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Proposed London datacentre will have annual carbon footprint of 27,000 flights to New York

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/aug/21/proposed-london-datacentre-will-have-annual-carbon-footprint-of-27000-flights-to-new-york

The proposed East Havering Data Centre Campus in North Ockendon would be one of the largest datacentres in Europe. Illustration: © Digital Reef 2026

Exclusive: Planning documents show datacentre in North Ockendon would be incompatible with UK net zero targets

A “hyperscale” datacentre in outer London would generate more than 1m tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, equivalent to the carbon footprint of 27,000 flights from London to New York, planning documents show.

The East Havering Data Centre Campus (EHDCC) in North Ockendon would be one of the largest datacentres in Europe if approved by Havering council, using 218 hectares of green belt to run servers and data storage systems for AI and cloud computing. Its developer, Digital Reef, has described the scheme as “a unique opportunity to create a sustainable datacentre campus of the future”.

But in the planning application, Digital Reef says the £14.7bn project “does not align with a science-based 1.5C compatible trajectory and achieving net zero by 2050”. Documents estimate the development would generate more than 72m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) over its projected 60-year lifespan – 1.2m tonnes annually once fully operational.

…

Donald Campbell, advocacy director at the tech justice nonprofit Foxglove, said the EHDCC’s projected emissions were “staggering”.

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The scale of datacentre emissions raises questions over how Britain’s rapid expansion of AI infrastructure can be reconciled with the government’s legally binding climate targets.

The government designated datacentres as “critical national infrastructure” in 2024, putting the tech developments on an equal footing with water, energy and emergency services systems.

…

The full article is very informative and recommended: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/aug/21/proposed-london-datacentre-will-have-annual-carbon-footprint-of-27000-flights-to-new-york

Orcas comment on killer apes destroying the planet by continuing to burn fossil fuels.
Orcas comment on killer apes destroying the planet by continuing to burn fossil fuels.
Continue ReadingProposed London datacentre will have annual carbon footprint of 27,000 flights to New York

Israeli groups, Palestinians challenge controversial East Jerusalem settlement plan

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Israeli authorities construct a new settlement road north of East Jerusalem, a Jerusalem governorate official reportedly said on February 5, 2026. [ Issam Rimawi – Anadolu Agency]

Palestinian residents and three Israeli rights groups have filed an urgent petition with an Israeli court seeking to freeze a tender for the construction of 1,234 illegal settlement units under the controversial E1 plan in occupied East Jerusalem, Anadolu reports.

The petition was filed Thursday with the Jerusalem District Court by rights groups Ir Amim, Bimkom and Peace Now, together with Palestinian community members, according to a statement issued by Ir Amim.

Petitioners asked the court to issue an interim order suspending the first tender under the E1 plan — which was published this week – for the construction of 1,234 housing units east of Jerusalem.

They also requested the court to halt publication of additional tenders, or any other steps toward the plan’s implementation, until a court ruling is issued on their petition.

The tender has drawn international criticism, including calls for the Israeli government to withdraw it.

Nevertheless, no date has yet been set for the court to hear the petition.

Covering more than 2,960 acres of land, the E1 plan is one of the largest illegal settlement projects in the occupied Palestinian territories.

It is intended to link the illegal Maale Adumim settlement, located east of Jerusalem, with West Jerusalem by building thousands of new settlement units and hotels.

Critics say that the settlement plan will divide the occupied West Bank and further cut East Jerusalem off from its Palestinian surroundings.

The EU has repeatedly stated that implementation of the E1 plan will undermine prospects for a two-state solution and the emergence of a viable Palestinian state.

READ: Egypt, Jordan condemn Israeli E1 settlement project as threat to Palestinian statehood

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Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes' concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country's economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.

Continue ReadingIsraeli groups, Palestinians challenge controversial East Jerusalem settlement plan

Germany criticises Israeli airstrike on Syrian airbase

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Elements of the Israeli military camp with armored vehicles along the strategic connecting road between the villages of Jamla and Saysoun in the western countryside of the Daraa Governorate in southern Syria on June 28, 2026. [Enver Asfur – Anadolu Agency]

Germany on Thursday criticised an Israeli airstrike in northwestern Syria, stressing that Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected, Anadolu reports.

“The German government has noted with concern reports of an airstrike on the Abu al-Duhur airfield in northwestern Syria,” a senior official at the Foreign Ministry told Anadolu, when asked about Berlin’s stance on Tuesday’s attack and the Israeli government’s recent escalatory moves.

“Any foreign military intervention is not conducive to the stabilisation of Syria or to peace in the region,” the diplomat stressed, referring to the Israeli airstrikes. “A stable Syria contributes to the stability of the Middle East as a whole. Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected by all countries,” he added.

In recent months, Germany has repeatedly cautioned against further escalation and has sought to encourage Israel to pursue diplomacy with Syria and other regional actors to establish viable security arrangements.

With tensions rising, such arrangements are more important than ever, said diplomatic sources, adding that Berlin remains in close contact with international and regional partners.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Wednesday that Israel had warned Syria before the attack against allowing a Turkish presence at the airbase. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani rejected the justification, stating that Damascus had informed Israel there were no plans for a Turkish base or permanent military presence at the site.

Türkiye’s National Defence Ministry said no Turkish military delegation was present at the airbase before or during the strike and described the attack as an unacceptable violation of Syrian sovereignty. Ankara reiterated its support for Syria’s efforts to rebuild its infrastructure and military capacity.

