News Round-Up: EU Biometric Border Control, Wind Farms Killing Eagles and Tony Blair on Net Zero
Every week, the editorial team of Freedom Research compiles a round-up of news that caught our eye, or what felt like under-reported aspects of news deserving more attention.
Over the past week, the following topics attracted our attention:
Tony Blair on phasing out fossil fuels: strategy ‘doomed to fail’.
EU inches towards gradual rollout of biometric border controls.
Research: wind turbines may cause bald eagle extinction in the US.
Moderna faces suspension over Covid jab breaches.
UK health service to test ‘trans’ children’s mental health.
Tony Blair on phasing out fossil fuels: strategy ‘doomed to fail’
UK’s ex-prime minister Tony Blair called for a major rethink of Net Zero policies, arguing that limiting energy consumption and fossil fuel production is ‘doomed to fail’, BBC reports.
In a report published by Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, The Climate Paradox: Why We Need to Reset Action on Climate Change, Blair writes that voters "feel they're being asked to make financial sacrifices and changes in lifestyle when they know the impact on global emissions is minimal". Blair argues that global institutions such as COP and the UN have failed to make sufficient progress in halting climate change.
He does not call for Labour to halt its push to decarbonise the UK economy – but says all governments need to rethink their approach, as it is not working. At the same time, Blair argues, the public have lost faith in climate policies because the promised green jobs and economic growth have failed to materialise. Blair says "any strategy based on either 'phasing out' fossil fuels in the short term or limiting consumption is a strategy doomed to fail". He also warns against the ‘alarmist’ tone of the debate on climate change, which he says is ‘riven with irrationality’.
At the same time, he argues that climate change is still caused by human activity. The report calls for the rapid deployment of carbon capture and storage technology, greater use of AI to make energy grids efficient, and investment in small scale nuclear reactors.
It also argues for a greater focus on climate change adaptation measures such as flood defences and a new international push to persuade China and India to cut emissions.
In addition to Tony Blair, there is an increasing number of world leaders who have made critical comments about Net Zero policies. For example, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk called on the European Parliament to review the European Union's climate policy, known as the Green Deal, and has been quite harsh in his criticism of it. Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has stated that the EU's Green Deal is ideological and self-destructive and has attempted to fight against it. European conservatives have also blamed the Green Deal for the loss of competitiveness, and airlines and car manufacturers have questioned the climate requirements.
However, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen does not want to abandon the Green Deal despite the economic problems faced by countries and the growing criticism. On the contrary, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, at the beginning of the year, von der Leyen emphasized the need to accelerate the transition to Net Zero and continued to consider climate change the world's greatest global challenge.
At the same time, the US has halted all Net Zero policies under the current Donald Trump administration.
EU inches towards gradual rollout of biometric border controls
The European Union’s biometric Entry-Exit System (EES) is set for a 180 day rollout after the EU Parliament Civil Liberties Committee endorsed a draft position on the gradual launch, The Biometric Update writes.
The EES will record face and fingerprint biometrics from people entering the Schengen area on short-stay visas, with the intention of reducing violations of the entry rules.
Initially, the plan is to implement the system in stages, i.e. at some border crossing points and for some visitors. During the first 30 days, 10% of border crossings will be registered in the system, and 35-50% within 90 days of implementation. The decision to implement the system in stages was made to avoid jeopardizing its operational continuity if all Member States were to introduce it at the same time. Member States will remain free to decide whether to introduce the system in full immediately or in stages.
The Committee also decided to start negotiations with the European Council in May to finalize the legislation. However, the phased introduction should not hinder the negotiations, as the Council already requested in March that the system be introduced within six months.
France, Germany, and the Netherlands have yet to declare their readiness to implement EES.
France is working on updating its Parafe biometric gates used at airports and Eurostar Eurotunnel terminals to recognize foreign nationals who have legal residency in France as not requiring EES registration.
Switzerland is not part of the EU, but is part of the Schengen zone, and is also working towards introducing face biometrics at its airports. Geneva Airport CTO Massimo Gentile told public broadcaster RTS that his organization is looking towards biometric check-ins that would enable the use of biometrics at all touchpoints where passports or boarding passes are currently required, SWI reports.
Other airports in the country are also interested, according to the report, but a revision to the Civil Aviation Act would be necessary and is not expected until late in 2026.
