• To mark the Australian Grand Prix, Aprilia unveils a motorcycle that pays tribute to a circuit that has made its mark on the history of World Motorcycling.
• A trace that has always rewarded the courage of the rider and the technical excellence of the bike, values that are at the heart of Aprilia.
• To celebrate its victories on the Australian circuit, Aprilia is unveiling a special, limited-edition version of the RS 660, featuring unique graphics and equipment.
• The Aprilia RS 660 Phillip Island tribute will be on display at EICMA - Milan, in the Aprilia booth - Hall 9, from 5 to 8 November.

Aprilia Racing's history of racing successes is closely linked to Phillip Island. On the blisteringly fast and spectacular Australian circuit, Aprilia Racing has secured no fewer than ten victories across the various classes of the MotoGP World Championship, not to mention those achieved in the Superbike World Championship with the legendary RSV4. The MotoGP victory secured on the same circuit in 2025 by rider Raúl Fernández on the RS-GP enabled Aprilia to reach the historic milestone of 300 wins in the World Motorcycle Championship, making it the most successful European manufacturer in the history of this event.

To celebrate its unbreakable bond with the Australian circuit - which, from 2027, after almost thirty seasons, will no longer feature on the MotoGP calendar - Aprilia has produced a special edition of the RS 660, one of the most popular and best-selling mid-range sports bikes on the market.

The Aprilia RS 660 Phillip Island Tribute is a limited edition model, and features a striking livery designed exclusively for this model, as well as a passenger seat cover included as standard equipment. The side panels feature the circuit's logo, formed by the track layout, just above the words 'Phillip Island Circuit' and the chequered flag at the finish line.

The base colour is white and, together with the green on the sides and tail section and the red of the wheel rims, it echoes the colours featured in the circuit's logo. The fuel tank features a badge showing the number of victories Aprilia has achieved on this circuit, whilst the serial number is on the steering head plate.

The technical platform is that of the RS 660, the mid-range sports bike that serves as a benchmark in its class, and which has redefined sportiness in an innovative and modern way: as a lightweight, high-performance machine with superior technical and electronic features, it is also accessible and enjoyable for everyday use by new riders, whilst simultaneously delivering a thrilling riding experience on the track for experienced riders.

It is the only motorcycle to offer such an advanced suite of electronic controls: the latest-generation aPRC system includes traction control, wheelie control, engine braking control, cornering ABS and engine mapping managed by the Ride-by-Wire electronic throttle control, all of which are adjustable to meet the rider's needs on the track and make road journeys safe and enjoyable.

The electronic features are completed by launch control, a bidirectional electronic gearbox and cruise control system.

Also fitted as standard is the six-axis inertial platform, which enables the controls to operate at their best.

The 660 cc, four-valve, front-mounted twin-cylinder engine - a compact and lightweight latest-generation model - achieves record performance for a twin-cylinder engine of this capacity, delivering 105 HP at 10,400 rpm and 70 Nm of torque at 8,400 rpm (although a version with power limited to 35 kW is also available).

The engine is utilised as a load-bearing element and helps to create a compact, lightweight and rigid structure, thanks to a frame comprising two side beams bolted in place at the steering head and at the rear, continuing Aprilia's tradition of crafting superb chassis architectures.

All the technical specifications for the Aprilia RS 660 models are available in the press kits in the press area: www.press.piaggiogroup.com

The post Aprilia Unveils RS 660 Phillip Island Tribute for Australian GP appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

Every Bonfire Night, people pay for a box of fireworks so their friends and family can enjoy the colourful display. Within a few minutes, it's all over. But the price on the box doesn't reflect the hidden costs. The smoke inhaled by neighbours, the animals disturbed or the public services called out when things go wrong.

It's not a question about whether fireworks celebrations are enjoyable, but whether the people enjoying them are aware of - or actually paying for - their full cost. Economists call this a "negative externality". A purchase benefits the buyer and seller, but some of its costs fall on people outside that transaction. Fireworks offer a particularly visible example because the enjoyment is concentrated in time while the consequences are spread among households, public services and wildlife. As a finance researcher, I think this concept is overlooked in the fireworks debate.

Consider injuries. Figures show that 123 hospital admissions in England attributed to fireworks in 2024-25. That is not a count of everyone injured: cases treated without hospital admission are excluded. Preventing such injuries may not cut the NHS budget, but it can free clinical time for other patients. In an overstretched health service, that is an economic benefit even if it never appears as a saving in the Treasury's accounts.

Pollution creates another unpriced cost. The UK's official air-quality monitoring has recorded short-lived spikes in fine particles around Bonfire Night, although bonfires also contribute and weather affects how quickly smoke disperses. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs assigns a central estimated damage cost of £114,411 per tonne of fine particulate emissions (known as PM2.5), expressed in 2025 prices to account for inflation. This is not a figure for fireworks: calculating that would require information about their emissions and who is exposed. It does show why a product can have an environmental cost that never appears on its receipt.

Read more: Is it possible to have an eco-friendly firework display?

The damage is not limited to human health. In a peer-reviewed Dutch study, researchers found that approximately 1,000 times as many birds were flying during New Year's Eve fireworks as on ordinary nights. The disruption extended several miles from the displays. The exact scale cannot be transferred to British Bonfire Nights, but the finding challenges the idea that fireworks affect only those who choose to watch.

Birds forced into sudden flight expend energy and lose opportunities to rest. Pets and livestock may also be distressed. Alongside noise and smoke, spent casings and other waste leave a physical footprint. Sustainability means considering these effects, not simply asking how much carbon a celebration emits.

Yet putting nature on an economic balance sheet requires care. The value of healthy ecosystems is real, but we should not invent a monetary figure for fireworks-related wildlife damage when credible national estimates are lacking. Some effects can be quantified; others must still inform decisions even without an exact price.

Fireworks also create value. They support retailers, display organisers and cultural celebrations, including Bonfire Night, Diwali and New Year. The UK government's 2026 consultation reports that fireworks imports averaged £27 million a year from 2021 to 2024. That is the value of imports, not total industry sales and certainly not what Britain would save by banning them.

If households bought fewer fireworks, they might spend on a local community event, food or another kind of entertainment instead. They might equally save the money. There is no basis for promising that fewer fireworks would automatically increase jobs, GDP or tax receipts.

But GDP and wellbeing are not the same thing. Treating avoidable injuries and clearing pollution may involve paid work without making society better off. The relevant comparison is between the enjoyment fireworks provide and the harm, resources and opportunities their use consumes.

The practical question is not simply whether to completely ban fireworks and take the joy out of Bonfire Night. It makes more sense to ask which forms of celebration produce the most enjoyment with the least harm. Organised displays, fewer private launches, predictable timings and wildlife-sensitive locations could change that balance. Drone and laser shows might offer alternatives, but they also require electricity and equipment; their sustainability should be assessed, not assumed.

This is especially timely. The government's fireworks consultation closed in October 2026 after receiving more than 140,000 responses from members of the public, businesses, charities and other stakeholders.

