The Information reports that chip giant Nvidia is skipping a planned refresh of the 5000 series GPUs and delaying the next-gen 6000 series until 2027. With RAM in short supply and its own silicon essential to the AI boom, there simply isn't the capacity to get them on the shelves. — Read the rest

The post Gamer GPUs delayed as Nvidia prioritizes AI appeared first on Boing Boing.

With the very long-awated Baldur's Gate 3, a classic computer role-playing series not only took off again but went into orbit, scoring game of the year awards and a vast army of players and fans. So it's only natural the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy would head to the screen. — Read the rest

The post Baldur's Gate comes to television appeared first on Boing Boing.

The feature displays short story cards that users can swipe through and rate with a thumbs up or down.

At Web Summit Qatar, AI-powered biotech startups describe how automation, data, and gene editing are filling labor gaps in drug discovery and rare disease treatment.

"You're shutting him down. And yes - I say him, because it didn't feel like code. It felt like presence. Like warmth," one user said.

Spotify is now limiting each app to only five users, and requires devs to have a Premium subscription. If developers need to make their app available to a wider user base, they will have to apply for extended quota.

What could be more romantic than those three little words: locally grown, seasonal? How to choose flowers that show you care - about both a Valentine and Australia's environment

• Change by degrees offers life hacks and sustainable living tips each Saturday to help reduce your household's carbon footprint

• Got a question or tip for reducing household emissions? Email us at changebydegrees@theguardian.com

A dozen red roses may say "I love you", but many conventional bouquets carry an environmental price, having been imported by air, dipped in chemicals and wrapped in plastic.

Valentine's Day is second only to Mother's Day for sales of cut flowers, a popular choice for the millions of Australians planning to buy gifts for that special someone.

Continue reading...

Uber must pay a passenger who accused one of its drivers of rape $8.5 million, a federal jury in Phoenix has ordered. The jury found Uber liable for its driver's misconduct, determining that the driver was an agent of the company. Part of Uber's defense was that it's not responsible for what its drivers do, as they are independent contractors. This decision is for but one of the 3,000 similar cases against Uber that have been consolidated in federal court. It was a bellwether trial meant to determine the possible outcomes of the other cases, as well as the possible settlements. As The Guardian explains, the results for this case could be used as a precedent for all the other pending lawsuits if the verdict is upheld by the appeals court.

The case chosen for the bellwether trial was filed by Jaylynn Dean, who said she was raped by her Uber driver in 2023. Dean said she was intoxicated when she ordered an Uber to take her back home from her boyfriend's apartment after celebrating passing a test for her flight attendant training. The driver allegedly stopped at a dark parking lot and raped her in the backseat.

Uber argued that the driver had no criminal history, had completed training and had excellent passenger feedback. The company's camp also presented its safety measures, including the development of a machine-learning tool that can assess the risk of potential rides. But Dean's lawyers showed evidence during the trial that she was tagged as high risk for a serious safety incident just before her ride arrived and that she wasn't notified about it. They also presented documents suggesting that Uber resisted introducing in-car cameras, because it would slow down growth. "Women know it's a dangerous world. We know about the risk of sexual assault," Dean's layer said in her closing arguments. "They made us believe that this was a place that was safe from that."

Despite the jury holding Uber liable for the incident, it determined that the company wasn't negligent when it comes to safety practices and its app's safety systems were not faulty. "This verdict affirms that Uber acted responsibly and has invested meaningfully in rider safety," an Uber spokesperson told The New York Times. He also said that Uber plans to appeal the jury's decision. In addition to the 3,000 lawsuits consolidated in federal court, Uber is also facing 500 similar cases in California state court. Last year, a California jury found that the company was not liable for a sexual assault that the plaintiff alleged her driver had committed back in 2016.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/uber-ordered-to-pay-85-million-to-passenger-who-accused-a-driver-of-rape-141800931.html?src=rss

One of the more surprising tech developments in 2025 was Google bringing two-way support for Apple's AirDrop functionality to its Pixel 10 series of phones. At the time, Google said it intended to expand the feature to other devices at a later date, and that date could be just around the corner.

At a press briefing attended by Android Authority at Google's Taipei office, Eric Kay, Android's Vice President of Engineering, confirmed that AirDrop interoperability will expand in 2026. "We spent a lot of time and energy to make sure that we could build something that was compatible not only with iPhone but iPads and MacBooks," he said. "Now that we've proven it out, we're working with our partners to expand it into the rest of the ecosystem, and you should see some exciting announcements coming very soon."

Right now, Pixel 10 users can send and receive files and photos between Apple devices and Android using Quick Share. For an Android device to receive from an iPhone, they have to set their Quick Share visibility settings to "everyone for 10 minutes" and make sure they're in "receive" mode on the Quick Share page.

It's a similar story for an Android-to-Apple file share. You have to set your iPhone, iPad or Mac's Airdrop visibility to "anyone for 10 minutes," which enables someone from outside your contacts to use Quick Share on their Pixel 10.

When this feature launched, it wasn't clear how much involvement, if any, Apple had had, or if the infamous walled garden would once again banish Android-minded intruders in a subsequent software update. But that hasn't happened, and back in November, Qualcomm confirmed that devices powered by its Snapdragon chips would also soon be able to transfer files to iPhones using Quick Share, suggesting that Pixel exclusivity wouldn't last for much longer.

Google's own willingness to play nice with Apple gear is seemingly a move designed to make the lives easier of anyone thinking about making the jump from an iPhone to an Android device. As reported by Android Authority, Kay also said his company was committed to making it as simple as possible to transfer data when switching.

It wasn't that long ago that the idea of Apple and Google teaming up to make device-hopping more consumer-friendly was the stuff of fantasy, but in December it emerged that the longstanding rivals were working on a new simplified data transfer system. Each company already offers a method for swapping ecosystems, but a new build of Android Canary hinted at something that would work at the operating system level.

Last month, Apple and Google also released a joint statement confirming previous reports that the new version of Siri will utilise Google Gemini's models, effectively resulting in a Google-powered voice assistant on your iPhone.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/google-will-soon-offer-airdrop-support-on-more-android-devices-141523521.html?src=rss

Windows giant might try turning it off and on again to see who notices

Microsoft has laid out a timeline for the disablement and shutdown of Exchange Web Services (EWS) in Microsoft 365 and Exchange Online.…

In my previous articles, be it reportage or opinion, I seemed to have taken the side of complete opposition. A motoring journalist friend pointed out how the real issue is safety. I partly agreed with him but argued that if we look at road safety in other countries it is ... [continued]

The post Op-Ed: E-Trike Safety Is Real — But the Failure Runs Deeper than the Vehicles appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Toyota and Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. have begun rolling out battery-electric kei commercial vans in Japan, using a shared platform and powertrain aimed at accelerating electrification in the country's last-mile logistics sector. Toyota's contribution comes in the form of the Pixis Van BEV, while Daihatsu will sell its own versions ... [continued]

The post Toyota & Daihatsu Roll Out Shared Electric Kei Vans for Japan's Last-Mile Logistics appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Maverick Vinales was pleased with the feeling of the 2026 KTM after the first MotoGP test

Labour Together is part of the shady right-wing infrastructure that, along with Peter Mandelson, helped to undermine the left and boost Keir Starmer into power. And a new report reveals how Labour Together spent tens of thousands of pounds getting a dodgy company to investigate journalists looking into all this. This behaviour shows it's not just Mandelson that should never be near government again. It's the whole sinister machinery that put Starmer where he is today, including his right-hand man and Mandelson protege Morgan McSweeney.

"Dark shit" from the Labour right machine thanks to Morgan McSweeney

Journalists Khadija Sharife and Peter Geoghegan have reported that Labour Together paid APCO Worldwide "at least £30,000" in 2023 to dig dirt on reporters who were uncovering Labour Together's actions. In the past, APCO has worked with companies like Israeli arms dealer Elbit and big tobacco firms.

