Proposed

Emissions understated by factor of five in Essex plans for tech giant, while Greystoke’s Lincolnshire plans show similar errorDevelopers working for Google have significantly misstated how much carbon two proposed AI datacentres will contribute to the UK’s total emissions in planning documents reviewed by the Guardian.The tech company wants to build two huge datacentres – one 52-hectare (130 acre) project in Thurrock and another at an airfield in North Weald, both in Essex. To do so, developers are required to submit planning documents calculating how much carbon these projects will emit as a proportion of the UK’s total carbon footprint. Continue reading...

Ukraine suggested an indefinite ceasefire this week but it was repeatedly violated by RussiaAFP noted that Kyiv said Moscow ignored a Ukrainian call to halt fighting earlier this week that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy cast as a test of whether the Kremlin was serious about providing a brief respite in the four-year war.Russia has threatened a massive strike on the heart of Kyiv if Ukraine disrupts the Victory Day parade on Saturday, repeatedly urging foreign diplomats to evacuate the Ukrainian capital ahead of time. Continue reading...

Jose Ramos-Horta urged by opposition to explain diplomatic passport given to businessman behind resort project, who denies any involvement with organised crimeTimor-Leste’s opposition has questioned how foreign investors in a proposed cryptocurrency resort obtained prime beachfront real estate in the country’s capital, and has called on the president to explain why he issued a diplomatic passport to a Chinese businessman involved in the project.Speaking in parliament in Dili on Monday, Fretilin opposition party MP Florentino Ximenes da Costa “Sinarai” raised concerns about the proposed AB Digital Technology Resort, which was the subject of a months-long investigation by the Guardian and Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). Continue reading...

Former diplomats say ministers must threaten action against any companies bidding to build E1 settlement of 3,400 houses in West BankBritain must lead efforts to stop Israel’s annexation of the West Bank – full text of letterA group of leading former UK ambassadors and high commissioners has called on the UK government to threaten action against any companies bidding to build an illegal Israeli settlement “designed to divide the West Bank in two and destroy Palestine’s viability”.In a letter published in the Guardian, the 32 former diplomats said tenders for the planned E1 settlement, which would involve the construction of 3,400 houses on “Palestinian soil” as part of Israel’s “systemic West Bank annexation”, were due to be issued on 1 June. Continue reading...

• US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield introduced a resolution on April 1 demanding safe access for aid in Sudan, where 8.2 million face famine amid civil war. • Russia and China vetoed the measure, citing 'US imperialism,' blocking $2.5 billion in emergency funding pledges. • The impasse exacerbates the crisis, with 500,000 displaced last week alone, drawing condemnation from humanitarian groups like MSF.

• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced public comment solicitation on Google's proposed data center campus in Botetourt County, Virginia, focusing on effects to local water sources. • The project highlights growing infrastructure demands from tech giants, with Virginia Tech expert Murat Kantarcioglu noting data centers' critical role amid rising cybersecurity risks like potential drone attacks. • This development underscores tensions between tech expansion and environmental concerns in the US, potentially influencing future data center approvals nationwide.

The US Commerce Department withdrew a planned rule on AI chip exports on March 13, 2026, marking another policy reversal by the Trump administration amid shifting trade priorities. The rule had aimed to tighten controls on advanced semiconductor shipments, particularly to adversaries. This decision eases pressures on US chipmakers like Nvidia, potentially boosting exports while maintaining national security reviews. Tech industry groups welcomed the move, citing reduced regulatory burdens for $50 billion in annual chip trade.