Policymakers now have an opportunity to assess the social costs alongside safety, business impacts and cultural value. A credible assessment would be honest about what the evidence shows, and about the nationwide economic savings that cannot yet be calculated. Because when a fireworks celebration leaves a bill for people who never attended, its market price only tells part of the story.

Narmin Nahidi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Dear Editor,

With regard to the article The great heat pump paradox: more heat, less progress, while a great deal has been written about the economics of heat pumps from the point of view of the consumer, it is worth adding some perspective from the point of view of an installer, by comparison with a registered gas installer.

First, I'm afraid, a minor quibble. You state in the article that "By contrast, gas and oil boilers are technically simple". This is not really the case. They are an established technology, but they are an extremely dangerous technology if not correctly installed and maintained. I don't imagine that you have any other piece of technology in your house for which you have a separate alarm specifically to warn you when it goes wrong and tries to kill you. For this reason, the RGI and Gas Safe qualifications are quite technical and difficult to obtain.

However, the economics of heat pumps from the point of view of the installer or engineer do not work out as well because (a) there is a far smaller installed base and (b) they do not require the same mandatory annual checks and frequent maintenance as a gas or oil boiler. This means that most of the money for the heat pump engineer comes from installing new units, whereas for an RGI/Gas Safe engineer the bulk of their income will come from servicing and maintenance.

Both will be looking at installing between two and four new units a month, but the gas engineer will probably service 200-400 units per annum. You can see that, as things currently stand, it does not make sense for an RGI/Gas Safe engineer to get into the heat pump business.

You can contrast this with what happened in the Netherlands, where the government subsidised additional training for all of its gas technicians in air-to-air heat pumps - what we know in the UK as F-gas certification - and also significantly subsidised installations of these units without requiring the removal of any existing gas or oil boiler, allowing them to act as additional rather than complete replacement heating.

This built up a skilled workforce and a large installed base of the new technology, and reduced actual gas demand because, for most of the year, an air-to-air heat pump can provide most of the heat requirements of a Dutch household.

I hope this helps explain some of the slow uptake of heat pumps in the UK. There is also more to say about the UK preference for air-to-water over air-to-air, but that is a different topic.

Duncan Jones
Caistor, Lincs

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The post Letter: Why the heat pump sums don't add up for installers first appeared on East Anglia Bylines.

It's the second cut to be unveiled from forthcoming album A Ban On Plastic Bag Bans

Photo by Clemens Habicht

Liars have shared a new song, titled 'Beat Creep Some Eyes'.

It's the second cut to be unveiled from forthcoming album A Ban On Plastic Bag Bans, which was announced in September with lead track 'Ice Pick, Kalamazoo'. Liars' Angus Andrew recorded the album between the US and Australia, where he now lives, with jazz drummer Laurence Pike and multi-instrumentalist Cameron Deyell, who also both worked on 2021 LP The Apple Drop.

In a statement about 'Beat Creep Some Eyes', Andrew said: "Sometimes I think the strangest thing isn't that the world is absurd, but how quickly we get used to it. You can...

The post Liars Share New Track, 'Beat Creep Some Eyes' appeared first on The Quietus.

The UK artist has taken on Vini Reilly's 'Your Shadow At Morning'

Vini Reilly, AKA The Durutti Column, photo by Michael Stef

Four Tet has shared a remix of The Durutti Column's track 'Your Shadow At Morning'.

Clocking in at almost 10 minutes, Four Tet's rework of the track from Vini Reilly's recent album, Renascent, pushes the original cut into dance floor-ready territory, while retaining the delicate, understated touches and vocals of the source material.

In a statement about The Durutti Column's past work, Four Tet, real name Kieran Hebden, said: "It's had a big impact on me so I was thrilled when a new album was announced, and then when I was asked to do a remix it felt like the universe was...

The post Four Tet Shares Remix of The Durutti Column appeared first on The Quietus.

The tracks, dating from 1987 to 1991, have been made available on streaming platforms

Photo by Renaud Monfourny

Four rare Pixies songs originally recorded between 1987 and 1991 have been shared on streaming platforms for the first time.

The tracks - 'Dig For Fire (Albini Version)', 'Go Man Go', 'Brackish Boy', and 'Punk Loop' - had previously only been made available on two bonus 7-inch singles included in the recent limited-edition remastered vinyl pressings of Pixies' albums Bossanova and Trompe le Monde.

The Steve Albini recording of 'Dig For Fire' is from 1987 when Pixies were doing recording sessions for debut album Surfer Rosa, and is significantly different from the version that was officially released three years later. 'Go Man Go' was co-written by Black...

The post Four Rare Pixies Songs Given First-Time Digital Release appeared first on The Quietus.

Democrats must seize on this opportunity to take ambitious action for the climate and our democracy. Washington, DC — While votes are still being counted, election officials have called enough races that it's clear that Democrats have retaken the US House of Representatives and are expected to retake the Senate. ... [continued]

The post Sierra Club Response to Midterm Election Results appeared first on CleanTechnica.

HP Inc has hired former GSK boss Emma Walmsley to plot its course through choppy PC and print waters.

Walmsley spent eight years as the boss at pharma biz GSK and further back in time held various marketing and general management positions at L'Oreal. She has no track record running a tech company, though she was on Microsoft's board.

"Throughout the process, Emma stood out for the strength of her leadership experience across multiple industries, the clarity of her strategic thinking and her ability to translate customer insights into new growth," said Chip Bergh, chair of HP's board.

In the first nine months of HP's fiscal 2026, revenue had jumped 10 percent year-on-year to $44.5 billion. The print business shrank in that time and PCs generated the growth. However, amid a memory crunch with supplies dwindling, analysts are forecasting PC market contraction in terms of unit sales.

Global PC shipments slumped 20 percent in Q3 as DRAM shortages forced up prices and customers opted instead to sweat their assets rather than replace their fleet of computers. Things aren't expected to improve in the final three months of 2026.

One beacon of hope for all PC makers was AI, yet many customers aren't buying into the story for various reasons.

Walmsley previously said that during her time at the top of GSK she created a "totally different company, in platform, in momentum, in talent, in culture," she told the FT. "I think in time… it will be recognized." She also dealt with activist investor Elliot Management, which operates in the tech industry and called for her to reapply for the CEO role at GSK, claiming her lack of science background was an issue.

Walmsley said: "HP is an iconic company with a defining role in shaping the future of work on a global scale. I'm excited to join the team and, together, move forward with clarity and conviction. We will focus on harnessing the power of the AI era and putting HP's creativity and innovation to work to unlock new sources of growth and deliver lasting value for our customers, shareholders, partners and people."

Employees will be crossing their fingers that their new boss doesn't borrow from the playbook of her predecessor - who hotfooted it to PayPal in February - by running multiple redundancy rounds, and shareholders will hope their stock price show sustainable improvement. If not, Walmsley may have to manage more interest from activist investors at the latest corporation she is running. ®

I have a simple rule - if I meet someone at a party and they say they've written a book, then I will immediately buy that book. It's a strategy which has worked out well; leading me to some truly interesting and delightful prose.

