Top World News
US tech firms successfully lobbied EU to keep datacentre emissions secret
Apr 17, 2026 - World 
Legally questionable confidentiality clause adopted almost word for word from demands of Microsoft and trade groupsMicrosoft and other US tech companies successfully lobbied the EU to hide the environmental toll of their datacentres, an investigation has found, with demands to block a database of green metrics from public view written almost word for word into EU rules.The secrecy provision, which the European Commission added to its proposal almost verbatim after industry lobbying in 2024, hinders scrutiny of the pollution that individual datacentres emit. It leaves researchers with just national-level summaries of their energy footprints. Continue reading...
Home Office ‘red flag’ error leaves German mother separated from toddler in UK
Apr 17, 2026 - World
Liza Tobay was told settled status had been ‘red flagged’ when she tried to fly home from Germany to ScotlandA German woman has been separated from her two-year-old daughter in Edinburgh after a Home Office mistake left her stranded in Dusseldorf earlier this week.Liza Tobay, who has lived in the UK for 15 years, had taken her oldest child, a six-year-old boy, to visit his grandfather and some other relatives over Easter when confronted with what she said appeared to be “a serious administrative error”. Continue reading...
UK police charge 3 in arson attack at Persian-language media organization
Apr 17, 2026 - World 
British police have charged three people in an arson attack at a Persian-language media organization in northwest London
‘How do I end a call?’: the elderly Japanese people determined to master smartphones
Apr 17, 2026 - World
Elderly people take advantage of courses on how to navigate mobile devices and avoid ‘analogue isolation’It’s not only young people whose gaze is fixed on tiny screens. But for these users in Tokyo, clicking and scrolling is anything but second nature.“I can’t deal with all of the apps that jump out at me,” says one. “How do I know if I’ve definitely ended a call?” asks another. Continue reading...
Gunfire reported in Beirut as truce comes into effect – as it happened
Apr 17, 2026 - World
This blog is now closed. Our live coverage continues hereIran has stopped all petrochemical exports to prioritise domestic supply and prevent shortages of raw materials, Reuters reported.The state-owned National Petrochemical Company ordered firms to suspend exports until further notice. Continue reading...
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