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French cheesemakers are furious about a new EU recycling rule which could see the traditional round wooden boxes used to encase Camembert cheese replaced with plastic.

The European Parliament is set to vote on the proposed new regulation which will state that by 2030 all food packaging must be recyclable.

Jean-Paul Garraud, a member of the European Parliament for France’s far-right Rassemblement National, said: “It is a matter of common sense. Don’t touch our Camemberts!”

Some French producers fear the language of the proposal would mean the cheese – which takes its name from a village in Normandy and dates back to the 18th century – would no longer be encased in wooden boxes.

“Plastic heats up the cheese, and alters the product over the long term,” one producer told French broadcaster BFM TV.

The box packaging represents 2,000 jobs in France and 45 firms would be affected, Claire Lacroix, chief executive of the Lacroix Group which manufacturers 200 million boxes per year, told TF1info.

Many people have protested against the proposal, calling it a matter of national pride for France.

French MEP Laurence Sailliet said: “Our French cheeses are loved all over the world. But who can imagine a Camembert or a Mont d’Or without its wooden strapping? Packaging them in plastic would be a gustatory and environmental aberration.

“Europe must know how to protect the environment, but never to the detriment of the specific characteristics of its member states,” she added.

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Even if the boxes are not banned under the rules, they would be subject to new recycling and reuse regulations that could make them costly.

Stephanie Yon-Courtin, an MEP originally from Normandy, said wooden boxes used to package cheeses like Camembert don’t have a dedicated recycling circuit because it would be too costly.

She is part of the centrist Renew Europe group in parliament which has tabled an amendment to exempt wooden packaging from the proposed recycling regulations.

Virginijus Sinkevicius, European commissioner for the environment, said on Tuesday the EU would make sure the raw-milk specialised non-industrial Camemberts – those that have a controlled designation of origin – will be exempt from any regulation.

The vote on Wednesday will include such an exemption.

“Indeed, in the EU, certain food packaging made of wood, textiles, ceramics are placed on the market in very small quantities, and many of them protected by the food quality legislation,” he said.

“Such packaging may have difficulties to be recycled at scale and is open for specific exemptions.”

South Korea has suspended part of a military agreement after North Korea defied warnings to launch a spy satellite into space.

The move means South Korea will step up surveillance along the fortified northern border, negating a clause laid out in a 2018 pact between the nations.

Images published in North Korean state media on Tuesday – which Sky News has not verified – showed what appeared to be leader Kim Jong Un watching a rocket launch from a base.

According to KCNA news agency, Mr Kim was later briefed on the satellite’s operations and viewed pictures taken above the US territory of Guam in the Pacific.

He emphasised the need for more satellites on different orbits to give his forces “abundant valuable real-time information about the enemy and further promote their responsive posture”, the agency added.

After adjustments, its reconnaissance mission is due to start on 1 December.

The satellite has entered orbit, according to South Korea’s military, but it’s too soon to evaluate how successful it has been.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is in the UK on a state visit, approved the suspension of the pact, known as the Comprehensive Military Agreement, which was designed to de-escalate tensions.

Critics have argued the agreement had only weakened South Korea’s ability to monitor the northern border – while North Korea had violated the agreement.

US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson described the launch as “a brazen violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions”.

China, North Korea’s closest ally, called on all parties to ensure peace and stability.

The Malligyong-1 satellite was launched from the Sohae satellite launch facility at 10.42pm (1.42pm UK time) on Tuesday and entered orbit at 10.54pm, KCNA said.

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North Korea had notified Japan of a satellite launch after two failed attempts earlier this year.

It was also the first launch since Mr Kim met Vladimir Putin at a Russian space facility in September, where the Russian president promised to help North Korea build satellites.

South Korean officials said the launch most likely involved Russian technical assistance, but some missile experts argued it is too soon for Russian help to have been fully incorporated.

Seoul plans to restart aerial surveillance of North Korea after Pyongyang claimed launching a spy satellite into orbit.

South Korea has announced its intention to partially suspend an inter-Korean agreement after North Korea claimed it successfully launched a military spy satellite into orbit.

South Korea’s State Council responded to the satellite launch by approving the temporary measure and preparing to restart front-line aerial surveillance of the North, Seoul officials said on Wednesday.

The North’s latest satellite launch was a clear violation of UN resolutions and “a grave provocation that threatens our national security”, said Heo Tae-keun, South Korea’s deputy minister of national defence policy.

He added that based on the solid military alliance with the US, South Korea will “promptly and strongly punish” North Korea if it uses the South Korean step as a pretext to launch another provocation.

The 2018 agreement, which created buffer and no-fly zones along the heavily fortified border between the two countries, also required the two neighbours to halt front-line aerial reconnaissance of each other and live-firing exercises and remove some of their guard posts and landmines at border areas.

Orbit of tension

Officials in South Korea and Japan, which first reported the launch, said they could not immediately verify whether a satellite was placed in orbit.

North Korea had previously notified Japan that it planned to launch a satellite between November 22 and December 1.

The Pentagon said it was “still assessing the success of the launch”.

A day after the satellite launch, however, the North Korean government released images of leader Kim Jong Un viewing photographs of key US military facilities allegedly taken by the satellite.

North Korea had tried to launch what it called spy satellites twice this year but failed. South Korean officials said in recent days that it appeared ready to try again soon.

The South Korean reaction further escalates the atmosphere of already compounding tensions. The North insists on its “sovereign right” to develop satellites and build up its capabilities against the armies of the US and its allies.

These military exploits from the North, however, are hindered by UN sanctions as international observers see these repeated satellite endeavours as furtive attempts to advance nuclear-capable missile technology.