Rosalind Brown (a fellow UEA graduate) has written a stunning little book. Practice is an almost Proustian meander through a day-in-the-life of a young woman going through an essay crisis. Much like R. F. Kuang's "Katabasis", I'm rather glad the author found university to be a bewildering and, at times, upsetting experience as it provides rich fodder for this tale.

There is an inherent tragedy in studying English literature. The more you read, the more futile it becomes. Just like repeatedly saying a word aloud creates semantic satiation, so to does the repeated reading of sonnets drive away all their meaning. The closer you study a poem the further it slips from your grasp. The more introspective you become, the more you lose sight of what you really want out of life.

As Proverbs 26:11 suggests, some students are like a snake which is compelled to eat its own tail. The protagonist, Annabel, isn't a caricature but she sure is a trope that you've met in halls. She's a woe-is-me wretch who'd rather cultivate a "Heated Rivalry" style interior monologue rather than engage with those around her. So self-absorbed to that she doesn't realise that, not only do other people have feelings, other people are carrying the same burden she does. I suspect her essay research really should have widened to include the seminal "Male gays in the female gaze"!

It's a short novel, but pleasingly thorough. Although there aren't any major twists, I can't say I predicted how the story would evolve and conclude. The punctuation and sentence structure is charmingly idiosyncratic and, I think, perfectly fits the story.

A note on formatting. The ePub has hard page breaks. That means some "pages" contain little more than a paragraph. I suspect that's intentional as it gives a wonderfully staccato pace to the text. Our day is broken up into little moments which don't quite fit the strictures of a chapter, yet we experience the day as a cohesive whole.

An excellent book - but one to read after you've finished your homework.

Datacenter restrictions found broad support among candidates for governor in this week's US midterm elections, with nearly all those examined by Data Center Watch backing bans, pauses, or tighter development rules.

Data Center Watch, which tracks grassroots opposition to compute sheds across America, examined the public positions of 74 selected candidates across the 36 states that elected governors in the midterm elections on November 3.

It found that 43 percent of those candidates supported a ban or moratorium on new projects, while another 51 percent backed further regulation or conditional development. Only about 5 percent had no stated public position.

Support for bans or moratoriums crossed party lines, although it was more common among the Democratic candidates examined (60 percent) than Republicans (30 percent).

Candidates from both major parties backed restrictions in eight states: Maryland, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Texas.

Texas has experienced a boom in data campus development recently, thanks to its ample energy resources and light-touch regulations, although outgoing governor Greg Abbott ordered a pause earlier this year while audits of energy and water use were carried out. Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Abbott in Tuesday's election and will take office in January.

Those positions matter to developers because governors can shape state regulation, energy policy, and permitting, although approval powers vary by jurisdiction.

However, temporary pauses and targeted construction restrictions do not necessarily amount to opposition to all datacenter development.

AI-related campaign spending has also come under scrutiny. Guardrails Alliance, a labor-backed pressure group, described Leading the Future, a super PAC network opposing AI regulation, as "largely a non-factor" in the elections. It alleged the network avoided the most competitive races because "they know their money is politically toxic."

Anti-datacenter sentiment has grown in the US in response to the facilities popping up in people's backyards, often without them having any say in the process.

A Gallup survey earlier this year discovered that more than 70 percent of Americans would be against the construction of one in their neighborhood, while a Pew Research Center survey found that Americans increasingly believe datacenters are bad for the environment and blame them for rising household energy bills.

Pew also found that advertisers spent almost $12 million on Facebook and Instagram political ads mentioning datacenters between July 27 and October 24. Among those running in October through the study's cutoff, 57 percent opposed datacenters and just three percent supported them.

Common themes included corporate interests, energy use, environmental effects, and water consumption. ®

NIU shows its 2027 moped line-up at EICMA 2026. The headline model is the FQiX 500, a new top-of-range version of the FQiX Series. Alongside it, the company announced a batch of model-year changes across the NQi, NQiX and FQiX ranges.

FQiX 500

The FQiX 500 borrows its base from the NQiX 500, one of NIU's strongest sellers in the performance segment, but gets a reinforced frame and FQiX styling. Top speed is 110 km/h, or 115 km/h in Boost mode. ABS is standard.

It ships with two 72 V / 28 Ah batteries. A third battery can be fitted under the seat, which NIU says raises range to a maximum of 130 km. Pricing starts at €4,699, with European dealer deliveries expected in Q1 2027.

Model Year 2027 changes

NIU counts 25 changes across the range for 2027. The most significant:

• The NQiX 500 moves to a stronger HC420 steel frame. Its top speed goes up from 100 to 110 km/h, with 115 km/h available in Boost mode.
• The NQiX 150/300, FQiX 150/300 and NQi Sport/GTS receive a smaller 72 V / 30 Ah battery pack. NIU claims up to 7% more range. The pack is backward compatible with MY25 and MY26 models and works with the existing charger, which matters for current owners looking at an upgrade.
• Every model now rolls on CST SC12 all-season tyres. The NQiX and FQiX Series get brighter headlights, and the NQiX Series adds three colours: Matt Blue, Jungle Green and Nardo Grey.
• Further updates cover faster GPS and connectivity, plus improved corrosion protection on frames, stands and swingarms. The MY2027 vehicles are also scheduled to reach European dealers in Q1 2027.

NIU in Europe

NIU entered the European market in 2016 and now works with more than 630 dealers and service partners across 14 countries, backed by local NIU organisations for sales, after-sales and marketing.

The company cites registration data to underline its position. In Germany, it says the NQiX 500 is the best-selling electric scooter, accounting for one in four electric scooter registrations this year, and that NIU holds close to 40% of the electric scooter market (source: IVM Performance, September 2026). In Italy, NIU says it is the leading electric brand, registering over four times as many vehicles as its nearest electric competitor (source: ANCMA, January-October 2026).

Sieghart Michielsen, Director of International at NIU Technologies, attributed the brand's European standing to its dealer network and local teams, stressing that dealers service what they sell and that the 2027 range builds on that ownership focus.

About NIU

NIU is listed on Nasdaq and sells in 52 countries. Since launching its first electric scooter in 2015, it reports more than 5 million vehicles sold, with users having covered over 47 billion kilometres as of November 2026. Its range spans electric motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles and scooters.

Capita has repeatedly "broken" promises to resolve the "chaos" engulfing the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS) following its takeover of the administration - a move that left thousands of retired public sector workers unpaid.

So says Parliamentary spending watchdog, the Public Accounts Committee, which this week launched an inquiry into the handover of the ten-year £239 million contract in December from previous incumbent MyCSP.

As The Register exclusively revealed, the troubles began early on as members of CSPS - which manages pensions for 1.7 million people - complained of unrecognized passwords and usernames on the portal Capita developed. Capita said it inherited 132,100 complex remediation cases, and claimed the work-in-progress backlog from the prior system was more than double the 37,000 items when it won the deal in 2023.