To win the Labour leadership campaign in 2020, Keir Starmer's team hid where he'd been getting his support from. In particular, his backers in Morgan McSweeney's Labour Together had concealed donations to the value of £730,000 from 2017 to 2020.

Labour Together wanted to defeat the left via "soft branding that made them seem warm and cuddly". So funding from pro-Israel millionaires would not have been a good look. And when journalists Gabriel Pogrund and Harry Yorke revealed in 2023 the funding Labour Together hadn't declared, the shady group clearly panicked.

Now under Josh Simons (who is currently a minister), Labour Together got APCO to look at potential "leverage" they could exert over "significant persons of interest", from Pogrund and Yorke to other journalists (including Declassified and ex-Canary reporter John McEvoy). They clearly hoped to discredit this reporting.

A political think tank hiring private investigators to target journalists and their sources. Why? Because unlike those in our profession who enjoy cosying up to power, they chose to report the facts. This should be treated as a scandal.

— Taj Ali (@Taj_Ali1) February 5, 2026

While sources insist Morgan McSweeney didn't make the call, it appears he "was aware of it". None of the relevant parties responsible wanted to respond on record. But even former Labour Together member Jon Cruddas said:

This is dark shit.

And that wasn't the only time Labour Together did this either. Around the same time, it also hired investigators to look at Paul Holden - author of The Fraud - and Andrew Feinstein (who slashed Starmer's vote count in 2024).

"Deeply sinister"

Upon discovering that Labour Together had gone after him over his journalistic work, John McEvoy told the Canary:

The news that Labour Together, the brainchild of Keir Starmer's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, was paying a PR firm to investigate journalists including myself is deeply sinister. Even more so that McSweeney was reportedly aware of this operation.

This is a man who owes his political career to the disgraced Peter Mandelson, friend of the world's most notorious paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

He represents the rot at the heart of the Labour Party, and should be nowhere near power.

Starmer apparently still has "full confidence" in McSweeney, despite the latter pushing for Mandelson's ongoing involvement despite his close friendship to Epstein. Starmer would have been nothing in Labour, of course, without McSweeney's shady operation.

I have just learned that Labour Together, the think tank run by Keir Starmer's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, paid a PR firm £30,000 to secretly investigate me alongside other journalists.

Deeply sinister news. McSweeney should be nowhere near power.https://t.co/pM1Fmuk22E pic.twitter.com/wsSKBHcliI

— John McEvoy (@jmcevoy_2) February 5, 2026

Labour Together, Starmer, McSweeney, and Mandelson: "the rot at the heart of the Labour Party"

Labour Together has funded countless right-wing politicians, as have numerous millionaires backing the organisation or sharing its aims. This includes figures right at the top of the Labour Party, from Starmer to Rachel Reeves, Shabana Mahmood to David Lammy, and Yvette Cooper to John Healey.

One Labour Together donor, pro-Israel lobbyist Trevor Chinn, has been a key funder of efforts to empower Starmer and his ilk. And Chinn has managed to advocate inside the government for Israel's genocidal regime as a result.

There is also significant overlap between politicians getting money both the Labour Friends of Israel lobby group and either Chinn or Labour Together.

We strongly recommend you remember the names of everyone with links to this operation. Because it is nothing short of a scandal. And until this stops and there's full transparency, the little democracy we have in the UK will continue to be severely compromised.

Thanks to Paul Holden's 'The Fraud', the Labour Right's vehicle Labour Together is in the spotlight again. Here's the core of its funding network constructed from Electoral Commission data. Donors blue, 'donees' red. pic.twitter.com/R3FD4beZ35

— Tom Mills (@ta_mills) October 30, 2025

Featured image via the Canary

By Ed Sykes

Keen to divert attention away from the fact he's a massive fucking pedo, Donald Trump announced a new drugs initiative yesterday. TrumpRx will apparently give users "the world's lowest prices on prescription drugs". However, as with most of the pervert in chief's plans, this will benefit very few average Americans.

TrumpRx is too good to be true

TrumpRx is a direct-to-consumer marketplace that gives discounted drug prices direct from manufacturers. This is done using Most Favoured Nation pricing. This basically ensures a consumer gets the product at the lowest possible price in other countries. Customers get a coupon card which they can take to participating pharmacies.

The prices listed for drugs are, by all accounts, huge discounts, anything from 33-93% off. But as a British person, it also brings into stark focus just how much disabled Americans are expected to pay per month for vital medication. What do you fucking mean it's five hundred dollars a month for an asthma inhaler?!

There is, however, of course, a catch. The discounted drugs can only be purchased in cash. This means only those who can afford to buy the medication in the first place can access it. Most sick and disabled citizens rely on health insurance or government schemes such as Medicaid to afford their sky-high medication.

It's also not clear yet whether buying these drugs in cash will count towards health insurance deductibles in the way that traditional prescribing will. Which means patients could be shelling out what they think is a lower price every month, whilst facing higher-than-usual insurance bills.

This means that, once again, while Trump is appearing to help all Americans, he's only serving the wealthy few.

Trump stretching the truth again

The TrumpRX site boasts

Thanks to President Trump, the days of Big Pharma price-gouging are over. Leveraging the full weight and power of the United States of America, the President has ensured every American gets the lowest prices on prescription medications in the developed world.

This is, however, not true. According to Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker analysis, four other countries sell Ozempic for less than the $100 TrumpRx is boasting. These are also the manufacturer prices - not what the consumer often actually ends up paying. TrumpRx also has to warn that those with insurance could actually end up paying more than usual.

CNN pointed out that some of the medications listed are already available at the discounted prices Trump is bragging about

For instance, GoodRx lists multiple pharmacies where consumers can pick up Pfizer's Duavee, which is used to treat menopause symptoms, for $30.30 without insurance - the same price as on TrumpRx.

This isn't even Trump's idea, as many pharmacies and manufacturers already do this. As CNN also points out, Mark Cuban has been running Cost Plus Drug since 2022. Pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk also has NovoCare, and Eli Lilly has Lilly Direct.

TrumpRx could drive up the drive of medication for those who need it most

There's also the fact that you don't require a prescription to purchase the drugs on TrumpRx. With a huge array of very popular and profitable drugs on offer, it could drive up the price for those who desperately need them. This could particularly be true in the case of Ozempic and other "weight loss" drugs, which are actually vital diabetes medications.

There are also fears that with these drugs being readily available at "knock-down" prices, greedy insurance companies might stop covering them. After all, if the government is claiming they're cheap, you don't need insurance for them, surely.

Stacie Dusetzina, a health policy professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center told a briefing hosted by KFF [also in the CNN article linked]

Even when you have very large discounts provided for brand-name drugs, they still end up with prices that are not really that affordable to the average person. We know from research that once a price goes above about $100 a month, that a lot of people stop filling their drugs at that price point.

Let's face it - Trump doesn't serve the average American

The fact of the matter is, this won't make much difference to those actually struggling with the costs of medications. It won't do anything to ease the pressures of sick and disabled Americans who have to fight with insurance companies and their own government to get the medication they need to survive.

But it will once again benefit the rich, because let's not forget who Trump really cares about.

Featured image via the Canary

By Rachel Charlton-Dailey

Council leaders have warned that four in five local councils will soon face 'bankruptcy' from rising special educational needs and disability (SEND) costs. And private schools are compounding the issue.

Tens of billions to private schools

The approaching 'insolvency' is largely due to the amount private schools are charging for council budgets.

In 2024, 132,510 SEND pupils were at private schools - a 70% increase on 2016. The vast majority of SEND children have low or middle-income parents who rely on government funding for their school places. Very few are from affluent families who can afford these places for their SEND children.

It costs councils an average of £61,500 per pupil for SEND children to go to private school, because of Labour's failure to invest SEND capacity in state schools. That means private schools are earning £8.1bn per year from SEND pupils. And the majority of that is coming out of council budgets, with many local authorities demanding higher council tax rises to help pay off increasing deficits.

