be greater than 23% in 2030 and 20% in 2035.”
On bioenergy — the usage of natural materials resembling timber, crops, and agricultural and concrete waste to generate electrical energy — the deal “strengthens the sustainability standards” to cut back the danger of unstainable bioenergy manufacturing, the Council press assertion stated.
German MEP Markus Pieper (EPP), the parliament’s rapporteur on RED, stated biomass “stays 100% renewable”. He described all the deal as “a very good day for Europe’s vitality transition.”
However Dutch NGO Fern referred to as the end result over biomass “unlucky” with Martin Pigeon, its Forests & Local weather Campaigner arguing that “as a result of it’ll maintain rewarding vitality firms burning thousands and thousands of timber, our foremost land carbon sink, the RED will proceed to worsen the local weather and biodiversity disaster, hurt individuals’s well being, and actively undermine the EU’s local weather ambitions along with destroying worth at taxpayer’s expense.”
To attain the targets set in, RED plans for accelerating allowing procedures for renewable vitality tasks, seen as essential to wean the bloc’s dependence on foreign-imported fossil fuels, change into vitality unbiased and attain carbon-neutrality by the mid-century plan.
Member states will designate “renewables acceleration areas” to permit for a simplified and fast-tracked permit-granting course of for renewables vitality tasks. These may even be thought of as of “overriding public curiosity”, additional assuaging the regulatory burden on them and limiting the grounds of authorized objections.
European Fee chief Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the political settlement, writing on Twitter that it “will assist us progress in the direction of local weather neutrality, strengthen our vitality safety and enhance our competitiveness — suddenly.”
The brand new guidelines, that are a part of the Match for 55 bundle introduced in summer season 2021 to hurry up the vitality transition and slash EU emissions by 55% by 2030, now need to be formally authorised by member states and by all the European Parliament.
World
Beyoncé NFL Halftime Show Will Be Available to Rewatch on Netflix as a Stand-Alone Special
UPDATE, 12/25, 4:30 p.m. PT: Netflix said it will provide on-demand access to the full halftime performance of “Beyoncé Bowl” as a stand-alone special “later this week.” The 20-minute spectacle — her first live TV performance in four years — featured Post Malone, Shaboozey and her daughter Blue Ivy Carter to debut tracks from “Cowboy Carter” for the first time in a live setting.
EARLIER:
Beyoncé will light up the Houston night on Christmas with a halftime performance during the Ravens-Texans game on Netflix. To watch it, you’ll have to tune in live on Dec. 25 — otherwise, you’ll have only a few hours to catch the replay on Netflix.
Queen Bey’s Xmas performance will feature her first live performances of songs from “Cowboy Carter.” She’ll take the stage in her hometown during halftime of the Baltimore Ravens-Houston Texans matchup at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Netflix, as part of its accelerating push into live sports, snagged global rights to the NFL’s two Christmas Day 2024 games: the Kansas City Chiefs at the Pittsburgh Steelers (starting at 1 p.m. ET), followed by the Ravens-Texans game (4:30 p.m. ET).
Under Netflix’s agreement with the NFL, in the U.S., the two Christmas games expire three hours after the livestream ends (meaning Beyoncé’s performance and the Ravens-Texans game will no longer be available to rewatch on Netflix as of around 11 p.m. ET). Outside the U.S., the games expire on Netflix 24 hours after the livestream ends. The NFL livestreams will include ad breaks, even for Netflix subscribers on no-ads plans.
Few details are available for Beyoncé’s Christmas halftime show, but according to Netflix she is expected to bring along some “special guests” who are featured on “Cowboy Carter.” She’s a veteran of two Super Bowls: Beyoncé was the halftime performer for the 2013 game in New Orleans, which featured a Destiny’s Child reunion; and in 2016, she sang “Formation” when Coldplay was the headliner act.
On Christmas Day, Netflix’s pregame coverage will kick off at 11 a.m. ET, from NFL Network’s studios in L.A. and Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. The streamer has tapped Mariah Carey to deliver a recorded performance of her record-breaking holiday hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You” before both of the day’s two games.
If you missed the window for Netflix’s NFL livestreams, you still have the chance to catch the reruns. As it stands right now, NFL Network is scheduled to re-air Ravens-Texans on Wednesday, Dec. 25, at 11:30 p.m. ET and Thursday, Dec. 26, at 5 a.m. ET. The channel will re-air Chiefs-Steelers on Dec. 25 at 8:30 p.m. ET and Dec. 26 at 2 a.m. ET. There is the possibility for additional re-airs but portions of the NFL Network’s programming schedule are still being determined. In addition, replays of both games will be available with NFL+ Premium ($14.99/month) in the U.S. and via DAZN internationally.
