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PARIS — French Minister of Ecological Transition Monique Barbut plans to step down in protest after lawmakers approved controversial farming legislation that exposed major divisions among President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist supporters.

A member of the minister’s team, granted anonymity to discuss a decision that has not been shared publicly, said that Barbut told Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and her own office she would resign after the bill’s expected passage by the French Senate later Tuesday.

The government’s original draft legislation was intended to address French farmers’ frequent complaints about tightening margins and increasingly difficult production conditions. Two of its provisions — one that temporarily authorizes the use of a currently banned pesticide for nut producers and another that doubles water storage allowances for farmers over the next decade — have turned the legislation into a political lightning rod.

Barbut was against the pesticide and water storage proposals, both of which were added late in the legislative process to ensure the bill’s passage in the conservative-majority Senate. She made her opposition clear over the weekend in an interview published by Sunday newspaper La Tribune Dimanche .

“This government bill, which was intended to address an emergency situation facing our farmers, has — since the Senate’s amendments — significantly altered the policy governing the allocation of water resources in our country,” she said.

Annie Genevard, France’s conservative agriculture minister, directly opposed her colleague at the Ministry of Ecological Transition, warning that “allowing this bill to fail — whether out of ideology, self-interest or fear — would push farmers to the brink of despair,” in an interview with another Sunday publication, Le Journal du Dimanche .

Balancing farming and the environment

The debate over the legislation has highlighted the tensions between calls to protect the environment and efforts to keep French agriculture economically viable.

It has also exposed serious rifts among Macron’s centrists, most notably between Lecornu and Gabriel Attal, the head of Macron’s centrist Renaissance party and a candidate in next year’s presidential election in France.

Attal and Lecornu both supported reintroducing the pesticide in question, acetamiprid, under exceptional circumstances, but in a parliamentary debate Monday night the centrist lawmaker nonetheless expressed frustration that the government allowed the provision to be introduced at such a late stage.

Acetamiprid is a chemical that belongs to a group of insecticides known as neonicotinoids, which are used to kill crop-damaging insects.

In 2018, the European Union banned three neonicotinoids , but not acetamiprid, which has come under scrutiny over its effects on the nervous systems of both bees and humans. Acetamiprid is considered less toxic to bees and breaks down faster in soil than the trio banned by Brussels.

France independently chose to ban acetamiprid in 2020. Farmers’ unions have been trying to lobby for its reintroduction ever since, arguing that having certain chemicals banned in France but allowed elsewhere in the European single market creates unfair market conditions. Last year , French lawmakers passed a bill reauthorizing the use of acetamiprid despite a petition against it netting more than 2 million signatures. The bill was later struck down by France’s constitutional court, which ruled that the exceptions allowing the use of the pesticide were too broad.

“In 2026, it is deeply concerning that some lawmakers continue to disregard the overwhelming scientific evidence on the dangers of neonicotinoids and their impact on water resources,” said in a statement Julien Rivoire, an agriculture campaigner for Greenpeace’s French branch.

Meanwhile, France’s biggest farmers union, the FNSEA, hailed the vote as “a major milestone and a first victory for French farmers” in a post on X .

While less hotly debated, the water supply provision was also controversial. Water storage has become an increasingly fraught issue in France as climate change-induced heat waves and droughts threaten supplies across Europe.

The construction of water reservoirs for farmers led to violent clashes between protesters and police during a 2023 demonstration attended by thousands, including prominent French Green politicians, who felt that the agriculture industry was hoarding water and refusing to adopt less water-intensive farming techniques.

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Christopher Nolan 's The Odyssey just hit theaters and it's already being called his magnum opus, with plenty of critics floating it as the best film of the year so far. A big part of that conversation is Matt Damon , who leads the film as Odysseus in what's being praised as a career-defining performance. And whenever a Damon performance starts generating this kind of buzz, one particular film from his career always finds its way back into the spotlight. It's widely regarded as one of his best movies, and once again, viewers are rediscovering what made it such a hit. And no, this time it isn't one entry from his The Bourne films that made him say no to Avatar .

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth insisted on Tuesday that Iran was on the defensive, even as he declined to offer a timeline for when the war might end — and acknowledged that Tehran still poses a threat in the region.

