Third night of anti-immigrant violence hits Northern Ireland town
01:55
12/06/2025
Australia 'confident' in US nuclear sub deal despite review
12/06/2025
Protests spread across US despite Trump threats
12/06/2025
UN Ocean Summit: 'Protect the ocean to save Pacific islands'
12/06/2025
UN nuclear watchdog slams Iran's 'non-compliance' over non-proliferation
12/06/2025
Smoke and fire rises from India plane crash site
12/06/2025
At least 49 killed in South Africa floods
12/06/2025
Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson dies at age 82
12/06/2025
Air India plane headed for London crashes at India's Ahmedabad airport
12/06/2025
Trump says US personnel moved as Iran nuclear talks stall
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Euronews
32 minutes ago
- Euronews
Tesla drivers in France sue EV maker for becoming ‘far-right symbol'
Several Tesla customers in France are suing the electric vehicle (EV) maker run by Elon Musk, alleging that the cars have become 'extreme right' symbols that are harming their reputation, the law firm representing them said this week. Around 10 Tesla leaseholders are asking to terminate their contracts and recover legal costs at the Paris Commercial Court, saying that the cars turned into 'far-right totems' following Musk's support for Donald Trump's presidential bid and Germany's far-right AfD Party. "Because of Elon Musk's actions... Tesla-branded vehicles have become strong political symbols and now appear to be veritable extreme-right 'totems,' to the dismay of those who acquired them with the sole aim of possessing an innovative and ecological vehicle," the GKA law firm said in a statement cited by French media. The statement also referenced when the billionaire sparked outrage when he took to the stage and appeared to perform a salute affiliated with Nazis. Musk denied the gesture was a Nazi salute and described criticism as a 'tired' attack. The plaintiffs said that his actions now meant they are prevented 'from fully enjoying their car'. Tesla offers the option to lease a car and later buy it, or opt out of the lease. Owning a Tesla was once a symbol of status, but the vehicles in Europe and the United States have been targeted and defaced by vandals. Some Tesla owners have reportedly been putting stickers on their cars reading "I bought this before Elon went crazy". Sales of the vehicle have also plummeted since Musk entered politics. Until last week, Trump and Musk were seemingly close allies, with Musk having supported Trump both financially and publicly during his 2024 presidential campaign. Musk was also involved in the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a drive by Trump's administration to slash government programmes. However, the richest and the most powerful men's relationship came to blows very publicly after Trump's 'big beautiful bill,' which aims to fast-track policy around spending. It has hundreds of proposed changes that would impact health care and other changes to social benefits. Musk argued the bill's spending would increase the "already gigantic budget deficit" and "burden American citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt". Trump said that Musk knew about his plans for the bill but only opposed it when he learned it would impact Tesla. Musk has now backpedalled on comments he made on his social media platform X that Trump should be impeached and that the president is mentioned in the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's files. Euronews Next has contacted Tesla but did not receive a reply at the time of publication. Every year, millions of tonnes of electronic waste end up in landfills, largely because small devices are built from materials that are nearly impossible to separate and recycle efficiently. At just 24 years old, Austrian industrial designer Franziska Kerber is working to change that: She has developed PAPE, a sustainable, paper-based alternative to plastic and fibreglass used in the casings of small electronic devices. Thanks to her work on PAPE, Kerber has been recognised as one of the top ten winners – called Tomorrow Shapers – of the 2025 Young Inventors Prize, awarded by the European Patent Office. 'Electronic waste is the fastest-growing waste stream worldwide and most electronic products are not designed in a way for them to be recycled,' Kerber explained. 'So I was aiming to create a product that not only improves recyclability, but creates a full circular system around it.' Unlike conventional plastics, which often trap valuable materials inside a device, PAPE is designed to dissolve in a targeted process. This allows manufacturers to retrieve electronic components without the need for shredding or chemical separation. PAPE is made from unused paper fibres, is durable and biodegradable, and was designed from the ground up with material recovery in mind. Kerber's commitment to sustainable design was shaped by both family and education. Her father, a physicist and award-winning inventor, introduced her to dissolvable electronics at a young age. While studying industrial design at FH Joanneum, she became increasingly focused on circular systems and material reuse – realising that solving e-waste requires more than just one recyclable component. 'Even if researchers create dissolvable, recyclable circuit boards, it doesn't really change anything if the rest of the product just ends up as waste again. The whole design has to evolve – otherwise, we're just shifting the problem instead of solving it,' she said. To develop PAPE, Kerber experimented with compressed paper fibres, refining the product through iterations that tested heat resistance, airflow, and durability. PAPE was specifically created for small consumer electronics like WiFi routers and smoke detectors, which are widespread but rarely recycled properly. 'I hope that this invention reaches a point when people talk about which WiFi router they should buy next, they will think about PAPE because it's just the better sustainable option and I love the design,' Kerber added. She is now working with startups and companies developing recyclable PCBs to bring PAPE to the market, aiming to shift the consumer electronics industry toward truly circular solutions. Moreover, Kerber's work contributes directly to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) – highlighting how thoughtful design can reduce waste and help shape a more sustainable future.
