ESA and China recently launched the joint SMILE magnetosphere mission after a decade of cooperation, but despite similar goals, another collaboration appears distant.
The post After cooperation on SMILE mission, ESA and China chart parallel but separate paths appeared first on SpaceNews.
O PRESENTIS, projeto liderado pela GMV, recorre ao sistema de navegação europeu Galileo para garantir segurança e resiliência às infraestruturas críticas europeias para possíveis ataques realizados durante aplicações críticas de sincronização do tempo.
The post PRESENTIS usa rede Galileo e soluções da GMV para proteger infraestruturas críticas appeared first on Tek Notícias.
The European Commission (EC) took the wraps off a sweeping new package outlining measures to boost the continent’s ambitions around semiconductors, AI, cloud and open source, as part of a bid to strengthen the bloc’s digital autonomy.
EC stated measures in the four areas will help Europe “become an AI continent”, established as a leader in research, development and adoption of AI.
It hopes the package will fast track ambitions around technology sovereignty and protect European digital independence, as part of a long-standing goal to reduce reliance on the US and Asia.
Starting with chips, the EC said it wants to secure the semiconductor base for Europe’s AI ambitions through the Chips Act 2.0, which is designed to speed up permitting, deepen cooperation with “like-minded partners” and introduce a new excellence label for Europe’s semiconductor regions.
It is an update of the original Chips Act, in force since 2023, which represented Europe’s response to vulnerabilities in the semiconductor supply chain.
Secondly, a new Cloud and AI Development Act is designed to aid the buildout of new data centres, streamline conditions for deploying facilities across the European Union (EU) and introduce a single EU-wide framework to assess cloud and AI sovereignty. The wider aim is to triple the region’s data centre capacity in the next five to seven years.
Through open source, the EC wants to strengthen digital autonomy, scaling up alternatives in priority areas, invest in skills, startups and digital infrastructure while support greater use of open source in public administration.
Finally, the EC put the focus on digitalising Europe’s energy system, pledging to define a roadmap in the sector to ensure data centres are integrated, while building sovereign and secure AI models.
Technological sovereignty
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the commission, said Europe “cannot afford to depend on others for the technologies that keep our hospitals running, our energy grids stable and our services secure”.
“This is about protecting our citizens, defending our interests and making our own choices. Europe has the talent, the research excellence, the industrial base and the Single Market. Together, we must turn these strengths into technological sovereignty.”
Before the package is put into force, the proposal will be negotiated by the European Parliament and Council of the EU. The commission will also launch a consultation process with member states.
Investment will be made through existing grants until 2028, while future funding is to be confirmed in the next EU budget. The EC has previously estimated a combined public-private investment of €120 billion by 2035 to rejuvenate the continent’s chip industry.
The post EU targets AI, chips in fresh sovereignty drive appeared first on Mobile World Live.
Europe is rapidly rewriting its security architecture. Faced with Russian aggression, mounting doubts about long-term American commitment and growing pressure to shoulder more of its own defense burden, European states […]
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Ofcom called for a concerted effort from mobile operators, local authorities and other entities to improve coverage across the UK, as it published a study highlighting widespread mobile signal issues uncovered on the country’s railway network.
Its research assessed coverage on 24 segments of the UK’s key railway lines. A good performance was deemed to be a download speed of at least 5 Mb/s, 1.5 Mb/s upload, and a response time of 50 milliseconds or less.
It found EE met those standards on 42% of the lines, Virgin Media O2 hit 20%, Vodafone scored 17% and 3 UK 21%. The latter two are now the same company.
Ofcom noted the research “highlights the core problem that mobile signal from masts on the ground often isn’t strong enough around train lines and that some carriage types are difficult for signals to pass through”.
It also found on-board Wi-Fi by train companies was little help, performing well 1% of the time. This was blamed on “outdated technology” and speed caps.
Goals
Alongside the train-specific research, the regulator published a report detailing general aims to improve the quality of mobile coverage in the country.
Here, Ofcom called for a “national effort” to improve services, noting the roles of the mobile industry, local authorities, central government, building developers and landowners.
Highlighting a binding £11 billion investment commitment from VodafoneThree related to merger clearance, Ofcom expects “other networks to respond with their own investment, and collectively this will be a key driver of improvements”.
Ofcom also pointed to issues with infrastructure planning applications in some areas and the advantage of having dedicated indoor coverage systems within sites such as shopping centres.
On train-specific problems, it noted “competition between mobile networks alone won’t be enough to improve mobile signal on trains, and government is currently considering options for how it can help”.
“As well as providing technical advice to Government to help inform its approach, we’ll also look at whether more spectrum – the airwaves all wireless technology relies on – is required”.