Iran’s military capabilities are “at the weakest point militarily” after nearly two weeks of new American airstrikes, Hegseth said. And he insisted that the White House is achieving its objective of preventing Iran from rebuilding its nuclear weapons programs and terrorizing countries throughout the Middle East.

“They still have capabilities, no doubt,” he told members of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “But the amount of damage that we’ve done to them over the course of these series of operations has put them in the worst place they’ve ever been.”

Hegseth’s appearance before the panel represented an attempt by the administration to sell the unpopular conflict as a necessary expense, one that the Defense secretary said has now totaled about $37.5 billion over the last five months.

He pressed lawmakers to supply supplemental funds as soon as possible to cover those expenses and preserve military readiness. But Senate Democratic appropriators questioned both the success of the war so far and the need for more military money, citing $75 billion in unused funds from last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

They flatly rejected the administration’s request for $67 billion in supplemental funds before the end of the fiscal year in September, calling it a tacit approval of the administration’s decision to attack Iran.

“This administration has tried to sell this as an emergency request, but it may be better understood as an attempt to skirt the normal appropriations process,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “A lot of this request does not feel like an emergency.”

U.S. military forces have conducted 10 straight nights of strikes against Iranian military sites since President Donald Trump declared an end to the ceasefire between the countries. Central Command officials said the moves came in response to Iranian aggression against civilian ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Three U.S. service members were killed in retaliatory strikes by Iran over the weekend. Trump has vowed to continue the assault until Iranian leaders submit to American demands.

Hegseth testified that some of the $37.5 billion in war costs — including military pay and personnel support — assume operations through Sept. 30. He cited compensation, mission critical fuel shortfalls and replacing equipment used in recent operations as the most urgent needs for funding.

Those costs would total about $21.3 billion, according to figures released by the Defense Department.

But the administration is also seeking almost $46 billion more for the multi-year procurement of high-demand munitions, hypersonics and counter-drone capabilities — all priorities that also demand near-term funding, Hegseth said.

The Pentagon chief panned former President Joe Biden for a “bureaucratic” and “negligent” approach to defense spending during the previous administration. In the final year of the Biden presidency, the defense budget rose by just 1 percent — less than the rate of inflation.

Hegseth also confirmed reports that China and Russia were assisting Iran in its fight against the U.S., telling lawmakers the two nations were “enabling some things Iran is doing.” The full extent of Beijing and Moscow’s involvement ought to remain classified, though, he said.

House lawmakers are attempting to push through a third budget reconciliation measure to cover the war costs, but Senate Republican appropriators have already cast doubt on how realistic that plan is. Both chambers are scheduled to break for the summer in the next few weeks, making passage of any war funding package unlikely.

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Celeste Ecoflyers daS10, an inflatable drone, can reportedly fly for more than 10 hours

Its 8-meter pneumatic wing replaces much of a conventional aircraft structure

The drone can reportedly cover approximately 500 miles in one direction

A French aerospace startup is developing a 24-foot inflatable drone designed to remain airborne for more than 10 hours while covering roughly 500 miles one way.

The company recently completed early flight testing for the drone dubbed daS10, which uses a pressurized textile envelope and pneumatic wings.

When deflated, the drone can reportedly fit inside a normal car with its seats folded, giving operators an unusual transport option.

Inflatable wings could extend drone endurance

Celeste Ecoflyers developed the daS10 around an 8-meter fixed-wing structure that uses internal air pressure to maintain its shape during flight.

The inflated wing generates lift while avoiding some of the structural weight associated with conventional aircraft designs.

That approach is intended to reduce energy demands and allow the drone to remain airborne for much longer periods than many small multirotor systems.

The company is developing the aircraft for inspection, surveillance and remote logistics missions that require persistent aerial coverage.

Small consumer drones such as the DJI Mavic 4 Pro can remain airborne for around 50 minutes before requiring a recharge.

That endurance may be insufficient for monitoring pipelines, remote infrastructure or large areas affected by disasters.

Longer-range unmanned aircraft can address those missions, although traditional fixed-wing platforms and vertical-takeoff aircraft can involve higher acquisition, transport and operating costs.

The daS10 instead relies on a lightweight structure that can be deflated when the aircraft is not flying.

Celeste Ecoflyers describes the aircraft as a new class of aerial system designed to make persistent coverage lighter, safer and easier to deploy.

