B2B News | Stark Future has begun 2026 with significant acceleration, delivering more than 200% year-on-year growth in January. Tripling sales in a softer overall market underscores sustained demand for high-performance electric motorcycles and growing confidence among customers, dealers, suppliers, and financial partners. Recent international podium finishes further validate the reliability and performance of Stark's electric platform under world-class racing conditions, reinforcing the company's strong commercial trajectory.

The start to 2026 reflects not only demand strength, but a more mature operating foundation. Over recent months, Stark has sharpened execution across the organisation, building clearer operating rhythms with suppliers and dealers while intensifying its focus on unit economics. Targeted capital expenditure has been deployed across manufacturing, quality control, and diagnostics, including line balancing, end-of-line test automation, and app-enabled service tools , all designed to increase throughput, improve first-fix rates, and deliver a more predictable production cadence.

"January's 3x year-on-year growth reflects both healthy demand and the operational performance we have built into the company," said Anton Wass, CEO and Founder of Stark Future. "In 2026, our focus is controlled growth, operational excellence, and long-term platform innovation. We are investing heavily in R&D to expand into the large street motorcycle categories, while strengthening our supply chain to further improve margins and build a more predictable, scalable business for riders, dealers, and stakeholders."

Stark continues to advance motorcycle-specific cell formats and battery pack architectures for future platforms, enhancing performance, range, and cost efficiency. A multi-sourcing strategy across strategic components has further strengthened supply resilience, stabilised lead times, and supported margin discipline as volumes scale.

To accelerate innovation and support its product roadmap, the company has approved a €36 million CAPEX programme for motorcycle R&D in 2026. The investment is primarily focused on new street motorcycle platforms, including the development of next-generation, high-performance electric powertrains and the advanced test-and-measurement infrastructure required to bring technologies from prototype to series production. Where necessary, Stark has also adapted logistics and sourcing strategies to navigate evolving global trade conditions without compromising quality, compliance, or performance.

All images © Stark Future

Earlier this year, THE PACK reported on the bankruptcy of Swedish electric motorcycle manufacturer RGNT. Shortly after publication, CEO Jonathan Åström informed us that discussions were underway to reboot the brand. With respect for the brand and in the interest of the electric motorcycle industry, we agreed on the request to pause this publication while efforts to secure new backing were ongoing. With the relaunch now formally confirmed, RGNT is once again restarting operations under a new entity formed by its existing team.

Swedish electric motorcycle manufacturer RGNT is resuming operations after its core assets were acquired by a new entity formed by the existing team. The move follows the January 20, 2026 bankruptcy filing of RGNT Reborn AB, which the company says was primarily triggered by a serious breach of contract by a former logistics partner that disrupted operations and cash flow.

According to CEO Jonathan Åström, the acquisition includes RGNT's intellectual property, tooling, remaining inventory and the full team behind the brand. The company states that this structure ensures business continuity, with the same design philosophy and production approach remaining in place.

RGNT confirmed that all existing warranties on its Turbo models will remain valid and honoured without interruption. Open orders for the Street Classic are secured and will be fulfilled according to the original schedule.

The company also noted that approximately 30 units of the RGNT Turbo remain available for sale in 2026. Once this inventory is sold out, the focus will shift fully to production and customer deliveries of the Street Classic, which are scheduled to begin in Q4 2026.

The remainder of 2026 will be dedicated to finalising development, certification, homologation and production ramp-up of the Street Classic, positioned as RGNT's flagship model combining Scandinavian design with modern electric performance.

In a statement, Åström said the company is "deeply thankful for the unwavering support from our community, dealers, suppliers and customers throughout this transition."

The relaunch marks yet another chapter for the Gothenburg-based electric motorcycle maker, which has now undergone restructuring more than once as it navigates the challenging landscape of premium electric two-wheeler manufacturing.

Attorney General Pam Bondi testified before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday, defending the Justice Department's widely criticized rollout of the Epstein files against accusations that her department is shielding powerful men, including President Donald Trump, at the expense of survivors. 

Democrats, who reviewed the unredacted files for the first time this week, revealed that the names of "wealthy, powerful men" were improperly redacted, while the names of victims were left exposed. 

This week on The Intercept Briefing, co-hosts Jessica Washington and Akela Lacy gave their rundown of the politics stories they're watching right now. Washington also spoke with Spencer Kuvin, an attorney representing nine of Epstein's victims, about the failures of the Department of Justice to protect survivors. 

"From the beginning of this case, the government, both from a state and federal level, have been trying to bury this, cover it up, and avoid any full exposure of the extent of the operation that was involved here," Kuvin said, "and they're doing it … because of all the both political, wealthy, and powerful individuals who were involved with Epstein and knew what was going on with these young women." 

Kuvin also spoke about the DOJ's failure to redact the names of victims in the files, including two of his clients who were victimized as children. "The current Department of Justice has a focus on something different than victims and helping victims and prosecuting bad people that victimize these young girls," he said. "Their focus instead appears to be on the important people — powerful people that are contained within these files and protecting them instead of protecting who needs the protection, the young victims in this case."

Listen to the full conversation of The Intercept Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. 

Jessica Washington: Welcome to The Intercept Briefing. I'm Jessica Washington, politics reporter at The Intercept.

Akela Lacy: And I'm Akela Lacy, senior politics reporter at The Intercept.

JW: We're going to be doing something a little bit different this week and start off the show by discussing the topics that are on our mind as political reporters. Akela, what do you have your eye on this week?

AL: The midterms are here. There has been an onslaught of news this week from New York to Illinois to New Jersey — where after days of tearing my hair out, waiting for them to finalize the election results in the special election in New Jersey, 11 — it appears that the pro-Israel lobby strategy backfired and helped elect a progressive critic of Israel. So we've been writing about that. 

We also had done some reporting on AIPAC donors backing the Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way in that race. And it appears that she is now potentially thinking about running against the winner Analilia Mejia in the next primary, which unfortunately is not that far away because there will be another race for the full term for this seat.

On Thursday, we published a story about a new endorsement in Illinois, where over the last week there's been several ads, millions of dollars spent in four races, where AIPAC is making one of its biggest investments this cycle. Our story is about a candidate in the ninth district, Kat Abughazaleh, who is now running with the endorsement of Justice Democrats and a new pro-Palestine political action committee that launched on Wednesday and is endorsing several candidates in the upcoming midterms.

Related Kat Abughazaleh on the Right to Protest

JW: Can you tell me a little bit about AIPAC strategy and how they're viewing the midterms?

AL: Yeah, so we've done a lot of reporting on this. Basically the 2024 midterms, AIPAC was extremely loud and vocal about its endorsements, its investments in these races, and there has been sort of a groundswell in criticism of AIPAC. Lots of groups popping up. I think we've seen a big shift in the number of people in the general public who are paying really close attention to how this lobby is operating in these midterms.

And in response to that, AIPAC has retreated to the way that it operated before it started spending directly on elections and launching the Super Pac and the regular PAC that many people are familiar with now, distancing itself from candidates, directing donors to fundraise for candidates that it hasn't publicly endorsed. On the other hand, you have candidates who are fundraising with AIPAC or aware that they're receiving tens of thousands of dollars from big AIPAC donors are saying that they're not seeking the endorsement of this group that they're not involved, that they're happy to take support from whoever wants to support their campaigns. And so this has made reporting on this a little bit more difficult in some ways because we're looking at donors where they overlap between these two groups.

We're trying to read between the lines of statements that officials and the group are making about whether or not they're involved in this race. And, in Illinois in particular, as I was interviewing Kat Abughazaleh on Wednesday evening, she said, AIPAC knows how toxic it is and that's why it's trying so hard to make it appear that it's not involved in this race when it very clearly is. And that I think is an evergreen statement about how it's operating in lots of races that are coming up. 

Jessie, I know you're also focusing on the midterms. What do you have your eye on right now?

JW: Yeah. First I have my eye on all of your reporting because it's been excellent.

AL: [Laughs.] Thank you.

JW: You have been writing a lot and really interestingly on AIPAC, so I've definitely been following your coverage. 

I think for me, ICE is really something I'm watching going into the midterms. In my conversations with campaigns candidates and their teams are bringing up ICE over and over again.

They recognize that part of what this election is going to be about is what kind of country we want to live in, and people are really rejecting the violence that they're seeing really publicly. Obviously, ICE and the Department of Homeland Security has been acting in ways that are violent towards communities in much quieter ways for years. But this violence that people are seeing, they're really rejecting. So I'm seeing a lot of traction with that, with campaigns.

And I think it's also an interesting juxtaposition with everything that's gone on with the Epstein files. This week and last week, you're really seeing this idea of conservatives as protectors of the innocent protectors of the weak, the ways that they've been trying to champion themselves to voters fall apart, both with the ways in which voters can see that they're not protecting the survivors connected to the Epstein files, and also the ways in which they're seeing that the authoritarianism that they have justified on the backs of, "hey, we have to protect the weak and vulnerable" is fake. So that's something I'm really watching, for campaigns to touch on.

AL: And I just think it's important to note here that Analilia Mejia, who you know, was elected in New Jersey as we were talking about, made that a cornerstone of her campaign. And like I know her campaign was really pushing that information out to reporters, that something that was so successful was that they were doing these ICE trainings at her campaign events — she was a critic of Israel. She was a supporter of all these progressive policies. But that specifically — the ICE issue — was what was resonating with voters in this district that was represented by a Republican before Mikie Sherrill was elected in 2019. So in terms of this everlasting quest to unite people across the ideological spectrum, it seems like that is being really effective.

