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The out-of-control rockets and spacecraft that could become deadly

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Just last week a dead NASA satellite crashed back to Earth amid warnings it had a one in 2,500 chance of killing someone.

As it was, the spacecraft smashed harmlessly into the Sahara Desert somewhere between Sudan and Egypt, but it once again highlighted the increasing risk of space junk in our daily lives.

Such is the scale of the problem that scientists have even warned there is a 10 per cent chance that a person could be struck and killed by a falling spacecraft or spent rocket booster within the next decade. 

The European Space Agency estimates that there is more than 10,800 tonnes of space junk currently orbiting the Earth, including 130 million objects that include a nine-tonne Russian rocket, Cold War spy satellites and the 12-tonne iconic Hubble.

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Here, MailOnline takes a look at the biggest debris up there, and when we need to watch out for it.

Concern: MailOnline takes a look at the biggest debris up there, and when we need to watch out for it. This still image, from the satellite monitoring and collision detection firm LeoLabs, shows the space junk that is currently circling the Earth

Concern: MailOnline takes a look at the biggest debris up there, and when we need to watch out for it. This still image, from the satellite monitoring and collision detection firm LeoLabs, shows the space junk that is currently circling the Earth

Concern: MailOnline takes a look at the biggest debris up there, and when we need to watch out for it. This still image, from the satellite monitoring and collision detection firm LeoLabs, shows the space junk that is currently circling the Earth

Russian rockets (9 tonnes EACH)

Some of the biggest objects of concern are spent Russian rocket boosters launched between 1992 and 2001.

They include 18 examples of the 9-tonne, 36ft (11m)-long upper stage of a Russian Zenit rocket, which are currently lurking in what has been termed a ‘bad neighbourhood’ around 520 miles (840km) high.

‘They’re like a big yellow school bus without a driver, without brakes,’ said Darren McKnight, a senior technical fellow at satellite monitoring and collision detection firm LeoLabs.

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Some of the biggest objects of concern are spent Russian rocket boosters launched between 1992 and 2001

Some of the biggest objects of concern are spent Russian rocket boosters launched between 1992 and 2001
They include 18 examples of the 9-tonne, 36ft (11m)-long upper stage of a Russian Zenit rocket, which are currently lurking in what has been termed a 'bad neighbourhood' around 520 miles (840km) high

They include 18 examples of the 9-tonne, 36ft (11m)-long upper stage of a Russian Zenit rocket, which are currently lurking in what has been termed a 'bad neighbourhood' around 520 miles (840km) high

Some of the biggest objects of concern are spent Russian rocket boosters launched between 1992 and 2001. They include 18 examples of the 9-tonne, 36ft (11m)-long upper stage of a Russian Zenit rocket (pictured)

The Russian rockets are currently lurking in what has been termed a 'bad neighbourhood' around 520 miles (840km) high

The Russian rockets are currently lurking in what has been termed a 'bad neighbourhood' around 520 miles (840km) high

The Russian rockets are currently lurking in what has been termed a ‘bad neighbourhood’ around 520 miles (840km) high

The good news is that at this altitude it will take centuries for the debris to crash back to Earth.

HOW MANY ITEMS ARE THERE IN ORBIT? 

  • Rocket launches since 1957:  6,380
  • Number of satellites in orbit: 15,430 
  • Number still in space: 10,290 
  • Number still functioning: 7,500
  • Number of debris objects: 33,050
  • Break-ups, explosions etc: 640 
  • Mass of objects in orbit: 10,800 tonnes 
  • Prediction of the amount of debris in orbit using statistical models 
  • Over 10cm: 36,500 
  • 1cm to 10cm: 1,000,000 
  • 1mm to 1cm: 130 million 

Source: European Space Agency 

But it’s still coming down eventually, unless we can find a way to safely remove it — which is why there is an increasing number of startup ventures trying to come up with concepts for how to do this.

China’s Long March (23 tonnes)

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There has been a lot of controversy over China’s Long March 5B rockets, which are of great concern due to their size.

Just last year, there were warnings that debris from one of an out-of-control Long March booster could come down over a populated area. 

Fortunately it crashed to Earth over the Indian and Pacific oceans, but this rocket will not be the last of its kind that causes alarm. 

Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, told MailOnline the Long March 5B boosters were among ‘the most worrying’ because they are so large.

The problem with China’s rockets is rooted in the risky design of the country’s launch process.

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Usually, discarded rocket stages re-enter the atmosphere soon after lift off, normally over water, and don’t go into orbit.

However, the Long March 5B rocket does.

There have been calls by NASA for the Chinese space agency to design rockets to disintegrate into smaller pieces upon re-entry, as is the international norm. 

But Beijing has previously rejected accusations of irresponsibility, with the Chinese Foreign Ministry saying the likelihood of damage to anything or anyone on the ground is ‘extremely low’.

There has been a lot of controversy over China's Long March 5B rockets (pictured), which are of great concern due to their size

There has been a lot of controversy over China's Long March 5B rockets (pictured), which are of great concern due to their size

There has been a lot of controversy over China’s Long March 5B rockets (pictured), which are of great concern due to their size

Hubble Telescope (12 tonnes)

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Another object that is enormous.

Although Hubble is still going – and likely able to extend its 23-year stay in space by another decade – when its mission does finally come to an end it could become a problematic piece of debris.

NASA has said it plans to ‘safely de-orbit or dispose of Hubble’ at the end of the telescope’s lifetime, but this may be easier said than done.

Although the iconic Hubble Telescope (pictured) is still going – and likely able to extend its 23-year stay in space by another decade – when its mission does finally come to an end it could become a problematic piece of debris

Although the iconic Hubble Telescope (pictured) is still going – and likely able to extend its 23-year stay in space by another decade – when its mission does finally come to an end it could become a problematic piece of debris

Although the iconic Hubble Telescope (pictured) is still going – and likely able to extend its 23-year stay in space by another decade – when its mission does finally come to an end it could become a problematic piece of debris

Unlike some of the modern Starlink satellites being launched into huge constellations above the Earth, Hubble has no onboard propulsion system that could slowly lower its altitude and bring it safely down in the ocean.

Weighing a whopping 12 tonnes, that has the alarm bells ringing.