Japan, South Korea and the United States conduct regular military drills aimed at countering North Korea’s growing nuclear arsenal. The allies strongly condemned North Korea for the “brazen violation” of UN resolutions.

The launch “raises tensions and risks destabilising the security situation in the region and beyond”, US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

China urged all parties on Wednesday to remain “calm and restrained”.

“All parties concerned should remain calm and restrained, look squarely at the crux of the problem, adhere to the general direction of a political settlement, and do more to help ease tensions,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning said.

The AI research firm is restoring Altman as CEO after his sacking last week threatened a mass exodus from the company.

The co-founder of a leading US artificial intelligence firm is making a comeback to the company that terminated him as CEO last week, the latest twist in a week-long drama over its leadership.

OpenAI, which owns the popular chatbot ChatGPT, announced late on Tuesday on the social media platform X that it had reached “an agreement in principle” to bring back tech entrepreneur Sam Altman as CEO.

We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo.

We are collaborating to figure out the details. Thank you so much for your patience through this.

— OpenAI (@OpenAI) November 22, 2023

It also said it had reached a consensus on a “new initial board,” with members including former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor, former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo.

Altman wrote on X he was “looking forward to returning to OpenAI, and building on our strong partnership with (Microsoft)”.

i love openai, and everything i’ve done over the past few days has been in service of keeping this team and its mission together. when i decided to join msft on sun evening, it was clear that was the best path for me and the team. with the new board and w satya’s support, i’m…

— Sam Altman (@sama) November 22, 2023

Internal turmoil

OpenAI’s board sacked Altman last week offering few reasons for the decision. A storm soon broke within the company. Hundreds of staff threatened to quit in solidarity with Altman and investors put pressure on the company to restore calm.

Microsoft, which has invested billions in OpenAI and has rights to its technology, announced it would hire Atlman to run a new artificial intelligence research team and welcomed any defecting OpenAI employees to switch over with him.

However, Altman said that he has the support of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to return as OpenAI’s CEO under a new leadership structure.

Nadella welcomed the changes to OpenAI after the firm announced Altman’s return and the new initial board.

“We believe this is a first essential step on a path to more stable, well-informed, and effective governance,” Nadella wrote on X.

We are encouraged by the changes to the OpenAI board. We believe this is a first essential step on a path to more stable, well-informed, and effective governance. Sam, Greg, and I have talked and agreed they have a key role to play along with the OAI leadership team in ensuring… https://t.co/djO6Fuz6t9

— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) November 22, 2023

 

OpenAI’s flagship product is ChatGPT, an advanced language model-based chatbot that can generate articles, essays, jokes and even poetry in response to prompts.

Released to the public in November 2022, ChatGPT quickly gained global appeal, reaching more than 100 million monthly users in less than a year.

The EU chief orders the European Commission ‘to do its utmost’ to use the four-day truce to boost its aid deliveries.

The European Commission will step up aid deliveries to Gaza during the agreed four-day pause in Israel’s war.

Welcoming the agreement, Ursula von der Leyen, chief of the EU’s executive body, said the bloc will use the window to get more humanitarian into the Palestinian enclave.

“The European Commission will do its utmost to use this pause for a humanitarian surge to Gaza,” she said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that “I wholeheartedly welcome the agreement”.

Tamer Qarmout, assistant professor in public policy at the Doha Institute, told Al Jazeera that the most important thing that needs to be addressed during the pause is the catastrophic humanitarian condition in Gaza.

“It’s about food and shelter. Winter is here in Gaza, people are sleeping outside, and there’s nothing to cover them. So it’s a disaster. Aid needs to be increased and the international community need to push Israel on this,” Qarmout said.

‘No evidence’

Von der Leyen’s comments came a day after the commission announced a review of its development aid to Palestinians – ordered after the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas – found no evidence of funds going to the armed group that rules Gaza.

“The review found no indications of EU money having directly or indirectly benefitted the terrorist organisation Hamas,” Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said on Tuesday.

The EU is the biggest provider of development aid to Palestinians. It has earmarked about 1.2 billion euros ($1.3bn) for its programmes for the period between 2021 and 2024.

Brussels was forced, in the wake of the October 7 attacks, to deny it would cut all aid to Gaza in October, following a statement by the Hungarian-nominated commissioner for neighbourhood and enlargement.

Oliver Varhelyi stated on social media that “all payments” to the Palestinians had been “immediately suspended” and that “all new budget proposals,” including for 2023, had been “postponed until further notice”.

The scale of terror and brutality against #Israel and its people is a turning point.
 
There can be no business as usual.
 
As the biggest donor of the Palestinians, the European Commission is putting its full development portfolio under review, worth a total of EUR 691m
⤵️

— Oliver Varhelyi (@OliverVarhelyi) October 9, 2023

The commission scrambled to clarify that Varhelyi’s statement was not official and that humanitarian funds would continue to flow, while an “urgent review” would be conducted regarding development assistance that was earmarked but not yet disbursed.

Development aid is used for projects designed to have a long-term impact, such as paying the salaries of officials at the Palestinian Authority, which governs the occupied West Bank, and the work of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA.

It is separate from humanitarian aid, meant for urgent needs for essentials such as food, water and shelter.

“The review found that the control system in place has worked. As a result payment to Palestinian beneficiaries and UNRWA will continue without any delays,” Dombrovskis told reporters.

The commission said, however, that it would not proceed with plans to provide 75.6 million euros ($82.5m) for Gaza infrastructure projects that were not “feasible in the current context”.

That money will now go to other projects after Israel launched its heavy bombardment of Gaza following the October 7 attacks.

The enclave’s Hamas-run government says at least 14,100 Palestinians have been confirmed killed during Israel’s aerial blitz and invasion. In Israel, the official death toll from Hamas’s attacks stands at about 1,200.