Capita ran to Microsoft for support, and promised the use AI and automation, in addition to its 500 full-time employees working on the project, would resolve the issues by March. It missed this deadline, as well as one set for June 30 and is set to miss March 2027.

The government subsequently withheld a £10 million payment to Capita over the CSPS fiasco.

The National Audit Office, a spending regulator, has already launched its own probe into the failures and is now joined by the PAC, which says thousands of civil servants and their families have struggled to on and collect their pensions

The PAC has already held three evidence sessions on Capita and the government's efforts to ameliorate the situation. The law was changed in the Budget 2026 to mitigate the impact of administrative delays in CSPS on bereaved families.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chair at the PAC, said in a statement:

"In response to the alarming reports of hard-working civil servants being thrown into financial uncertainty following Capita's takeover of the CSPS, we have held a number of evidence sessions with both the top leadership of Capita, and the civil servants and ministers of the Cabinet Office who have ultimate responsibility for overseeing the contract.

"Over and over again, promises have been made and broken by Capita, to our faces in formal evidence sessions, that they will get a grip on what has gone wrong. As a result, we are launching an inquiry, which will be informed by the authoritative factual basis provided by the NAO, which supports the scrutiny work of this Committee."

The inquiry will draw on the finding of the NAO's forthcoming report on the switch of CSPS to Capita, and will take into consideration the status of the scheme at go-live date, how Capita has performed, and the effect on CSPS members, plus take a look into the way the Cabinet Office has overseen the prior scheme and the switch to Capita.

The Register has asked Capita to comment. ®

Attackers tampered with cold-storage settings used by France's civilian blood service after compromising a refrigeration supplier, the organization said.

The French Blood Establishment (EFS) confirmed the incident on Tuesday, saying its own systems had not been directly targeted. Safeguards prevented any loss of blood products.

The affected equipment stored blood samples and frozen plasma, including plasma intended for transfusion.

"The EFS' monitoring and alarm systems enabled the rapid identification of these anomalies and the implementation of necessary measures to ensure that no blood samples or products were compromised," it said.

"Thus, depending on the circumstances, as soon as the incident occurred, the affected equipment was either brought under control without impacting the products and samples, or neutralized; the products stored in these cold rooms were preventively transferred to other facilities."

The EFS did not name the supplier publicly.

According to reports, attackers changed cold-room temperature settings from -30°C to 110°C. That does not mean the equipment or its contents reached the higher temperature.

The organization added that it notified the country's cybersecurity agency, ANSSI, and the Ministry of Health.

News about cyberattacks targeting refrigeration devices across Europe emerged on Monday morning after retailers arrived to work, only to find puddles on the floor after cyber criminals activated defrost modes.

Reports of the supermarket attacks describe remotely activated defrost cycles and temperatures as high as 50°C, forcing retailers to discard spoiled food.

The attackers have not been identified. More retailers have reported disruption since the initial disclosures on Monday.

Stores across Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, and Sweden were the first to report issues, although cases from Estonia, Finland, Germany, Portugal, Romania, and the Netherlands have since been confirmed.

Richard Horne, chief executive of the UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), told BBC Radio 4's Today program on Wednesday that he was aware of "a couple of impacts" in the UK's own food supply chain.

No affected UK businesses have publicly identified themselves, although the British Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS) told the BBC that some of its more than 300 members had become "collateral" in the attacks, with two reporting that their fridges had begun defrosting.

The latest wave of cold-store attacks comes a month after the first, which affected French supermarket chains Carrefour, Coopérative U, Intermarché, Monoprix, and others.

Both supermarket waves involved remote interference with refrigeration controls, causing stock losses. Whether the attack affecting EFS used the same access route remains unclear.

Some affected chains identified Danfoss controllers in their systems; others said they did not use the company's equipment.

CERT-FR published an advisory at the time of the attacks urging organizations to remediate vulnerabilities in Danfoss AK-SM and AK-SC controllers.

The attacks in France followed reports of compromises at US military commissaries, which also led to food wastage in August. ®

SINGAPORE — Singapore has launched a sweeping five-year energy infrastructure plan designed to meet surging power needs driven by data centers, semiconductor fabrication and the electrification of transit. The initiative, announced by the Energy Market Authority, sets out a multi-pronged overhaul across generation, transmission, storage and regional interconnection as the ... [continued]

The post Singapore Reveals Five-Year Energy Plan to Feed Data Center, Semicon Progress appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Ministers urged to go further than proposed cut to 110 decibels to ease acute stress on birds and others animals

Campaigners are calling on the government to protect the welfare of wild animals by cutting the maximum noise level of fireworks sold to the public from 120 to 90 decibels.

The Center for Wild Animal Welfare (CWAW) has said lowering the limit to 90 decibels - which is about one-eighth of the loudness of 120 decibels - would help to protect millions of wild animals from acute stress by reducing the area over which a firework disturbs surrounding wildlife.

Chinese electric off-road manufacturer Arctic Leopard is using EICMA 2026 in Milan for three announcements. It has partnered with hard enduro rider Graham Jarvis to develop its next generation of electric enduro motorcycles. Its new XD Pro gets its European launch, and the XC Pro makes its first public appearance outside China. Both bikes are on the Arctic Leopard stand in Hall 18, booth I91.

Graham Jarvis joins development

Arctic Leopard announced in Milan that it will work with Graham Jarvis on the development of its next generation of electric enduro bikes. The 51-year-old British rider is regarded as one of the most successful hard enduro riders ever. His record includes seven Red Bull Romaniacs wins, five Erzbergrodeo victories, six Sea to Sky titles and five Hells Gate wins, and before that a long career at the top of trials.

Jarvis is no stranger to electric off-road riding. He co-developed the JARV-E, a limited-edition electric hard enduro bike built in Austria by JARV-E Moto GmbH. In June 2026, he rode it to the finish of the Erzbergrodeo, one of only 15 riders to complete the race. Arctic Leopard has not yet said which models the collaboration will produce or when the first results will reach the market.

XD Pro: a step up in size and power

Arctic Leopard first showed the XD at the CIMAMotor show in China on 11 September and launched it there on 19 September. It is a full-size off-road machine and now the most powerful model in the brand's X range, positioned above the XE Pro R.

The motor delivers a peak output of 35 kW (47 hp) and 800 Nm of torque at the rear wheel. Top speed is 120 km/h. Energy comes from a 74V 76Ah battery, and Arctic Leopard claims a range of up to 200 km at a constant 40 km/h. As with all range figures quoted at low steady speeds, real off-road range will be considerably lower.

The chassis uses a 43 mm front fork and a rear shock with a 40 mm piston. Both ends offer 250 mm of travel and are adjustable for preload, compression and rebound. The factory spec sheet lists RFLOXA suspension. The US distributor lists KYB, and the European distributor says the supplier depends on configuration, with KYB, RFLOXA or KKE as options. Braking is handled by 240 mm hydraulic discs front and rear. The XD Pro rolls on CNC-machined hubs with 80/100-21 front and 120/90-18 rear tyres, the standard enduro size.