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This is also not a problem scientists have decades to solve, either. Because Hubble is in a relatively low orbit about 332 miles (535 km) above the Earth’s surface, it would likely take only a few years to crash back down.

Unlike some pieces of debris, experts can’t rely on it fully burning up in the atmosphere during re-entry either.

That’s because its huge size means large chunks of it could well wreak havoc by damaging aircraft in the air or hitting humans and buildings on the ground.

Envisat (8 tonnes)

This European Earth-observing satellite is another that has earned its place among the potentially deadly space junk items because of its sheer size.

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Weighing around eight tonnes, Envisat is one of the largest pieces of space junk in orbit.

The satellite has been dead since shutting down unexpectedly in 2012, when it did not respond to any commands.

Weighing around eight tonnes, Europe's Envisat is one of the largest pieces of space junk in orbit

Weighing around eight tonnes, Europe's Envisat is one of the largest pieces of space junk in orbit

Weighing around eight tonnes, Europe’s Envisat is one of the largest pieces of space junk in orbit

It was a bitter blow for the European Space Agency (ESA) in more ways the one, in part because it was seen as Europe’s flagship Earth-observing satellite and secondly due to it being a blot on the reputation of an agency that prides itself on sustainability.

Envisat was launched in 2002 as the biggest non-military Earth-observation spacecraft ever put in orbit. It went five years beyond its planned lifetime but shut down two years earlier than ESA had hoped.

Cold War spy satellites (1 tonne each)

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Another Russian rocket, this time the SL-8, delivered about 145 Cold War spy and communication satellites to space between the 1960s and 1990s.  

The satellites are no longer in use but they are clogging up near-Earth orbit, with each of them having a mass of 1,760 pounds (800km).

Both they and the spent SL-8 rocket stages are problematic because they cannot be controlled and could fall back to Earth at any time.

When they do, recent research suggests that those living in the global south will be at highest risk, with errant parts three times more likely to land at the latitudes of Jakarta, Dhaka and Lagos than those of New York, Beijing or Moscow. 

The study was carried out by experts at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

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Another Russian rocket, this time the SL-8, delivered about 145 Cold War spy and communication satellites to space between the 1960s and 1990s

Another Russian rocket, this time the SL-8, delivered about 145 Cold War spy and communication satellites to space between the 1960s and 1990s

Another Russian rocket, this time the SL-8, delivered about 145 Cold War spy and communication satellites to space between the 1960s and 1990s 

The International Space Station (400 tonnes)

Much like Hubble, the International Space Station will eventually have to be retired.

NASA is currently planning to do this by 2031, but the process will take several years as the observatory’s orbit is gradually reduced by visiting spacecraft.

The US space agency can do this with a bit more control than Hubble, however, so although the ISS weighs almost 400 tonnes, it can be brought down somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean Uninhabited Area.

Much like Hubble, the International Space Station (pictured) will eventually have to be retired

Much like Hubble, the International Space Station (pictured) will eventually have to be retired

Much like Hubble, the International Space Station (pictured) will eventually have to be retired 

A lot of the space station will burn up on re-entry but there will still be a large amount of debris expected and it could make quite the spectacle for anyone looking up at the night sky within its relative vicinity.

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It should crash back down to Earth in January 2031.

The ISS itself is no stranger to space junk. It has actually had to carry out 29 debris avoidance manoeuvres since 1999, including three in 2020 alone. 

What doesn’t help is that some countries have decided to deliberately blow up their satellites with missiles as part of military test manoeuvres.

WHAT IS SPACE JUNK? MORE THAN 170 MILLION PIECES OF DEAD SATELLITES, SPENT ROCKETS AND FLAKES OF PAINT POSE ‘THREAT’ TO SPACE INDUSTRY

There are an estimated 170 million pieces of so-called ‘space junk’ – left behind after missions that can be as big as spent rocket stages or as small as paint flakes – in orbit alongside some US$700 billion (£555bn) of space infrastructure.

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But only 27,000 are tracked, and with the fragments able to travel at speeds above 16,777 mph (27,000kmh), even tiny pieces could seriously damage or destroy satellites.

However, traditional gripping methods don’t work in space, as suction cups do not function in a vacuum and temperatures are too cold for substances like tape and glue.

Grippers based around magnets are useless because most of the debris in orbit around Earth is not magnetic.

Around 500,000 pieces of human-made debris (artist’s impression) currently orbit our planet, made up of disused satellites, bits of spacecraft and spent rockets

Most proposed solutions, including debris harpoons, either require or cause forceful interaction with the debris, which could push those objects in unintended, unpredictable directions.

Scientists point to two events that have badly worsened the problem of space junk.

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The first was in February 2009, when an Iridium telecoms satellite and Kosmos-2251, a Russian military satellite, accidentally collided.

The second was in January 2007, when China tested an anti-satellite weapon on an old Fengyun weather satellite.

Experts also pointed to two sites that have become worryingly cluttered.

One is low Earth orbit which is used by satnav satellites, the ISS, China’s manned missions and the Hubble telescope, among others.

The other is in geostationary orbit, and is used by communications, weather and surveillance satellites that must maintain a fixed position relative to Earth. 

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International

France takes down fake website inviting volunteers to ‘enlist in Ukraine’

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French authorities have uncovered a website containing a fake recruitment drive for French volunteers to join the war in Ukraine, the defence ministry said on Thursday.

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The site has now been taken down by French services, a government source, who asked not to be named, told AFP without giving further details on the nature of the operation.

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The site, which is now inaccessible, said 200,000 French people were invited to “enlist in Ukraine”, with immigrants given priority.

A link to the site – that resembled the French army’s genuine recruitment portal – had been posted on X, formerly Twitter, the French defence ministry said.

“The site is a fake government site,” the ministry said, also on X, “and has been reposted by malevolent accounts as part of a disinformation campaign”.


The ministry did not name any suspects in the website spoof, but a government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the site bore “the hallmarks of a Russian or pro-Russian effort as part of a disinformation campaign claiming that the French army is preparing to send troops to Ukraine”.

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French President Emmanuel Macron angered the Russian leadership last month by hardening his tone on the conflict sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, refusing to rule out sending ground troops and insisting Europe had to do all that was needed for a Russian defeat.

