A large part of Airbus’s global fleet was grounded after the European airplane maker discovered a technical malfunction linked to solar radiation in its A320 family of aircraft. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency announced on Friday evening that it was temporarily pausing flights on certain Airbus planes after a JetBlue flight from Florida to Mexico had to make an emergency landing after a sudden loss of altitude. Media reports indicate that some 15 people were hospitalized after the incident. Airbus said in a statement late Friday that it had identified an issue with its workhorse A320 planes. “Intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls,” it said, adding that it had “identified a significant number” of affected aircraft. A number of airlines around Europe announced that they were affected, including Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian Airlines. Brussels Airlines said that none of its flights was impacted. Sara Ricci, communications chief for Airbus’s commercial aircraft division, said that some 6,000 aircraft were affected, but that for 85 percent of the impacted aircraft, it would be a “quick fix” to the planes’ software. “The vast majority will be back in the sky very soon,” Ricci said.

LONDON — The British government said it opposes attempts to cool the planet by spraying millions of tons of dust into the atmosphere — but did not close the door to a debate on regulating the technology.  The comments in parliament Thursday came after a POLITICO investigation revealed an Israeli-U.S. company Stardust Solutions aimed to be capable of deploying solar radiation modification, as the technology is called, inside this decade. “We’re not in favor of solar radiation modification given the uncertainty around the potential risks it poses to the climate and environment,” Leader of the House of Commons Alan Campbell said on behalf of the government. Stardust has recently raised $60 million in finance from venture capital investors, mostly based in Silicon Valley and Britain. It is the largest ever investment in the field.  The emergence of a well-funded, private sector actor moving aggressively toward planet cooling capability has led to calls for the global community to regulate the field.  Citing POLITICO’s reporting, Labour MP Sarah Coombes asked the government: “Given the potential risks of this technology, could we have a debate on how Britain will work with other countries to regulate experiments with the earth’s atmosphere, and ensure we cooperate with other countries on solutions that actually tackle the root cause of climate change?” Campbell signaled the government was open to further discussion of the issue by inviting Coombes to raise the point the next time Technology Secretary Liz Kendall took questions in parliament.  Stardust’s CEO Yanai Yedvab told POLITICO the company was also in favor of regulation to ensure the technology was deployed safely and after proper public debate. Some scientists and experts, though, have raised concerns about the level of secrecy under which the company has conducted its research.  Stardust is proposing to use high-flying aircraft to dump millions of tons of a proprietary particle into the stratosphere, around 12 miles above the Earth’s surface. The technology mimics the short term global cooling that occurs when volcanoes blow dust and gas high into the sky, blocking a small amount of the sun’s heat.  Most scientists agree this could temporarily lower the Earth’s surface temperature, helping to avert some impacts of global warming. The side effects, however, are not well researched.  The U.K. has one of the world’s best funded research programs looking at the impacts of its potential use, via its Advanced Research and Invention Agency.  “We do work closely with the international research community to evaluate the latest scientific evidence,” said Campbell.   POLITICO has meanwhile been blocked from receiving internal government advice on solar radiation modification. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has refused to release the documents, arguing this would have a “chilling effect” on the candor of advice by officials to ministers.  In a response to a records request, DESNZ Director of International Climate Matt Toombs said: “Our priority is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from human activities and to adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. Any research into cooling technologies in no way alleviates the urgent need for increased decarbonization efforts.”

