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European Parliament delegation to COP29 to receive ‘burner’ phones

Published

1 year ago

October 31, 2024

European Parliament delegation to COP29 to receive ‘burner’ phones

The head of the Greens’ delegation to COP29 climate talks in Azerbaijan next month has redoubled criticism of the host country over its human rights record and status as a major fossil fuel producer.

MEPs travelling to the Azeri capital Baku for upcoming UN climate talks will be issued with disposable phones amid fears of hacking by foreign agents, the Green MEP Michael Bloss has revealed, while expressing concern about slow progress towards ending the fossil fuel era.

“Security advisors have warned us that our devices are likely to be infiltrated—a precaution based on first-hand experiences with surveillance and reprisals in the region,” Bloss told Euronews after briefing journalists on the COP29 summit.

“Even as MEPs, we can’t communicate freely without fearing state monitoring,” said the German lawmaker, who is part of the European Parliament’s 15-strong official delegation to the talks.

The whole delegation will be offered “burner” phones, Bloss’s office confirmed in an email exchange, using a term that usually refers to cheap, anonymous, pre-paid handsets that can be used briefly then discarded.

Use of burner phones ‘happens all the time’

The arrangement appears, however, to be fairly standard. Euronews spoke to a former European Commissioner who said it was standard practice for delegations to be issued with burner phones and laptops set up just for the duration of foreign visits, which are handed back to EU security services upon return.

“There is always a security risk assessment,” said the former senior EU official, who did not wish to be named. “It happens all the time.”

A spokesperson for the assembly said the European Parliament’s services “constantly monitor security and cybersecurity” but, also for security reasons, could not comment further.

While not specifying which states were thought to pose a security risk during the COP29 summit, Bloss – in line with the Greens as a group – made no secret of his reservations about the choice of Azerbaijan as host of this year’s talks.

“To me, it’s clear: Azerbaijan suppresses critical voices and uses the COP as a platform for image management, rather than for genuine dialogue,” the MEP said.

Regardless of the venue, environmentalists and climate activists have long been wary about the presence of the fossil fuel industry at UN climate talks.

Bloss criticised the choice of yet another host country, after Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, whose economy is heavily reliant on fossil fuel exports. “Socar, the gas and oil company of Azerbaijan, has announced that they want to expand their oil and gas drilling,” the MEP noted.

“That’s the opposite of what should be happening,” Bloss said.

Still, tough negotiations at COP28 in Dubai last year ended with a global agreement, to the relief of many, to “transition away” from fossil fuels and “accelerate efforts towards the phase-down of unabated coal power”.

Although no end dates were specified and questions were asked about the implications of the term “unabated”, the symbolic significance of the move – along with a concrete commitment to triple global renewable energy production by 2030 – was seized upon by many at the time as a major breakthrough.

Among them was Danish Climate and Energy Minister Dan Jørgensen, who is due to be grilled by MEPs next week as European commissioner designate for energy and housing. Jørgensen hailed a “huge decision” by global leaders and a “pivotal” moment in the fight against global heating.

The European Parliament’s delegation is not directly participating in the talks, where the European Commission’s team, headed by climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, will push the EU position as agreed by member states earlier this month.

“There needs to be a clear, regulated end-date for fossil [fuels],” Bloss said. But more ambitious wording on giving up coal, oil and gas, let alone a concrete deadline, appears less likely to emerge in Baku next month.

All about the money

The central debate is set to focus on financing: in particular, the EU wants to see contributions from a wider base of countries beyond the handful of advanced economies that have committed to pool $100bn a year to help poorer nations deal with climate change.

Azeri COP29 president-designate Mukhtar Babayev was asked about “full steam ahead” fossil fuel production in his country – as well as last year’s host the UAE and next year’s, Brazil – during a public debate at an annual International Monetary Fund gathering in Washington D.C. last week.

Azerbaijan would provide “continuity of the process” moved forward in Dubai, Babayev said. Baku would also provide a “very big opportunity” for governments to finally close discussions on the setting up of a global system of ‘carbon credits’ that would allow countries to pay others to take climate action on their behalf.

The COP29 summit runs from 11 to 22 November.

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World

Video: Humpback Whale Stranded Off German Coast Is Freed by Rescuers

Published

8 hours ago

March 28, 2026

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Video: Humpback Whale Stranded Off German Coast Is Freed by Rescuers

new video loaded: Humpback Whale Stranded Off German Coast Is Freed by Rescuers

In a last-ditch effort, rescuers were at last able to free a 40-foot humpback whale that had been stuck in shallow waters near the coast of Germany for four days.