However, the company has not disclosed every operational specification needed to independently assess those claims.

Compact transport meets long-range aerial operations

The drone’s inflatable structure could allow teams to transport a large aircraft without requiring a dedicated trailer or specialised ground equipment.

Once deployed, operators would inflate the structure before preparing the aircraft for its mission.

The design could therefore suit remote operations where storage space and transport access are limited.

Potential missions include inspecting long pipelines, surveying disaster zones and monitoring areas where sending crewed aircraft would create unnecessary risks.

The drone also has a reported range of approximately 500 miles in one direction, allowing it to cover substantial distances before returning to its launch area.

The daS10 is still an emerging aircraft concept, and its real-world performance will depend on flight testing, payload capacity, weather tolerance, and the durability of its textile structure.

Its ability to combine long endurance with compact transport could make the design useful for operators needing extended coverage without conventional large aircraft infrastructure.

Via Celeste Ecoflyers | Yanko Design

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Street art is ubiquitous in Rotterdam, coming in all shapes and sizes, covering a vast array of topics in its own unique way. The canal vulva is one such piece that has fascinated passersby for over a decade.

Not much is known about this piece, apart from the fact that it is a female reproductive organ that was fastened to the wall close to some space invader mosaics. Locals call it 'Kutkunst' and believe that it's a feminist statement. They are generally quite fond of it, and have helped keep it free of vandalism for over a decade.

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Most players eventually lose the drive to keep grinding a new league, or season, in Path of Exile 2 and simply log off until the next one. Others gather up all their in-game money and spend it on something ridiculous, like an army of 2,000 skeletons.

PoE 2 streamer Empyriangaming decided it was time to test the action RPG's limits by creating the most expensive minion builds I've ever seen. We're talking gear that cost him more in-game currency than I've earned over the course of my 700 hours in the game. There's min-maxing and then there's whatever Empyriangaming did to make six complete sets of gear to summon more minions than the game can even handle.

Normally, a minion build has around 10 to 15 skeletons accompanying them in PoE 2, but Empyriangaming's crew did some math to figure out how to squeeze out as many of them as possible. The trick is to reduce the resource cost of each minion into single digits and to stack up as much of that resource as you can. Unfortunately, the game refuses to let you summon more than 255 of each minion type before deleting them all and resetting the counter back to zero, so Empyriangaming recruited some friends to bring their own armies.

The group learned pretty quickly that there was going to be one major problem with the plan: frame rate. When Empyriangaming summoned 255 of his own Skeletal Priests, PoE 2 slowed to a crawl and ran like a stop-motion film. Every few seconds a stream of skeletons from the heavens would shift as the server caught up with his inputs. But even though it was completely unplayable, the group decided to see what else they could break.

All six players took a trip to PoE 2's roguelike Trial of the Sekhemas mode where you get powerful bonuses that only work while playing it. One of them happens to be a buff that basically doubles the amount of minions each of them can summon. Empyriangaming watched as his frame rate graph jumped up and down like a heart rate monitor as everyone spawned in a total of 2,000 minions. It was so laggy that simply dodge rolling took about a minute to actually happen on the screen. "Oh god, I didn't aim my dodge roll properly. Give me like 30 more seconds," one player said as they attempted to merge their skeletons into one glowing mass.

When they took their army to an actual map to see how it performed against a boss, the frame rate continued to stand in their way. It's pretty hard to kill a boss—let alone find one—when you're waiting a few minutes to walk forward five feet.

Knowing this, Empyriangaming brought everyone back to his hideout for one last experiment. He called for everyone to start spamming skeletons while he listed an extremely valuable item for an absurdly low price on the game's trade website, luring automated bot accounts and unlucky players into their trap. It didn't take long for people to start flooding in thinking they were getting the deal of a lifetime and actually getting a room full of hundreds of skeletons.

"Wtf is this," one of the players wrote in chat as they stepped into the skeleton pit. A slew of people joined and immediately left before someone managed to swipe the item and make it out alive. But you do have to wonder if the experience of loading into a hideout with more skeletons than Hades will haunt them for far longer than they'll use the item. PoE 2 isn't tagged as a horror game on Steam, but Empyriangaming might've just prompted some people to suggest adding it.

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