Latest news with #EP
AllAfrica
3 days ago
- Science
- AllAfrica
With China, European Space Agency leaves politics to governments
The European Space Agency (ESA) has a comprehensive internal system in place to ensure that its collaboration with China will not raise security concerns or be affected by geopolitical changes, according to a senior director interviewed by Asia Times. After the ESA said in January 2023 that it would not send astronauts to China's Tiangong space station, it continued to work with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on two scientific research programs. One of the two programs is the Einstein Probe (EP), a China-led X-ray space telescope mission. China launched the EP satellite to low Earth orbit (600 kilometers above the Earth) from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre on January 9 last year. Another mission is the Solar-wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE), a 50-50 mission between the ESA and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). The SMILE satellite is scheduled to be launched from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, located in northeastern South America, in 2026. It will operate in a highly elliptical orbit similar to a Molniya orbit (40,000 kilometers above the Earth). With SMILE, scientists can understand the Sun–Earth connection by measuring the solar wind and its dynamic interaction with Earth's magnetosphere. Carole Mundell, Director of Science at the European Space Agency (ESA), stated that there is no immediate risk to the ESA-China programs. 'I don't believe there's an immediate risk of that, in the sense that ESA is governed by its member states, and those 23 countries guide me as director of science on how to run the program,' Mundell told Asia Times in an interview on the sidelines of the UK Space Conference in Manchester on July 17. The X-ray telescope of the Einstein Probe Photo: ESA 'I have permission from our member states to collaborate with China, and that's how we've worked on Einstein Probe,' she said. ' It's how we've worked on SMILE.' 'We have robust security processes, and apply them to each national country's government. If components are coming, say from the UK or Belgium, we go through their normal export license control processes, and that is how we satisfy the international regulations.' She said any political challenges between the United States and China are between their governments, which are not ESA member states. She said when collaborating with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the ESA also follows its processes and US rules and regulations. 'We are a technical agency and an international civil service. We are not political, and we don't make decisions on policy,' she said. Mundell took up her current position at the ESA in March 2023. She gained her PhD in astrophysics from the University of Manchester and postdoctoral research fellowships at Jodrell Bank Observatory in the UK, and the University of Maryland in the US, specialising in the physics of accreting supermassive black holes and their role in galaxy evolution. She became the first woman Chief Scientific Adviser at the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2018 and first Chief International Science Envoy in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office until 2021. She was elected President of the UK Science Council in 2021. In March 2019, representing the UK government, she spent two weeks visiting scientific institutions and technology firms in Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Beijing, as well as the China National Space Agency (CNSA) and the National Space Science Center (NSSC). At that time, Wang Chi, the Director General of NSSC, briefly introduced the SMILE mission to her. China and the ESA targeted launching the mission in 2023. However, the launch date was postponed to 2026 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past six years, the world's geopolitical environment has faced drastic changes, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the trade and chip wars between China and the US, and rising political tensions between China and the European Union (EU). On July 18, the EU approved the 18th round of sanctions against Russia, which targeted Russian energy and military firms, as well as two Chinese Banks. Beijing slammed the EU for its sanctions. Carole Mundell, Director of Science at the European Space Agency (ESA) Photo: Asia Times, Jeff Pao Mundell said the ESA can avoid falling foul of international politics due to its independent organizational structure. 'Twenty-three countries are contributing their funding to us this year. Their ministers will all come together and set our budgets in November,' she said. 'We're a membership organization in the same way that CERN is.' (CERN stands for Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire, or the European Organization for Nuclear Research in English.) While the ESA and the EU are separate organisations, they work closely together in many programs, including: the Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite (Iris2) to promote digital autonomy and provide a strategic asset for the EU; the EU's Galileo system, with a 28-satellite constellation and global ground stations to provide a global positioning service; the EU's Copernicus Earth observation satellites to mitigate the effects of climate change and ensure civil security. Under the Financial Framework Partnership Agreement signed in 2021, the EU will provide the ESA with about €9 billion (US$10.52 billion) of funding from 2021 to 2027. Last year, the ESA's full-year budget was €7.79 billion. China has not officially announced its investment in space exploration. According to China's government expenditure on space programs totaled $19.89 billion in 2024, compared to the United States' $79.68 billion and the EU's $3.71 billion. Mundell said that, as a scientist, she would not mind if other places invested more in climate monitoring than the ESA. 