By Axel Boada

March 27, 2026

World

Russian man who assaulted woman during Barron Trump FaceTime call sentenced to 4 years

Published

9 hours ago

March 28, 2026

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Russian man who assaulted woman during Barron Trump FaceTime call sentenced to 4 years

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A Russian man convicted of assaulting a woman in London in an attack witnessed by Barron Trump, President Donald Trump’s youngest son, on a video call was sentenced to four years in prison by a London court on Friday.

Matvei Rumiantsev, 23, an MMA fighter, was convicted by a jury on Jan. 28 of assault with bodily harm but was acquitted of rape and choking charges. He was also convicted of perverting the course of justice stemming from a letter he sent the woman from jail asking her to retract her allegations.

After the assault, Rumiantsev admitted he was jealous of his girlfriend’s friendship with the 19-year-old son of President Donald Trump.

BARRON TRUMP REPORTEDLY SAVED WOMAN’S LIFE AFTER WITNESSING VIOLENT ASSAULT ON FACETIME CALL

Barron Trump attends inauguration ceremonies in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool/Getty Images)

“Your lack of insight and empathy was apparent at trial,” Justice Joel Bennathan said. “You continue to try to blame the complainant for everything that has happened.”

Trump told investigators he had placed a late-night FaceTime call to the woman, whom he had met on social media, and had been startled when the call had been briefly answered by a shirtless man on Jan. 18, 2025.

“That view lasted maybe one second and I was racing with adrenaline,” Barron Trump said. “The camera was then flipped to the victim getting hit while crying, stating something in Russian.”

BARRON TRUMP SPOTTED ON NYU CAMPUS FOR FIRST TIME SINCE INAUGURATION

Barron Trump looks on ahead of the Presidential Inauguration of Donald Trump at the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 2025. (KEVIN LAMARQUE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Barron Trump called the police in London.

“It’s really an emergency … I’m calling from the U.S., uh, I just got a call from a girl, you know, she’s getting beat up,” he told an operator.

Police responded to the address and arrested Rumiantsev, a London-based receptionist.

At his trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court, Rumiantsev was acquitted of rape and choking related to the attack, as well as a separate rape and assault allegation from November 2024.

His attorney, Sasha Wass, said that Trump wasn’t aware the woman had a boyfriend and questioned how much he could have seen in just a few seconds of video.

Barron Trump watches as his father, President Donald Trump attends an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event at Capital One Arena, in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

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Trump never testified in the case. However, the judge praised him for his quick-thinking actions.

“Mr, Trump properly and responsibly, despite being in the United States, made sure the emergency services here were called, and he told them what he had seen,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

World

EU Parliament unblocks key political hurdle in digital euro talks

Published

11 hours ago

March 28, 2026

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EU Parliament unblocks key political hurdle in digital euro talks

Published on
27/03/2026 – 17:47 GMT+1

EU lawmakers have overcome a key political hurdle in the negotiations of digital euro, making the project closer to approval, according to a draft text seen by Euronews.

The Parliamentary rapporteurs involved in the legislation have found an agreement on the design of the digital euro, which will be able to function both online and offline.

The digital euro would be an electronic form of cash issued by the European Central Bank, designed to sit alongside banknotes and the payments services offered by commercial banks.

It has taken on new political weight as economic tensions between the EU and the US sharpen the debate over Europe’s reliance on American payment giants, such as Visa and Mastercard.

Under the European Commission’s proposal, digital euro users would have a wallet for both online and offline payments, with transactions designed so they are not trackable.

The situation in Parliament changed on Wednesday evening, when the centre-right politician Fernando Navarrete, who is the leading rapporteur on the file, announced the withdrawal of his position to reduce the scope of the digital euro to offline use only.

His position blocked the advancement of negotiations for months, jeopardising the whole legislative process, according to three sources familiar with the negotiations.

The political deadlock has pushed EU leaders to accelerate progress on the digital euro. At the European Council meeting on 19 March, they set a goal to have the digital euro legislation approved by the end of 2026.

With the Council, representing EU countries, having already adopted its position, the European Parliament is now the only institution left to advance the law.

“Thanks to our amendments and firm stance, we have finally broken the political deadlock on the digital euro. The distinction between online and offline has been removed, and it is now established as a single payment system,” Pasquale Tridico, the rapporteur for The Left, told Euronews.

However, lawmakers still need to agree on two key aspects: the “hold limits” and the “compensation.”

The hold limits determine the maximum amount a user can store in a digital euro wallet, while compensation sets out a model for reimbursing commercial banks that provide digital euro services.

Although negotiations are not yet complete, the text is expected to be voted on in the Parliament’s economy committee before the summer, according to a source familiar with the matter.