Similar recent examples of disinformation posts included pictures of French army convoys wrongly presented as moving towards the Ukrainian border, the official said.

The fake website invited potential recruits to contact “unit commander Paul” for information about joining.

The defence ministry and government cyber units are investigating, ministry staff told AFP.

The French government has recently stepped up efforts to denounce and fight what it says are Russian disinformation and destabilisation campaigns aimed at undermining French public support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.

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(AFP)

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Stephen Bear arrives late to revenge porn confiscation hearing where shamed reality star will be told how much money he must pay for posting sex-tape of ex-girlfriend Georgia Harrision on OnlyFans

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Disgraced reality TV star Stephen Bear arrived at court 15 mintues late today to hear how much money he must pay for posting a sex-tape of his former partner Georgia Harrision on his OnlyFans website.

The former Celebrity Big Brother winner wore a pink opened-neck shirt, grey trousers and designer slippers as he walked into Chelmsford Crown Court at 2.15pm for a 2pm hearing.

His former partner, Love Island contestant Ms Harrison, had arrived on time.

Judge Christopher Morgan, who will decide how much of the estimated £22,300 profit Bear made from the pornography must pay to the state, was forced to delay proceedings.

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On January 26 this year, Bear was found to have profited £22,305.46 from the CCTV footage from August 2, 2020. 

At the time of the video, Bear was posing as ‘a billionaire’ on his Twitter and YouTube accounts but was ‘in fact heavily overdrawn’, Essex Police financial investigator Laura Mackenzie told the court in January.

Prosecutor Andrew Bousfield added ‘despite pretending to be a billionaire, his most valuable asset at the time was selling sexual videos’.

His main asset at the time was £60,000 in owning his house, the court heard.

His OnlyFans subscriber count was said to have jumped 43 per cent as a result of the video, from 1,061 when it was uploaded on November 8, 2020 to 1,883 by the time his account was de-activated on December 8.

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The footage was available to subscribers behind a $9.99 (£7.84) paywall on his profile ‘@hollywoodbear’.

Stephen Bear arriving in an open pink shirt at Chelmsford Crown Court

Stephen Bear arriving in an open pink shirt at Chelmsford Crown Court

Stephen Bear arriving in an open pink shirt at Chelmsford Crown Court

Georgia Harrison (centre) arriving at court

Georgia Harrison (centre) arriving at court

Georgia Harrison (centre) arriving at court 

There was said to have been a ‘jump up’ in the $9.99 purchases when the footage started ‘go viral’ and Ms Harrison became aware of it.

A total of 273 subscribers purchased the video and, following the standard 20 per cent cut to OnlyFans, this earned him £1,650.98, the court heard.

After the video was posted he adjusted his subscription fee, from a range of $7.50 (£5.89) to $50 (£39.28).

Through extra subscribers drawn in by the video, he was found to have earned £15,440.28, on top of the £1,650.98 earned through the paywall, Ms Mackenzie told the court.

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Calculations on how much Bear earned from the video were debated during the hearing, and the judge noted that this was troubled by the convicted sex offender refusing take the stand and provide evidence.

Judge Christopher Morgan accepted Ms Mackenzie’s valuation of his profits, and acknowledged it was difficult to deduce precisely what each new subscriber sought when they joined his account after the video’s release.

He said: ‘He had, by the time the account had been set up, filmed himself and Georgia Harrison, that material being the subject of the criminal charges that he faced.

Bear giving a thumbs-up as he arrives at Chelmsford Crown Court

Bear giving a thumbs-up as he arrives at Chelmsford Crown Court

Bear giving a thumbs-up as he arrives at Chelmsford Crown Court

Ms Harrison arrives at Bear's revenge porn confiscation hearing

Ms Harrison arrives at Bear's revenge porn confiscation hearing

Ms Harrison arrives at Bear’s revenge porn confiscation hearing

‘The defendant plainly intended that that material would be placed onto his OnlyFans account.’

The OnlyFans hearing in January then moved immediately into a second case regarding a fence around Bear’s property that Epping Forest District Council claims is too tall.

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It was reiterated that Bear was unemployed and had no immediate prospects of getting a job.

His defence barrister in the second hearing said: ‘He doesn’t have a car to his name – we ask for a modest financial penalty, there seems to be little purpose in hammering him with significant financial penalty.

‘As of today, there isn’t employment, and there isn’t a guaranteed contract (of employment), but certainly the impression is that he’s dedicated to making a lawful professional career.’

Judge Morgan acknowledged that he had ‘no certain or paid employment’ at present, but was satisfied Bear could pay the money.

He was ordered to pay a £500 fine and £4,707.05 in costs in 56 days.

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France’s parliament condemns 1961 police massacre of Algerians in Paris

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The French parliament’s lower house on Thursday approved a resolution condemning as “bloody and murderous repression” the killing by Paris police of dozens of Algerians in a crackdown on a 1961 protest to support Algerian independence.

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In recent years France has made a series of efforts to come to terms with its colonial past in Algeria.

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Dozens of peaceful demonstrators died during a crackdown by Paris police on a protest by Algerians in 1961. The scale of the massacre was covered up for decades by French authorities before President Emmanuel Macron condemned it as “inexcusable” in 2021.

The text of the resolution stressed the crackdown took place “under the authority of police prefect Maurice Papon” and also called for the official commemoration of the massacre.

The bill, put forward by Greens lawmaker Sabrina Sebaihi and ruling Renaissance party MP Julie Delpech, was approved by 67 lawmakers, with 11 against.

Sebaihi said the vote represented the “first step” towards the “recognition of this colonial crime, the recognition of this state crime.”

The term “state crime” however does not appear in the text of the resolution, which was jointly drafted by Macron’s party and the Elysee Palace.

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Read more October 17, 1961: A massacre of Algerians in the heart of Paris

On the 60th anniversary of the bloodshed in 2021, Macron acknowledged that several dozen protesters had been killed, “their bodies thrown into the River Seine.”

The precise number of victims has never been made clear and some activists fear several hundred could have been killed.