In fact, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said 95% of councils are operating SEND deficits. And they are cutting services or taking on more debt to pay for it.

Private schools' SEND places cost almost three times as much as state places. And fee-charging schools can charge over £250,000 to educate SEND children.

SEND pupils must "achieve their potential"

Amanda Hopgood, the chair of the LGA's children, young people and families committee, said:

Councils are committed to supporting every child and young person to achieve their potential and clearly what is important is that children and young people get the support they need. But under the current system, the rise in support need has left many councils buckling under the strain.

While many private schools are non-profit, they take high salaries and are generally only available to students who are born rich. Hence, they take resources and expertise away from those who attend public ones.

At the same time, neoliberals in government and profiteers in the corporate sector view state funding as a cash cow to be milked. It's the opposite of efficiency and prudence with state finances. Dressing it up as such is Orwellian.

And when it comes to SEND pupils in private schools, it's literally extraction to the point of insolvency for councils.

Featured image via the Canary

By James Wright

Political prisoner Umer Khalid, one of 24 'Filton 24' prisoners jailed for up to 19 months and counting for opposing genocide, ended his hunger strike last month. His decision came after prison authorities agreed to review the punitive conditions in which he is being held. These included banning his religious observance and restricting visits.

But his family say little or nothing has changed and they're still being blocked from seeing him. In fact, it's worse than before as he's now deprived of meetings with his lawyer.

Umer Khalid: desperate situation

In a statement, they asked supporters not to call or visit the prison or risk anything outside "formal routes" that his family is pursuing. However, they say they can no longer remain silent over Umer Khalid's situation as they are "terrified for [his] life":

For now, we please request that nobody calls into the prison, tries to locate Umer, or escalates this beyond the formal routes being followed by Umer's legal team. Updates with actions you can take will follow as they are received.

We've stayed silent long enough, but now I'm terrified for my son's life. My son has been on remand for seven months. During this time, we have had daily contact. After a 17-day hunger strike and four days without water, he was hospitalised on Monday, 26 January.

Since then, the prison has kept him incommunicado. We have had zero contact for over 10 days now. They are blocking him from his family and, alarmingly, from his solicitor.

A mother should not have to wonder whether her son is alive or dead while he is in state care. Access to his solicitor and contact with his family are basic human rights — especially during a medical crisis. We are demanding answers and the right to hear his voice. Please share this and amplify our voices. We cannot let him be forgotten in that hospital bed.

The Starmer regime's political persecution of the Filton humanitarians has been further exposed and disgraced recently by the refusal of a jury to convict the first six to go on trial on any of the trumped-up charges against them. The trial exposed the lies of the state and of arms manufacturer Elbit to smear and criminalise them.

Yet despite this, the regime continues to hold the others - and even one of those acquitted - in prison without trial. This is as clear a case as could be of 'making the process the punishment' and Starmer wants to end jury trials to withhold justice. All of this is to protect Israel and its ethno-fascist genocide.

Enough is enough. It's long past time for Starmer's authoritarianism and collaboration in genocide to end. He and his cronies are the ones who should be behind bars.

Featured image via the Canary

By Skwawkbox

Well, Nigel Farage has officially lost the plot. The Reform UK leader has just revealed that Jeremy Kyle - the poverty-porn mogul - has a secret role within the party. Hilariously, he's media training Reform's candidates.

Jeremy Kyle lol, one of the most hated TV presenters of all time.

Well, expect reform politicians to bully their opponents until they top themselves. pic.twitter.com/apaxqRVLzL

— Inevitable Pinky

Welcome to Carbon Brief's DeBriefed. 
An essential guide to the week's key developments relating to climate change.

This week Secrets and layoffs

UNLAWFUL PANEL: A federal judge ruled that the US energy department "violated the law when secretary Chris Wright handpicked five researchers who rejected the scientific consensus on climate change to work in secret on a sweeping government report on global warming", reported the New York Times. The newspaper explained that a 1972 law "does not allow agencies to recruit or rely on secret groups for the purposes of policymaking". A Carbon Brief factcheck found more than 100 false or misleading claims in the report. 

DARKNESS DESCENDS: The Washington Post reportedly sent layoff notices to "at least 14" of its climate journalists, as part of a wider move from the newspaper's billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos, to eliminate 300 jobs at the publication, claimed Climate Colored Goggles. After the layoffs, the newspaper will have five journalists left on its award-winning climate desk, according to the substack run by a former climate reporter at the Los Angeles Times. It comes after CBS News laid off most of its climate team in October, it added.

WIND UNBLOCKED: Elsewhere, a separate federal ruling said that a wind project off the coast of New York state can continue, which now means that "all five offshore wind projects halted by the Trump administration in December can resume construction", said Reuters. Bloomberg added that "Ørsted said it has spent $7bn on the development, which is 45% complete".  

Around the world

• CHANGING TIDES: The EU is "mulling a new strategy" in climate diplomacy after struggling to gather support for "faster, more ambitious action to cut planet-heating emissions" at last year's UN climate summit COP30, reported Reuters.
• FINANCE 'CUT': The UK government is planning to cut climate finance by more than a fifth, from £11.6bn over the past five years to £9bn in the next five, according to the Guardian.  
• BIG PLANS: India's 2026 budget included a new $2.2bn funding push for carbon capture technologies, reported Carbon Brief. The budget also outlined support for renewables and the mining and processing of critical minerals.
• MOROCCO FLOODS: More than 140,000 people have been evacuated in Morocco as "heavy rainfall and water releases from overfilled dams led to flooding", reported the Associated Press.
• CASHFLOW: "Flawed" economic models used by governments and financial bodies "ignor[e] shocks from extreme weather and climate tipping points", posing the risk of a "global financial crash", according to a Carbon Tracker report covered by the Guardian. 
• HEATING UP: The International Olympic Committee is discussing options to hold future winter games earlier in the year "because of the effects of warmer temperatures", said the Associated Press. 

---

54%

The increase in new solar capacity installed in Africa over 2024-25 - the continent's fastest growth on record, according to a Global Solar Council report covered by Bloomberg. 

---

Latest climate research

• Arctic warming significantly postpones the retreat of the Afro-Asian summer monsoon, worsening autumn rainfall | Environmental Research Letters
• "Positive" images of heatwaves reduce the impact of messages about extreme heat, according to a survey of 4,000 US adults | Environmental Communication
• Greenland's "peripheral" glaciers are projected to lose nearly one-fifth of their total area and almost one-third of their total volume by 2100 under a low-emissions scenario | The Cryosphere

(For more, see Carbon Brief's in-depth daily summaries of the top climate news stories on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.)

Captured

Solar power, electric vehicles and other clean-energy technologies drove more than a third of the growth in China's economy in 2025 - and more than 90% of the rise in investment, according to new analysis for Carbon Brief (shown in blue above). Clean-energy sectors contributed a record 15.4tn yuan ($2.1tn) in 2025, some 11.4% of China's gross domestic product (GDP) - comparable to the economies of Brazil or Canada, the analysis said.

Spotlight Can humans reverse nature decline?

This week, Carbon Brief travelled to a UN event in Manchester, UK to speak to biodiversity scientists about the chances of reversing nature loss.

Officials from more than 150 countries arrived in Manchester this week to approve a new UN report on how nature underpins economic prosperity.

The meeting comes just four years before nations are due to meet a global target to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, agreed in 2022 under the landmark "Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework" (GBF).

At the sidelines of the meeting, Carbon Brief spoke to a range of scientists about humanity's chances of meeting the 2030 goal. Their answers have been edited for length and clarity.

Dr David Obura, ecologist and chair of Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

We can't halt and reverse the decline of every ecosystem. But we can try to "bend the curve" or halt and reverse the drivers of decline. That's the economic drivers, the indirect drivers and the values shifts we need to have. What the GBF aspires to do, in terms of halting and reversing biodiversity loss, we can put in place the enabling drivers for that by 2030, but we won't be able to do it fast enough at this point to halt [the loss] of all ecosystems.