JW: Yeah, it's definitely a message that we're seeing campaigns latch onto and we're seeing the public latch onto. And what you just said about the trainings, I've found to be so interesting, just the ways in which people have — despite being really afraid; I think it's rational to be afraid when we're seeing the kinds of violence publicly on video — but instead of just staying inside of their house, we're seeing people really resonate with this moment, go out, do these trainings, get into the streets, and that energy is something a lot of campaigns are trying to harness.

Now, whether or not they turn on that same energy, the ways in which we saw the George Floyd energy, which had been harnessed by Democrats and they really lost that momentum. It'll be curious to see if Democrats can hold onto the momentum from activists on the streets who are angry about ICE or whether we're going to see that exact same kind of turn we saw on organizers and activists who are connected to the George Floyd protests.

AL: Also this week I'm sure people were paying attention to the electric Pam Bondi hearing and the Epstein files. Jessie, you spoke to Spencer Kuvin, an attorney representing nine of Epstein's survivors.

JW: Yeah, I did. It was a really great conversation. Spencer drove home the ways in which the Trump justice apartment has been protecting the powerful at the expense of the victims in this case.

AL: Let's hear that conversation.

JW: Spencer, welcome to The Intercept Briefing.

Spencer Kuvin: Thank you so much for having me today.

JW: I want to start off by asking how the women that you represent are reacting to this latest batch of documents.

SK: Well, and thank you for asking about the victims, which really is the focus or should be the focus of everything that has been going on for the last 20 years.

Unfortunately, I had to make a very difficult call after the documents had been released. One of my clients, actually two of my clients were unfortunately unredacted and disclosed in those documents that included the first victim that came forward to police— the 14-year-old that I represented back in 2007, who the federal government was well aware of.

And another young victim who was 16 at the time that she was brought to Epstein's home in Palm Beach, they were both disclosed in these documents, unredacted. So I had to make that awful call to let them know that they had been disclosed and that I had notified the Department of Justice of what had happened.

And then thankfully within a day the redactions took place. But it's just unbelievable the failures of this Department of Justice.

JW: Yeah. Why do you think we saw such sloppy redactions in these files?

SK: I think you saw the sloppiness because of the lack of focus on what was important, and that was the victims.

I think unfortunately, the current Department of Justice has a focus on something different than victims and helping victims and prosecuting bad people that victimize these young girls. Their focus instead appears to be on the important people — powerful people — that are contained within these files and protecting them instead of protecting, who needs the protection, the young victims in this case.

JW: You're talking about someone who was abused at 14 years old, and I guess my question for you is just what does that re-traumatization look like when you're publicly outed in this way?

SK: It's awful. It's absolutely devastating. This is a young lady, for example, that chose to remain anonymous and wanted to move on with her life. And because of the drip of information over the last 20 years with respect to Epstein, she hasn't been able to move on with her life. She is now someone who is in her thirties and has a family of her own. And really does not want to have to look back at this dramatic and awful period of her life. And remaining anonymous allowed her to do that. And unfortunately the federal government is re-traumatizing these victims by making them have to go back through this awful period.

JW: Spencer, you've been working on this case for roughly 20 years. Can you give us some of the background, particularly on the sweetheart deal that Epstein got originally?

SK: Yeah, so I started working on these cases when victim number one, the first victim to go to the police in Palm Beach, walked into my office and needed help because she had, along with her parents, reported what had happened to her at Epstein's home. And that really started the snowball of this entire investigation for all of the future victims that came forward in the FBI investigation.

But what it started as was a local investigation by the town of Palm Beach, and Joe Recarey was the lead officer that I met with during that initial investigation. It was only after the state attorneys in Palm Beach refused to prosecute this case that it ended up at the FBI and the Southern District of Florida.

Then the FBI took over this case and started the prosecution and had an indictment that we now see that they've revealed unsealed that had almost 50 counts against Epstein and other potential co-conspirators that they shelved. And they shelved it because they entered into an awful, awful sweetheart deal with Epstein at the time.

That Epstein sweetheart deal was never provided to the victims. As an attorney on behalf of one of the victims, I had to fight in court just to see the crappy deal that they had entered into with Epstein and the immunity that they had given others. And that fight lasted a year in the litigation before I was able to even see it. And then once I saw it, I realized why they didn't want anyone to see it because it was such an awful deal.

JW: There are some truly horrifying allegations inside of these files, but so far there haven't been any high-profile arrests or charges brought. I think you're uniquely qualified to speak on this. What does justice look like here for the victims, and is it going to have to come from outside of the legal system?

SK: That's a good question and a very difficult one. In handling these types of cases, specifically the Epstein cases over the last 20 years, I get a lot of calls that are just not credible.

And unfortunately there is a mental health crisis in the United States and unfortunately, some of the people that have some issues will call in and make allegations that just factually don't hold water. Having said that, there are a lot of very valid tips that deal with individuals. So the FBI just seemed to categorize all of the tips that came in as not credible without even investigating them. And that's a problem.

In addition to that, Epstein entered into the sweetheart deal with the federal government as a result of the initial prosecution here in West Palm Beach in South Florida. And when they did that there were four co-conspirators that were clearly named in that agreement.

Four people that the federal government knew had assisted in the sex trafficking that Epstein was involved in. And by the way, one of those four was not Ghislaine Maxwell. She was not even named in the sweetheart deal at all. Most people don't realize that there were four other people, four other women, that were part of this conspiracy that have never been prosecuted to the state.

So the victims want them prosecuted. That's number one. There is enough information to prosecute those people and bring them to justice. Number two, they want this information out in the public so that the public can then see the full extent of this heinous operation that was going on for years. And then judge who they want to be running these important companies, corporations, in politics and whatnot, and have the public judge them for what they did, or what they didn't do, and then have them be held publicly accountable.

JW: I want to talk about these redactions again and the ways in which powerful people have been shielded as you've been just discussing now. Members of Congress were able to view the unredacted files this week. Before we get into some of the shocking revelations, I just wanted to ask you about the use of redactions to protect powerful people within the files and what you make of that, and what the women that you represent make of that.

"How do we hold the Department of Justice accountable for breaking federal law? … [W]ithout a penalty clause in the law, the only way to do that is contempt of Congress."

SK: It breaks the law. It violates federal law. The Department of Justice broke the law, and they are continuing to break the law. Make no question about this. The Epstein Transparency Act is very clear. You can read it. It is only about two pages long, and it states that no redactions shall be made for the purpose of merely embarrassment or protecting important or powerful people. In addition, it gives a deadline for the full disclosure of records. Both of those things have been violated by the Department of Justice. 

The question really is just accountability at this point. How do we hold the Department of Justice accountable for breaking federal law? That's a quandary that unfortunately, or fortunately, our country has not had to deal with yet. But right now we have to figure out a way to be able to hold the Department of Justice accountable. And I think legally speaking right now without a penalty clause in the law, the only way to do that is contempt of Congress.

JW: So on Tuesday, representative Ro Khanna revealed the names of these six, powerful, wealthy men, whose names had previously been redacted in the files. Those names included billionaire, former Victoria's Secret owner Les Wexner and Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem. What did those new names add to our understanding of Epstein and his world?

SK: I can tell you Les Wexner name was connected with Jeffrey Epstein, even back during the original prosecution of these cases I was involved in 2007. We were well aware of Epstein's connections with Wexner, and he was on our witness list as somebody, as a person of interest, that needed to be talked to or subpoenaed for a deposition.

Now the case is resolved before we got to that point. But the connection was clear even back then, and I think there were stories that came out in the news dating back into the late 2000s that identifies that connection.

The other wealthy, important and powerful people who were out outed in some of these records that shows the world the breadth —the true worldwide breadth —of Epstein's conspiracy and sex trafficking. And I think that there was a lot of rumor that had circulated for years, and people would call other individuals who would talk about those rumors as conspiracy theorists and crazy. And, you're making up crazy stories.

What we're seeing with these documents is that that is the reality that wealthy and powerful men around the world were trading young girls like trading cards.

JW: I should note here that Wexner's legal representative issued a statement saying "The Assistant U.S. Attorney told Mr. Wexner's legal counsel in 2019 that Mr. Wexner was neither a co-conspirator nor target in any respect. Mr. Wexner cooperated fully by providing background information on Epstein and was never contacted again." 

I just want to get into the conspiracy element of this because I think it's important. There's been so much talk about how these files have validated conspiracy theories, like QAnon, but in my opinion, there's been far less discussion about the ways in which these files have validated the accounts of women who were abused by Epstein as children and have been speaking about it, frankly, for years.

What would it have meant to listen to these women when they spoke out instead of waiting for a trove of government documents?

SK: Huge. It's huge from an emotional standpoint a victim goes through a huge emotional trauma just reporting what she has been through or he has been through. Latest government statistics show that one out of every three women, literally, if you are in the room with three women, one of them was likely subjected to some kind of sexual trauma in their life, and one out of every five men, by the way, also according to government statistics.

"A victim goes through a huge emotional trauma just reporting what she has been through or he has been through."