“Let us spare a thought here today for these victims and their families, who have been hit hard by the spiral of violence”, Dominique Faure, the minister for local and regional authorities, said on Thursday.

She noted that efforts had been made in the past to recognise the massacre.

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In 2012, then president Francois Hollande paid “tribute to the victims” of a “bloody crackdown” on the men and women demonstrating for “the right to independence”.

The rally was called in the final year of France’s increasingly violent attempt to retain Algeria as a north African colony, and in the middle of a bombing campaign targeting mainland France by pro-independence militants.

However, Faure expressed reservations about establishing a special day to commemorate the massacre, pointing out that three dates already existed to “commemorate what happened during the Algerian war”.

“I think it is important to let history do the work before considering a new day of commemoration specifically for the victims of October 17, 1961.”

France has made several attempts over the years to heal the wounds with Algeria, but it refuses to “apologise or repent” for the 132 years of often brutal rule that ended in 1962.

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Read moreMacron’s condemnation of 1961 massacre in Paris ‘not enough’, historians say

(AFP)

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Britain’s greenhouse gas emissions FELL by 5.4% last year, promising analysis reveals

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  • Emissions fell as the UK used less natural gas due to soaring prices
  • Since 1990, greenhouse gases in Britain have now fallen by 52.7 per cent 

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Greenhouse gas emissions fell by 5.4 per cent last year from 2022 as the UK used less natural gas due to soaring prices.

Since 1990, greenhouse gases have now fallen by 52.7 per cent – as the UK has switched away from burning coal to gas and renewable energy.

The latest statistics from The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (Desnz) show ‘electricity demand is continuing to decline’ in the UK, as the country switches away from heavy industry and technologies become more energy-efficient.

In addition, the UK imported more electricity from France last year, where around 70 per cent of electricity comes from nuclear which produces very low amounts of greenhouse gas.

The UK is estimated to have generated 384.2 million tonnes of the gases that cause global warming, down from 406.2 million tonnes previously.

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Greenhouse gas emissions fell by 5.4 per cent last year from 2022 as the UK used less natural gas due to soaring prices

Greenhouse gas emissions fell by 5.4 per cent last year from 2022 as the UK used less natural gas due to soaring prices

Greenhouse gas emissions fell by 5.4 per cent last year from 2022 as the UK used less natural gas due to soaring prices

The UK is estimated to have generated 384.2 million tonnes of the gases that cause global warming, down from 406.2 million tonnes previously

The UK is estimated to have generated 384.2 million tonnes of the gases that cause global warming, down from 406.2 million tonnes previously

The UK is estimated to have generated 384.2 million tonnes of the gases that cause global warming, down from 406.2 million tonnes previously

The overall figure bundles together gases including carbon dioxide – the largest gas by volume – and methane and other gases used in industry and home. 

Desnz said ‘high energy prices [are] likely to have been a factor in reduced gas use for heating buildings’ in 2023, as higher gas prices caused people to turn down the thermostat.

The UK also imported more electricity from France via interconnector cables. 

‘This is in contrast to 2022 when the UK had higher than usual exports of electricity, and a decline in demand for electricity in the UK, which meant less gas was needed to meet the remaining electricity demand,’ Desnz said. 

Greenhouse gas emissions from electricity supply fell by 10.8 million tonnes – a drop of 19.6 per cent in 2023, primarily due to higher electricity imports from France.

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Desnz said gases which add to warming from ‘product uses’ also fell. 

These are emissions from house and garden machinery, anaesthetics, gases used in air conditioning, refrigeration and aerosols.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions alone decreased by 6.6 per cent, to 302.8 million tonnes last year.

Emissions from industrial sectors fell by 4.6 million tonnes, largely due to reduced fuel consumption in the iron and steel industry. There was also a 1.6 million tonnes fall – -1.4 per cent – in greenhouse gas emissions from domestic transport

Emissions from industrial sectors fell by 4.6 million tonnes, largely due to reduced fuel consumption in the iron and steel industry. There was also a 1.6 million tonnes fall – -1.4 per cent – in greenhouse gas emissions from domestic transport

Emissions from industrial sectors fell by 4.6 million tonnes, largely due to reduced fuel consumption in the iron and steel industry. There was also a 1.6 million tonnes fall – -1.4 per cent – in greenhouse gas emissions from domestic transport

‘This is in contrast to 2022 when the UK had higher than usual exports of electricity, and a decline in demand for electricity in the UK, which meant less gas was needed to meet the remaining electricity demand,’ Desnz said.

Emissions from industrial sectors fell by 4.6 million tonnes, largely due to reduced fuel consumption in the iron and steel industry. 

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There was also a 1.6 million tonnes fall – -1.4 per cent – in greenhouse gas emissions from domestic transport. 

However, green groups said that the cuts in emissions were still not enough. 

Doug Parr, policy director at Greenpeace UK, said: ‘Any fall in UK emissions is much needed, but let’s not fool ourselves that we’re on track to meet our international obligations or our legal carbon budgets by 2030.

‘Emissions from buildings and transport remain stubbornly high and the government doesn’t have policy in place yet to deliver the cuts needed for the planet or to uphold our international promises. 

‘Sunak needs to get serious about insulation, heat pumps and public transport, and must rapidly scale up the roll out of renewables and the electrification of vehicles to get us on track.’

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Desnz said the latest statistics meant the UK is now more than half way to net zero.

Energy Security Secretary Claire Coutinho said: ‘This latest drop in our emissions follows the UK’s achievement in becoming the first major economy to halve its polluting carbon emissions.

‘We have done all this whilst growing our economy by 80%, and shielding families from unnecessary costs.’

FranceClimate Change & Global Warming

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Nanoco eyes new chapter after Samsung settlement and attempted boardroom coup

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Nanoco CEO Brian Tenner targets major growth after surviving shareholder showdown

Nanoco CEO Brian Tenner targets major growth after surviving shareholder showdown

Nanoco CEO Brian Tenner targets major growth after surviving shareholder showdown 

‘We’re in the strongest position we’ve been in – not just financially, but commercially – in the 20 years since we formed,’ says the chief executive of British tech pioneer Nanoco.