Note also that the two Netflix Christmas Day games will air on broadcast TV in the competing teams’ local markets and will be available live on U.S. mobile devices with an NFL+ subscription.
World
Zelenskyy lambastes Putin over Christmas strikes: 'What could be more inhumane?'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy excoriated Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday for launching attacks against energy infrastructure on Christmas Day.
Zelenskyy suggested the attacks were “inhumane,” but said they would not ruin Christmas.
“Today, Putin deliberately chose Christmas for an attack. What could be more inhumane? Over 70 missiles, including ballistic ones, and more than a hundred attack drones. The targets are our energy infrastructure. They continue to fight for a blackout in Ukraine,” he declared in a post on X.
The Russian Defence Ministry acknowledged a “massive strike” on its part, saying it hit energy facilities that supported Ukraine’s “military-industrial complex,” Reuters reported.
“The aim of the strike was achieved. All facilities have been hit,” the ministry said.
RUSSIA BATTERS UKRAINE POWER GRID AMID RISING CONCERN PUTIN COULD ORDER BALLISTIC MISSILE ATTACK THIS WEEKEND
Strikes against Ukrainian fuel and energy sources involved 78 air, ground and sea-launched missiles, in addition to 106 Shaheds and other kinds of drones, Ukraine’s air force claimed, according to The Associated Press.
“Unfortunately, there have been hits. As of now, there are power outages in several regions. Power engineers are working to restore power supply as soon as possible,” Zelenskyy noted.
Still, the Ukrainian leader declared that “Russian evil will not break Ukraine and will not spoil Christmas.”
US CITIZEN IMPRISONED IN RUSSIA GIVEN NEW 15-YEAR SENTENCE IN WAKE OF ESPIONAGE CONVICTION
The U.S. has provided billions of dollars’ worth of aid to help Ukraine fight the Russian onslaught that erupted in 2022, but Americans and their congressional representatives have been divided regarding whether the U.S. should continue supplying aid to Ukraine.
President-elect Trump, who will take office on Jan. 20, has called for a cease-fire and negotiations.
TRUMP MEETS WITH MACRON, ZELENSKYY AHEAD OF NOTRE DAME REOPENING CEREMONY IN PARIS
CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In a post on Truth Social this month, Trump declared that “Zelenskyy and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness. They have ridiculously lost 400,000 soldiers, and many more civilians. There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin.”
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
World
Five journalists killed in Israeli strike near Gaza hospital
Journalists from Al-Quds Today were covering events at al-Awda Hospital when their vehicle was struck.
Five journalists have been killed in an Israeli strike in the vicinity of a hospital in central Gaza, according to Palestinian authorities and media reports.
The journalists from the Al-Quds Today channel were covering events near al-Awda Hospital, located in the Nuseirat refugee camp, when their broadcasting van was hit by an Israeli air strike, Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif reported early on Thursday morning.
Footage from the scene circulating on social media shows a vehicle engulfed in flames.
A screenshot taken from a video of the white-coloured van shows the word “press” in large red lettering across the back of the vehicle.
The deceased journalists have been named as Fadi Hassouna, Ibrahim al-Sheikh Ali, Mohammed al-Ladah, Faisal Abu al-Qumsan and Ayman al-Jadi.
Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif said that Ayman al-Jadi had been waiting for his wife in front of the hospital while she was in labour to give birth to their first child.
Breaking: Five journalists lost their lives after their vehicle was incinerated in an Israeli airstrike targeting the broadcasting van of “Al-Quds Today” channel while covering events near Al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/oiAmxgZwO5
— أنس الشريف Anas Al-Sharif (@AnasAlSharif0) December 26, 2024
Civil defence teams retrieved the bodies of the victims and extinguished a fire at the scene, the Quds News Network said.
There was no immediate comment from Israeli authorities.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) earlier this month condemned Israel’s killing of four Palestinian journalists in the space of a week, calling on the international community to hold the country accountable for its attacks against the media.
At least 141 journalists have been killed in Israel’s war in Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to the CPJ.
-
Technology5 days ago
Google’s counteroffer to the government trying to break it up is unbundling Android apps
-
News6 days ago
Novo Nordisk shares tumble as weight-loss drug trial data disappoints
-
Politics6 days ago
Illegal immigrant sexually abused child in the U.S. after being removed from the country five times
-
Entertainment6 days ago
'It's a little holiday gift': Inside the Weeknd's free Santa Monica show for his biggest fans
-
Lifestyle6 days ago
Think you can't dance? Get up and try these tips in our comic. We dare you!
-
Technology1 week ago
Fox News AI Newsletter: OpenAI responds to Elon Musk's lawsuit
-
Technology1 day ago
There’s a reason Metaphor: ReFantanzio’s battle music sounds as cool as it does
-
News2 days ago
France’s new premier selects Eric Lombard as finance minister