Author: Kostas Birakis

Two rare earth minerals have been found in Finland for the first time in what could be a boost to Europe’s supply of critical minerals necessary for the energy transition. Finnish Minerals Group said on Monday that Sokli and the Geological Survey of Finland had identified two new minerals, kukharenkoite and cordylite, through mineralogical characterization—the first such deposits identified in the country. The recently completed mineralogical analysis was aimed at charting the occurrence of rare earth elements (REE) in minerals. Sokli is the world’s largest carbonatite deposit, the company said. “According to the results of our scoping study, Sokli could produce at…

I came to Osaka with the intention to finalise a free trade agreement with the European Union. Since I became Trade Minister, I have been to Europe three times to progress a deal that benefits Australia’s national interest. My job as Australia’s Trade Minister is to get the best deal that we can for our producers, our businesses, our workers, and our consumers. Unfortunately we have not been able to make progress. Negotiations will continue, and I am hopeful that one day we will sign a deal that benefits both Australia and our European friends. I would like to thank…

A Lecture by Tshilidzi Marwala, UNU Rector and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations The rapid development of artificial intelligence brings with it a host of complex governance challenges. As AI systems become more capable and autonomous, we must consider how to regulate their design, training, and use to align with human values and prevent unintended harm. Key governance issues include accountability, transparency, privacy, bias, and safety. This lecture from UNU Rector, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Member of the United Nations Scientific Advisory Board, Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, will explore ethical frameworks, technical standards, and policy interventions needed to steer AI in a…

BERLIN — A leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany said on Monday that her party is no longer a primarily eastern German phenomenon after a pair of strong state election performances in the country’s more prosperous west, declaring that “we have arrived.” The 10-year-old Alternative for Germany, or AfD, is at its strongest in the country’s former communist east. It hopes to emerge as the strongest party for the first time in three state elections in that region about a year from now. However, co-leader Alice Weidel said gains for the party on Sunday in the western states of Hesse…

South Korea’s leading carmakers Hyundai Motor and Kia said on Wednesday that they have inked a strategic partnership with the German automotive chipmaker Infineon Technologies AG, so as to secure its power semiconductor supply chain. Under the deal, sealed in Munich, Germany, the companies will cooperate in developing power semiconductors, a key component for eco-friendly cars to control and convert electric power, according to the South Korean companies, reports Yonhap news agency. Hyundai and Kia will also source a portion of their power semiconductors from Infineon for the production of electric and hybrid vehicles through 2030, they added. Infineon is…

A populist far-right politician is the front-runner in a mayoral race Sunday in the German city of Nordhausen, best known as the location of the Nazi concentration camp Mittelbau-Dora. Joerg Prophet of the Alternative for Germany party, won 42.1% of the vote in the first round of the election earlier this month. His opponent, independent incumbent candidate Kai Buchmann, had just 23.7%. The prospect of a far-right mayor holding a revisionist version of Germany’s Holocaust past has not gone unnoticed by Holocaust survivors and people who work in Germany to combat discrimination. Jens-Christian Wagner, director of the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora…

This Sunday will see a showdown between two candidates vying for the leadership of Syriza, and the Greek left is abuzz with the prospect that a former banker could usher in a new era. The main opposition party to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s right-wing New Democracy has been rudderless since the resignation of Alexis Tsipras, who stepped down after his poor performance in June’s general elections. The emergence of Stefanos Kasselakis has come as something of a surprise. He is 35, openly gay, and has little political experience – but brings with him a sense of excitement and uncertainty. The former banker is up…

European wheat edged lower on Friday on prospects of a revival of the Black Sea grain export deal that would further boost competition from the region but uncertainty about the Argentine harvest gave prices some support. Benchmark December milling wheat on Paris-based Euronext, was down 0.3% by 1230 GMT to 233.75 euros ($254.16) a metric ton. It is heading for a weekly loss of more than 3%. Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Monday in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi, the Kremlin said on Friday. Two Turkish sources told Reuters on…

The former French president distanced himself from Emmanuel Macron’s current Ukraine strategy. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy says “diplomacy, discussions and talks” are “the only ways” to resolve Russia’s war on Ukraine. In an interview published in French daily Le Figaro on Wednesday, Sarkozy argued that Europe needs to “clarify its strategy” and seek a compromise with Russia rather than pursue its “strange idea” of funding a war without waging it. “Without compromise, nothing will be possible and we run the risk that the situation will degenerate at any moment. This powder keg could have frightful consequences,” he said. Sarkozy condemned Vladimir…

Namibia has suspended imports of live poultry, birds, and poultry products from Denmark and the Netherlands following the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the two European countries. European countries have borne the brunt of avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, in recent years which has led to the culling of millions of birds in the past two years, affecting the supply of poultry meat and eggs. The suspension will affect poultry products packaged in Denmark on or after Jun 28 and poultry products from the Netherlands packaged on or after Jul 11, Namibia’s veterinary services directorate said in…