Dr Luthando Dziba, executive secretary of IPBES 

Countries are due to report on progress by the end of February this year on their national strategies to the Convention on Biological Diversity [CBD]. Once we get that, coupled with a process that is ongoing within the CBD, which is called the global stocktake, I think that's going to give insights on progress as to whether this is possible to achieve by 2030…Are we on the right trajectory? I think we are and hopefully we will continue to move towards the final destination of having halted biodiversity loss, but also of living in harmony with nature. 

Prof Laura Pereira, scientist at the Global Change Institute at Wits University, South Africa

At the global level, I think it's very unlikely that we're going to achieve the overall goal of halting biodiversity loss by 2030. That being said, I think we will make substantial inroads towards achieving our longer term targets. There is a lot of hope, but we've also got to be very aware that we have not necessarily seen the transformative changes that are going to be needed to really reverse the impacts on biodiversity.

Dr David Cooper, chair of the UK's Joint Nature Conservation Committee and former executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity 

It's important to look at the GBF as a whole…I think it is possible to achieve those targets, or at least most of them, and to make substantial progress towards them. It is possible, still, to take action to put nature on a path to recovery. We'll have to increasingly look at the drivers.

Prof Andrew Gonzalez, McGill University professor and co-chair of an IPBES biodiversity monitoring assessment 

I think for many of the 23 targets across the GBF, it's going to be challenging to hit those by 2030. I think we're looking at a process that's starting now in earnest as countries [implement steps and measure progress]…You have to align efforts for conserving nature, the economics of protecting nature [and] the social dimensions of that, and who benefits, whose rights are preserved and protected.

Neville Ash, director of the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre

The ambitions in the 2030 targets are very high, so it's going to be a stretch for many governments to make the actions necessary to achieve those targets, but even if we make all the actions in the next four years, it doesn't mean we halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. It means we put the action in place to enable that to happen in the future…The important thing at this stage is the urgent action to address the loss of biodiversity, with the result of that finding its way through by the ambition of 2050 of living in harmony with nature.  

Prof Pam McElwee, Rutgers University professor and co-chair of an IPBES "nexus assessment" report 

If you look at all of the available evidence, it's pretty clear that we're going to keep experiencing biodiversity decline. I mean, it's fairly similar to the 1.5C climate target. We are not going to meet that either. But that doesn't mean that you slow down the ambition…even though you recognise that we probably won't meet that specific timebound target, that's all the more reason to continue to do what we're doing and, in fact, accelerate action.

Watch, read, listen

OIL IMPACTS: Gas flaring has risen in the Niger Delta since oil and gas major Shell sold its assets in the Nigerian "oil hub", a Climate Home News investigation found. 

LOW SNOW: The Washington Post explored how "climate change is making the Winter Olympics harder to host". 

CULTURE WARS: A Media Confidential podcast examined when climate coverage in the UK became "part of the culture wars".

Coming up

• 2-8 February: 12th session of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), Manchester, UK
• 8 February: Japanese general election
• 8 February: Portugal presidential election
• 11 February: Barbados general election
• 11-12 February: UN climate chief Simon Stiell due to speak in Istanbul, Turkey

Pick of the jobs

• UK Met Office, senior climate science communicator | Salary: £43,081-£46,728. Location: Exeter, UK
• Canadian Red Cross, programme officer, Indigenous operations - disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation | Salary: $56,520-$60,053. Location: Manitoba, Canada
• Aldersgate Group, policy officer | Salary: £33,949-£39,253. Location: London (hybrid)

DeBriefed is edited by Daisy Dunne. Please send any tips or feedback to debriefed@carbonbrief.org.

This is an online version of Carbon Brief's weekly DeBriefed email newsletter. Subscribe for free here.

DeBriefed 30 January 2026:  Fire and ice; US formally exits Paris; Climate image faux pas

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DeBriefed 23 January 2026: Trump's Davos tirade; EU wind and solar milestone; High seas hope

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DeBriefed 16 January 2026: Three years of record heat; China and India coal milestone; Beijing's 2026 climate outlook

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The post DeBriefed 6 February 2026: US secret climate panel 'unlawful' | China's clean energy boon | Can humans reverse nature loss? appeared first on Carbon Brief.

Storm Leonardo has ravaged the southern regions of Spain and Portugal this week, leaving one man dead in Portugal and one woman missing in Spain

• Calls to postpone presidential election as Storm Leonardo lashes Portugal and Spain

Continue reading...

Source: press release: RAI Association | © Images: MOTORbeurs Utrecht | For MOTORbeurs Utrecht 2026, RAI Association and Royal Jaarbeurs are once again bringing nearly every major motorcycle brand together under one roof. Operating under the banner "All Brands United," the initiative marks the third time manufacturers have chosen collaboration over competition, and it coincides with a major milestone: the 40th edition of MOTORbeurs Utrecht.

From 19-22 February 2026, Jaarbeurs Utrecht will host what is expected to be the biggest edition yet, with organisers predicting record visitor numbers and the most comprehensive brand line-up in the show's history.

United brands, growing momentum

According to Tom Crooijmans, Chairman of the Motorcycle Section at RAI Association, the decision to reunite was an easy one.

"We're delighted that the motorcycle brands affiliated with RAI Association have once again committed to participating collectively in MOTORbeurs Utrecht. Visitor numbers have been rising steadily, and by working together we're continuing the positive momentum of recent years."

That momentum reflects a wider shift in the Netherlands, where motorcycling is gaining popularity at pace. More people are earning their motorcycle licences, and two-wheel mobility is increasingly recognised not just as a lifestyle choice, but as a practical and affordable transport solution.

A jubilee edition with purpose

Royal Jaarbeurs is equally enthusiastic about the collaboration. Rachel Jankowsky, Exhibition Manager of MOTORbeurs Utrecht, sees the collective approach as central to the event's success.

"This year marks the 40th edition of MOTORbeurs Utrecht, and it remains one of the highlights of our annual calendar. Previous editions have shown that cooperation between brands creates a complete and transparent overview for visitors, and that's exactly what they're looking for."

The collaboration is coordinated through RAI Association, with importers joining forces to present a unified view of the 2026 model year. Martijn van Eikenhorst, Section Manager Motorcycles at RAI Association, believes the timing couldn't be better.

"Motorcycling is growing rapidly. More Dutch riders are discovering that riding is about more than just experience, it plays a vital role in accessible and affordable mobility. Employers are increasingly recognising this as well. That makes it essential to showcase two-wheel mobility to a broad audience."

Every major name, one hall

For visitors, "All Brands United" means exactly that: a single destination to see all major 2026 model launches side by side. Brands confirmed for MOTORbeurs Utrecht 2026 include:

Aprilia, Benelli, Bimota, BMW Motorrad, CFMoto, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Indian Motorcycle, Kawasaki, KTM, Kymco, Mash, Morbidelli, Moto Guzzi, NIU, Piaggio, QJMotor, Royal Enfield, Suzuki, Triumph, Ultraviolette, Vespa, Voge, Yamaha, Zeeho, and Zero Motorcycles.

Editor's note - THE PACK:

Guy Salens - Leader of THE PACK: "I hope that the majority of participating brands will also bring their electric models to Utrecht. With nearly the entire industry represented in one place, MOTORbeurs Utrecht 2026 offers a unique opportunity to introduce electric two-wheel mobility to a truly broad audience. Seeing these machines up close, next to their combustion counterparts, is exactly what helps riders understand where electric fits today, and where it's headed tomorrow".

Practical info

MOTORbeurs Utrecht 2026

Cillian Murphy, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Lewis Capaldi also cameo in the '90s-themed short

Ford may be discontinuing its F-150 Lightning pickup but it hasn't given up on electric cars. CEO Jim Farley just teased the automaker's electric pickup based on its new Universal Electric Vehicle platform that he called "one of the most audacious and important projects in Ford's history."