Since joining the London-listed firm in August 2018, initially as chief operating officer, Brian Tenner has endured Nanoco’s potentially fatal experience of the pandemic, a lengthy legal spat with Samsung and an attempted boardroom coup.

But the pandemic is over, Nanoco has received $150million from a settlement with Samsung, the coup has been crushed and the group is now securing major commercial contracts for the first time.

‘It’ll just be nice to spend more time looking forward and focused on positive developments,’ Tenner tells This is Money.

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Runcorn-headquartered Nanoco makes cadmium-free quantum dot (QD) technology. QDs are tiny particles, roughly 10 to 50 atoms in diameter – about 1/1000th the width of a human hair – that are capable of absorbing or emitting light of a specific predetermined wavelength.

Nanotechnology is complex but it is an essential component of the modern world, used in the manufacture of high-tech consumer appliances like TVs and smart phones, as well as in medicine and industry. It is forecast that the QD and QD display market will be worth $13.1billion by 2030.

Complex tech: Stored in bottles, the size of QDs determines the colour they emit

Complex tech: Stored in bottles, the size of QDs determines the colour they emit

Complex tech: Stored in bottles, the size of QDs determines the colour they emit

The Samsung spat and attempted board coup

Manchester University spin-out Nanoco alleged that Samsung had stolen its unique patented techniques to create the tiny specialist semiconductors.

Nanoco claims Samsung, with whom it had previously collaborated, then used these QDs in its new range of high-tech QLED TVs. Samsung denies these claims.

But the Samsung settlement with Nanoco, which fell well short of analyst estimates, opened the floodgates for a spat with shareholders led by Tariq Hamoodi. 

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Hamoodi called for the ousting of Tenner, chief financial officer Liam Gray and, eventually, the whole board, on the basis they had ‘misrepresented’ the nature and scale of the payout.

Shareholders eventually backed the board, allowing Nanoco to return up to £33million to investors from the Samsung settlement via a £30million tender offer and £3million buyback programme. The rest the firm is keeping with plans to invest.

But Hamoodi, who specialises in special situations and litigation-related market opportunities, is still Nanoco’s fourth biggest shareholder with a stake of just over 4 per cent.

Tenner says: ‘Ultimately, what [Mr Hamoodi] decides to do is what he decides to do – he’s currently got legal action ongoing with one of our other shareholders [Lombard Odier] that doesn’t involve us.

‘Primarily, what [the distribution plan] allows us to do is enter a post-litigation world where the focus is on the retained settlement funds and what we’re doing over the next two to three years.

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‘What we want to do now is focus on investment to give us more capabilities, to accelerate some of our developments, to improve our margins and basically make us a more robust part of the supply chain.

‘In my time with the company, we have dealt with three or the four of the biggest companies in the world as customers.

‘They’d actually joke with us that when we enter their building their finance guys need to go and have a lie down because they’re so worried about our balance sheet.

‘The retained [Samsung settlement] funds end any debate about our robustness as a supplier or even from a shareholder point of view.’

Nanotechnology is complex but it is an essential component of the modern world, used in the manufacture of high-tech consumer appliances like TVs and smart phones

Nanotechnology is complex but it is an essential component of the modern world, used in the manufacture of high-tech consumer appliances like TVs and smart phones

Nanotechnology is complex but it is an essential component of the modern world, used in the manufacture of high-tech consumer appliances like TVs and smart phones

Appeasing shareholders

And, while the size of the settlement disappointed some investors, others were concerned Nanoco was not keeping enough of the payout for itself, according to Tenner.

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‘Some shareholders actually didn’t want us to return anything,’ he adds.

‘Given we’d already made the commitment, we felt we couldn’t go as far as that.

‘There’s a cautionary tale with small caps at the minute in the UK – it’s very challenging to raise money, and if one of our programmes was delayed or something happened and we had to go back to the market for more money, having just returned a bunch of money, I don’t think would be a good message.

‘So we decided to err on the side of caution and that’s why we went for the £33million.’

Tenner, in addition to three other board colleagues, has opted not to participate in the tender off at all, instead seeing ‘more value in the medium to long term, rather than cashing in’.

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Nanoco has an unusually high volume of retail shareholders, with Hargreaves Lansdown and Interactive Investors users accounting for its first and third biggest investors, respectively.

Many of them bought shares speculatively as the prospect of a Samsung payout became imminent, but Tenner says longer-term institutional investors now feel more comfortable with the firm’s offering.

Nanoco has an unusually high volume of retail shareholders, while Tariq Hamoodi remains its fourth largest investor

Nanoco has an unusually high volume of retail shareholders, while Tariq Hamoodi remains its fourth largest investor

Nanoco has an unusually high volume of retail shareholders, while Tariq Hamoodi remains its fourth largest investor 

Cash neutral by next year?

Nanoco more than doubled reported revenue year-on-year to £4million in the six months to the end of January, driven by recurring intellectual property licence revenue, as it swung to a reported operating profit of £2.4million from a loss of £2.1million the prior year.

Tenner told shareholders that ‘having spent five years fighting for financial survival’ Nanoco was now able to ‘cautious but important strategic investments’ in new capabilities and its ‘resilience as a supply chain partner’. 

Initiating its coverage of the firm earlier in March, brokerage Cavendish said it believes Nanoco ‘is capable of delivering £30million to £40million of revenue in the medium-term and an EBITDA margin of 35 to 45 per cent’.

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It gave the group a target price of 60.2p – almost 190 per cent ahead of its closing price of 20.9p on Wednesday. 

This forecast largely reflects recently revealed development partnerships with STMicro – a leading supplier of sensors to the smart phone market – and an ‘important Asian chemical customer’.

Nanoco also last hit the critical milestone of its first ever commercial production order with the shipment of two first-generation materials for use in infra-red sensing applications in electronic devices.

Tenner says this could be transformational.

‘We shipped enough material that we estimate there’s enough for three, four or five million devices in the next 12 months or so.

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‘We believe that once a device is launched in the market with this technology – whoever launches – it will be bragging about it and trumpeting it.’

The company has targeted 2025 as the year it finally turns cash neutral – a goal Tenner accepts sounds unambitious.

He says: ‘But if you look around the landscape of quantum dot companies, everyone went bust or got bought out.

