Strasbourg (Reuters) – The European Commission on Tuesday laid out a 6 billion euro ($6.8 billion) plan for satellite communications as part of a program to reduce the European Union’s dependence on foreign companies and protect key telecoms services and monitoring data from outside interference. The move comes amid growing concerns about Russian and Chinese military upgrades in outer space and a jump in satellite launches. Commercial operators such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX and its Starlink network, which aims to launch tens of thousands of satellites to provide global wireless communication with its base in space, have contributed to the rapid growth of the number of satellites and the resulting debris. “Our new communication infrastructure will provide access to high-speed internet, play a supportive role to existing internet infrastructure, increase our cyber resilience and security, and provide connectivity to all of Europe and Africa,” EU Industry Officer Terry Breton said in a statement.
Police used pepper spray against protesters in Tbilisi
In Tbilisi, police used pepper spray at a rally against the law on foreign agentsPolice in Tbilisi used pepper gas...