Challenges
A statement issued by trade association Mobile UK on behalf of the country’s three mobile operators welcomed the Ofcom research, explaining it “highlights the unique structural and capacity challenges of delivering consistent connectivity on moving trains”.
Noting building the advanced infrastructure required needed “the right enabling environment” the organisation urged government action through the country’s Mobile Market Review and “planning reform to establish a supportive policy and regulatory framework”.
“Dedicated public investment is also critical to tackle complex trackside blackspots, as commercial rollout alone cannot bridge the gap on the rail network,” the statement added. “We look forward to working with Government and Ofcom to achieve this, balancing the need for major investment with Ofcom’s vital role in maintaining low costs for consumers.”
The post UK regulator bemoans train mobile signal failures appeared first on Mobile World Live.
Tech giants and nations stepped up measures to protect young users online as Poland moved to ban mobile phones in primary schools and Meta Platforms separately beefed up teen content controls globally.
Poland’s proposed ban, due to take effect on 1 September 2026, will apply to children aged 7 to 15 on school premises, including during breaks. According to Reuters, the proposed bill will also give schools a legal basis to create storage deposits for handsets.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the restriction aims to give parents and teachers more control over pupils’ device use. “We propose a ban on cell phone use in primary schools during lessons and breaks,” he said, adding, “this is not a perfect solution, we have no illusions about that, but we must address this serious problem, which is addiction to phones and the internet”.
Another bill proposed by Poland’s minister for digital affairs also imposes new obligations on pornography websites to restrict access by children.
Poland’s proposals come as social media platforms face mounting scrutiny over child safety across the globe.
Meta moves
Earlier today (2 June), Meta announced it is expanding its 13+ content settings for teen accounts on Instagram, Facebook and Messenger globally. The controls were initially launched in select countries in October last year and are designed to filter out content deemed inappropriate for underage users as the default for teenagers’ accounts.
A more restrictive “limited content” setting will also be made available on Facebook and Messenger later this year. In addition, Meta’s Instagram platform is also testing a feature to prevent teenage users from repeatedly seeing certain types of content to promote a more balanced social media feed.
In December, Australia became the world’s first country to ban social media for under-16s, while countries including the UK, Denmark, Greece, France, Malaysia, Norway and Spain are all weighing or advancing restrictions.
The post Poland plots phone school ban; Meta expands teen controls appeared first on Mobile World Live.
The U.K. government is exploring sending British astronaut John McFall to Vast’s planned Haven-1 space station in a mission it says could make him the first person with a physical disability to live in orbit.
The post UK explores Vast space station mission for astronaut with physical disability appeared first on SpaceNews.
In a small randomized trial in the United Kingdom, adults who added a serving of 100% fruit juice or a smoothie to a healthier diet reported lower depression scores after four weeks.
The post Daily Glass of Fruit Juice May Lift Your Mood: Study appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.
© Loren Elliott for The New York Times
Earth Oddities • Strange Weather Phenomena • Global Dust Transport • Go back to Strange Sounds A massive Saharan dust plume has drifted across parts of Europe, hazing alpine views and coloring sunsets across the continent. But the most surprising part of the story is how the dust gets into the sky in the first […]
The post Saharan Dust Cloud Over Europe: How Desert Thunderstorms Launch Millions of Tons of Dust Into the Atmosphere appeared first on Strange Sounds.
Guardian investigation shows how US presidency blurs line between policy and enrichment of American ruling family and those around it
On a graffitied Sarajevo backstreet, a path leads past an overgrown patch of garden to a white door. Beyond is the registered office of a company that is on the brink of winning contracts worth more than $1bn.
AAFS Infrastructure and Energy is close to securing a concession to build and operate a pipeline across the Balkans to allow fossil gas shipped from the US to replace supplies that come from Russia. “This could be the most important infrastructure project ever in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” says one of the country’s top officials, who, like others, asks to remain anonymous to discuss sensitive negotiations.
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© Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
© Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
© Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
Datacentres used 22% of country’s electricity last year, pushing up household bills, study suggests
Energy demand by datacentres in Ireland has added hundreds of euros to household electricity bills in a pattern that could be replicated across Europe, according to a report.
Ireland’s growing number of datacentres last year used 22% of the country’s electricity, more than all urban homes combined, according to the Central Statistics Office. The equivalent figure in the US and UK is 6%.
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© Photograph: Sergio Azenha/Alamy
© Photograph: Sergio Azenha/Alamy
© Photograph: Sergio Azenha/Alamy
Paleontologists have identified a new genus and species of pan-shinisaur lizard from a partial upper jaw discovered in southern France, pushing the presence of its lineage in Europe back by at least 30 million years.
The post 83-Million-Year-Old Crocodile Lizard Fossil Unearthed in France appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.
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