And what happens is that these young women, for example, in this case, that report this, when they're met with denials, accusations, attacks, all it does is drive them deeper into a depression because they know the truth. I think what it teaches us as a society is that we have to believe victims and what they're telling us because it takes a huge amount of bravery to even come forward and report these types of things. 

I think that if that had occurred, if people had believed victims, then they would've been able to work through the healing process. Part of what I do as an advocate for victims in the civil arena is I listen to victims and I believe them.

I then fight for them based upon that belief. And just that alone can help a victim knowing that there is someone out there that's fighting for them, believing in them, and wanting to get them justice. So being a part of the system and finding an advocate for them that is a very significant thing.

Look at, for example, Virginia Giuffre. She, for years, for years had been called a liar. And we are now seeing the absolute proof that everything she was telling us was true. She may not have unfortunately committed suicide had she been able to be believed and supported as a true victim.

[Break]

JW: I want to turn towards Donald Trump because obviously he casts a large shadow over the story. On Tuesday, Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin claimed that Donald Trump appears in the Epstein files more than a million times. He also said that Trump never asked Jeffrey Epstein to leave Mar-a-Lago as he previously claimed. What is your response to these revelations?

SK: I think it's important to look at these documents within the context of what they are and the timeframe within which they were gathered. These documents were gathered after the FBI began their operation, which was around 2007. We know historically that Epstein and Trump were friends. He's admitted that, and they were friends for years. But that friendship predated a lot of this investigation.

So a lot of the information we're seeing in these files is after the 2007 period when the investigation began. What we're not seeing is the extent of that relationship and what Trump may or may not have done with Jeffrey Epstein before 2007. We know because we've seen videos of them at parties and socializing together. He admitted that he knew that he liked young girls. And Trump now is trying to obviously distance himself as far as he can from Jeffrey Epstein.

But the reality is that there was a close connection, there was a good friendship. They did go to parties together. And this is something that the FBI never fully investigated. And unfortunately, given the fact that Trump is now the President and it seems as though he has a tight grip on the Department of Justice, I don't know that there will be a full and complete investigation of his activities.

JW: I think Donald Trump complicates this story in so many ways because at its core, this is a story about the violent sexual exploitation of children, and we have to hold space for that. But it's also a political story because of Donald Trump's involvement. So I guess, how do you think about holding space for what these women have gone through as children, while also acknowledging the politics involved here?

SK: Yeah, I agree with you. I think that politics definitely complicates the issue, but we have to remember that Donald Trump is the one that actually brought this to the forefront. We have to thank him to a certain extent because during his campaign he made this a major issue as part of his campaign that he was going to release this information.

It was only after he was elected and realized what was actually in those documents, that he then started backpedaling on the release of information to the general public. Politics always complicates truth because politicians seem to have a very difficult time just being truthful with the general public.

We have to always remember that the Department of Justice is supposed to be neutral. They are not supposed to be a political arm of any political party, whether it be Democrats or Republicans. Unfortunately, Donald Trump has turned our Department of Justice into a political animal, and as we saw, for example, through the testimony of Pam Bondi the other day in front of Congress. The Department of Justice no longer has any credibility as a nonpolitical or apolitical organization. They are political, without a doubt. It is now controlled by the president and the executive branch, and that's a shame because now victims cannot trust even our own Department of Justice to investigate crimes and do the right thing.

JW: As you've just mentioned, Attorney General Pam Bondi testified before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday. What jumped out to you from that testimony? I wanted to get your thoughts on that.

SK: Everything jumped out, including the Attorney General. It was an absolute embarrassment to our country that the highest ranking law enforcement officer in our country acted like a child.

That is exactly what the Attorney General was doing. She was acting like a child and she was clearly exhibiting pro-political leanings toward the current administration with absolutely no respect for the rule of law or her job, which is to remain neutral, and not favor either political party in any investigation or potential investigation.

And frankly, it was sad to me as a member of one of the branches of government to see a person like our own U.S. attorney general acting in that manner. It was sad and it was an embarrassment.

JW: Can justice be achieved with Pam Bondi as the attorney general? Is there a path towards that?

SK: No, I'm convinced that based upon the performance that she put on the other day, I don't believe that there's any way that justice can be accomplished. When we talk about an organization that is now a political arm of the executive branch, I don't see there's any possibility that justice can fully be accomplished while she's in office. I think that if Congress frankly had any integrity whatsoever they would do one of two things, either begin impeachment proceedings against the attorney general, or alternatively hold her in contempt of Congress.

JW: As you pointed out, Pam Bondi, Donald Trump, they all came into office using Epstein's survivors using the threat of violence against young women to really push a lot of their more authoritarian impulses.

This is historically true, for the Republicans and for conservatives, but particularly true in this moment. Did the Epstein files and the high profile men in Trump world mentioned in the files, plus what we've seen from the attorney general, reveal those concerns about violence against young women to be a farce?

SK: I think that what it revealed is the true nature of what politicians do. What politicians do is they find key issues that can separate society or inflame fears or tension within a society in order to trump up votes. I use that analogy and word specifically in this case because that's exactly what the president did, right?

"What politicians do is they find key issues that can separate society or inflame fears or tension within a society in order to trump up votes."

It's exactly what other Congress people did, is that they utilized an inflaming type of language and situation to be able to get votes. And then once they're in office, they completely retract what they said they were going to do. We see this in all types of enforcement actions when a government wants to move toward a more authoritarian type system where they justify actions through fear.

Be afraid of the illegals. Be afraid of the immigrants. Be afraid of the pedophiles that are in society. We are here to protect you, so you need more police and more military and more authoritarian governments to protect you from all of these bad people, when in reality that's not what they want. What they want is control.

That's how they get it is through fear. And I think that the way to combat that is really through truth and not being afraid, but instead standing up to power and questioning them and making them be held accountable in the public eye. And thankfully in a democratic society, we can vote people out of office if they fail to be held up to the standards that we expect of them.

JW: Do you think the American public is waking up to that reality? Because I see people in the streets, particularly in Minneapolis, but in LA throughout the country, really standing up against authoritarian power. And we also see people calling out what's been now dubbed the Epstein class. These group of people — powerful people — who abuse women, but also, and children, and more broadly abuse our society. Do you think there's been a wake up in our culture?

SK: I do think that certain people are now coming around to realize that these are not all just conspiracy theories, that there is a lot of truth behind what people have been saying for years about the elite billionaire class and their ploy to control society and the way that they think about the ordinary citizens in the world throughout the world, including the United States. But I also think that there is a certain group of society that looked at, for example, the testimony of Pam Bondi and cheered her on and said, "Wow, she did awesome, she did a great job." And there are still people that look at what Trump is doing and defend his every action and defend everything he's saying. So it won't be until we get to those people that things will really change, right? You need to be able to get on a level where you are communicating with people you disagree with, but you're discussing facts, not just bullet points, and not just points that are given to them by talking heads on television. You have to have a conversation with people you disagree with in a way that it can be fruitful to both sides to understand where they're coming from and understand why they think the way they do. 

And only then I think, will there be true change. Because otherwise you're going to continue to have a society that is fractured along a very definitive line. There used to be gray, there used to be a middle, and now there is just team A and team B, and that's the problem.

JW: A lot of people have called this a coverup, down from the federal government all the way to the local level. Do you see it as a coverup?

SK: 100 percent. From the beginning of this case, the government, both from a state and federal level, have been trying to bury this, cover it up, and avoid any full exposure of the extent of the operation that was involved here, and they're doing it for many obvious reasons because of all the both political, wealthy, and powerful individuals who were involved with Epstein and knew what was going on with these young women.

"It is a billionaire crowd trying to protect their own."

So as a result, you've got institutions that are controlled by wealthy, powerful politicians and individuals who are trying to cover up potential crimes of other wealthy, powerful politicians and powerful people. So it is a billionaire crowd trying to protect their own.

JW: That's a really good point and a good point to end on. But just first I wanted to give you a chance if you had any final thoughts that you wanted to share.

SK: I think the most important thing that I want people to remember is that victims need to be heard and victims need to be believed. And as a society, we need to trust what victims are saying first, until evidence shows otherwise, and not immediately accuse people of lying or exaggerating because by trusting them you can at least hear them out. And at least give them the space to talk about what they're going through. And even if it doesn't prove to be true, which is frankly only about less than 5 percent of the allegations that come out, according to statistics, but even if it doesn't, they believe it. And they're saying it for a reason that they truly believe. Whether they have some kind of issue going on in their life or not, it doesn't matter. Whether they remember an exact date, it doesn't matter.

They are going through something emotionally, so we should listen to what they have to say and allow them the space to say it without any judgment or accusation and then get them the help they need.

JW: Thank you, Spencer. That was a really important conversation and I really appreciate you taking the time to share both your point of view and then also the points of view from your clients who deserve to be heard.

SK: Thank you.

JW: Thank you for joining me on The Intercept Briefing.

SK: Thank you so much for having me today.

JW: That does it for this episode. 

This episode was produced by Laura Flynn. Sumi Aggarwal is our executive producer. Ben Muessig is our editor-in-chief. Maia Hibbett is our Managing Editor. Chelsey B. Coombs is our social and video producer. Desiree Adib is our booking producer. Fei Liu is our product and design manager. Will Stanton mixed our show. Legal review by David Bralow.

Slip Stream provided our theme music.