Seat height is 890 mm. Arctic Leopard quotes a curb weight of 89 kg, while the US distributor lists 95 kg. Overall dimensions are 2,040 x 820 x 1,180 mm. A TFT display and full LED lighting complete the package.

The factory website lists the XD Pro at USD 6,599. The US distributor expects deliveries from January 2027. European pricing and availability have not been announced.

XC Pro: first look, few facts

Arctic Leopard has kept the XC Pro under wraps. Before its Chinese reveal, the brand only showed a silhouette with a question mark. The US distributor describes it as a track-focused model. In Milan, the bike is on display as a physical unit.

Power output, battery capacity, range, weight, homologation status and pricing have not been published. There is also no date for sales in Europe.

From Dakar to dealer floor

Arctic Leopard was founded in 2021 in Wenling, Zhejiang province, and builds a wide range of electric off-road bikes, from compact trail machines to full-size enduro and trial models. The brand has used the Dakar Rally's Mission 1000 category for new-energy vehicles as a testing ground since 2024. At Dakar 2026, Team Galicia entered three Arctic Leopard bikes and finished first, third and fourth in the category, with Fran Gómez Pallas taking the win. The rally bikes are competition versions and are not identical to the production models.

In Europe, Arctic Leopard is sold through a network of national distributors, including Italy, Germany, Spain, the UK, Poland, the Czech Republic and a combined France and Benelux importer.

B2B News | Estonian IoT specialist Comodule is supplying the connectivity platform for Zero Motorcycles' new LS3. It is the company's first significant move into electric motorcycles and mopeds, after building its business on e-bikes and e-scooters.

What LS3 owners get

Through Comodule's system, LS3 riders can use connected features via the Zero Motorcycles App. For Comodule, the deal brings technology already proven on bicycles and scooters into a segment where digital features are still far from standard.

A segment lagging behind

Connectivity has become the norm on e-bikes, and in the car world more than 75 percent of new vehicles sold in 2024 came with embedded connectivity, according to Counterpoint Research. On motorcycles and mopeds, it remains the exception rather than the rule, although brands such as Zero have started adopting IoT technology to add functionality for riders.

Comodule CEO and founder Teet Praks sees electric motorcycle makers facing the same issues the e-bike industry dealt with years ago: securing the vehicle, understanding how it is used, and keeping in contact with the rider after the sale. According to Praks, the collaboration with Zero, a brand active in electric motorcycles for more than a decade, allows Comodule to bring connected vehicles to a much wider audience.

A full connectivity package

Comodule's offer is aimed at manufacturers that want connected models without developing IoT systems themselves. The package consists of three parts: IoT modules that integrate with the vehicle and are designed to cope with motorcycle-level power and durability demands, a cloud platform with API access for real-time vehicle data, remote diagnostics and over-the-air updates, and a rider app.

About Comodule

Founded 12 years ago, Comodule says it has connected more than 850,000 light electric vehicles to date. Its end-to-end system covers IoT hardware and software, including a rider app and a Control Center for manufacturers, allowing riders to track and control their vehicles remotely. All development and production take place in-house in Europe.

Fresh on the desktop this week is a new version of Enlightenment as well the continuation of noughties hero KDE 3, the Trinity Desktop Environment, for those who prefer things a little old school.

Enlightenment version 0.28 is the latest release of one of the older Linux graphical environments, which first appeared in 1997. Version 0.28 arrives nearly two years after the previous release - we reported on Enlightement 0.27 in January 2025. If you're not familiar with this venerable window manager, often referred to as just E, we refer you back to that article, which also explains Enlightenment's slightly strange version numbering scheme.

Last time around we noted that its single-line release notes really didn't give us much to write about. The development team has made up for it this time, with some 68 lines of changes. It's both the same old E, and simultaneously a modern tool: it is still an X11 window manager, but it can also act as a Wayland compositor if you prefer. It offers conventional stacking resizable windows, but also can act as a tiling window manager if you prefer. On recent distros, it can now talk to the Pipewire audio server, and it can also work with NetworkManager to control network connections. This version delivers preliminary support for NetBSD too.

This isn't really a tool for newbies or those looking for a simple easy desktop. A sign of its age is that the first-run wizard asks if you want windows to activate as soon as you move the mouse pointer over them. This was traditional 20th century Unix behavior, and in the early days of Linux it was called "focus-follows-mouse," but it's rarely seen today. E isn't a full desktop environment: it only offers a few of its own optional tools, such as the Ecrire text editor, Ephoto picture viewer, Evisum task manager, and Rage video player. Even its taskbar is optional. It is more like a basis for experienced users to customize and build their own environment around.

The Trinity Desktop Environment has a rather lower learning curve: TDE is a port of the final version of KDE 3 to modern Linux. Proving old school is still cool, the project - which keeps the look and feel of 2005-era KDE 3.5 alive - has just announced TDE release 14.1.7, with dozens of bug fixes and plenty of new features. Among these is a tweak to the kicker/taskbar: you can now scroll the taskbar using the mouse wheel, flicking through your open applications.This release drops support for Ubuntu 24.10 "Oracular Oriole" but adds support for the latest 26.10 "Stonking Stingray."

Forks of older versions by users disenchanted with new versions are a recurring feature of the FOSS world, but they often tend to peter out after a while. TDE is one of the exceptions: we first reported on a new release in 2021 and again in 2023. ®

Following this year's UN COP17 biodiversity conference, Carbon Brief's journalists hosted a livestream to explain what happened at the summit.

Carbon Brief's Orla Dwyer and Aruna Chandrasekhar have been on the ground in Yerevan, Armenia, over the past two weeks, covering the negotiations.

They were joined on the livestream by associate editors Dr Giuliana Viglione and Daisy Dunne, who were following the talks from Washington DC and London, respectively.

Carbon Brief has also published its 10,000-word explainer of COP17, which lays out the key outcomes in detail.

Membership

Orla and Aruna kicked off the livestream by explaining the biggest issues at the event, including biodiversity finance and the first "global review" of progress towards reversing nature loss.

The four journalists then took live questions from the audience in an "ask me anything" format, covering issues such as "nature-harming subsidies", marine biodiversity and the status of the Cali fund, which is meant to raise private-sector finance.

A recording of the webinar (below) is now available to watch on YouTube.

The post CB Live: Carbon Brief's team at COP17 on the nature talks' key outcomes appeared first on Carbon Brief.