France 24
6 hours ago
- France 24
As Trump mulls sanctions, Russia's military economy slows
Huge spending on guns, tanks, drones, missiles and soldiers for the Ukraine campaign helped ensure Moscow bucked predictions of economic collapse after it launched its offensive in 2022. But as Kyiv's most important backers head Sunday to Canada for the G7, where US President Donald Trump will face pressure to hit Russia with fresh sanctions, the Kremlin's run of economic fortune is showing signs of fatigue. "It is no longer possible to pull the economy along by the military-industrial complex alone," Natalia Zubarevich, an economist at Moscow State University, told AFP. Government spending has jumped 60 percent since before the offensive, with military outlays now at nine percent of GDP, according to President Vladimir Putin. "Almost every other sector is showing zero or even negative growth," said Zubarevich. Russia's economy expanded 1.4 percent on an annualised basis in the first quarter -- down from 4.1 percent in 2024 to its lowest reading in two years. The central bank predicts growth of no more than 1-2 percent this year. Russia's economy "is simply running out of steam", Alexandra Prokopenko, a former central bank advisor and now analyst based outside Russia, wrote in a recent note. Oil reliance Putin, who has revelled in Russia's strong performance, has brushed off concerns. "We do not need such growth," he said at the end of last year, when the slowdown started. Rapid expansion risked creating "imbalances in the economy, that could cause us harm in the long run", he said. Top among those imbalances has been rapid inflation, running at around 10 percent. The Central Bank last week nudged interest rates down from a two-decade-high saying price rises were moderating. But those high borrowing costs -- combined with falling oil prices -- are the main factors behind the slowdown, economist Anton Tabakh told AFP. Russia's Urals blend of crude oil sold for an average of $52 a barrel in May, down from $68 in January -- a big reduction in energy revenues, which make up more than a quarter of government income. Russia this year has raised taxes on businesses and high earners, essentially forcing them to stump up more for the Ukraine offensive. But the new income "only covers the shortfall in oil sales", said Zubarevich. With tighter finances, Russia's parliament was this week forced to amend state spending plans for 2025. It now expects a budget deficit of 1.7 percent of GDP -- three times higher than initially predicted. Trump factor Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is urging Trump to whack a fresh set of economic sanctions on Moscow as punishment for rejecting ceasefire calls and continuing with its deadly bombardments of Ukrainian cities. "Russia doesn't really care about such human losses. What they do worry about are harsh sanctions," Zelensky said Thursday. "That's what really threatens them –- because it could cut off their funding for war and force them to seek peace," he added. Trump's intentions are unclear. He has publicly mulled both hitting Moscow with new sanctions and removing some of the measures already in place. Some US senators, including Republicans, have proposed hitting countries that buy Russian oil with massive tariffs, to try to dent the flow of billions of dollars to Moscow from the likes of China and India. In Moscow, officials flip between blasting sanctions as an "illegal" attack on Russia and brushing them off as an ineffective tool that has backfired on Europe and the United States. Russia has also talked up its ability to continue fighting for years -- whatever the West does -- and has geared its economy to serving the military. Moscow still has the cash to wage its conflict "for a long time", Zubarevich said. "Through 2025 definitely. 2026 will be a bit tougher but they will cut other expenses. This (military) spending will stay." © 2025 AFP
France 24
9 hours ago
- France 24
Oil surges, stocks fall on Middle East fears as Israel strikes Iran
Investors ran for the hills on news of the attacks and a warning that retaliatory action from Tehran was possible, after US President Donald Trump said a "massive conflict" in the region was possible. While Tel Aviv said it had struck military and nuclear targets Iran said residential buildings had been hit. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement: "This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat. "We struck at the heart of Iran's nuclear enrichment programme. We targeted Iran's main enrichment facility at Natanz. We also struck at the heart of Iran's ballistic missile programme," he added. Iranian nuclear scientists "working on the Iranian bomb" had also been hit, he said. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz cautioned that "a missile and drone attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future". Trump had previously warned that an attack could be on the cards, telling reporters at the White House: "I don't want to say imminent, but it looks like it's something that could very well happen." The US leader said he believed a "pretty good" deal on Iran's nuclear programme was "fairly close", but that an Israeli strike on the country could wreck the chances of an agreement. A US official said there had been no US involvement in the operation. Still there are worries the United States could be sucked into the crisis after Iran threatened this week to target US military bases in the region if a regional conflict broke out. Both main oil contracts, which had rallied earlier in the week on rising tensions, spiked more than eight percent amid fears about supplies of the commodity. The rush from risk assets to safe havens saw equity markets across Asia tumble and bonds rally with gold. US and European equity futures were deep in the red. "The Middle East powder keg just blew the lid off global markets," said Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management. "Equity futures are plummeting. Bond yields are sinking. Gold and oil are skyrocketing," he added. "Brent crude futures are racing toward the mid-$70s range -- but if the Strait of Hormuz, which accounts for 20 percent of global oil flows, finds itself in the blast radius, you can add another $15 to the bid. "If Iran holds back, we get a relief bounce. But if missiles start raining down on Tel Aviv or Tehran retaliates with real teeth, we're staring down a scenario that could redefine the macro narrative for the rest of 2025." Banking giant JPMorgan Chase had warned just this week that prices could top $130 if the worst-case scenario developed. Market sentiment had already been low after Trump sounded his trade war klaxon again by saying he would be sending letters within the next two weeks to other countries' governments to announce unilateral levies on their exports to the United States. The "take it or leave it" deal spurred fears he would reimpose the eye-watering tolls announced on April 2 that tanked markets before he announced a 90-day pause. Key figures at around 0200 GMT West Texas Intermediate: UP 8.6 percent at $73.86 per barrel Brent North Sea Crude: UP 8.2 percent $75.03 per barrel Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.5 percent at 37,606.72 Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.3 percent at 23,959.81 Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 3,39748 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 143.18 yen from 143.56 yen on Thursday Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1543 from $1.1583 Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3557 from $1.3605 Euro/pound: UP at 85.12 pence from 85.11 pence New York - Dow: UP 0.2 percent at 42,967.62 (close) © 2025 AFP