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If you want to send us a message, email us at podcasts@theintercept.com.

Until next time, I'm Jessica Washington.

The post Attorney for Epstein Survivors Warns That Justice Is Impossible With Bondi as AG  appeared first on The Intercept.

Opinion I'm willing to be impressed by AI products, but Anthropic's AI‑built C compiler leaves me a bit cold. It's little more than a clever demo. It is not the moment when software engineering as we know it flips over and dies. Not even close.…

There's a new AAA John Wick game coming with Keanu Reaves portraying the main character both in voice and likeness, Lionsgate and Saber Interactive announced. Currently untitled, it's in development for PS5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC, and will be a single-player third-person experience designed for "mature" audiences. So far, there's no release date. 

"The new single-player third-person action game will combine John Wick's unparalleled, adrenaline-fueled 'gun-fu' fighting style with Saber's proven reputation for creating thrilling gaming experiences that leave players craving more," the companies said in an announcement post. They added that franchise director Chad Stahelski and star Keanu Reeves are both involved in the game's production, with Reeves reprising his character's look, voice and more. 

The story is original and "addresses a significant time in John Wick's life," according to the game's director Jesus Iglesias. It will include both familiar film characters and new ones created for the game. As for gameplay, it will offer "a hard-hitting gun-fu combat system, jaw-dropping camerawork, intense driving experiences, cinematic storytelling, and a bold range of atmospherically immersive environments," the team said.

Saber Interactive is the developer behind Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 and is also developing the upcoming titles Jurassic Park: Survival and John Carpenter's Toxic Commando. It will be the first John Wick game since John Wick Hex, which came out in 2019 but was recently delisted. 

The right accessories can make your iPhone feel more capable and more personal. Whether you want to protect your phone, improve your photos or stay powered during a long day out, there are plenty of accessories that can make a real difference. MagSafe gear has opened the door for new chargers, stands and mounts, while portable batteries and compact lenses can upgrade your everyday routine.

We tested a range of products to find the best iPhone accessories that offer practical benefits for both new and older models.

Huge thanks to my February sponsor, John Rember, author of the three-book series Journal of the Plague Years, a psychic survival guide for humanity's looming date with destiny, shaped by his experiences living through the pandemic in his native Idaho. Thoughtful, wry and humane, Journal 1 is a pleasure.

"Western countries see World War III coming…

"Western countries increasingly believe the world is heading toward a global war, according to results from The POLITICO Poll that detail mounting public alarm about the risk and cost of a new era of conflict… the vast majority of respondents think the world is becoming more dangerous."

https://www.politico.eu/article/world-war-iii-defense-spending-europe-poll/

"The US cannot be trusted to lead a critical minerals coalition…

"These are not negotiations between free and equal partners: they are proposals by a mafia boss. It's bizarre that the Trump administration is solemnly proposing a market-based mineral supply system while simultaneously threatening to annex Greenland after eyeing up its natural resources."

https://www.ft.com/content/bd8188b7-8a30-462c-92a2-786895a3b2ad

"Trump's policies will add $1.4tn to US deficit over next decade, watchdog says. Congressional Budget Office warns Washington's public finances are 'not sustainable'…

""There's no sugarcoating it: America's fiscal health is increasingly dire," said Jonathan Burks at the Bipartisan Policy Center. "Our debt is now 100 per cent of GDP, and rather than pumping the brakes, we are accelerating.""

https://www.ft.com/content/03a1bfe8-528a-4ac9-b586-05b1d9733d42

"US Household Debt Hits Fresh Record.

"Stress on household finances continues to pile up as Americans take on record levels of debt to keep up with the cost of living and low-income earners struggle to stay afloat on their loans and day-to-day spending."

https://www.tradingview.com/news/te_news:524708:0-us-household-debt-hits-fresh-record/

"Rally in corporate bonds prompts 'bubble' fears.

"Reward for taking extra credit risk falls to lowest in decades as investors hunt for yield… The gap between yields on triple B and A-rated global corporate debt has fallen to just above 0.3 percentage points, close to its lowest since before the financial crisis."

https://www.ft.com/content/e87f04d5-9a19-4776-b0bc-3a78770be894

"Beware the private-credit dark money infecting Wall Street…

"An unregulated, opaque market is potting soil for uncertainty, a market's worst fear, which matters in a global, tightly coupled financial system where a confidence crisis anywhere can become a confidence crisis everywhere."

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-private-credit-wall-street-blackstone-ares-hps/

"U.S. Shale Majors Take Fracking Global.

"U.S. shale producers are expanding overseas—from Argentina and Turkey to Australia and the UAE—as domestic shale basins mature and well productivity declines."

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/US-Shale-Majors-Take-Fracking-Global.html

"Detroit Automakers Take $50 Billion Hit as EV Bubble Bursts.

"U.S. automakers have been pumping the brakes on their electric-vehicle businesses for months, and the costs are piling up… EV sales fell more than 30% in the fourth quarter, after a $7,500 federal tax credit that had juiced U.S. sales expired in September."

https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/detroit-automakers-take-50-billion-hit-as-ev-bubble-bursts-06a97414

"US House overturns Trump's Canada tariffs in rare bipartisan rebuke…

"Trump believes in the power of tariffs to force US trade partners to the negotiating table. But lawmakers are facing unrest back home from businesses caught in the trade wars and constituents navigating pocketbook issues and high prices."

https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20260212-us-house-overturn-trump-canada-tariffs-bipartisan

"Trump tariffs hammer volume of Scotch whisky exports to US.

"Scotch whisky exports to its most valuable overseas market have plunged in the wake of hefty tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. The volume of Scotch shipped across the Atlantic fell by 15% between May and December…"

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25850891.trump-tariffs-hammer-volume-scotch-whisky-exports-us/

"Britain is on course for its weakest decade of growth in a century, according to the latest GDP figures…

"As the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, himself admitted, the government has "no growth strategy at all." That is an astonishing confession. At a time when productivity is stagnant and businesses are buckling under high taxes and mounting regulation, ministers have no credible plan to grow the economy…"

https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/personal-recession-opinion-5HjdSH6_2/

"France slashes renewable energy targets, expands nuclear power with new law…

"The law, to be ⁠pushed through by decree on Friday after almost three years of bitter disagreement among lawmakers, also reverses a previous legal mandate to shut 14 reactors. That was a 2017 campaign ‌promise of President Emmanuel Macron, who later changed course…"

https://www.france24.com/en/france/20260212-france-slashes-renewable-energy-targets-favour-of-nuclear-power-new-energy-law

"Italian PM vows to secure borders and approves bill allowing naval blockades.

"Italy's prime minister says her government will deploy every tool at its disposal to "guarantee the security of our borders" after approving a bill authorising naval blockades to stop boats from arriving in Italy during periods of "exceptional pressure"."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/12/italy-migration-giorgia-meloni-borders-naval-blockades-bill

"Farmers to drive tractors into central Athens for mass protest…

"Farmers say their core demands remain unchanged: lower production costs, guaranteed prices for agricultural products, changes to regulations governing the ELGA state insurance system and full compensation for crop losses."

https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1295244/farmers-to-drive-tractors-into-central-athens-for-mass-protest/

"Europe Rethinks Nuclear Weapons After US Delivers Reality Check…

"Europe has been fighting to keep an increasingly hostile US in NATO while countries race to rearm. And now for the first time since the end of the Cold War, European capitals are discussing how to develop their own nuclear deterrent, according to people familiar with the matter…"

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-13/europe-rethinks-nuclear-weapons-after-us-delivers-reality-check

"Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky rules out referendum on 'bad deal' as European leaders gather in Munich.

"Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says he will not present a "bad deal" to end the war for a referendum, and that his country will only hold elections once firm security guarantees and a ceasefire are in place."

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-russia-war-live-putin-zelensky-referendum-b2919617.html

"Russia Walks Tightrope to Curtail Credit Risk and Avoid Downturn.

"Governor Elvira Nabiullina's aggressive fight against inflation has left the Bank of Russia walking a tightrope between avoiding recession today and preventing stress in the banking sector from snowballing into a crisis tomorrow."

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-12/russia-walks-tightrope-to-curtail-credit-risk-and-avoid-downturn

"Russia Memo Sees Return to Dollar System in Pitch Made for Trump…

"The high-level memo, which was drafted this year, details seven points where, in the Kremlin's view, Russian and US economic interests could converge following a deal to end the war in Ukraine. It sees the two countries working together to champion fossil fuels…"

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-12/russia-memo-sees-return-to-dollar-system-in-pitch-made-for-trump

"Russia is widening its recruitment of foreign workers as the country faces a deepening labour shortage driven by demographic decline and the war in Ukraine.

"The government estimates that Russia will need an additional 11 million workers by the end of the decade to sustain its economy."

https://www.firstpost.com/world/behind-russias-global-recruitment-drive-attrition-of-war-demographic-decline-13979331.html

"Why China's central bank won't save the country from deflation. It's not about the exchange rate any more…

"Unfortunately, another obstacle remains: bank profitability. Banks make money by borrowing cheaply and lending more expensively. But in China the margin between deposit rates and lending rates is at a record low of 1.4%…"

https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2026/02/12/why-chinas-central-bank-wont-save-the-country-from-deflation

"China housing market shows no clear turning point as price declines continue.

