Researchers are developing bio-based fertilisers that reduce pollution, save energy and could curb Europe’s reliance on Russian imports. One promising solution: algae grown on wastewater.

Saint-Laurent-de-la-Prée

Researchers in western France have demonstrated that microalgae cultivated on dairy effluent can reduce mineral fertilizer use by 25% when used in combination with traditional fertilizers on wheat crops. The algae-based bio-fertilizer, developed as part of the European Walnut project, was tested against mineral and other organic fertilizers, showing comparable yields when mixed with mineral products.

The process involves growing unicellular algae in cylinders containing dairy effluent, converting organic matter into plant biomass rich in nitrogen. This biomass is then dehydrated and used as fertilizer. While the algae powder releases nutrients more slowly than mineral fertilizers and requires careful planning, it offers potential benefits for reducing reliance on imports, minimizing environmental impacts, and improving the sustainability of European agriculture.

Algae grown on dairy effluent cuts mineral fertiliser use by 25%

Microalgae grown on dairy effluents can cut the use of mineral fertilizers by 25% and could help reduce Europe's dependence on Russian imports. In Saint-Laurent-de-la-Praie, western France, this bio-fertilizer was tested on several wheat plots and compared with mineral fertilizers and other organic products. The results are that with the algae powder, we have yields that are like the bits of purification. That is, it's good, it's better than if we didn't put anything, but it's not as good as mineral fertilizers if we only put that. Where we had interesting yields is when we mixed mineral with algae powder. Because there we had the same yields as if we had put only mineral, but it still allowed us to eliminate a quarter of the mineral fertilizers. This product has been developed within Walnut, a European project aimed at cutting pollution and closing the loop between food and waste by recovering vital nutrients for agriculture from urban, industrial and other types of waste water. We have an agri-food factory, whose effluents are put in cylinders and in these cylinders we will grow unicellular algae that will feed on the organic matter of the effluent. The organic matter will be converted into plant biomass and it is this plant biomass that we will take, dehydrate and then spread in the fields. And as this biomass is rich in nitrogen, it will have a role of fertilizer. Unlike mineral fertilizers, which release nitrogen instantly and are easy to dose, algae powder works more slowly and requires planning from farmers. More research is still needed to optimize it, yet it could help Europe reduce reliance on imports, cut environmental impacts and build resilience into its food systems.

The White House said the U.S. is sending 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico. It comes as the Defense Department confirmed that two armed Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets flew over a U.S. Navy ship in the region on Thursday.

Washington

U.S. to send F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico amid Venezuela tensions

President Trump signed an executive order to start the process of renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War, restoring a name the agency last held in the late 1940s.

Trump orders Defense Department be renamed as Department of War

Xi and Kim, along with top officials from their countries, met on Thursday at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People a day after Kim attended a Chinese military parade alongside other foreign leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Beijing

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Two Venezuelan fighter jets flew over the USS Jason Dunham, multiple Defense Department officials confirm, calling the action a "show of force." CBS News' Willie James Inman and Charlie D'Agata report.

Caracas

Two Venezuelan fighter jets fly over U.S. Navy ship, officials confirm

A massive Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid at a Hyundai manufacturing site in Georgia led to hundreds of immigrants being detained for apparently living and working in the U.S. illegally.

Savannah

Massive ICE raid at Hyundai site leaves 475 detained in Georgia

Israel targeted a high-rise building in Gaza City, the military said in a statement. As the world braces for Israel's major military operation to seize Gaza's largest city, Hamas released a video purportedly showing two hostages, including one calling on Israel not to carry out its planned Gaza City offensive.

Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

Israel strikes Gaza City high-rise building, Hamas releases another hostage video

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is wrapping up a two-day trip to Latin America. It comes as the countries in the region watch the Trump administration step up military activity in the area, to combat drug trafficking and illegal migration.

Quito

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A powerful aftershock struck eastern Afghanistan late on Thursday night. More than 2,200 people have already died the quake. Rescue crews are still searching remote villages, but rescue efforts are hampered by rough terrain and aftershocks. The World Food Programme says food stocks are running low and could be exhausted within weeks.