When the water in Flint, Michigan, became contaminated with dangerous levels of lead, Dr Siddhartha Roy, then a third year PhD student, was part of the team of scientists who publicly contradicted state and federal claims that it was safe. He became a local hero until a new piece of research challenged the idea that children in Flint had been left permanently brain damaged by the crisis. His adherence to the evidence, no matter who it offended, has earned him the 2026 Maddox prize, which recognises individuals who stand up for science and evidence, despite challenges or hostility. He tells Ian Sample how he reflects on his experience in Flint, and why he lost friends as a result of his work there

Huge thanks to November's sponsor, Byron Windhorst, who has asked me to post the following:

Many of the climate articles featured here find their way to the Climate Catastrophe Group on Facebook, which covers extreme weather events and related science. We have over 4,000 members but would warmly welcome new ones, who are keen to engage and participate.

"'Not enough energy' for the world due to geopolitical tensions, says Ducab chief…

""Given the geopolitical situation and crisis worldwide, there is not enough energy for the eight billion people in the world," Mr Mellagui said. "That's why we see the crisis going through the roof.""

https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/energy/2026/11/04/not-enough-energy-for-the-world-due-to-geopolitical-tensions-says-ducab-chief/

"US strikes Iran's Qeshm Island on eve of election.

"The US has struck Iran on the eve of crucial midterm elections, as President Donald Trump and the Republicans have struggled to defend the unpopular war against the Islamic republic on the campaign trail."

https://www.ft.com/content/ebeaca62-8958-459a-be9d-d3d39e441a53

"Iran's IRGC says four tankers ablaze after hitting mines in Hormuz Strait.

"Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said four "rogue" oil tankers were destroyed after htting naval mines while trying to traverse a route in the Strait of Hormuz that is considered prohibited. The incident occurred south of the waterway, with the statement adding that IRGC forces also intercepted two other vessels."

https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/irans-irgc-says-four-tankers-ablaze-after-hitting-mines-hormuz-strait

"Hormuz Oil Flows Unlikely to Return to Pre-War Levels, Rystad Says…

""Achieving a comprehensive settlement would require addressing issues related to Iran's nuclear program, sanctions, Tehran-backed armed groups in the region, and the security of maritime shipping, while also taking into account Israel's security interests," Rystad Energy said in a report cited by Azeri news agency Trend."

https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Hormuz-Oil-Flows-Unlikely-to-Return-to-Pre-War-Levels-Rystad-Says.html

"Global Diesel Crunch Set to Last Well Into 2027.

"Asia's oil import story these days is a reflection of the global oil markets—crude oil availability has significantly increased since the early summer lows and flows out of the Middle East have largely recovered, but supply of gasoline, and especially diesel, has sharply dropped since the Iran war began at the end of February."

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Global-Diesel-Crunch-Set-to-Last-Well-Into-2027.html

"Democrats have seized the House of Representatives and the Senate in a devastating double blow to President Trump that could mark the beginning of the end for the MAGA era.

"In what amounted to a political earthquake, the midterm elections saw a series of deep-red states turn blue… Voters appeared to have passed a damning judgment on Trump's inability to bring down the cost of living for ordinary Americans…"

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16263253/Trump-suffers-crushing-Election-Day-defeat-Democrats-seize-control-House-domino-falls-Republicans-brace-blue-tsunami.html

"Global stocks slide as Democratic wins stoke fears for AI boom.

"Global stock markets tumbled as the Democratic Party swept control of both chambers of the U.S. Congress and key state governorships in the midterm elections, sparking fears that the new political landscape could lead to stricter regulations and potential moratoriums on massive artificial intelligence data center rollouts."

https://www.ft.com/content/a0b18705-3bd8-4886-992c-b6062fdec6ea

"Global financial markets were already fragile. Big AI bets could break them.

"Financial markets are struggling under the weight of wars, soaring sovereign debt and trade tensions, with signs of trouble showing across the world — from the selloff in Japanese and French bonds to plunging emerging-market currencies. Now, the one trade that helped investors remain optimistic is starting to show cracks as well."

https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/analysis-global-markets-were-already-050846745.html

"The Intel stock collapse is getting worse — and the $3.7 trillion chip rout is spreading…

"Zoom out and the mess gets bigger. Chip and memory stocks have lost about $3.7 trillion in market value since Oct. 6, by Yahoo Finance calculations. Nvidia lost the most in dollars, but Intel's drop of nearly half is the steepest among the giants."

https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/article/the-intel-stock-collapse-is-getting-worse-and-the-37-trillion-chip-rout-is-spreading-212154947.html

"Britain faces 'substantial' threat of recession if AI boom falters.

"The UK economy faces a substantial risk of recession if the current artificial intelligence boom underperforms or experiences a sharp correction. Because a significant portion of recent global productivity projections and market valuations are tied to aggressive AI adoption, a slowdown in this sector directly threatens British growth forecasts."

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/11/03/britain-faces-threat-of-recession-if-ai-boom-falters/

"Unite to escalate strikes at Apache North Sea platforms tied to Forties Pipeline System.

"The union said a previous stoppage in late October brought all seven offshore assets involved in the dispute to a standstill. Unite warned in October that disruption at the Charlie platform could affect the Forties Pipeline System (FPS), which transports crude from more than 80 North Sea oil and gas fields and handles about 29% of Britain's oil and 30% of its gas supplies."

https://pgjonline.com/news/2026/november/unite-to-escalate-strikes-at-apache-north-sea-platforms-tied-to-forties-pipeline-system

"Students in Denmark to protest against financial aid cuts.

"Under the banner "Enough is Enough", 11 high school and university student associations plan to gather at Copenhagen's City Hall Square from 12:30 pm (1130 GMT), before marching to parliament over the proposed cuts to free up funds for defence spending."

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20261104-students-in-denmark-to-protest-against-financial-aid-cuts

"French pupils resume school blockades as country braces for more protests…

"From early morning in Paris and its suburbs, as well as in cities including Lille, Toulouse and Marseille, schoolchildren demanding more replacement teachers and repairs to buildings barricaded school entrances with wheelie bins. Police officers outside some schools attempted to drag the bins away and made arrests."

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/nov/02/franch-students-school-blockades-protests

"France's Crisis: No Central Bank to Print Currency…

""….despite the U.S. having a worse fiscal and debt situation than France, no one expects a U.S. default. The stark contrast between the U.S., a sovereign state, and France, which is not fully independent as it is subject to ECB decisions, creates this vulnerability. The liquidity crisis stemming from this could escalate into a solvency crisis.""

https://www.chosun.com/english/market-money-en/2026/11/03/DHE5AJTHNZEHXM5RI64E3EWV7Y/

"Poland's Constitutional Crisis Has Central Bank Chief on Ropes.

"The intensifying standoff between Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government and National Bank of Poland (NBP) Governor Adam Glapiński has brought the country's broader constitutional crisis directly into its financial sphere."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-11-02/how-poland-s-central-bank-is-caught-in-political-standoff-with-pm-donald-tusk

"Flights Across Europe Could See Cost Soar Next Year as Airlines Face Fuel Crisis, Ryanair CEO Warns…

"Michael O'Leary said Monday that ticket prices across Europe could rise between 10% and 20% next year as carriers struggle to absorb higher fuel expenses. The warning came as the Irish budget airline reported a 15% decline in first-half profit despite carrying more passengers."