Repairs are underway at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after “local ceasefire zones” were established in the area, the United Nations nuclear watchdog said on Saturday. “Restoration of off-site power is crucial for nuclear safety and security. Both sides engaged constructively with the [International Atomic Energy Agency] to enable complex repair plan to proceed,” the IAEA wrote in a post on X. The Russian-occupied facility in southeastern Ukraine has been cut off from the national grid for four weeks — its longest blackout since the Russia’s invasion in February 2022. The plant has been using on diesel generators since its last power line went down last month. Without reliable power, Europe’s largest nuclear plant risks losing the cooling needed to keep its reactors stable. “The situation is critical,” warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in late September. “The generators and the plant were not designed for this, and have never operated in this mode for so long. And we already have information that one generator has failed,” he said. Ukraine’s Energy Ministry reportedly confirmed that specialists were proceeding on the latest round of repair works of the power lines. “The only reason for the unprecedented risks and threat of a radiation incident in Europe is Russian military aggression, the occupation of the Ukrainian Zaporizhzhya NPP and the systematic shelling of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure,” it said in a Telegram post.

Ukraine marked its 34th Independence Day on Sunday amid tit-for-tat drone strikes, with Moscow targeting cities across Ukraine and Kyiv hitting a Russian nuclear power plant and a major port. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched more than 70 Shahed drones and a missile overnight, mostly from bases in Kursk, Millerovo and Primorsko-Akhtarsk. Air defenses downed 48 of them, but others hit targets in at least 10 regions, setting off fires and injuring civilians. A rocket attack in the city of Pavlohrad caused a large blaze, while local officials reported nine injuries and one death in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Kyiv responded with a barrage of long-range drones that struck inside Russia. Authorities in the Kursk region said one strike damaged a transformer at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, cutting output at one reactor by half and sparking a fire that was later extinguished. Radiation levels remained normal, the plant operator said. The International Atomic Energy Agency urged restraint after the Kursk strike, warning of the risks of combat near nuclear facilities. In Russia’s Leningrad region, debris from intercepted drones ignited a fire at the Novatek fuel terminal in the port of Ust-Luga, one of the country’s largest export hubs. Flights were briefly suspended at airports in St. Petersburg, Samara and Izhevsk after additional drones were shot down. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Ukrainians from Kyiv’s Independence Square, tying the attacks to the broader struggle for sovereignty. “We are building a Ukraine that will have enough strength and power to live in security and peace,” he said in a video message. “Ukraine has won its independence. Ukraine is not a victim, it is a fighter.” In the south, Ukraine’s military said troops unfurled national flags over occupied towns in the Kherson region, a gesture meant to signal that “the Kherson region will forever remain part of Ukraine.” Western allies also used the occasion to signal support. The U.K. and Sweden raised Ukrainian flags on government buildings, while Norway and Germany announced the joint delivery of two Patriot air defense systems with missiles, radars and short-range batteries worth about €650 million. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Ukrainians were “most courageously defending themselves against Russia’s attacks. They are fighting for our liberal order in Europe, and for a just peace.”