"Mainland China's new and existing home prices posted a smaller month-on-month decline in January, but the annual drop widened, indicating a housing market that has yet to find a clear floor, analysts said."

https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3343442/china-housing-market-shows-no-clear-turning-point-price-declines-continue

"Japan seizes Chinese fishing boat inside its economic waters amid rift with Beijing…

"China's foreign ministry has yet to comment on the incident, which comes at a tense time for bilateral ties, weeks after Japan's prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, sparked a furious row over the future of Taiwan."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/13/japan-seizes-chinese-fishing-boat

"Japan will soon learn how far Takaichi can ride her luck…

"Persistently weak growth, a rapidly ageing population, a nearly 35 per cent plunge in the yen versus the US dollar since February 2022, and the unwinding of globalisation add to Japan's struggles."

https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3343260/japan-will-soon-learn-how-far-takaichi-can-ride-her-luck

"North Korea warns of 'terrible response' over South Korean drone flights…

""I give advance warning that reoccurrence of such provocation as violating the inalienable sovereignty of the DPRK will surely provoke a terrible response," Kim said in a statement carried by Pyongyang's official Korea Central News Agency."

https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20260213-north-korea-warns-of-terrible-response-over-south-korean-drone-flights

"Trade bellwether Singapore says global 'fragility' will hit economy.

"Singapore has warned that global economic "fragility"—driven by escalating trade tensions and geopolitical uncertainty—poses a significant risk to its growth in 2026. As an open economy whose trade volume is roughly triple its GDP, Singapore is often viewed as a global trade bellwether."

https://www.ft.com/content/c5cbc591-ea11-4245-b0a8-766a5d84ed10

"Pakistan expresses concerns over terror groups' presence in Afghanistan.

"Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, has reiterated the country's serious concerns over the continued presence of terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory, including TTP, BLA, and Majeed Brigade, Daesh-K and Al Qaeda."

https://www.geo.tv/latest/650568-pakistan-expresses-concerns-over-terror-groups-presence-in-afghanistan

"US readying another aircraft carrier for deployment amid Iran tensions…

"The move by the USS Gerald R Ford, first reported by The New York Times, will put two carriers and their accompanying warships in the region as Trump increases pressure on Iran to make a deal over its nuclear programme."

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/12/us-readying-another-aircraft-carrier-for-middle-east-deployment-trump

"The $108 Oil War: Can the Middle East Crash the World Economy?

"…A major regional escalation that targets energy infrastructure, such as that in Saudi Arabia or Iraq, or critical choke points, such as the Strait of Hormuz, would break the market's assumption that oil keeps flowing."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-10/the-108-oil-war-can-the-middle-east-crash-the-world-economy

"Syrian army takes control of al-Tanf military base as US troops pull out.

"Syrian ⁠forces ⁠have taken control of the strategic al-Tanf military base near the border with Iraq and Jordan, the Syrian Defence Ministry has said, amid the withdrawal of a longstanding United States troop presence at the base."

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/12/syrian-army-takes-control-of-al-tanf-military-base-as-us-troops-pull-out

"IDF Navy trains for conflict at sea, defends gas platforms after Hezbollah arrest.

"Hundreds of Israeli Navy personnel took part in a dayslong exercise that included infiltration scenarios, clashes with militants and drills to defend strategic assets such as offshore gas platforms, Israeli ports and key national infrastructure."

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rjtyljjwbx

"Israeli Soldiers Accused of Using Polymarket to Bet on Strikes…

"Shin Bet, the country's internal security agency, said Thursday the suspects used information they had come across during their military service to inform their bets… In recent months, Polymarket has been hit with repeated controversies about potential insider trading."

https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israeli-soldiers-accused-of-using-polymarket-to-bet-on-strikes-72d53012

"Many killed in south Yemen as crowd linked with STC storms government building.

"A crowd linked to Yemen's separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) has attempted to storm a local government building in the southeastern Yemeni city of Ataq, leaving several dead, according to local authorities and sources."

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/11/five-killed-in-yemen-as-crowd-linked-with-stc-in-south-storm-govt-building

"Border towns bear the brunt of Ethiopia-Eritrea's rising tensions.

"As Addis Ababa and Asmara trade accusations, locals describe infiltration routes, military movements and growing anxiety along the Mekelle-Adigrat-Zalambessa corridor and the Humera-Hamdayet frontier near Sudan."

https://www.theafricareport.com/408241/border-towns-bear-the-brunt-of-ethiopia-eritreas-rising-tensions/

""Worse to come" in Sudan as famine spreads and war continues.

""We can only expect worse to come" in Sudan if the war is not stopped, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned the Human Rights Council on February 9, as famine conditions expand in the country facing the highest levels of hunger in the world."

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2026/02/12/worse-to-come-in-sudan-as-famine-spreads-and-war-continues/

"Children recruited into armed groups in DR Congo describe abduction, drugging and violence as call for greater action.

"Children recruited into armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have backed calls for greater action to bring those responsible to account after describing how they were abducted, drugged and witnessed horrific violence, Save the Children said."

https://reliefweb.int/report/democratic-republic-congo/children-recruited-armed-groups-dr-congo-describe-abduction-drugging-and-violence-call-greater-action

"A member of Niger's ruling junta has urged his country's citizens to prepare for "war" with France, as relations with the former colonial power hit new lows.

"The military regularly has regularly said France is trying to destabilize the country since it came to power in July 2023…"

https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/318365-niger-must-prepare-for-war-with-france-says-junta-member

"South Africa's Ramaphosa says troops will deploy to tackle crime gangs…

"South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, with approximately 60 deaths each day involving killings in wars between drug gangs in areas of Cape Town and mass shootings linked to illegal mining in Johannesburg's Gauteng province."

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/13/south-africas-ramaphosa-says-troops-will-deploy-to-tackle-crime-gangs

"Protesters clash with police over bid to restrict Argentina's labour rights.

"Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, to oppose labour reforms that would restrict the right to strike and roll back employment benefits. Wednesday's demonstrations come as the country's Senate debates the legislation…"

https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2026/2/12/protesters-clash-with-police-over-bid-to-restrict-argentinas-labour-rights

"US-led oil sales from Venezuela to bring in $5 billion in months, energy chief Wright tells NBC News.

"Oil sales from Venezuela controlled by the U.S. have totaled over $1 billion so far and in the next few months will bring in another $5 billion, ‌U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright told NBC News on Thursday. Much of the oil is being refined ‌in U.S. refineries…"

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/us-led-oil-sales-venezuela-215402892.html

"Russia to Send Oil to Crisis-Stricken Cuba…

""In the near future, it is planned to deliver oil and oil products to Cuba as humanitarian aid," the Russian embassy in Cuba told Russia's daily Izvestia. At the same time, the Russian ministry of economic development has recommended that Russians refrain from traveling to Cuba amid the "fuel emergency" in the Caribbean country."

https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Russia-to-Send-Oil-to-Crisis-Stricken-Cuba.html

"Mexico sends aid to Cuba as Sheinbaum walks diplomatic tightrope with US…

"The boats, carrying more than 800 tons in aid, arrived at the Caribbean nation two weeks after Trump signed an executive order allowing the US to slap tariffs on any country selling or providing oil to Cuba, effectively choking off fuel to the island."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/12/mexico-cuba-aid-oil-trump

"AI could be used to trigger a new pandemic, intelligence chiefs warned…

""Rapid progress in AI - including genome language models already used to design novel bacteriophages - raises the prospect of misuse, enabling the modification or creation of synthetic pathogens that could challenge existing vaccine and medical countermeasure development paradigms," says a document being circulated to delegates."

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/ai-could-trigger-new-pandemic-intelligence-chiefs-warned/

I rely on donations and tips from my readers to keep the site running. Every little bit helps. Can you chip in even a dollar? Buy me a coffee or become a Patreon supporter. A huge thank you to those who do subscribe or donate.

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

The post 13th February 2026 Today's Round-Up of Economic News appeared first on Climate and Economy.

Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls was first announced last year as a tag fighting game feature superheroes including Captain America, Ms Marvel and Spider-Man, with a launch sometime in 2026. We expected more details to be revealed at Sony's State of Play yesterday and indeed they were. The game will arrive August 6 on PS5 and PC and include the Unbreakable X-Men's Storm, Magik, Wolverine, and Danger. 

The trailer teases each character's fighting style, with Magik and Wolverine using a more in-your-face melee fighting style. Storm and Danger, meanwhile, offer more diverse attack abilities, with Storm manipulating wind and lightning and Magik deploying sorcery skills. We also saw a team-based finisher attack with all four characters joining forces to unleash a flurry of attacks. The trailer also revealed that Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls will offer an Episode Mode with a "new form of storytelling adapted for a modern video game format" that marries Manga with American comics. 

MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls launches on August 6, 2026 for PS5 and PC. Pre-orders open February 19, 2026 at the PlayStation Store and PC storefronts. It will be sold in three versions: the $60 Standard Edition, $85 Digital Deluxe Edition (includes the full game, all pre-order incentives, a Year 1 Characters and Stage Pass) and Howard the Duck and Cosmo. Finally, the $100 Ultimate Edition includes all the preceding, plus costumes for Storm, Captain America, Doctor Doom, Iron Man, and Spider-Man, along with an Animated Chromatic color unlock for all 20 launch characters. 