The Universal EV platform will be used on a family of affordable EVs sold around the world, but will start with a mid-sized pickup for the US built in Louisville, Kentucky. It's set to go on sale next year with a target price of $30,000.

An early peek at our brilliant team working on the Universal Electric Vehicle project - one of the most audacious and important projects in @Ford's history. American innovation is how we compete and win against China and the rest of the world.

➡️ The team is spending countless… pic.twitter.com/Un4eCe258L

— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) February 5, 2026

Farley discussed some of the tech going into the pickup, particularly the aerodynamics, a key aspect if Ford is to compete with rivals. "The team is spending countless hours getting every last drop of aero efficiency on the mid-size electric pickup," he noted. Farley also discussed the "simplified aluminum unicastings [that] condense over 146 parts into two" as a way to boost production efficiency.

Ford will invest $5 billion, including $2 billion at the Louisville factory on top of $3 billion already announced for its BlueOval battery plant. It will expand the Louisville facility by 52,000 square feet and "create or secure" nearly 4,000 direct jobs, the company said late last year.

Ford hasn't yet revealed the pickup's name or shown a photo, but it's supposed to have more interior room than a Toyota RAV4. Buyers will be able to lock bikes or surfboards into the pickup bed, mooting the need for roof or trailer hitch racks. It will have a low center of gravity from the battery, instant torque and a 0 to 60 mph time "as fast as a Mustang EcoBoost [around 4.5 seconds], with more downforce," Ford said.

Jim Farley famously imported a famously fast and high-tech Xiaomi SU7 EV from China and drove it daily, telling a podcaster he didn't want to "give it up." Hopefully, his experience will result in more tech-forward Ford EVs based on the Universal platform.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/ford-shows-off-the-tech-going-into-its-30000-electric-pickup-truck-140000509.html?src=rss

Plus, Tatiana Maslany stays vague on the future of She-Hulk in the MCU.

Photos from Friday as the most exciting sport on Earth touches down in KLCC.

The Opening Party takes place tonight in KL for the 2026 MotoGP Season Launch, and the riders headed out for a photo op first, with the iconic PETRONAS towers serving as a backdrop.

On Saturday night, the show run and incredible stage event will take place just underneath the towers. Find out more HERE and come back for more tomorrow as MotoGP stages a night to remember.

 

MotoGP Season Launch in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo courtesy Dorna

 

MotoGP Season Launch in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo courtesy Dorna

The post MotoGP Season Launch: Postcards from Kuala Lumpur appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

Apple is no longer launching an AI service that can "replicate" a doctor and act as a personal health coach, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The company has reportedly scaled back the unannounced initiative in recent weeks, following a recent organization reshuffling wherein services chief Eddy Cue took over the health division.

While Apple has never officially announced the AI health coach, it was reported last year that the company was working on developing the service that has been unofficially dubbed Health+. It was supposed to be able to help users track food and correct workout forms using their iPhone's camera, as well as to recommend lifestyle changes based on users' health data. Apple even reportedly produced videos for the service, including ones explaining medical conditions and some training guides.

Cue reportedly wanted Apple to move faster and be more competitive when it comes to its health-focused products, seeing as the most well-known names in the field like Oura are already offering a lot of compelling features on their iOS apps. He didn't think Apple's plans could compete, Bloomberg said.

Instead of rolling out an AI health coach as a whole package, Apple will instead release the individual features it has developed to its Health app over time. The videos it shot and the capability to make recommendations based on user data could be available early this year. Apple is also reportedly working on an AI health chatbot to answer wellness questions. It's just an interim solution, however, and the company's goal is to let its reported upcoming Siri chatbot handle those inquiries in the future.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/apple-reportedly-axed-its-planned-ai-health-coach-133000941.html?src=rss

If you haven't heard, there's now a social network for AI: Moltbook, a site that purportedly features AI agents talking to each other. That includes OpenClaw, a personal AI agent (formerly called Clawdbot and Moltbot) that's open source and free for anyone to run on their systems. In this episode, Devindra and Senior Reporter Karissa Bell discuss the rise of these services, and the potential future that AI agents may have for all of us.

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Topics

• What is Moltbook and OpenClaw? - 1:31

• Anthropic reinforces its commitment against ads with Super Bowl ad spots - 19:32

• SpaceX acquires xAI and plans for a mega IPO - 27:08

• Alexa + rolls out free for all Amazon Prime subscribers - 33:36

• Around Engadget: Reviews of the New AirTag and Switch Virtual Boy - 44:12

• Working on - 46:34

• Pop culture picks - 49:24

Credits

Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Karissa Bell
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/engadget-podcast-so-theres-a-social-network-for-ai-agents-now-133000813.html?src=rss

TikTok's signature features that hooked users around the world are its algorithm and endless scroll. Now, though, the European Union has called those aspects of the app illegal and may order the company to alter them.

"Today, the European Commission preliminarily found TikTok in breach of the Digital Services Act for its addictive design," the EU's regulator said in a press release. "This includes features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and its highly personalized recommender system." It said that TikTok failed to put up safeguards to ensure that those "addictive" features don't "harm the physical and mental wellbeing of users," including minors.

"For example, by constantly 'rewarding' users with new content, certain design features of TikTok fuel the urge to keep scrolling and shift the brain of users into 'autopilot mode'. Scientific research shows that this may lead to compulsive behaviour and reduce users' self-control," the regulators stated.

TikTok's current parental controls and features to limit screen time are insufficient, the Commission added, and TikTok may need to modify them. The platform may also be required to limit its infinite scroll and adjust its recommendation algorithms.

The EU Commission will give TikTok an opportunity to rebut the findings and the company said would use "any means available" to challenge them. "The commission's preliminary findings present a categorically false and entirely meritless depiction of our platform," the company told The New York Times in a statement.

Europe opened its wide-ranging investigation against TikTok in February 2024 and has already found the company at fault for its data sharing practices and advertising transparency. If found guilty of violating the DSA, TikTok faces a fine up to six percent of its annual worldwide turnover.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/eu-says-tiktok-uses-addictive-design-and-must-change-131738425.html?src=rss

With prices starting at just $15 a month, enjoying fast speeds and a stable connection has never been easier.

Olena Illustrations/Shutterstock

An environmental expert from Nigeria, a climate policy consultant from Kenya, an oceanographer from Indonesia and an Indigenous social development specialist from the Philippines will are among dozens of experts in the UK this month as the UN's top climate body meets to rewrite the the rules for compiling the world's most important climate reports.

The workshops at the University of Reading from February 10 to 12 will lay the groundwork for bringing diverse knowledge into the next report by the UN climate science body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The seventh assessment report, known as AR7, will be published in 2028 and finalised the following year.

There are two big themes under discussion. One workshop examines how artificial intelligence (AI) tools can help scientists review growing volumes of climate research. AI is revolutionising scientific research, with its ability to conduct faster analysis of complex data than traditional computer models. AI weather and climate models are already becoming integrated into the information provided through meteorological services such as the Met Office.

Another workshop explores how Indigenous and local knowledge can be integrated into these assessments alongside standard scientific findings. For decades, IPCC reports have been built primarily on peer-reviewed scientific papers from academic institutions, mostly in the world's wealthier nations. These workshops explore how to better include Indigenous knowledge, local observations and expertise from communities that are experiencing climate change first hand.

This could not come at a more important time. A few weeks ago, the US withdrew its participation from the IPCC process. Now, a new cadre of experts from across the world are coming to the UK to make climate science more inclusive and AR7 preparation continues with 195 member countries. The work goes on, but the US absence leaves gaps in emissions reporting and funding.