‘We’re not last man standing but getting to cash breakeven sometime in 2025, for a QD company, would probably be a world first.’

Nanoco says its integrated R&D and manufacturing site is one of very few facilities in the world capable of producing cadmium-free QDs at volume and to specification.

Nanoco says its integrated R&D and manufacturing site is one of very few facilities in the world capable of producing cadmium-free QDs at volume and to specification.

Nanoco says its integrated R&D and manufacturing site is one of very few facilities in the world capable of producing cadmium-free QDs at volume and to specification.

The mobile phone holy grail

But the holy grail for Nanoco will be getting its technology in a mobile phone, which would potentially see it ramp-up production from a few million units to hundreds of millions of units.

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‘We’d be extremely profitable,’ says Tenner.

‘By 2026 or so we’ll see this technology go into a mobile phone.’

It is here, according to the boss, Nanoco stands apart from competition. Its UK-based integrated R&D and manufacturing site is one of very few facilities in the world capable of producing cadmium-free QDs at volume and to specification.

Tenner says: ‘We’ve already got the factory for sending material that can make 500million-plus sensors.

‘We don’t know any QD company on the sensor side that’s got both development IP and production capability.

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‘On the display side, we know a couple who’ve got reasonable production facilities – one is actually bigger than us, but they don’t have the protection of IP and they don’t do much research and development either.

‘We’re in a good place and a strong position to move forward.’

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Athens residents choking in clouds of Sahara dust amid unseasonably warm weather

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Athenians are choking in clouds of thick dust blown in from the Sahara along with unseasonably warm weather, weather forecasters and doctors warned on Thursday.

Issued on: Modified:

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The haze covering the Greek capital comes from southerly winds that blow dust from North Africa across the eastern Mediterranean from March to April, the head of the Greek meteorological service Theodoros Kolydas said on X, formerly Twitter.

“A typical sandstorm with a range of 200 kilometres (about 120 miles) carries 20 to 30 million tonnes of dust and sometimes as much as 100 million,” he wrote.

The city regularly experiences such sandstorms but the current one is accompanied by unusually high spring temperatures, heightening the choking effect.

Wednesday saw the highest March temperature in central Athens since 2009 — 25.3 degrees Celsius (77.5 Fahrenheit).

Further south on the island of Crete, the temperature reached 32 Celsius.

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The Greek Pulmonologists’ Union advised asthma sufferers and other vulnerable people to avoid “unnecessary movements and outdoor sports during the times of highest dust concentration”.

It warned that the dust can be mixed with pollen, bacteria and fungi, “a highly toxic mixture that is dangerous for the human body, particularly the respiratory system”.

Scientists say climate change caused by human burning of fossil fuels is raising the risk of extreme weather events, including heatwaves and droughts.

The weather service said the dust clouds were expected to dissipate from Friday.

(AFP)

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International

The real-life Jetsons! Futuristic European flying ‘AirCar’ that can transform from a road vehicle into a plane in under three minutes is sold to China – and flying taxis could take to British skies by 2028

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From Harry Potter to The Jetsons, flying cars have been staple features of science fiction blockbusters for years. 

But they’re slowly but surely becoming a reality, with several firms vying to be the first to launch a commercially available vehicle. 

One of those firms is KleinVision, the Slovakia-based developer of AirCar – the ‘world’s first certified flying car’ which can transform from a road vehicle into a plane in under three minutes. 

While the car is already certified to fly in Slovakia, the technology behind it has now been sold to a Chinese company, which KleinVision claims will ‘accelerate progress towards mass-market flying car manufacturing.’

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The news comes shortly after the UK government announced that flying taxis will be whizzing around British skies by 2028. 

Flying cars are slowly but surely becoming a reality, with several firms vying to be the first to launch a commercially available vehicle. One of those firms is KleinVision, the Slovakia-based developer of AirCar

Flying cars are slowly but surely becoming a reality, with several firms vying to be the first to launch a commercially available vehicle. One of those firms is KleinVision, the Slovakia-based developer of AirCar

Flying cars are slowly but surely becoming a reality, with several firms vying to be the first to launch a commercially available vehicle. One of those firms is KleinVision, the Slovakia-based developer of AirCar

Flying AirCar specs

Engine: Prototype 1 has a 160 horsepower fixed-propeller engine but Prototype 2 will be equipped with a 300 horsepower engine.

Top speed: 300km/h (186mph)

Range: 1,000km (621 miles)

Price: Not yet revealed

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AirCar is a dual-mode craft, which can reach heights of more than 8,000ft and speeds of over 100mph.

It was certified to fly in Slovakia back in 2022 after completing more than 200 take-offs and landings during 70 hours of rigorous flight testing to European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards.  

Now, the technology has been sold to Hebei Jianxin Flying Car Technology Company for an undisclosed amount.   

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This licensing agreement grants the Chinese company exclusive rights to manufacture and distribute flying cars using KleinVision’s technology within a ‘specific’ – yet undisclosed – geographical region. 

‘This partnership represents a significant step in our mission to expand global access to revolutionary mobility solutions and drive progress in the industry,’ said Anton Zajac, co-founder at KleinVision.

Hebei Jianxin Flying Car Technology Company is based in Cangzhou, and has already built its own airport and flight school. 

AirCar is a dual-mode craft, and can reach heights of more than 8,000ft and speeds over 100mph

AirCar is a dual-mode craft, and can reach heights of more than 8,000ft and speeds over 100mph

AirCar is a dual-mode craft, and can reach heights of more than 8,000ft and speeds over 100mph 

It was certified to fly in Slovakia back in 2022 after completing more than 200 take-offs and landings during 70 hours of rigorous flight testing to European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards

It was certified to fly in Slovakia back in 2022 after completing more than 200 take-offs and landings during 70 hours of rigorous flight testing to European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards

It was certified to fly in Slovakia back in 2022 after completing more than 200 take-offs and landings during 70 hours of rigorous flight testing to European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards 

And the ability to use KleinVision’s technology could help the company to get ahead of its rivals. 

According to Morgan Stanley, the global market for flying cars is expected to hit $1 trillion in 2040, before jumping to a whopping $9 trillion in 2050. 