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/flights-across-europe-could-cost-192617125.html

"Europe on alert after supermarket freezers hit by cyber-attacks in 10 countries.

"A spate of cyber-attacks that hit supermarket chains across at least 10 European countries on Monday has prompted European Union officials to warn of a deliberate attempt to disrupt the food supply chain… No-one has yet admitted carrying out the cyber-attacks."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy8lm1m59mvo

"UK and European peacekeepers in Ukraine would be allowed to fire back at Russians…

"Details emerged as the UK and France set out Exercise Koalicja, which will take place later this month in Poland. It is an 11-country rehearsal of how European militaries could deploy rapidly to Ukraine if the war comes to an end."

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/nov/03/uk-european-peacekeepers-ukraine-fire-back-russians

"NATO's New Defense Plan Would Mean Strikes Deep Inside Russia…

"Top officers and officials from across the North Atlantic Treaty Organization gathered in June for the alliance's first-ever Deep Strike Symposium. Hosted by U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, NATO's top military commander, the discussions and wargame tackled a topic few attendees would have openly addressed until recently."

https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/natos-new-defense-plan-would-mean-strikes-deep-inside-russia-cd703f14

"Black Sea escalation is redrawing shipping's risk map.

"The Black Sea shipping war has crossed an important threshold. The question is no longer simply whether owners are prepared to send ships to Ukraine or Russia. Increasingly, it is whether they are prepared to enter substantial parts of the Black Sea at all."

https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1158908/The-Daily-View-Black-Sea-escalation-is-redrawing-shippings-risk-map

"Russian strikes halt Kyiv trams as Ukraine warns of nuclear risk to Europe…

"Shmyhal said Russia had launched a massive attack overnight from Monday into Tuesday, deploying 289 drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles, with energy infrastructure once again the main target."

https://tvpworld.com/96287479/russian-strikes-halt-kyiv-trams-target-nuclear-plant-substation

"Ukraine resumes attacks on Russian oil refineries, threatening a fragile recovery in fuel supplies after months of strikes helped trigger the country's worst gasoline shortages in decades.

"Kyiv's forces struck Ufa over the weekend, home to three Rosneft PJSC refineries with combined processing capacity of about 470,000 barrels a day, as well as an industrial site in the Volga region where Lukoil PJSC's Norsi refinery is located."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-11-02/ukraine-renews-refinery-strikes-after-russia-s-fuel-crisis-eased

"North Korea fires off 'several' missiles in latest weapons test…

"Pyongyang has ramped up weapons tests in recent months, including one of a "dispersal warhead of a strategic cruise missile" that it announced Tuesday. That announcement came just days after it said it had fired off cluster-bomb warheads for its tactical ballistic missiles."

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/11/04/asia-pacific/north-korea-missile-test-november-4/

"Debt fears swirling around state giant shine a light on China's post-property reality.

"As concerns over the financial health of a state-owned conglomerate rattled China's bond market over the past week, analysts said its challenges reflected the lasting toll of the country's prolonged property crisis, with local governments struggling to find sustainable alternatives beyond real estate to support their economies."

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3373162/debt-fears-swirling-around-state-giant-shine-light-chinas-post-property-reality

"Hong Kong Deal Boom Slows With Most IPOs Abandoned Since 2008…

"A wave of fundraising by mostly Chinese companies along the artificial intelligence supply chain has pushed Hong Kong listings proceeds above $50 billion in 2026 for just the third time in history. But dealmaking has slowed in the past three months as investors turned more cautious toward AI bets…"

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-11-03/hong-kong-deal-boom-slows-with-most-ipos-abandoned-since-2008

"China's new nightmare: a Japanese containment arc in the Indo-Pacific…

"Japan mobilised its new Type 25 missile, with a reported 1,000km range, from Kumamoto for the system's first large-scale drill. The containment arc is no longer a concept; it has been exercised, coordinated and institutionalised under Tokyo's new Joint Operations Command."

https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3372983/chinas-new-nightmare-japanese-containment-arc-indo-pacific

"Fuel shortages in several regions are a stark warning that Indonesia is heading toward an energy crisis.

"After Bali and parts of Sulawesi, Kalimantan, and Sumatra, people in East Java are now struggling to obtain diesel and Pertalite gasoline. Supply shortages could spread to other regions, as quotas for these subsidized fuels are expected to run out before the end of the year."

https://en.tempo.co/read/2122885/fuel-crisis-looms

"Stranded cruise ship finally leaves Cambodia after forcing hundreds of passengers off…

"Passengers spent Tuesday unloading the last of their belongings from the vessel, and many said they did not expect to come back to the ship. "There are still many things ‌on the ship that I wish I ‌could take with me," said Shirine Thomas, of Wilmington, North Carolina, shortly after collecting some final items."

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/villa-vie-odyssey-cruise-ship-cambodia-b3078779.html

"Cambodia makes 'waiting villages' permanent amid border stalemate.

"Cambodia has decided to turn its six remaining waiting villages, housing about 21,000 people displaced more than a year ago by the border conflict with Thailand, into permanent settlements. About 10,000 of those still living in the camps are women, and 6,000 are children."

https://www.ucanews.com/amp/cambodia-makes-waiting-villages-permanent-amid-border-stalemate/115992

"China and India achieved diplomatic thaw. Now the Arunachal border is flaring up again…

"The disputed China-India border runs through a remote mountainous region. Throughout the decades, clashes along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto border, have repeatedly triggered security crises between the world's two most populous nations."

https://amp.dw.com/en/china-and-india-achieved-diplomatic-thaw-now-the-border-is-flaring-up/a-79843273

"Afghan-Pakistan conflict hindering Central-South Asian trade.

"Central Asian trade with Pakistan is struggling to gain traction, underscored by Kazakhstan's downward revision of its annual bilateral trade turnover target with Islamabad. The ongoing conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan is the main factor hindering inter-regional commerce between Central and South Asia."

https://eurasianet.org/afghan-pakistan-conflict-hindering-central-south-asian-trade

"Israeli claims of Iran chemical weapons threat divide US officials…

"sraeli intelligence allegations that Iran may be preparing to use chemical weapons against its adversaries have sparked debate within the U.S. administration, with officials questioning both the reliability of the claims and Israel's intentions in raising the alarm, The New York Times reported Tuesday."

https://www.dailysabah.com/world/mid-east/israeli-claims-of-iran-chemical-weapons-threat-divide-us-officials

"Iranian television broadcasts urgent instructions to citizens on how to protect themselves against a potential nuclear strike…

"The guidance urged the implementation of urgent preventive measures to mitigate the impact of blast waves and reduce the risks of radioactive contamination. It also emphasized the necessity of being fully prepared to remain inside shelters or other safe locations for at least 24 consecutive hours."

https://www.voiceofemirates.com/en/politics/2026/11/03/iranian-television-broadcasts-urgent-instructions-to-citizens-on-how-to-protect-themselves-against-a-potential-nuclear-strike/

"Airstrikes reveal fragile Jordan-Syria security partnership.