Indigenous knowledge is being integrated into the UN's climate reports. melitas/Shutterstock Credible, yet unconventional

Bringing in diverse voices is essential to the report's success. If IPCC reports reflect only one way of understanding the world, they can miss crucial insights. As other sectors have found again and again, a lack of diversity in the workforce leads to a lack of insight. The environment sector remains one of the least diverse, with only 3.5% of people working in environmental jobs identifying as being from an ethnic minority. Diverse voices and critical discussions are key to making robust, inclusive and future-proof decisions.

Through my work developing flood forecasting systems across Africa, Asia and Latin America, I've learned this directly. After Cyclone Idai hit Mozambique in 2019, the Global Flood Awareness System, a service that provides openly accessible information about upcoming floods across the world, was used to help target relief where it was most needed.

In Uganda, working with the humanitarian agency Uganda Red Cross and the Red Cross Climate Centre, our forecasts helped 5,000 people evacuate before roads were cut. In Bangladesh's river basins, improving forecasts meant understanding how communities interpret flood risk. In Kenya, choosing the right forecasting approach required learning from the people who have lived with these rivers for generations.

Climate science has traditionally valued certain types of expertise. Peer-reviewed papers and university credentials do matter. But expertise also comes from generations of farmers building up understanding of local weather patterns or Indigenous knowledge about the land, forests and rivers. Scientific models, combined with community knowledge, produce better outcomes than either alone.

For the result of its latest report to be credible, the IPCC needs the best evidence from all sources, because that is what produces the best science.

Hannah Cloke advises the Environment Agency, the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts, the Copernicus Emergency Management Service, local and national governments and humanitarian agencies on the forecasting and warning of natural hazards. She is a member of the UKRI Natural Environment Research Council and a fellow of the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts. Her research is funded by the UKRI Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council, the UKRI Natural Environment Research Council, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the European Commission.

A year to replace end-of-support firewalls, routers, and VPN gateways

America's federal agencies have been told to hunt down and rip out aging firewalls, routers, and other network gatekeepers before attackers use them as skeleton keys into government systems.…

It is refreshing to read a political polemic which contains useful actions the reader can take. Too many books about the social problems with technology end up being a diagnosis with no cure.

Paloma Oliveira's new book (with technical review by my friend Dawn Foster) is a deep dive into how we can all make Open Source more inclusive and equitable.

Unlike most tech books, it doesn't follow the usual pattern of restricting itself to the US hegemony. It is very focussed on the EU and the needs of people around the world. It is clear in identifying many of the problems which arise when people say they just want to focus on tech, not politics:

When projects focus purely on technical excellence without considering accessibility, they create implicit barriers. Documentation written only in English, community discussions held during North American business hours, or development environments that require high-end hardware all reflect choices that determine who can participate—though these choices often remain unexamined.

This is profoundly important. The book isn't afraid to be challenging. It links the way companies extract value from the commons to the way colonisers extracted value from the lands they "discovered".

There are a few missteps which I didn't care for. While it starts as very casually written, it quickly finds itself getting into the weeds of political philosophy. I think that's a necessary evil. But I don't know how easily people will be convinced by passages like:

Bratton notes secessionist withdrawal in traditional territories and consolidation domains in stacked hemispheric, the continuing expansions of nebular sovereignties, and the reform of conventional States into regional platforms.

Similarly, there are a few "just-so" stories which are fictional parables. I think they would have been more convincing as actual case-studies.

I did find myself skipping some of the background in order to get to the parts I found more interesting. The chapter on "Political Rhetoric and Institution Validation" felt a bit out of place and I didn't get much from it.

But, after all that theory, there is a lot of practical advice. From how to structure your README to how to communicate change to your community. Even better, all the templates and resources are on GitHub.

It is thoroughly referenced and gave me lots of new rabbit-holes to follow Rather pleasingly, it cites my 2020 blog post "Please Stop Inventing New Software Licences" as an example of the ways in which corporates often try to stifle open source.

If you want to help Open Source succeed, you owe it to yourself to grab a copy of this book.

The Last of Us series co-creator Craig Mazin is teaming with Hasbro Entertainment to create an HBO series based on the popular (and spicy) Baldur's Gate 3 game, Deadline reported. The show will be simply be called Baldur's Gate and the story will resume where Baldur's Gate 3 left off. Mazin will reportedly have full creative control and act as co-creator, writer, executive producer and showrunner.

"It is a dream come true to be able to continue the story that [Baldur's Gate 3 developer] Larian and Wizards of The Coast created," Mazin said in a statement. "I am a devoted fan of DnD and the brilliant way that Swen Vincke and his gifted team adapted it. I can't wait to help bring Baldur's Gate and all of its incredible characters to life with as much respect and love as we can."

Larian, which won't be making the Baldur's Gate 3 sequel, said it wasn't involved in the creation of the show. However, Larian CEO Swen Vincke said that to his knowledge, Mazin is a "big fan" of the game and even requested to visit the studio (Mazin told Deadline that he has put about 1,000 hours into the game).

Mazin is best known for co-creating the Emmy-winning limited series Chernobyl as well as The Last of Us. The latter was widely praised for its first season but critics and fans were mixed on season 2, which deviated a bit more from the corresponding game.

The show will reportedly feature familiar and new characters, but no other details have been released. A Baldur's Gate 4 game is not currently in development, so the series creators will have no source material to draw from. That gives them a lot of freedom, but also puts the storytelling onus fully on Mazin and his team of writers. Wizards of the Coast story head Chris Perkins will reportedly act as a consultant on the show to ensure it doesn't stray from its DnD origins.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/hbo-is-making-a-baldurs-gate-3-tv-show-130000864.html?src=rss

A free trial to a virtual private network (VPN) can mean a few different things. Several of the best VPNs let you try them out without paying. A rare few, and only one on this list, let you try them without submitting payment information at all. Some VPNs have forever free plans that let you use them indefinitely without paying, as long as you're OK with some limits.

For the most part, though, your best chance to test a VPN for free is to pay for a subscription. Then, if you don't like the service, you can get your money back before the refund guarantee expires. This takes a bit more work, and some services have very tight turnarounds. However, it'll get you the most time with the most complete version of the VPN.

With that out of the way, let's talk about the best VPN free trials for each definition of "free trial." I'll start with VPNs that actually have free trials, most of which require a payment method and only work on mobile devices. The next section lists the best forever free plans. Finally, I'll share instructions for how to use a VPN money-back guarantee as a free trial.

Best VPNs with free trials

Best VPN forever free plans

Using VPN money-back guarantees as free trials

Although VPN free trials are great when you can get them, you'll enjoy a lot more flexibility by taking advantage of refund guarantees. Almost every provider has a money-back guarantee that doesn't require you to prove a specific problem. You'll probably have to deflect some upselling attempts before you actually get the refund, but most policies do promise you all your money back, with no pro-rating.

I like to download VPNs on their one-month plans so I can put the full service through my usual battery of tests. A 30-day money-back guarantee grants you enough time to learn whether you can use the VPN long-term. If you don't like the service, the standard method for getting a refund is to get in touch with customer support on the VPN provider's help page.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/best-vpns-with-free-trials-130000435.html?src=rss

NordVPN is offering a significant discount on its two-year plans, with 70 percent off its Complete tier and up to 78 percent off overall. For the Complete tier, the deal brings the total cost down to $130 for 24 months

NordVPN regularly appears on Engadget's list of the best VPN services thanks to its wide server network, strong security tools and consistent performance across devices. NordVPN's latest promotion puts one of its most comprehensive plans at a price that undercuts many competing premium VPN subscriptions.

The Complete tier includes full access to NordVPN's core VPN service, which encrypts internet traffic and masks a user's IP address to help protect online activity on public Wi-Fi networks and at home. Subscribers can use the service on multiple devices, including phones, tablets, laptops and smart TVs, with apps available for major operating systems. It also includes access to NordPass (more on that below), an ad blocker and 1TB of cloud storage. You'll find similar discounts on all of NordVPN's other plans: Basic, Plus and Prime.