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China is on track to hold 23 per cent of the market by 2050 – second only to the US’s 27 per cent share. 

Speaking to Nikkei, Guo Liang, CEO of Chinese flying car developer Aerofucia, claimed that China’s flying car revolution will ‘surpass the electrification of cars’. 

‘The full-fledged commercialization of flying cars in China will begin in either 2025 or 2026,’ Guo said. 

While the pricing for flying cars remains unclear, Guo claims that they will quickly become more affordable than helicopters. 

‘As a new mode of low-altitude transportation, [flying cars] fares will be a third or a fifth of helicopters initially,’ said Guo. 

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‘It might be a little expensive for average people, but the costs will continue to go down.’

While the pricing for flying cars remains unclear, Guo claims that they will quickly become more affordable than helicopters

While the pricing for flying cars remains unclear, Guo claims that they will quickly become more affordable than helicopters

While the pricing for flying cars remains unclear, Guo claims that they will quickly become more affordable than helicopters

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International

Ex-Brexit Party MP candidate faces backlash for wrongly claiming Japan BANNED mRNA Covid vaccines because they were behind ‘soaring deaths’

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An ex-Brexit Party candidate today faced backlash for wrongly claiming Japan has banned Covid vaccines. 

Jim Ferguson, who narrowly missed out on becoming an MP in the 2019 General Election, said injections made by the likes of Pfizer and Moderna were linked to ‘soaring deaths’. 

His post, linking to an article reporting on the bogus claim, was viewed millions of times. 

Shamed MP Andrew Bridgen, who was kicked out of the Tory party for comparing the vaccine roll-out to the Holocaust, shared a similar post that mentioned Japan’s non-existent ban. 

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Japan has never outlawed mRNA Covid vaccines, although the claims are widely circulating on social media among anti-vaxx groups who believe that the jabs are behind a sudden wave of deaths in the UK and beyond.

Jim Ferguson (pictured), who narrowly missed out on becoming an MP in the 2019 General Election, said injections made by the likes of Pfizer and Moderna were linked to 'soaring deaths'

Jim Ferguson (pictured), who narrowly missed out on becoming an MP in the 2019 General Election, said injections made by the likes of Pfizer and Moderna were linked to 'soaring deaths'

Jim Ferguson (pictured), who narrowly missed out on becoming an MP in the 2019 General Election, said injections made by the likes of Pfizer and Moderna were linked to ‘soaring deaths’

In Mr Ferguson's original post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the former Barnsley East candidate said: 'Japan has just banned Covid mRNA shots for public use and called on other nations to follow suit after an official government study tied the injections to the nation¿s soaring sudden deaths.' Pictured, Mr Ferguson (second right) in May 2019

In Mr Ferguson's original post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the former Barnsley East candidate said: 'Japan has just banned Covid mRNA shots for public use and called on other nations to follow suit after an official government study tied the injections to the nation¿s soaring sudden deaths.' Pictured, Mr Ferguson (second right) in May 2019

In Mr Ferguson’s original post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the former Barnsley East candidate said: ‘Japan has just banned Covid mRNA shots for public use and called on other nations to follow suit after an official government study tied the injections to the nation’s soaring sudden deaths.’ Pictured, Mr Ferguson (second right) in May 2019

Leading doctors, experts and charities have repeatedly insisted the jabs are safe.

They have been credited with saving 20million lives in their first year of deployment alone, as well as ending the series of Covid lockdowns that crippled economies and saw families separated. 

However, like any medical product, jabs have a range of side effects that vary in how common and severe they can be. 

mRNA Covid jabs, like those made by Pfizer and Moderna, have been linked to rare reports of myocarditis — a potentially dangerous inflammation of the heart.

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The vast majority of cases were mild and resolved on their own.

Studies have also shown the risk of myocarditis, which can also be triggered by an infection like Covid, was higher from the virus than the jab.

Reacting to the claims currently sweeping social media, Professor Jonathan Ball, a virologist at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, told MailOnline: ‘Some people struggle with the truth.

‘A recent study from Japan showed that the reports for adverse effects from mRNA vaccines were in line with those reported by other nations.

‘Yes, they can occur, but are rare and far outweighed by beneficial effects, especially in vulnerable people.’

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Dr Doug Brown, chief executive of the British Society for Immunology, said: ‘The safety and effectiveness assessments of all medicines and vaccines are based on robust and comprehensive analysis of the evidence. 

‘These assessments are carried out as standard for all vaccines and medicines licenced in the UK.

‘There is now a huge amount of evidence from multiple studies which shows that Covid vaccines, including the mRNA vaccines, are the safest and most effective way to prevent serious illness and death from Covid, and the benefits of being vaccinated by far outweigh the risks in the vast majority of people.’

In Mr Ferguson’s original post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the former Barnsley East candidate said: ‘Japan has just banned Covid mRNA shots for public use and called on other nations to follow suit after an official government study tied the injections to the nation’s soaring sudden deaths.

‘Like many other countries around the world, Japan has been battling a crisis of skyrocketing sudden and unexpected deaths since 2021. 

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‘The issue has become so dire in Japan that the country is now facing population collapse as more citizens are dying than are being born.

‘New studies in Japan have now linked the soaring deaths to Covid injections.’

mRNA Covid jabs, like those made by Pfizer and Moderna , have been linked to rare reports of myocarditis ¿ a potentially dangerous inflammation of the heart. However, the vast majority of cases were mild and resolved on their own

mRNA Covid jabs, like those made by Pfizer and Moderna , have been linked to rare reports of myocarditis ¿ a potentially dangerous inflammation of the heart. However, the vast majority of cases were mild and resolved on their own

mRNA Covid jabs, like those made by Pfizer and Moderna , have been linked to rare reports of myocarditis — a potentially dangerous inflammation of the heart. However, the vast majority of cases were mild and resolved on their own

The words of his post appear to be copied and pasted from a news story written by Prepare for Change.

X readers also tore apart Mr Ferguson’s post.

One responded to with a link to a Japanese news website which reported how the country approved another type of mRNA Covid vaccine in December. 

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Others suggested the post had misinterpreted a change to Japan’s Covid vaccine roll-out. From April, many Japanese residents are expected to have to pay for jabs.