BRUSSELS — The age-old fight between Poland and France over the legacy of Marie Curie (née Skłodowska) has a new front: the €20 banknote. Polish officials have pushed the European Central Bank to include the pioneering scientist’s maiden name in the event of her featuring in a new series of euro banknotes, according to two people familiar with the matter. Curie, who won two Nobel Prizes in the 20th century for her discoveries unlocking the secrets of radiation, is among the symbols of “European culture” whom the ECB may feature on its next series of banknotes. The ECB’s Governing Council is expected to decide on the final design by the end of 2026, but the notes won’t be issued for some years after that. The first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and still the only person to win Nobels in two separate scientific fields, Skłodowska-Curie was picked to adorn the €20 note. There was only one issue: The Poles insisted the central bankers had omitted a crucial part of her name from the shortlist. Curie took a French surname from her husband Pierre in 1895, but was born Maria Skłodowska in Warsaw. When she won her first Nobel Prize in 1903 for physics, jointly with her husband Pierre, she was credited simply as Marie Curie. When she claimed her second in 1911, for chemistry, five years after Pierre’s death, she opted for a double-barrel: Marie Skłodowska-Curie. The reclamation of her maiden name was seen as conveying a message that was at once feminist and nationalist. Its omission when the ECB published its shortlist of themes and motifs earlier this year touched a nerve in Poland, a country which has a few issues with being airbrushed out of the European story by its neighbors to the west, having been removed from the map three times in the last three centuries. The ECB’s Governing Council is expected to decide on the final design by the end of 2026, but the notes won’t be issued for some years after that. | Boris Roessler/EPA Polish diplomats in Brussels warned the ECB it was inaccurate, according to two people familiar with the matter. Polish Central Bank Governor Adam Glapiński also weighed in with a letter to ECB President Christine Lagarde. Polish MEPs — and even a few non-Poles sympathetic to Curie’s feminism — also wrote in to protest. The National Bank of Poland did not respond to a request for comment. Even though Poland has its own currency and doesn’t use the euro, Frankfurt has now made amends, updating the entry on its webpage to “Marie Curie (born Skłodowska).” Some were quick to claim victory. “I am very pleased that the ECB addressed Polish concerns and adjusted the design of [the] new €20 bank note to reflect Marie Skłodowska-Curie’s Polish heritage,” exulted conservative MEP Janusz Lewandowski, speaking to POLITICO. But the reality is somewhat more complex. For one thing, even the great woman herself had trouble making up her mind, signing herself as Skłodowska-Curie for much of her married life, but increasingly using the simplified “M. Curie” after Pierre’s death, especially in professional contexts. Moreover, European cultural figures may not even feature on the banknotes if a rival design, featuring far less divisive motifs of birds and rivers, edge them out. More to the point, the ECB hasn’t officially settled on using Curie’s double-barreled name, and is speaking to her descendants, and the Institut Curie in Paris, to work out what is for the best. “The ECB is consulting various sources to determine the most appropriate way to refer to her. If European culture is selected as the theme for the future design, a decision will be taken on how the names of all the selected personalities will be displayed on the banknotes,” an ECB spokesperson said. “For the time being, we will refer to her as Marie Curie (born Skłodowska) in order to acknowledge her dual identity.” But if history is any judge, Warsaw will get its way. A similar Polish rearguard action brought about the rebranding of the European Commission’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions program in 2014, resulting — as the name implies — in a decisive Polish victory. CORRECTION: The initial version of this article misstated when the next series of notes will be issued.

Welcome to Declassified, a weekly humor column. Sure, Donald Trump has massive bunker-busting bombs capable of obliterating all in their wake — but Europe’s leaders have their own killer weapons: concerned posts on X! It’s been a stellar week for impotent pleas on social media, as Israel and Iran exchanged fire, the United States went studs-up with its big old bombs — and European politicians leaped to their keyboards to call for de-escalation on a social media platform Trump’s not even using. “With tensions in the Middle East at a new peak, stability must be the priority,” thundered Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, just as Trump made a loud “KA-BLAMO!” noise in the White House situation room. “The situation in the Middle East remains volatile and stability in the region is a priority,” droned Keir Starmer, as he checked to see if his WhatsApp notifications from the U.S. prez had somehow been muted. “Engaging in dialogue and securing a clear commitment from Iran to renounce nuclear weapons are essential to avoid the worst for the entire region,” Emmanuel Macron offered up, while donning a radiation suit and popping into the bunker, just to be on the safe side. EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas went further still, offering up words that will have no doubt sent shivers down spines in Tehran, Jerusalem and Washington. “EU Foreign Ministers will discuss the situation tomorrow,” she warned. At least they’re all keeping busy. We chuckle, but maybe it is having an impact. The Don seemed to take all this posting-things-into-existence to heart. Over on Truth Social — like X but featuring just one self-obsessed diva rather than multiple millions — Trump was begging our old friend the global oil price to stop being so very naughty. “EVERYONE, KEEP OIL PRICES DOWN, I’M WATCHING! YOU’RE PLAYING INTO THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY, DON’T DO IT,” he Truthed. OIL PRICES did not immediately respond to a request for comment — but you can bet they were listening.