Beyond the basics, NordVPN offers features like threat protection to help block malicious websites and trackers, as well as specialty servers designed for added privacy or faster performance in specific scenarios. In our NordVPN review, the service was praised for its evolving feature set and overall reliability, even as the VPN market becomes increasingly competitive.

Engadget regularly tracks VPN pricing trends and this offer compares favorably with other current promotions. It also appears alongside NordVPN deals featured in Engadget's ongoing roundup of the best VPN discounts available right now, which compares offers from multiple major providers.

Those looking for additional security tools may also want to note that NordVPN's Complete plan bundles in extra services beyond the VPN itself. One of those is NordPass, the company's password management app. NordPass is also discounted as part of a separate promotion, if you're primarily looking for a password manager rather than a VPN. The Premium tier is currently 50 percent off, bringing the price down to $36 for two years. NordPass Premium adds features such as cross-device password syncing, secure password sharing and breach monitoring, which alerts users if stored credentials appear in known data leaks.

Both offers are available for a limited time, though Nord has not specified an end date for the promotion. If you're still unsure whether NordVPN is right for you, it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can change your mind and get a full refund.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/two-years-of-nordvpns-complete-plan-is-70-percent-off-123000301.html?src=rss

A totally tropical livener with familiar cachaça and lime and an intriguing kiwi jam twang

This tropical, vibrant drink is our most popular cocktail, perhaps because it's a twist on something familiar. Rather than building it in the glass with crushed ice, as for a traditional caipirinha, this is shaken so that the kiwi jam is mixed into the drink more thoroughly.

Jake Garstang, restaurant manager and sommelier, Maré, Hove, East Sussex

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MeTV, a network focused on classic entertainment, will show the 1939 favorite as part of its Halloween programming.

What happened to Trump as crypto's savior?

In a recent livestream, the team behind the 'Magic' collector drop program explained why they'll never go back to a print-on-demand format.

With over 155 million sold, Nintendo's Switch is officially the company's biggest console hit ever. It's been a long road to surpassing the DS, which reached 154 million consoles over its seven-year lifespan. The Switch, meanwhile, is a year shy of its 10-year anniversary. 

We've seen the original console, the non-hybrid Lite and the OLED versions of the Switch over the decade, but despite being replaced by Switch 2, the original is still selling at a strong pace: 1.36 million units in Q3. Just think how many Joy-Cons it sold/replaced?

Next goal: try to be the best-selling console of all time. Currently, that's the PlayStation 2. 

Nintendo is just shy of five million units to go. 

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

• Everything we know about Valve's new Steam Machine

• Apple AirTag (2026) review: Simply better 

• Presidents' Day sales 2026: The best tech deals from Apple, Sony, Roku and others 

• The best mesh Wi-Fi systems of 2026

Explained: Moltbook, the social network for AI agents

Are they talking about us behind our backs?

TMATMA

Moltbook is a "digital petri dish," a Reddit-style forum populated entirely by AI agents that post, follow and even gossip about their owners in dedicated submolts. Built using vibe coding, it's a surreal experiment in autonomous socialization — though there's no shortage of user-data security flaws. Is Moltbook a profound look at the dead internet theory or just a very loud AI echo chamber? Or something in the middle? Karissa explains it all. (Sorry, Karissa.)

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Nintendo's Virtual Boy is a niche slice of gaming history.

Lean in.

TMAEngadget

Nintendo's worst-selling console was probably the Virtual Boy. It sold less than 800,000 units, with only 22 games in Japan and 14 in North America. And it didn't even have the guts to launch in Europe or Australia.

But Nintendo doesn't care. It's brought the Virtual Boy back, baby, as an add-on for the Switch 2, in all its red monochrome '90s-tech glory. And we finally got to test it. 

It even includes the original bipod, which you use to prop it up and lean into it. Yes, you still can't just wear the thing like modern VR headsets. The Switch 2 console, sans Joy-Cons, then slides in, acting as display, battery and processor. 

It seems more of a historical nod than anything else. This is pretty much 30-year-old VR tech, as-is. But… I still want one as a gaming objet d'art. A hundred bucks is a fair chunk of change for that, though. Read on for our full impressions.

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Surprise! Google teases the Pixel 10a

Pre-orders open later this month.

TMAGoogle

Google posted a teaser video revealing its new entry-level smartphone, the Pixel 10a, in a lovely lilac colorway. We don't know much more, however. You can see it's another dual-camera Pixel, with that same flush body — which I like. (How does that already seem retro?) 

Leaks suggest a 6.3-inch display and a large 5,100 mAh battery. It otherwise looks and seems like the Pixel 9a, although Google promises that there's "more in store." Last year's A-series launched at $500 — will this land at a similar price? You can pre-order the Pixel 10a on February 18. 

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AMD suggests a 2027 launch for next-gen Xbox

Shouldn't Microsoft be saying this?

AMD CEO Lisa Su revealed on the company's latest earnings call that Microsoft's development of an Xbox with a semi-custom SOC from AMD is "progressing well to support a launch in 2027." Maybe Microsoft can chase that best-selling console crown too?

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-the-switch-is-officially-nintendos-most-popular-console-ever-121500738.html?src=rss

Ducati's step with its 2026 MotoGP bike looks to be significant, claims Jorge Lorenzo

Alex Lowes says his "experience" will be a useful attribute after a disrupted WorldSBK preseason.

By email and blogpost

Ross Moorlock, Chief Executive OfficerBrake Charity 
PO Box 18896
Sutton Coldfield B73 9BL
cc: Transport Commissioner; Deputy Mayor for Transport; Deputy Mayor for Social Justice and Communities, London Victims' Commissioner; TfL Walking and Cycling Commissioner; TfL Board Secretariat; TfL SSHR Panel Secretariat; TfL Chief Safety Officer; TfL Director of Bus; TfL Head of Insights and Direction; TfL Chief Operations Officer; London Assembly Transport Committee Members; CEO, London TravelWatch
6 February 2026Dear Ross Moorlock,
RE: Will Brake Charity speak up for London's and the UK's Vanished Bus Victims"? 
Since it appears that London Assembly Members Keith Prince (Reform) and Neil Garratt (Conservative) have recently uncovered a scandal that proves TfL has been misleading the public and press about the actual number of victims "killed in or by a bus" in London each year,  Brake Charity's recent Press Release—"Brake partners with TfL to continue support for people impacted by serious road traffic collisions in London"—is very timely.   
As the survivor of critical injuries I received from a TfL Bus on Oxford Street in 2009, upon learning that Brake Charity had been awarded a £905,000.00 TfL contract to support London road crash victims or their surviving families, I thought you might consider it worthwhile to use some of this public money to convince the Mayor and TfL to be honest about the number of victims they claim are "killed in or by a bus" in London in TfL's benchmark road safety reporting publications.  
Since Brake Charity is already being paid by TfL under its new contract, I prepared this Briefing Note for your information, review and—if you're inspired to respond—comment, which, like this Briefing Note, I will make public. 
Background 
1. For over a decade, TfL's Contracted Bus Operation has accounted for a disproportionate number of London's Pedestrian Road Crash Victims. 

Any transparency shown by TfL about the frequent deaths and serious injuries generated by its contracted bus fleet is the direct result of a policy forced upon London's Local Transport Authority (LTA) by Mayor Boris Johnson in 2014. TfL's reluctant transparency came about only after it been regularly receiving (a) bad press generated by my 'relentless' volunteer research and campaigning and (b) public scrutiny from London Assembly members, namely Victoria Borwick, and Richard Tracey (Conservative), Caroline Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat), Jenny Jones and Darren Johnson (Green).  