'During the pandemic, sometimes political leaders asked me, 'Who's got the best vaccine?' My answer was always: The competition is not about my vaccine being better than yours. It's about the best vaccine to prevent death and illness,' she said. 'For climate monitoring, the Earth is a complex system. We all have limited budgets. If you want to compete to get the best data on Earth observation, it's not a bad competition. That's fine. Go for it,' she said. 'It's better than being blind to the changes on our planet.' She hopes that other organizations will share their data and contribute to climate monitoring, following the example set by the ESA's Copernicus program. The EU and the ESA sent Copernicus Earth observation satellites to mitigate the effects of climate change and ensure civil security. Photo: ESA 'The Copernicus program has set a gold standard for Earth observation,' she said. 'In terms of data transparency, we share our data. We also add value by helping people who might not know what to do with them to get extra information out of them.' 'When I was in the UK Government, it was very interesting visiting one of the NSSC's climate institutes, because there was some local data which was then fed back into some of the UK models, which then helped build the global climate models,' she said, highlighting the importance of boosting international collaboration. The Paris-based ESA, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year since its establishment on May 30, 1975, continues to explore new collaborations with Asian counterparts. In March this year, the ESA signed a letter of intent with Singapore's Office for Space Technology & Industry (OSTIn) to promote deeper collaboration. In May, the ESA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) signed a joint statement of intent on cooperation for human space exploration, focusing on low Earth orbit, and in a secondary stage on the Moon. In July, the ESA announced that it would sign a framework agreement to strengthen cooperation with South Korea's newly established Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA). Read: China's patience wears thin with EU over medical device row
Scoop
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Romy Release Mid Air Transcendence Remixes EP
Romy Releases vMid Air Transcendence Remixes EP Featuring remixes from Julie Desire, Luca Perry and Angel D'Lite PRAISE FOR Mid Air: "Extraordinary... The work of an artist with a sincere appreciation for dance music and the skills to make her own galvanising bangers' – NME 'One of the most confident dance records of recent years' – The New Yorker 'One of the year's best pop records' – The Wall Street Journal 'After a winning career as the lead singer of The xx, it should not come as a surprise that Romy Madley Croft's debut album Mid Air is as good as it is. Yet it bears repeating that this electronica-suffused, trance-heavy new project sees the singer boldly taking herself into new territory.' - Billboard 'An eleven strong homage to an unforgettable era, but it's Romy's autobiographical candour that adds a depth beyond the record's inarguable ecstasy' - DIY Magazine 'Romy Madley Croft emerges boldly and brightly, female pronouns everywhere, full tilt into piano driven house music in all its euphoric, bittersweet glory' - MOJO Just under two years on from the release of her highly-acclaimed debut solo album, London-based dance pop icon Romy releases the Mid Air Transcendence Remixes EP, a bold collection of personally-curated remixes of songs from Mid Air, reimagined for new spaces and states of mind. Out today via Young, the EP features three celebrated producers (and friends) – Parisian DJ and producer Julie Desire, London-based artist, DJ and Romy live collaborator Luca Perry, and south London musical polymath Angel D'Lite – each bringing their unique sonic lens to Romy's dancefloor hymns of love, longing and liberation. They're the latest in a line of incredible Mid Air remixes, following in the footsteps of DJ HEARTSTRING, I JORDAN, TDJ, Jayda G, Planningtorock, Anz and more. LISTEN TO THE MID AIR TRANSCENDENCE REMIXES EP HERE Last week (10th July), Romy brought back her much-loved Club Mid Air, hosting a Transcendence x Club Mid Air party and fundraiser at London's Dalston Superstore. Raising money for London Trans+ Pride, the sold-out event featured DJ sets from all three remixers alongside FAFF, Karlie Marx and DJ Doll. At the event, Romy also released a limited-edition Protect Trans Lives t-shirt. Proceeds from the sale of the t-shirt and EP will be donated to two charities close to Romy's heart, who support the lives of trans adults and young people respectively: Not A Phase and Mermaids. The t-shirt is now available to buy via her webstore Meanwhile, Romy's now legendary set from Glastonbury's Arcadia stage has been made available by the BBC and is available to listen back to here.
