Euronews •

Google’s €13bn Finland push transforms and divides a quiet rural town

A €13 billion Google data centre investment is set to transform the Finnish municipality of Muhos and the wider Oulu region. While many locals welcome new jobs and economic activity, environmental campaigners say more than 300 hectares of forest were cleared without a required assessment.

Ex-prince Andrew takes UK police to court to ‘quash’ Epstein affair search warrants

Ex-prince Andrew takes UK police to court to ‘quash’ Epstein affair search warrants

SCMP •

Britain’s disgraced former prince, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has launched a High Court challenge “to quash search warrants” obtained by police ahead of his arrest earlier this year, the judiciary has confirmed. The London court was set to hold a private hearing on Thursday, the judiciary said in a statement on Monday, as King Charles’ brother challenged Thames Valley Police over searches of his ...

Up to 500 French schools to be closed Monday as protests continue

Up to 500 French schools to be closed Monday as protests continue

France 24 •

Up to 500 French high ⁠schools will begin a second week of total or partial closures on Monday as protests over dilapidated schools and classrooms, overcrowding and teacher shortages precede a nationwide day of demonstrations on Tuesday. Reporting from outside a high school in the Paris suburb of Aubervilliers, France 24's Luke Shrago says things are relatively calm as of early Monday morning as s...

US defence experts to work inside Taiwan military HQ under reported pact

US defence experts to work inside Taiwan military HQ under reported pact

SCMP •

A reported plan to station US defence personnel inside Taiwan’s military headquarters would take cooperation from external help into the heart of defence planning, potentially angering Beijing while raising questions over Taipei’s policymaking autonomy and military secrecy. According to Taiwanese media reports at the weekend, the Pentagon plans to send one official from the Office of the Under Sec...

Bolsonaro in 'very strong position' as Brazil election heads to run-off

Bolsonaro in 'very strong position' as Brazil election heads to run-off

France 24 •

Right-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro pulled off a surprise first-place finish ahead of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Sunday's election, which heads to a run-off in three weeks as neither clinched a majority. However, with Bolsonaro gaining 47 percent of the ballet to Lula’s 45 percent, he is in a “very strong position” heading into the decisive vote, says France 24’s correspondent Time Vic...

Spanish PM Sanchez calls snap election amid housing crisis

Spanish PM Sanchez calls snap election amid housing crisis

France 24 •

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called ⁠an early election ​for November 29 on Monday, in a bid to strengthen his mandate after a fragmented parliament rejected the government's key housing decrees last week amid widespread protests. France 24's correspondent in Madrid Sarah Morris has the deetails.

From 3,000 kg of Ganesha idol waste to 760 study tables: Inside ‘Visarjan Se Vidya Tak’ initiative

From 3,000 kg of Ganesha idol waste to 760 study tables: Inside ‘Visarjan Se Vidya Tak’ initiative

Times of India •

The 'Visarjan Se Vidya Tak' project creatively transforms discarded Ganesha idols into functional furniture, such as study tables for educational institutions. Spearheaded by Malhar Kaalambe and Dr. Binish Desai, the initiative has already repurposed 3,000 kg of Plaster of Paris into essential school furniture. By 2026, they aim to increase their output to 5,000 tables and additional educational r...

Ex-prince Andrew launches bid to ‘quash’ Epstein-affair search warrants

Ex-prince Andrew launches bid to ‘quash’ Epstein-affair search warrants

France 24 •

Britain's disgraced former prince, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, filed a legal action on Monday to quash warrants that led to searches of his residences. The police arrested the 66-year-old on February 19 on suspicion of misconduct over his links to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 

Why protecting home values is Beijing’s new priority

Why protecting home values is Beijing’s new priority

SCMP •

For decades, China’s property sector was defined by spectacular scale: farmland transformed into suburbs, skylines rising across regional hubs and, more recently, the prominent unravelling of heavily indebted developers. Yet beneath those dramatic changes, a far quieter and more consequential transformation is taking shape. Official figures published by the National Bureau of Statistics in Septemb...

Extreme heat warnings issued for parts of southern California

Extreme heat warnings issued for parts of southern California

The Guardian •

Temperatures in US state forecast to hit high 30s celsius this week, while regions in Indonesia grapple with wildfiresThe National Weather Service in the US has issued extreme heat warnings for parts of southern California, including Los Angeles, until Thursday, as temperatures are expected to hit the high 30s celsius. Burbank, a suburb north of Los Angeles, recorded 39C on Saturday, a few degrees...

Coach services could be cut due to record diesel prices, UK operators warn

Coach services could be cut due to record diesel prices, UK operators warn

The Guardian •

Rising fuel costs are pushing hundreds of firms out of business, threatening school transport, firms sayBusiness live – latest updatesCoach operators have said record diesel prices could force cuts to services including school transport, as hauliers warn rising fuel costs are pushing hundreds of firms out of business.The average price of diesel on UK forecourts hit a fresh record of more than £2 a...

Coach services could be cut due to record diesel prices, operators warn

Coach services could be cut due to record diesel prices, operators warn

The Guardian •

Rising fuel costs are pushing hundreds of firms out of business, threatening school transport, firms sayBusiness live – latest updatesCoach operators have said record diesel prices could force cuts to services including school transport, as hauliers warn rising fuel costs are pushing hundreds of firms out of business.The average price of diesel on UK forecourts hit a fresh record of more than £2 a...