Türkiye’s Communications Director Burhanettin Duran sharply criticised Netanyahu on Thursday, saying the Israeli leader’s recent escalatory moves were driven by domestic political calculations and the upcoming elections. Duran said international criticism of Israeli policies was mounting and that Netanyahu was becoming increasingly isolated, adding that he appeared to view hostility toward Türkiye as a political lifeline amid competition with other hardline parties.

READ: Al-Sharaa meets Turkish energy minister amid tensions following Israeli strike in Syria

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Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes' concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country's economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.

Continue ReadingGermany criticises Israeli airstrike on Syrian airbase

Israeli occupiers besiege 3 West Bank homes for 12th consecutive day

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Israeli settlers have surrounded homes belonging to three Palestinian families for nine days in the Ras al-Ayn area of Qusra town, near Nablus, West Bank, Palestine on August 17, 2026. [Issam H.s. Alasmar – Anadolu Agency]

Israeli occupiers on Thursday continued besieging three Palestinian homes in the town of Qusra in the occupied West Bank — for the 12th consecutive day — with Israeli forces preventing local residents from leaving or entering their residences, Anadolu reports.

Israeli military forces and occupiers have imposed the siege in the town’s Ras al-Ain district, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported, citing Qusra Mayor Abdul Azim al-Wadi.

According to al-Wadi, besieged families are facing food and medicine shortages, with Israeli forces blocking access to basic supplies and daily necessities.

Israeli forces have declared the area a “closed military zone” and turned one of the Palestinian homes into a “military barracks,” al-Wadi said.

In recent days, Qusra’s Ras al-Ain district has seen escalating attacks by Israeli occupiers.

Increasing numbers of Israeli soldiers have also been deployed to the area, raising fears among local residents that the siege will continue and that Israel plans to impose a “new reality” on the area.

Roughly 750,000 Israeli occupiers are currently present in 156 settlements and 360 outposts across the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

According to both Palestinian and Israeli data, Israeli occupiers frequently attack Palestinians and their property in an effort to drive them from the area.

Earlier this month, the UN warned that anti-Palestinian violence by Israeli occupiers in the occupied West Bank — including land seizures — had reached “unprecedented” levels.

It also said it had documented over 1,430 separate attacks by occupiers this year alone, adding that the attacks had served to displace some 3,800 Palestinian residents, nearly half of them children.

Israel was established in 1948 on Palestinian land seized by armed Jewish groups that relied on terrorist tactics, including the massacre of unarmed civilians, to accomplish its military objectives.

As a result, at least 750,000 Palestinians were forced off their ancestral land, which was subsequently occupied by the new state of Israel.

READ: Israel pounds southern Lebanon with airstrikes, artillery despite truce deal

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Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes' concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country's economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.

Continue ReadingIsraeli occupiers besiege 3 West Bank homes for 12th consecutive day

Israeli occupiers set Palestinian home in occupied West Bank on fire with mother, daughter inside

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A Palestinian man and a girl stand inside a home damaged in an attack by Israeli settlers in the Khirbet al-Tuba community in the Masafer Yatta area, south of Hebron, West Bank, Palestine on August 6, 2026. [Wisam Hashlamoun – Anadolu Agency]

Israeli occupiers set fire to a Palestinian home in the Hebron governorate in the occupied West Bank on Thursday while a mother and her daughter were inside, according to local sources.

Aliya al-Nawajaa, the owner of the burned home, told Anadolu Agency that five masked occupiers attacked her house at dawn in the Khirbet al-Fara area of the city of Yatta.

She said one of the occupiers opened the window of the bedroom where she was sleeping with her daughter and threatened her and her family.

The attackers then set fire to the bedroom, causing the flames to spread rapidly before she could put them out, Nawajaa said.

She added that she immediately woke her daughter and they barely managed to flee the house safely.

Nawajaa said local residents and neighbors did not wake up immediately because of the early hour, prompting her to call her husband, who was not at home, to seek help.

Separately, the Israeli army began moving mobile homes to a settlement outpost established on Mount Tarousa, west of the city of Dura, southwest of Hebron, according to local sources.

READ: Israel arrests 30 Palestinians in occupied West Bank, including journalist

The sources said Israeli heavy machinery began transporting new mobile homes to the outpost early Thursday as part of a “plan to expand settlements in the area.”

Israeli army vehicles accompanied the machinery during the operation, they added.

Since the start of Israel’s genocide in Gaza in October 2023, Israeli forces and occupiers have intensified attacks against Palestinians and their property across the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

The attacks have included the killing and wounding of Palestinians, arrests, the demolition of homes and other structures, the burning of mosques and vehicles, the destruction of agricultural land – preventing farmers from accessing their fields – plus forced displacement, and the expansion of settlements on Palestinian land.

Palestinians warn that the attacks are meant to pave the way for Israel to annex the West Bank, which would undermine the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state as envisaged in relevant UN resolutions.

Israel was established in 1948 on Palestinian lands seized by armed Zionist groups that carried out massacres and displaced at least 750,000 Palestinians, before Israel occupied the remaining Palestinian territories and refused to withdraw from them.

OPINION: The violent annexation of the West Bank: From the siege of Qusra to de facto sovereign control

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Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes' concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country's economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.

Continue ReadingIsraeli occupiers set Palestinian home in occupied West Bank on fire with mother, daughter inside