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will be available on PC starting on March 19, Kojima Productions has announced at State of Play. The studio worked with Dutch video game developer Nixxes Software, which Sony acquired in 2021 to help bring PlayStation games to PCs. The sequel to the first Death Stranding is set in Australia almost a year after the events of the original game. It still features a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by strange creatures, and you'll still control Sam Porter Bridges to connect survivors in the continent to the chiral network communications system.

Kojima Production says the PC version of the game will come with a bunch of improvements, will work with NVIDIA, AMD and Intel Upscaler and FrameGen, and will have uncapped framerates. It will support 4K gaming and will come with support for ultrawide monitors with 21:9 aspect ratio, as well as for super ultrawidescreen monitors with 32:9 aspect ratio for PC. When it comes to audio, the PC version of the game supports 3D audio via Dolby Access and DTS Sound Unbound, as well as Windows Sonic for headphones. You can play using a mouse and a keyboard if you wish, but you can also play with a DualSense controller.

You'll be able to pre-purchase Death Stranding 2: On the Beach starting today for $70 on Steam or Epic Games and receive extra in-game items. The Digital Deluxe edition, which comes with more in-game extras, will set you back $10 more.

Skyrora is eyeing the wreckage of fellow British rocketeer Orbex following the latter's announcement that it will appoint administrators.…

Choice could prove difficult for Thames Water, which is trying to push through a water recycling scheme nearby

The first designated bathing water area on the River Thames in London has been shortlisted as one of 13 new monitored swimming areas across the country.

The Thames at Ham, in south-west London, was shortlisted as a new river bathing water after campaigners gathered evidence to show thousands of people use the river for swimming throughout the year.

Number of males at RSPB Abernethy rises to 30, after 'huge amount of work' by conservationists in Highlands forests

After decades of decline, there are signs of hope for the capercaillie, one of Britain's most endangered birds.

Populations of the charismatic grouse, which is found only in the Caledonian pine forests of the Scottish Highlands, have increased by 50%, from 20 males in 2020 to 30 in 2025 at RSPB Abernethy.

Report by Tony Blair Institute urges government to drop some green policies amid criticism of decarbonisation goal

• Analysis: Blair's oil lobbying is a misleading rehash of fossil fuel industry spin

Tony Blair's thinktank has accused Ed Miliband of driving up energy prices in his push to make Britain's energy supply more environmentally friendly.

The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) published a report on Friday criticising the government's green policies and urging the energy secretary to drop some of them altogether, including almost completely decarbonising the electricity system by 2030.

Doubling of fish biomass and rebounding of endangered species shows government measures starting to work, biologists say

The Yangtze River in China, which has been in ecological decline for 70 years, is showing signs of recovery thanks to a sweeping fishing ban.

The ban was made more effective by the implementation of "evolutionary game theory", which included finding alternative employment for fishers.

Stanhope, Weardale: One of the best gifts I've ever received is a microscope. Sixty years on, it's still a wonder to watch a mini rainforest in action

It was hard to resist running my fingers over the velvet carpet of moss that smoothed the drystone wall's jagged capstones. Six months ago, after four heatwaves and prolonged drought, these same mosses resembled brown, wizened threads of dried tobacco. Today they were an inch-tall emerald forest again, studded with yellow moss bell toadstools, saturated with overnight rain.

Wall-top mosses are resilient, and so is the microscopic life that thrives on them. I collected a few soggy green cushions to investigate later, for "here be monsters", though most are less than a millimetre long.

Award was presented as president directed Pentagon to buy billions of dollars' worth of energy from coal plants

• US politics live - latest updates

Donald Trump was crowned the "undisputed champion of beautiful clean coal" during a White House ceremony on Wednesday, during which the president received a trophy after ordering the US defense department to purchase billions of dollars' worth of power from coal plants.

The award was reportedly granted by the Washington Coal Club, an advocacy group with financial ties to the coal industry.

As I wrote yesterday, Tesla's sales are down considerably in several European markets so far this year. Now we have news out of China, and it isn't any better. In fact, whereas Tesla's sales were down 23% across the 12 markets analyzed in Europe, the company's EV sales in January ... [continued]

The post Tesla's Sales in China Drop 45% Year over Year appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The author of Human Punk and The Football Factory trilogy speaks to Tariq Goddard about class, Greek prisons and his new novella Peekaboo Bosh

John's King's The Football Factory was a novel for people who thought reading might not be for them, the power of those first discomforting pages as transportive as waking up in the Gulag with Solzhenitsyn or thumbing a lift with Kerouac. Beginning in the mind of a character literary fiction had taken care to avoid, the novel explored a sensibility that had traditionally been the province of pulp, its portraits as fully realised those found in McEwan or Barnes, but with none of that pair's decorative courtesy or insistence that lead personae ought to be middle-class professionals....

The post "Working-class males feel they are treated like scum by those in power" - John King Interviewed appeared first on The Quietus.

At Sony's State of Play yesterday, developer Nomada Studio revealed a DLC prequel to its gorgeous and award-winning puzzle platformer Neva. Entitled simply Neva: Prologue, it tells the story of how Alba and her wolf companion Neva met, while introducing new gameplay mechanics, locales and challenges. 

"In Neva: Prologue, players follow Alba as she chases a trail of white butterflies deep into the corrupted swamps, only to discover a frightened wolf cub, lost and alone," Nomada writes. "To survive, Alba must earn the cub's trust and guide them both through the blighted wetlands and the dark forces that stalk them."

The developer adds that Neva: Prologue is designed to be experienced after completing the main game. It adds three new locations, "each featuring unique gameplay mechanics, alongside new enemies and intense boss encounters." Completionists will also get five hidden challenge flowers. 

In her review of the original game, Engadget's Jessica Conditt found Neva "faultless" thanks to the exquisite swordplay and intuitive platforming action, along with the "stunning" world composed of "lush forests, sun-drenched valleys, soaring mountains and twisting cave systems." Neva: Prologue will released as a standalone DLC on February 19. 

Air fryers have gone from novelty appliances to everyday kitchen staples surprisingly fast. They're quick to heat up, easy to use and well suited to everything from frozen snacks to roasted vegetables and simple desserts. For many people, they've replaced the oven for smaller meals, cutting down on cook time without adding extra cleanup.

The category has also expanded well beyond basic basket-style models. Some air fryers are designed for small kitchens or single servings, while others offer larger capacities and preset cooking modes for roasting, reheating or dehydrating. After testing a wide range of machines, the Instant Vortex Plus continues to stand out for its reliable performance, straightforward controls and consistently good results.

Below, we've gathered the best air fryers you can buy right now across different sizes and price points. Whether you're replacing an older unit or trying one for the first time, these picks focus on appliances that are easy to live with and deliver crisp food without the need for deep frying.

Let's clear one thing up first: it's not frying. Not really. Air fryers are more like smaller convection bake ovens, ones that are often pod-shaped. Most work by combining a heating element and fan, which means the hot air can usually better crisp the outside of food than other methods. They often reach higher top temperatures than toaster ovens - which is part of the appeal.

For most recipes, a thin layer of oil (usually sprayed) helps to replicate that fried look and feel better. However, it will rarely taste precisely like the deep-fried or pan frying version when it comes out of the air fryer basket. Don't let that put you off, though, because the air fryer, in its many forms, combines some of the best parts of other cooking processes and brings them together into an energy-efficient way of air fryer cooking dinner. Or breakfast. Or lunch.

You can separate most of these machines into two types of air fryers, and each has different pros and cons. Convection ovens are usually ovens with air fryer functions and features. They might have higher temperature settings to ensure that food crisps and cooks more like actually fried food. Most convection ovens are larger than dedicated air fryers, defeating some of the purpose of those looking to shrink cooking appliance surface area. Still, they are often more versatile with multiple cooking functions, and most have finer controls for temperatures, timings and even fan speed.

You may never need a built-in oven if you have a decent convection oven. They often have the volume to handle roasts, entire chickens or tray bakes, and simply cook more, capacity-wise, making them more versatile than the pod-shaped competition.

The flip side of that is that you'll need counter space in the kitchen to house them. It also means you can use traditional oven accessories, like baking trays or cake tins, that you might already own.

Pod-shaped air fryers are what you imagine when you think "air fryer." They look like a cool, space-age kitchen gadget, bigger than a kettle but smaller than a toaster oven. Many use a drawer to hold ingredients while cooking, usually a mesh sheet or a more solid, non-stick tray with holes to allow the hot air to circulate. With a few exceptions, most require you to open the drawer while things cook and flip or shake half-cooked items to ensure the even distribution of heat and airflow to everything.

That's one of a few caveats. This type of air fryer typically doesn't have a window to see how things are cooking (with only a few exceptions), so you'll need to closely scrutinize things as they cook, opening the device to check progress. Basket-style air fryers also generally use less energy - there's less space to heat - and many have parts that can be put directly into a dishwasher.

Some of the larger pod-shaped air fryers offer two separate compartments, which is especially useful for anyone planning to cook an entire meal with the appliance. You could cook a couple of tasty chicken wings or tenders while simultaneously rustling up enough frozen fries or veggies for everyone. Naturally, those options take up more space, and they're usually heavy enough to stop you from storing them in cupboards or shelves elsewhere.

As mentioned earlier, you might have to buy extra things to make these pod fryers work the way you want them to. Some of the bigger manufacturers, like Philips and Ninja, offer convenient additions, but you'll have to pay for them.

