EU Targets a New Emission-Slashing Stepping Stone
A record-breaking heatwave battering Europe shows just what's at stake for EU officials who are set to propose one of the bloc's most ambitious climate targets to date. As promised during Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's run for a second term, the EU's executive branch will today put forward a binding law to slash emissions by 90% until 2040 as a stepping stone to reach climate neutrality by the middle of the century. That doesn't mean securing support for it will be easy. Europe's leaders now have other priorities they deem more pressing, like scaling defense spending, fighting trade wars and bringing down energy costs for industry. And while they'll be offered sweeteners to agree — like using controversial international offsets — the stage is set for months of tense talks. The world will be watching to see if Europe is still willing to lead ahead of the COP30 climate summit in Brazil.
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Thursday Briefing: Russia's Record Drone Attack
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Car import quotas, export credits on table for EU-US trade talks, sources say
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Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Ship attacked by Yemen's Houthi rebels sinks in the Red Sea, 6 of 25 aboard rescued
Advertisement The attack on the Eternity C and the sinking of the bulk carrier Magic Seas in another attack Sunday raise new questions about the Red Sea's safety as ships had slowly begun returning to its waters. Meanwhile, a new possible cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war — as well as the future of talks between the US and Iran over Tehran's battered nuclear program — remain in the balance. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'We are now with grave concern seeing an escalation in the Red Sea with attacks on two commercial ships earlier this week by Ansar Allah, resulting in civilian loss of life and casualties as well as the potential for environmental damage,' warned United Nations special envoy Hans Grundberg, using another name for the rebels. Advertisement A statement from the European Union naval mission in the Red Sea said the crew of the ship included 22 sailors, among them 21 Filipinos and one Russian, as well as a three-member security team. Those rescued were five Filipinos and one Indian. Three people also were killed during the hourslong attack on the ship, the EU force said, and their nationalities were not immediately known. The armed rebels had attacked the ship with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms, later using two drones and two drone boats carrying bombs to strike the vessel, the EU force said. The Eternity C sank at 7:50 a.m. Wednesday, it added. The ship, flagged out of Liberia but owned by a Greek firm, likely had been targeted like the Magic Seas over its firm doing business with Israel. Neither vessel apparently requested an escort from the EU force. The US military has two aircraft carriers in the Mideast, the USS Nimitz and the USS Carl Vinson, but both likely are in the Arabian Sea, far from the site of the attacks. There are two American destroyers believed to be operating in the Red Sea. However, the ships attacked had no US ties and a cease-fire between the Houthis and America announced after the bombing campaign earlier this year still appears to be holding. Brigadier General Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesperson, claimed the attack in a prerecorded message Wednesday night as the EU force acknowledged it was still searching for those onboard with private industry rescuers. The Houthis later released footage of them launching missiles at the Eternity C. The bridge appeared heavily damaged by the attack and oil leaked from the vessel. The ship took on water from holes along its waterline before sinking beneath the waves, the rebels chanting: 'God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam.' Advertisement The Houthis released a similar video after their attack on the tanker Sounion in August 2024 and on Tuesday from their attack on the Magic Seas. The attacks on the ships drew immediate international condemnation. 'These attacks demonstrate the ongoing threat that Iran-backed Houthi rebels pose to freedom of navigation and to regional economic and maritime security,' US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said. 'The United States has been clear: We will continue to take necessary action to protect freedom of navigation and commercial shipping from Houthi terrorist attacks.' The EU force earlier said one of the wounded crew lost his leg. Grundberg, the UN envoy, also decried the targeting of civilian infrastructure after Israel bombed three Houthi-controlled ports in Yemen over the weekend and hit a power station. 'Yemen must not be drawn deeper into regional crises that threaten to unravel the already extremely fragile situation in the country,' he warned during an address to the Security Council. Satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press showed new damage at Yemen's rebel-controlled port at Hodeida after it was targeted by the Israeli airstrikes. The images from Planet Labs PBC showed new portions of the pier at the port torn away by Israeli bombing, likely to affect the unloading of cargo there. In conducting the strikes, Israel said the Houthis used the port to smuggle military equipment into the country, a growing worry of analysts and Yemen watchers in recent years. Hodeida is the main entry point for food and other humanitarian aid for millions of Yemenis. Advertisement