Its Government, ‘like most around the world, still acknowledge the benefit that the vaccines bring to vulnerable people’, Professor Ball also told MailOnline. 

Blood clots caused by rare adverse reaction to the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine are known to have resulted in 81 fatalities as well as a higher number of injuries.

For context, over 50million doses of the AstraZeneca jab were used in the UK. It is not an mRNA vaccine.   

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International

Deadly Israeli strikes hit Gaza as fierce fighting takes place in north, south

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Gaza’s health ministry collects data from the enclave’s hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent.

The health ministry does not report how Palestinians were killed, whether from Israeli airstrikes and artillery barrages or errant Palestinian rocket fire. It describes all casualties as victims of “Israeli aggression”.

The ministry also does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. 

Throughout four wars and numerous skirmishes between Israel and Hamas, UN agencies have cited the Hamas-run health ministry’s death tolls in regular reports. The International Committee of the Red Cross and Palestinian Red Crescent also use the numbers.

In the aftermath of war, the UN humanitarian office has published final death tolls based on its own research into medical records. The UN’s counts have largely been consistent with the Gaza health ministry’s, with small discrepancies. 

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For more on the Gaza health ministry’s tolls, click here.

(FRANCE 24 with AP) 

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Dani Alves ‘parties until 5am with friends and family at his £4.5m villa’… just days after disgraced former Barcelona player was released on bail as he appeals rape conviction

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Dani Alves reportedly spent one of his first nights of freedom partying until 5am with friends, according to Spanish media. 

The former Barcelona player was released from Brians 2 prison on Monday after 15 months spent behind bars awaiting his trial for raping a woman in December 2022. 

The 40-year-old was found guilty in February of this year and sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison, but Alves is in the process of appealing the verdict, and will be doing so from his own home after agreeing to a number of conditions handed out by the court.

Alves has surrended both his Spanish and Brazilian passports, and will have mandatory once-a-week visits to the court to maintain his freedom, after first paying a €1million (£850,000) bail bond. 

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But after doing so, the disgraced player was keen to make the most of life outside the prison walls, and is thought to have celebrated his father’s recent birthday in some style. 

Dani Alves is believed to have hosted family and friends until 5am days after his release from Barcelona’s Brians 2 prison

The former footballer has returned to his £4.5m villa in the Esplugues de Llobregat district

The former footballer has returned to his £4.5m villa in the Esplugues de Llobregat district

The former footballer has returned to his £4.5m villa in the Esplugues de Llobregat district

Alves is believed to have been celebrating his father Domingos Alves Da Silva's birthday

Alves is believed to have been celebrating his father Domingos Alves Da Silva's birthday

Alves is believed to have been celebrating his father Domingos Alves Da Silva’s birthday

As per Spanish TV program ‘This is Life’, the day after Alves was released he hosted his family and friends at his house in Esplugues de Llobregat after they had attended a dinner party in Barcelona in honour of patriarch Domingos Alves Da Silva without him. 

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After dinner, the party made their way to Alves’ £4.5m villa, with festivities thought to continue until five o’clock in the morning. 

The former defender might have been freed sooner, had he not had difficulties coming up with the money to pay his high bail. 

Alves’ lawyer Ines Guardiola has said the Brazilian has two bank accounts in Spain, one with no balance and the other with €51,000 (£44,000), with a judicial seizure of €50,000 (£43,000). 

Guardiola claimed last year that her client ‘is broke’ and has a ‘negative bank balance of £17,000’, despite reportedly once having a fortune of £47m.

Sport reported that Alves accounts in Brazil have also been blocked due to problems with his ex-wife Dinorah Santana.

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Alves, however, is expected to receive €9.2m (£7.9m) after his tax lawyer Fernando Mota won four cases against Spain’s tax agency.

The 40-year-old was released on bail after at first struggling to amass the ¿1m needed

The 40-year-old was released on bail after at first struggling to amass the ¿1m needed

The 40-year-old was released on bail after at first struggling to amass the €1m needed

His lawyer Ines Guardiola has previously claimed that he is 'broke' and has a 'negative balance'

His lawyer Ines Guardiola has previously claimed that he is 'broke' and has a 'negative balance'

His lawyer Ines Guardiola has previously claimed that he is ‘broke’ and has a ‘negative balance’

The hearing to determine Alves bail had noted the 40-year-old was set to receive ‘a large sum of money’ back from the treasury, but he has not yet received the funds.

Brazilian team-mate Neymar’s dad had been expected to help Alves pay the money to secure his freedom, but he issued a statement denying he would hand over any cash after coming under political pressure in his homeland.

Memphis Depay’s agent was forced to deny ‘fake’ claims on social media that the Atletico Madrid player had been the one to furnish Alves with the cash necessary to win his temporary freedom on Tuesday.  

‘This is fake news. It is false news, it is not true at all,’ Sebastien Ledure told Informativos Telecinco.

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Ledure also asked to ‘correct at an official level’ the claim, after it spread on social media on Monday.

Alves was convicted of raping a 23-year-old woman in the toilet of an upscale Barcelona nightclub, Sutton, over a year-and-a-half ago. 

The jail sentence he received, considered lenient by some critics, was far less than the nine years public prosecutors demanded and the 12 years Alves’ female accuser wanted if he was convicted. 

Previous attempts from the footballer to be allowed bail had been rejected by the courts largely because he was viewed as a potential fight risk, and the player’s home nation, Brazil, does not extradite citizens sentenced abroad.   

Alves was found guilty of rape and sentenced to a four-and-a-half year stay in Spanish prison

Alves was found guilty of rape and sentenced to a four-and-a-half year stay in Spanish prison

Alves was found guilty of rape and sentenced to a four-and-a-half year stay in Spanish prison

His ex-wife Santana is among those to have spoken out against Alves being granted release from prison on bail.

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‘There are times when you will have to share the table with Judas, without that taking away your peace. Well, me today,’ she wrote on Instagram.

Santana, the mother of his two children, had initially said she was standing by him and insisted he would never commit the crime he was arrested for.

The sports agent later claimed she felt she had been ‘used’ and told Spanish television: ‘For me, he doesn’t exist. For me, he has died.’

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