Beyond the strengths and weaknesses of individual models, air fryers are pretty easy to use from the outset. Most models come with a convenient cooking time booklet covering most of the major foods you'll be air frying, so even beginners can master these machines.

One of the early selling points is the ability to cook fries, wings, frozen foods and other delights with less fat than other methods like deep frying, which gets foods the crispiest. As air fryers work by circulating heated air, the trays and cooking plates have holes that can also let oil and fat drain out of meats, meaning less fat and crisper food when you finally plate things up. For most cooking situations, you will likely need to lightly spray food with vegetable oil. If you don't, there's the chance that things will burn or char. The oil will keep things moist on the surface, and we advise refreshing things with a dash of oil spray when you turn items during cooking.

Most air fryers are easy to clean - especially in comparison to a shallow or deep fryer. We'll get into cleaning guidance a little later.

With a smaller space to heat, air fryers are generally more energy-efficient for cooking food than larger appliances like ovens. And if you don't have an oven, air fryers are much more affordable - especially the pod options.

There are, however, some drawbacks. While air fryers are easy enough to use, they take time to master. You will adjust cooking times for even the simplest types of food - like chicken nuggets, frozen French fries or brussels sprouts. If you're the kind of person that loves to find inspiration from the internet, in our experience, you can pretty much throw their timings out of the window. There are a lot of air fryer options, and factors like how fast they heat and how well distributed that heat is can - and will - affect cooking.

There's also a space limitation to air fryers. This is not a TARDIS - there's simply less space than most traditional ovens and many deep fat fryers. If you have a bigger family, you'll probably want to go for a large capacity air fryer - possibly one that has multiple cooking areas. You also might want to consider a different kitchen appliance, like a multicooker, sous vide or slow cooker to meet your specific cooking needs.

You may also struggle to cook many items through as the heat settings will cook the surface of dishes long before it's cooked right through. If you're planning to cook a whole chicken or a roast, please get a meat thermometer!

Beyond official accessories from the manufacturer, try to pick up silicone-tipped tools. Tongs are ideal, as is a silicon spatula to gently loosen food that might get stuck on the sides of the air fryer. These silicone mats will also help stop things from sticking to the wire racks on some air fryers. They have holes to ensure the heated air is still able to circulate around the food.

Silicone trivets are also useful for resting any cooked food on while you sort out the rest of the meal. And if you find yourself needing oil spray, but don't feel like repeatedly buying tiny bottles, you can decant your favorite vegetable oil into a permanent mister like this.

We're keeping clean up simple here. Yes, you could use power cleaners from the grocery store, they could damage the surface of your air fryer. Likewise, metal scourers or brushes could strip away the non-stick coating. Remember to unplug the device and let it cool completely.

Remove the trays, baskets and everything else from inside. If the manufacturer says the parts are dishwasher safe - and you have a dishwasher - the job is pretty much done.

Otherwise, hand wash each part in a mixture of warm water, with a splash of Dawn or another strong dish soap. Use a soft-bristled brush to pull away any crumbs, greasy deposits or bits of food stuck to any surfaces. Remember to rinse everything. Otherwise, your next batch of wings could have a mild Dawn aftertaste. Trust us.

Take a microfiber cloth and tackle the outer parts and handles that might also get a little messy after repeated uses. This is especially useful for oven-style air fryers - use the cloth to wipe down the inner sides.

If Dawn isn't shifting oily stains, try mixing a small amount of baking soda with enough water to make a paste, and apply that so that it doesn't seep into any electrical parts or the heating element. Leave it to work for a few seconds before using a damp cloth to pull any greasy spots away. Rinse out the cloth and wipe everything down again, and you should be ready for the next time you need to air fry.

Beyond fries, nuggets and - a revelation - frozen gyoza, there are a few ways to find recipes for air-fried foods. First, we found that the air fryer instruction manuals often have cooking guides and recipe suggestions for you to test out in your new kitchen gadget. The good thing with these is that they were made for your air fryer model, meaning success should be all but guaranteed. They are often a little unimaginative, however.

Many of the top recipe sites and portals have no shortage of air fryer recipes, and there's no harm in googling your favorite cuisine and adding the words "air fryer" on the end of the search string. We've picked up some reliable options from Delish, which also has a handy air fryer time converter for changing oven and traditional fryer recipes. BBC Good Food is also worth browsing for some simple ideas, as is NYT Cooking, with the ability to directly search for air fryer suggestions. Aside from that, you can also grab plenty of cookbooks from your local bookshop with lots of recipes that you can use in your favorite air fryer.

And if you have a killer recipe or unique use for your air fryer, let us know in the comments. What's the air fryer equivalent of the Instant Pot cheesecake? We're ready to try it.

We put each air fryer we test through its paces by cooking a variety of foods in it including raw proteins like fish and chicken, raw vegetables like potatoes and cauliflower and frozen snacks like mozzarella sticks. We attempt to use each cooking method that the machine has pre-programmed, and when possible, follow a couple of recipes in any provided recipe booklets that come with the air fryer. We also clean the cooking basket and all other removable components as many times as possible, and will put those components into a dishwasher if they claim to be dishwasher-safe. We also make note of how loud the machine is when using different cooking settings and how warm the surrounding area becomes.

This week's best wildlife photographs from around the world

Two days of testing - hopefully in good weather - take place at the iconic Phillip Island circuit ahead of Round 1 of the 2026 season

Two days of testing are split into sessions for the WorldSBK and WorldSSP fields, giving them plenty of track time ahead of the season opener

The star factory Ducati rider arrives in Australia with a new bike and renewed fire to claim his first World Championship

Brian Coney celebrates the raging isolationism and precision destructiveness of the Canadian jazz punk trio's first essential album, Sex Mad

Sex Mad by Nomeansno

To parse the logic of Sex Mad, one must first inhabit the isolation of 1985 Victoria, British Columbia: a provincial capital where middle-class security doubled as a picturesque cemetery for the newly wed and nearly dead. Here, as the looming artifice of Expo 86 threatened to modernize the coast, the Pacific horizon acted as a literal dead-end and the Wright brothers' basement as a laboratory. While the global hardcore scene was calcifying into a thudding caricature - The Exploited's gurning pantomime merging with the metal-hocked bluster of the US crossover set - Rob and John Wright were busy...

The post Reissue of the Week: Sex Mad by Nomeansno appeared first on The Quietus.

On Call Welcome to another installment of On Call, The Register's weekly reader-contributed column that tells your tech support tales.…

Scientists believe we're seeing the largest loss of life since the dinosaurs - and it's a risk to the global economy. Governments and companies need to work together on solutions

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It feels like groundhog day: another week, another warning about the seriousness of the biodiversity crisis. This time it was the financial sector's turn, as on Monday a major report, approved by more than 150 governments, said that many companies face collapse unless they better protect nature.

From healthy rivers to productive forests, the natural world underpins almost all economic activity. But human consumption of the Earth's resources is unsustainable, driving what many scientists believe is the largest loss of life since the dinosaurs. And companies are not immune to the consequences.

Economics has failed on the climate crisis. This complexity scientist has a mind-blowing plan to fix that

'To live a normal life again, it's a dream come true': UK's first climate evacuees can cast off their homes and trauma

'We've lost everything': anger and despair in Sicilian town collapsing after landslide

'It sounds apocalyptic': experts warn of impact of UK floods on birds, butterflies and dormice

Indonesia takes action against mining firms after floods devastate population of world's rarest ape

'We thought they would ignore us': how humans are changing the way raptors behave

The following is an excerpt from an ongoing conversation with Richard Skelton, the current featured artist on Headphone Community. We have recently discussed his background and early formation, and now it's time to dive into his composition and sound craft. If you choose to join us, you will find some Bandcamp codes for many of Richard's albums [although it shouldn't be the main reason for signing…

Source

Pressure, frictional heating and a disordered layer of molecules on top of the ice make skating possible

Ice skating is counterintuitive: why should a narrow blade make it easier to slide over the ice? The science is surprisingly complex, but unscientific people worked out the practical application a long time ago.

William FitzStephen described how Londoners entertained themselves in freezing conditions in 1173: "Crowds of young men go out to play on the ice. Some of them fit shinbones of cattle on their feet, tying them round their ankles … and are carried along as fast as a flying bird."

Jill Scott

To Whom This May Concern

A decade on from her last album, the influential neo-soul pioneer returns with an album of deft storytelling, rich jazz instrumentation and a cast of collaborators including Tierra Whack, Trombone Shorty and Maha Adachi Earth

There's real power in the act of stepping back and taking a breather. In our fast-paced, mile-a-minute everyday, we're not often afforded such an opportunity but having time and space can be transformative, especially in a creative context. For actress and singer Jill Scott, who makes her long-awaited return with her first album since 2015's Woman, her new project is a product of having had that room to step back, live life and reflect on the world at large. The end...

The post Jill Scott - To Whom This May Concern appeared first on The Quietus.

The eight-track record will be released via PAN

Photo by Bruno Aiello Destombes

Upsammy and Valentina Magaletti are releasing a collaborative album.

Spanning eight tracks, the roots of Seismo lay in a commission by Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, which saw the two artists soundtrack an exhibition featuring work from the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam. A number of joint live shows between the pair followed, and a full-length album soon started to take shape.