The Hindu
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
EU Court upholds EU Parliament's decision to recover funds from Jean-Marie Le Pen
The EU's General Court upheld on Wednesday (July 16, 2025) a European Parliament (EP) decision requiring the estate of late French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen to repay 303,200 euros ($352,380) for wrongly claimed expenses during his time as a member of the parliament. After Le Pen died in January 2025 aged 96, his daughters Yann and Marie-Caroline and granddaughter Marion continued the legal challenge he had begun in January 2024. Le Pen, who founded the National Front political party that was later renamed as the National Rally (NR) and was a member of the EP from 1984 to 2019, had contested the parliament's demand for repayment, arguing it violated legal certainty, legitimate expectations, and his right to a fair trial. The funds had been charged as official MEP expenses. The Court rejected the claims, affirming that the European Parliament followed due process: Le Pen was properly notified, allowed to respond, and failed to justify the expenses. It also ruled that fair trial rights apply only to judicial, not administrative, proceedings. The National Rally party did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The Star
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
EU Court upholds EU parliament's decision to recover funds from Jean-Marie Le Pen
FILE PHOTO: French far-right National Front (FN) founder Jean-Marie Le Pen delivers a speech during a May Day ceremony in front of the statue of Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc) in Paris, France, May 1, 2019. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer/File Photo BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The EU's General Court upheld on Wednesday a European Parliament (EP) decision requiring the estate of late French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen to repay 303,200 euros ($352,380) for wrongly claimed expenses during his time as a member of the parliament. After Le Pen died in January 2025 aged 96, his daughters Yann and Marie-Caroline and granddaughter Marion continued the legal challenge he had begun in January 2024. Le Pen, who founded the National Front political party that was later renamed as the National Rally (NR) and was a member of the EP from 1984 to 2019, had contested the parliament's demand for repayment, arguing it violated legal certainty, legitimate expectations, and his right to a fair trial. The funds had been charged as official MEP expenses. The Court rejected the claims, affirming that the European Parliament followed due process: Le Pen was properly notified, allowed to respond, and failed to justify the expenses. It also ruled that fair trial rights apply only to judicial, not administrative, proceedings. The National Rally party did not immediately reply to a request for comment. ($1 = 0.8604 euros) (Reporting by Charlotte Van CampenhoutEditing by Frances Kerry)
Pink Villa
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Cha Eun Woo to drop solo album post military enlistment: All we know about double title tracks, release plans and more
Actor-singer Cha Eun Woo is preparing to enlist in the military this month. Ahead of that, he has been working diligently to reward his fans with his new projects, which they can enjoy while missing him. According to a report by K-media outlet My Daily on July 16, he is slated to release a solo album after he begins his mandatory military service. Here are the details regarding this new musical project. Cha Eun Woo's agency reacts to news of new music release following military enlistment Cha Eun Woo is reported to be currently working on his new solo album, which is expected to drop in September. Thus, the fans will receive the musical offering after the ASTRO member's military enlistment on July 28. His agency Fantagio confirmed the news, saying, 'It's true that Cha Eun Woo is currently preparing a solo album." However, they kept the premiere schedule under wraps, saying, "The release date is still being coordinated.' All about Cha Eun Woo's new album Although, not much is known about the True Beauty actor's new album, it will reportedly contain double title tracks. According to music industry insiders, the filming for the album has already been completed last week. The album is currently in post-production and if the process goes smoothly, fans might get to hear the new music next month. Cha Eun Woo unveiled his debut solo mini-album ENTITY in February of last year, which garnered significant love and attention from fans. It achieved impressive initial sales of 210,000 copies within the first week of its release. Given the emotional context of his upcoming military enlistment, his forthcoming EP is anticipated to yield similar or even greater success. Cha Eun Woo's latest projects He recently held a fan meeting titled THE ROYAL at Seoul on July 12 and in Japan on July 15. On the acting front, Cha Eun Woo has several upcoming projects lined up, including the Netflix series The Wonder Fools and the movie First Ride. Additionally, he recently debuted Cha Eun Woo VR Concert: MEMORIES, showcasing his continued dedication to his craft.