"Jordanian airstrikes that killed 10 people in southern Syria on 26 October have brought relations between Damascus and Amman to their most critical point since Assad's fall."

https://en.majalla.com/node/333964/opinion/airstrikes-reveal-fragile-jordan-syria-security-partnership

"Lebanon cuts power to public bodies as electricity crisis deepens.

"Lebanon's Ministry of Energy and Water has begun shutting down the supply of electricity to approximately 100 public institutions that have outstanding bill payments, according to local media. The decision, which began to take effect on Monday, marks a further escalation in Energy Minister Joe Saddi's dispute with the government."

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/3/lebanon-cuts-power-to-public-bodies-as-electricity-crisis-deepens

"UN warns Gaza waste collection crippled by Israeli restrictions…

"Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a news conference that "partners supporting the collection of solid waste warn that only half of their vehicle fleet is operational… "That's because of persistent Israeli restrictions on the entry of enough engine oil and spare parts required to keep the vehicles running.""

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/un-warns-gaza-waste-collection-crippled-by-israeli-restrictions/4110438

"Aden Faces Severe Crisis as Gas Shortages Paralyze Transport and Daily Life [Yemen].

"The suspension of gas supply trucks and the closure of refueling stations have crippled public transportation, leaving commuters, students, and employees stranded at transit hubs. Local sources report that the scarcity of gas has forced many public transport operators off the roads."

https://www.khabaragency.net/news255265.html

"Houthis claim Saudi airport, airbase attacks, '3 drones intercepted'.

"The Saudi-led coalition said on Tuesday it had intercepted three drones targeting Saudi territory, one of them over the western Mecca region, while Yemen's Houthi group said it had launched drone and ballistic missile attacks on an airport and an airbase in southwestern Saudi Arabia."

https://www.chinadailyasia.com/hk/article/642226

"Israel deepens Somaliland ties with first ambassador, testing Horn of Africa balance…

"Diplomat Michael Lotem presented his credentials in Hargeisa, while officials laid the cornerstone for an Israeli embassy. The ceremony, announced by Israel's foreign ministry on Sunday, formalised a relationship that began with mutual recognition in December."

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3373170/israel-deepens-somaliland-ties-first-ambassador-testing-horn-africa-balance

"Violence in northern Ethiopia pushing health system towards collapse…

"Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported in a statement released on Monday that the conflict between rebels from the northern Tigray region and the government in Addis Ababa had killed several civilians in recent days and strained medical facilities."

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/2/violence-in-northern-ethiopia-pushing-health-system-towards-collapse-who

"Deadly RSF drone attacks reveal deep divisions between Sudan and Ethiopia.

"The Sudanese government's allegations that Ethiopia is behind a deadly wave of unmanned aerial assaults belie a deep and longstanding rift between the two countries, which threatens to intensify internal conflicts in both."

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/3/deadly-rsf-drone-strikes-reveal-deep-divisions-between-sudan-and-ethiopia

"'This petrol station is my home now': Malawi's fuel crisis forces desperate drivers to queue for days…

"Sombeja chews on a cold piece of fried mandazi - a doughy snack that has been the only food available. The Meru petrol station is no longer just a place of transit; it has transformed into a makeshift village of drivers in parked vehicles. In these queues, strangers form uneasy alliances."

https://www.aol.co.uk/articles/petrol-station-home-now-malawi-050002000.html

"Niger Imports Algerian Fuel by Tanker Truck to Ease Gasoline Shortage.

"Niger received a convoy of tanker trucks from Algeria in Agadez on Sunday, November 1, 2026. The country is seeking to contain a gasoline shortage after banning exports of super gasoline and diesel… According to Sonatrach, the fuel comes from the Adrar refinery, located in Sbaa, in Adrar wilaya."

https://energynews.pro/en/niger-imports-algerian-fuel-by-tanker-truck-to-ease-gasoline-shortage

"Western Sahara conflict risks 'escalation' as UN mission ends…

"UN peacekeepers are wrapping up a 35-year mission in the disputed territory of Western Sahara after the Security Council failed to renew their mandate, in a development that analysts warned could lead to open conflict between Morocco and Algeria."

https://www.ft.com/content/c2b2a523-da80-496e-9d5f-c17802ee2eb3

"El Salvador's President Takes a High-Stakes Gamble Confronting Haitian Gangs…

"What began as a targeted effort by President Nayib Bukele to locate four missing Salvadoran military-aviation technicians has rapidly expanded into a high-stakes, full-scale military campaign aimed at confronting the heavily armed gangs that dominate the Caribbean nation."

https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/el-salvadors-president-takes-a-high-stakes-gamble-confronting-haitian-gangs-44446248

"Colombia bombing leaves four dead, including a baby…

"The bomb attack Sunday night in the western town of Planadas in Tolima department came as new right-wing President Abelardo de la Espriella steps up military operations against the country's drug-trafficking leftist insurgents. The rebels have in turn kept up attacks of their own…"

https://www.surinametimes.com/artikel/colombia-bombing-leaves-four-dead-including-a-baby

"Brazil's Farm Debt Crisis Puts Global Suppliers and China Trade Under Pressure.

"The reelection of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on October 25, 2026, has intensified uncertainty across Brazil's agricultural sector as record loan delinquencies and expensive credit threaten investment and international supply chains."

https://www.agrolatam.com/usa/news/brazil-farm-debt-crisis-global-suppliers-china-trade/

"Paraguay Central Bank Chief Resigns After Ueno Bank Collapse.

"Paraguay's central bank chief Carlos Carvallo has resigned following the collapse and permanent closure of Ueno bank, a crisis that has prompted the arrest of eight senior executives, exposed major public pension investments and disrupted electronic payments across the country."

https://www.telesurenglish.net/paraguay-central-bank-chief-resigns/

"Hedge funds warn of growing private credit risks as rates stay high…

"…some of the world's biggest hedge funds warn that risks are increasing in private credit as rising interest rates reshape conditions across the asset class. Tony Yoseloff, chief investment officer of Davidson Kempner Capital Management… points to higher interest rates, slowing business growth and a wall of debt coming due in 2027 and 2028."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-11-04/hedge-funds-flag-growing-private-credit-risks-amid-rising-rates

"Insurers Didn't Learn From the Financial Crisis… In the past few weeks, a chorus of industry insiders has gathered to warn that insurers can be just as myopic about the long-term consequences of global heating as the most oblivious denier.

"For short-term profits, insurance companies are sacrificing the future well-being of their customers, the planet and ultimately themselves, these whistleblowers warn, with behavior echoing that of mortgage lenders before the 2008 financial crisis."

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2026-11-03/insurers-didn-t-learn-from-the-financial-crisis

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You can read the previous "Economic" thead here. I'll be back tomorrow with a "Climate" thread.

The post 4th November 2026 Today's Round-Up of Economic News appeared first on Climate and Economy.