Kabul

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What happens in Ukraine once the war with Russia is over? France tells President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that 26 nations are now ready to offer security guarantees, including the possible deployment of foreign troops as part of a post-war peace arrangement.

Paris

Ukraine Invasion

Ukraine's European allies agree security guarantees

CEOs from some of the nation's biggest tech companies sat down for a dinner with President Trump on Thursday. Among those present were Tim Cook, Sam Altman, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg.

Trump hosts Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and other tech CEOs

U.S. President Donald Trump had a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders Thursday about Russia's war in Ukraine. CBS News White House reporter Olivia Rinaldi has more.

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"With infinite sorrow, the Armani Group announces the passing of its creator, founder, and tireless driving force: Giorgio Armani," the fashion house said in a statement on Thursday.

Milan

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A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration unlawfully terminated about $2.2 billion in grants awarded to Harvard University and can no longer cut off research funding to the prestigious Ivy League school.

Cambridge

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has delivered a statement after meeting leaders on the sidelines of the military event in Beijing. He spoke about Russian security interests, and the Ukraine war.

Moscow

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Hope is fading of finding survivors in the rubble of homes devastated by a powerful earthquake in eastern Afghanistan over the weekend that killed more than 1,400 people, as emergency services struggle to reach remote villages.

Kunar

Hope fades for finding survivors after Afghan quake kills over 1400

Portuguese authorities say at least 15 people died after a streetcar derailed and crashed in the capital of Lisbon. CBS News senior foreign correspondent Imtiaz Tyab has the latest.

Lisbon

Iconic streetcar in Portugal's Lisbon derails, 15 killed

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, along with Republican Reps. Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene, held a news conference on Wednesday with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's sexual abuse. CBS News' Caitlin Huey-Burns has more details.

Epstein survivors add voices to calls for transparency

Israel's central intelligence agency, Shin Bet, said that it thwarted an assassination plot by Hamas against the country's right-wing minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Reuters reports.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Israel reportedly thwarted plot to assassinate right-wing minister

In California on Tuesday, a jury took less than an hour to clear Cardi B of assault allegations made in a $24 million civil lawsuit. A security guard claimed the rap star attacked her in 2018.

Los Angeles

Cardi B wins civil case against security guard

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that the U.S. military struck a boat apparently carrying drugs from Venezuela. CBS News' Charlie D'Agata has the latest details.

Trump says U.S. struck drug-carrying boat from Venezuela

China's Xi Jinping welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un, along with other world leaders, for a huge military parade showing off new technology.

Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un attend China's massive military parade

A Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives committee said it released more than 33,000 pages of files on the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as party leadership looked to end a push by a bipartisan pair of lawmakers to force a vote on the matter.

U.S. House committee releases thousands of Epstein files

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou last week called for parliament to hold an earlier-than-expected vote of confidence in him. Next week’s ballot could lead to the collapse of his centrist government and prompt a period of further instability in the European Union’s second biggest economy.

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Tens of thousands of reservists began to report for duty on Tuesday for a new Israeli offensive to seize Gaza City, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to accelerate despite warnings from senior ranks.

Israel calls up reservists as military chief clashes with ministers

The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday released over 33,000 pages of documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

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Belgium joins the ranks of Australia, France, Canada and the UK, all who have pledged to recognize a Palestinian state at the UNGA next week in a bid to ramp up pressure on the Israeli government to end the war in Gaza.

Brussels

Belgium to recognize Palestine at the UN General Assembly

A powerful 6.0 magnitude earthquake in eastern Afghanistan killed at least 1,400 people, according to the Afghan Red Crescent Society. Thousands more were  injured.

At least 1,400 killed in powerful Afghanistan earthquake

The death toll from Afghanistan's worst earthquake in years jumped to over 1,100 with thousands more injured, as difficult terrain hindered rescue efforts in isolated villages of the country's mountainous eastern region.

Breakdown