Geneva Airport has already all the necessary hardware, having deployed biometric hardware from SITA, but left the biometric capability switched off pending regulatory authorization. Zurich Airport has face biometric gates operational at customs and has been working on EES readiness with Secunet technology since 2022.
Research: wind turbines may cause bald eagle extinction in the US
A study led by the University of New Mexico in the United States has found that wind farms pose a threat to bird populations, especially birds of prey. The more wind farms are built, the more birds are killed.
A research paper conducted by the University of New Mexico in the United States examined wind turbine-related deaths of bald eagles in the western US between 2013 and 2024. Eagle deaths due to wind turbines in the western US were increasing by around 9% a year from 2013 to 2020, but this annual increase leapt to 13% from 2020 to 2024, a jump of 49% in the annual increase in death rate, reports The Daily Sceptic.
The researchers used a Bayesian collision risk model and inserted widely available data such as the eBird abundance maps. The Bayesian model is widely used in collision risk assessment and uses objective observations and relevant information. It is known that millions of bats and birds, along with a huge insect tonnage, are crunched by ever larger and more numerous wind blades. Large birds such as eagles that hunt moving prey and rely on wind currents to fly are particularly at risk and the scientists estimate that 80,000 raptors (of all kinds) are killed by wind turbines across the US every year.
The scientists note that golden eagles are particularly vulnerable to mortality from wind turbines since their predatory nature places them at more danger than scavenging birds. The eagles are a slow-reproducing species and it is noted that even low levels of additional mortality due to wind turbines may have a “significant” effect on overall populations and there are fears it may even go extinct in its western US habitat and other areas with large wind turbines.
Moderna faces suspension in the UK over Covid jab breaches
Moderna could face suspension from Britain’s pharmaceutical trade body following a string of breaches of the regulatory code, The Telegraph reports.
The Covid vaccine maker is due to be audited by the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA) over “unacceptable” practices that brought discredit upon the industry. If found to be lacking adequate compliance systems, Moderna could ultimately be suspended or expelled from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (APBI).
It follows several code breaches, including representatives of the company offering children £1,500 and teddy bears to take part in Covid vaccine trials.
In a fresh ruling, the company was also found to have misled regulators about when it first became aware of the financial incentives to children.
Moderna claimed it had taken action as soon as it was notified about the cash offer by the Health Research Agency in January 2024, but it has now emerged that senior executives were informed of it already in August 2023 by the campaign group UsForThem, yet failed to take action.
Under the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) regulations, it is prohibited for incentives or financial inducements to be given to children or their parents.
UK health service to test ‘trans’ children’s mental health
The UK National Health Service will test all children who believe they are transgender for autism under new plans seen by The Telegraph.
Every child referred to a gender clinic will be “screened for neurodevelopmental conditions” such as autism and ADHD under the new guidance, to be introduced in the wake of the Cass review.
That review, by paediatrician Baroness Cass, found that mental health conditions were disproportionately common among young children and young people with gender dysphoria.
Medics will also evaluate each child’s mental health, their relationship with their family, and their sexual development, including whether they are experiencing same-sex attraction.
As part of a proposal to incorporate Cass’s recommendations, the health service will move away from the “medical model” operated by the controversial Tavistock’s Gender Identity Development Service in favour of a “holistic” approach.
The new guidance will be released for public consultation imminently before being rolled out later this year.
It will be used by established children’s gender clinics in London and Manchester and was reviewed by Dr Cass at the start of 2025.
The US government gave every person in the native tribe near my house $2,000 to take the covid vaccine. It wasn't a pre-license trial but it can be called a real world trial so I see that as outrageously unethical. Still, the government won't be held accountable by anyone.
I can see Moderna's 'Petty Cash' being used to avoid scrutiny in the UK!
Another example of DEPOPULATION by Big Pharma's deadly injectable medicines!
The 2005 PREP Act gave immunity from all/any LIABILITY to the entire medical profession so they could/can make unbelievable fortunes with no consequences for any/all injuries and deaths caused by their depopulating medicines and injections. Make big Pharma LIABLE for all injuries and deaths associated with their depopulating mRNA jabs.
Unjabbed Mick (UK). We'll live longer without DEADLY mRNA-based injections they call 'vaccines'.