Listen to lead track 'Superimposed' below.

PAN will release Seismo on April 10, 2026.

Seismo by upsammy & Valentina Magaletti
...

The post Upsammy and Valentina Magaletti Collaborate on New Album, 'Seismo' appeared first on The Quietus.

Songs To Remember has been remastered for its updated release

Photo by Chris Dawes

Scritti Politti's 1982 debut album, Songs To Remember, is being reissued.

A remastered version of the LP, which is currently not available on streaming platforms and has been out of print on vinyl since 1985, is set to be released across digital, vinyl and CD formats.

Rough Trade is overseeing the reissue, and the label's founder, Geoff Travis, said in a statement: "Mark E. Smith, a Rough Trade artist at the time, once said to me, 'Scritti have the best rhythm section in rock music'. He didn't mention Green Gartside, so I don't know what he thought of him. I do know that at Rough Trade we were all in...

The post Scritti Politti Unveil Reissue of Debut Album appeared first on The Quietus.

It's the second song to be unveiled from forthcoming album PLAY ME

Photo by Moni Haworth

Kim Gordon has shared a new song, titled 'DIRTY TECH'.

Offering a critique of artificial intelligence and the use of some modern technology, the track retains the trap leanings of some of the material found on her past solo albums. In a statement about the song, Gordon said: "I was kind of musing about, is my next boss going to be an AI chatbot? We're the first ones whose lights are going to go out - not the tech billionaires. It's so abstract that people can't comprehend."

Watch a video for 'DIRTY TECH', made by director Moni Haworth, below.

Comprised of 12 tracks, PLAY ME is the follow-up to...

The post Kim Gordon Shares New Song, 'DIRTY TECH' appeared first on The Quietus.

The Radiohead guitarist said Universal licensed one of his songs for use in the film without his permission

Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood has criticised major label Universal for licensing a piece of his music to be included in Melania, the recent film about Melania Trump, without his permission.

The movie includes an extended excerpt of Greenwood's song 'Barbara Rose', which he composed for the score for the Paul Thomas Anderson film Phantom Thread. Neither Greenwood nor Anderson approved the use of the song, and have now jointly requested that it be removed from the film.

A statement released on their behalf said: "It has come to our attention that a piece of music from Phantom Thread has been used in the Melania documentary. While...

The post Jonny Greenwood Launches Action for his Music to be Removed from 'Melania' Movie appeared first on The Quietus.

At some point, we, as a society, are going to realize that farming copyright enforcement out to bots and AI-driven robocops is not the way to go, but today is not that day. Long before AI became the buzzword it is today, large companies have employed their own copyright crawler bots, or employed those of a third party, to police their copyrights on these here internets. And for just as long, those bots have absolutely sucked out loud at their jobs. We have seen example after example after example of those bots making mistakes, resulting in takedowns or threats of takedowns of all kinds of perfectly legit content. Upon discovery, the content is usually reinstated while those employing the copyright decepticons shrug their shoulders and say "Thems the breaks." And then it happens again.

It has to change, but isn't. We have yet another recent example of this in action, with Microsoft's copyright enforcement partner using an AI-driven enforcement bot to get a video game delisted from Steam over a single screenshot on the game's page that looks like, but isn't, from Minecraft. The game in question, Allumeria, clearly is partially inspired by Minecraft, but doesn't use any of its assets and is in fact its own full-fledged creative work.

On Tuesday, the developer behind the Minecraft-looking, dungeon-raiding sandbox announced that their game had been taken down from Valve's storefront due to a DMCA copyright notice issued by Microsoft. The notice, shared by developer Unomelon in the game's Discord server, accused Allumeria of using "Minecraft content, including but not limited to gameplay and assets."

The takedown was apparently issued over one specific screenshot from the game's Steam page. It shows a vaguely Minecraft-esque world with birch trees, tall grass, a blue sky, and pumpkins: all things that are in Minecraft but also in real life and lots of other games. The game does look pretty similar to Minecraft, but it doesn't appear to be reusing any of its actual assets or crossing some arbitrary line between homage and copycat that dozens of other Minecraft-inspired games haven't crossed before. 

It turns out the takedown request didn't come from Microsoft directly, but via Tracer.AI. Tracer.AI claims to have a bot driven by artificial intelligence for automatic flagging and removal of copyright infringing content.

It seems the system failed to understand in this case that the image in question, while being similar to those including Minecraft assets, didn't actually infringe upon anything. Folks at Mojang caught wind of this on BlueSky and had to take action.

While it's unclear if the claim was issued automatically or intentionally, Mojang Chief Creative Officer Jens Bergensten (known to most Minecraft players as Jeb) responded to a comment about the takedown on Bluesky, stating that he was not aware and is now "investigating." Roughly 12 hours later, Allumeria's Steam page has been reinstated.

"Microsoft has withdrawn their DMCA claim!" Unomelon posted earlier today. "The game is back up on Steam! Allumeria is back! Thank you EVERYONE for your support. It's hard to comprehend that a single post in my discord would lead to so many people expressing support."

And this is the point in the story where we all go back to our lives and pretend like none of this ever happened. But that sucks. For starters, there is no reason we should accept that this kind of collateral damage, temporary or not. Add to that there are surely stories out there in which a similar resolution was not reached. How many games, how much other non-infringing content out there, were taken down for longer from an erroneous claim like this? How many never came back?

And at the base level, the fact is that if companies are going to claim that copyright is of paramount importance to their business, that can't be farmed out to automated systems that aren't good at their job.

APRICOT 2026 When members of the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre got their chance to grill its leaders at yesterday's annual general meeting, they didn't hold back.…

About 22% of light-duty vehicles sold in 2025 in the United States were hybrid, battery electric, or plug-in hybrid vehicles, up from 20% in 2024. Among those categories, hybrid electric vehicles have continued to gain market share while battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles decreased, according to estimates from ... [continued]

The post Electric Vehicle Sales Fell As Hybrid Vehicle Sales Continued To Rise In 2025 appeared first on CleanTechnica.

It was a baking hot summer day in the UK on 24 July 2019, hitting heatwave temperatures of 34/35° Celsius. The political atmosphere was tense amongst British people due to the Brexit referendum, and polarised arguments were rife amongst the population. I had decided enough was enough and made a bid to move to Brussels in Belgium.

I had quit my job, I had no plans in place, and I simply loaded up a hired van containing all my worldly belongings and booked a ferry. As I was driving south to Dover, it was announced over the radio that Boris Johnson had been elected as Prime Minister of the UK. Within hours of this news, I was aboard the ferry, watching the white cliffs of Dover diminish in size, and I was setting sail for the continent.

With plenty of effort and a large helping of luck, I found an apartment in Brussels to rent, along with some gainful employment - all within a brief couple of months. I registered my freelance business as a sole trader and things began to fall into place. I was already paying taxes in Belgium by November 2019 and was beginning to settle down. However, a dark period was looming around the corner, about to engulf the world. Everything changed, I was vaccinated in Brussels, and in line with the rest of the population, I switched to working from home.  

As my business grew, I needed to conduct meetings more and more using French as the primary language. I had to learn fast, and in the most expedient way possible - total immersion. It worked. Over time, my life in Brussels became more and more settled, the culture captured my heart, and I began to feel naturally immersed in the life of a bustling continental capital.

More recently, my friends started to suggest I should apply for Belgian Citizenship. I was close to meeting the criteria - namely living, working and paying taxes in Belgium for five years, and speaking one of the two national languages. I wasn't in any hurry and was quite relaxed, yet at the same time, I was seriously considering it.

Once again, the political situation suddenly flipped and I was pushed into rapid decision making. In February 2025, the New Flemish Alliance coalition party was elected in Belgium, and they began putting steps in place to make application for nationality more complex and expensive. The language test was to be raised from Level A2 (generally functional) to Level B1 (more securely integrated), and the fee was to be raised from €150 to €1,000. In order to avoid these stricter regulations, I quickly got the wheels in motion for the application. On 22 May 2025, only a few weeks before the fee was officially raised to €1,000, my application was accepted by my local administrative office in the district of Etterbeek, Brussels - at the original cost of €150.  

On 2 February 2026, I returned to the administrative offices to collect my Belgian National Identity card and Passport, and I was holding back the tears of joy as I exited the building. Having acquired Belgian nationality by naturalisation, Brexit and its aftermath in the UK now seemed a million miles away. I had not only gained dual national identity, but I had also regained my European Identity - which I felt I had been stripped of due to the marginal and polarised nature of the referendum.

I am now the very proud owner of the Belgian passport which ranks at number three in the world, after Singapore and Japan. This ranking is calculated on the number of countries one can visit without the need for a visa. Due to the nature of my work, it's essential for me to travel extensively, so having this prestigious passport and being a renewed EU citizen has become a tremendous advantage. I am now at liberty to travel to a whole host of countries worldwide without the need for lengthy and costly visa applications.  

The moral of my story is that risks can turn out to be a phenomenal asset - provided they are judged correctly and at the right time. I have learned many things on my journey, but the greatest of all is that I'm no longer afraid to jump out of the fire when the heat reaches breaking point. Never look back, always look forward, and continue to keep an eye on the ever changing political world in which we are all inextricably linked.

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The post Exiting the UK to re-join the European Union first appeared on East Anglia Bylines.