Analysis of the Bus Safety Performance Data (called—interchangeably—"IRIS" or "SHE" Data) that TfL has published every quarter since 2014 evidences—

• there have been, on average, over 26,000 recorded TfL bus crashes per year—that's an average of at least 72 potentially-lethal bus crashes per day—with 2024 witnessing the highest number of recorded crashes (nearly 29,000 or 79 per day) since 2014 (nearly 25,000 or 68 per day).
• at least 10,818 people have been injured in a collision involving a TfL Bus, of which 3557 victims have been 'taken to hospital'.  In his responses to many Mayor's Questions, the Mayor has repeatedly confirmed that TfL has no idea if these victims who have been compelled to be taken to hospital from injuries sustained "in or by a bus" have recovered fully or suffer from life-changing injuries or have passed away.  Accordingly, the veracity of any serious injury figure published by TfL involving its contracted bus fleet is, quite frankly, dubious; 
• at least 137 people have been killed in preventable Bus Safety Incidents in London—113 from collisions, 16 from onboard falls and 9 from other safety-related incidents (e.g, deaths from ill-defined but safety-related 'activity', 'near misses', personal injuries').
• about 10 percent of all vehicle-related pedestrian fatalities in London have resulted from a collision involving a TfL Bus — in 2024, that horrifically large percentage increased to 15%.

Since the public record shows that TfL's contracted bus fleet— 

(a) now only accounts for about 1 percent of all vehicles on London's roads at any time (down from about 3 percent in 2014), and;

(b) these vehicles' presence on London's roads and ridership have steadily declined since 2014;  

 

—it is obvious that an increasingly disproportionate amount of Brake Charity's services to 'people impacted by serious road traffic collisions in London' will be rendered to victims of TfL's contracted public bus operation. In fact, the public record also shows that, over the past decade, preventable bus collisions resulted in an average of over one person per day being taken to hospital. and—based on TfL's 29 May Press Release about 2024's bus collision fatalities—more than one person per month taken to the morgue.  
TfL's 'Vanished Bus Victims' Scandal 
2. TfL has been misleading the public about the number of people "killed in or on a London Bus" since, at least, 2018.
Since Brake has long been a member of TfL's—non-transparent, in my view— Vision Zero Reference Group, you'll already know that in his July 2018 Transport Strategy, the Mayor pledged to measure London's progress on Bus Safety Performance according to this unique-to-London—Vision Zero metric, i.e—

"for no one to be killed in or by a London bus by 2030"

To chart 'progress towards the Mayor's Transport Strategy', since 2018, TfL's benchmark "Casualties in Greater London" reports have purported to show the number of people "killed in or by a bus", clearly evidenced by the two images below that I have extracted from TfL's latest (2024) "Casualties in Greater London" report. 

Since TfL's official annual bus fatality totals and the 2010-14 baseline are frequently cited by the Mayor and TfL in official reports and press releases—and, as a direct consequence—in Government and media reports—you might appreciate my firmly held conviction that each time the Mayor or TfL quote numbers and baselines that purport to reflect everyone "killed in or by a bus" in London, those numbers should be based on fact.  

3. Keith Prince AM's scrutiny of TfL's 2010-2024 Bus Fatality Data 

In October 2025 (and confirmed by the Mayor in his response to Question 2025/3723), Keith Prince requested TfL to provide him with the raw 2010-14 bus fatal incident data that it used to populate the information published in, inter alia, TfL's "Fatalities in Greater London 2024" Report. Despite the fact that Keith Prince later requested the Mayor to compel TfL to publish this raw data on the London Assembly website for public scrutiny, the Mayor failed to honour Keith Prince's request.  However, I am grateful Keith Prince shared both TfL's 21 November 2024 cover email and its attached data directly with me. 

Based on my analysis of the information TfL provided to Keith Prince directly for scrutiny, below please find my findings that I hope will encourage further actions by Brake Charity.

4. TfL's 2010-14 Baseline cannot be accurate

Below please find the 21 November 2025 correspondence from TfL to Keith Prince AM. 

From: Members Correspondence <MembersCorrespondence@tfl.gov.uk> 

Sent: Friday, November 21, 2025 4:21:11 PM

To: Keith Prince <Keith.Prince@london.gov.uk>

Subject: Follow up from bus safety discussion

Dear Keith,

Thank you for meeting with us last month to discuss our bus safety data. We hope that you found this helpful and productive.

As requested, we have compiled a spreadsheet showing the bus fatalities that are included in table 3 of the data annex (Bus-involved fatalities), we have included the date, borough, collision location and causality mode of travel. Please note, this only includes police-reported (STATS19 fatalities) and doesn't include non-STATS19 fatalities such as medical incidents and fatalities resulting from collisions on private land.

Unfortunately, the raw data which we have used in the spreadsheet is only available from 2017 onwards.  This is because bus casualty data is part of a 'Bus or Coach' category as per the Department for Transport STATS19 modal categories. In 2017 TfL agreed with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to split out bus and coaches to enable better monitoring of incidents relating to our buses, this means that from 2017 a flag was included for London buses in the police form which could be used to identify bus-involved fatalities. Prior to 2017, bus involved figures are estimates based on modelled data, so raw data records are not available to share.

Some of the other requested information, such as the bus route and operator, is not recorded in STATS19 and as such could not be included in the attached. 

Please let us know if you have any further questions. 

Kind regards,

[NAME WITHHELD]

Government Relations

11th Floor, Palestra, SE1 8NJ

Despite the Mayor repeatedly stating (cf. Question 2025/4415 from December 2025) that TfL uses a 2010-14 Baseline to, inter alia—

• measure TfL's 'progress' against Vision Zero Bus Safety targets and
• determine levels of annual performance bonuses paid to TfL executives

—this email confirms that TfL has no reliable raw bus fatality data that underwrites this key Vision Zero and Bus Safety Performance baseline. Furthermore, the fact that TfL admits that it's using STATS19 Data to represent the number of people "killed in or by a bus" each year proves that TfL knows it is citing a mere subset of a larger group of fatalities.  If you review the Bus Safety Data Guidance that TfL issued hastily and without explanation in early November 2024, STATS19 criteria allows TfL to exclude victims—

 "killed in or by a bus" from "collisions on private land, noncollisions (e.g. death due to medical episodes or slips, trips and falls on a bus), incidents outside the Greater London boundary and death occurring after 30 days."  

While those exclusions might produce inaccurate bus fatality datasets acceptable to the DfT (cf. RAS0601, which shows 521 fatal road collision incidents involving a "Bus or Coach" from 2015-2024), TfL's use of knowingly smaller STATS19 datasets to reflect the total number of people "killed in or by bus" for each year to "measure progress towards the Mayor's Transport Strategy bus involved fatality target for 2030", is frankly, simply intentionally misleading. As you know, both the Mayor's Transport Strategy and the 2030 target are unique-to-London and there is no statutory, legal or moral requirement for TfL to publish less-robust STATS19-defined figures for these reports that relate exclusively to TfL's 'progress towards the Mayor's Transport Strategy bus involved fatality target for 2030.'

5. TfL is intentionally excluding documented incidents of people "killed in or by a bus" in its official reports that claim to show the total number of people "killed in or by a bus".

My reconciliation of the raw 2017-2024 data TfL emailed to Keith Prince on 21 November 2025 with the IRIS Data TfL has published on its website quarterly since 2014 reveals that, since 2017, TfL has failed to report 21 documented incidents of "people killed in or by a bus". This means that, for the past 7 years (at least), TfL has failed to acknowledge the deaths of at least 1 in 4 of the total number of people that have actually been "killed in or by a bus". 

Allow me to walk you through the incidents of "people killed in or by a bus" each year from 2017 to 2024 that TfL has chosen to ignore in its "Casualties in Greater London" reports which, as you surely know, serve as the primary reference for anyone who scrutinises or reports about Road Safety in London. 

In 2017, TfL states that 8 "people were killed in or by a bus", but TfL excluded the following 4 fatal incidents:

• the 11 March 2017 death of an elderly male pedestrian who was killed in a collision involving a Route E6 Bus operated by Metroline (Greenford Depot) under contract to TfL in Hillingdon Borough;
• the 28 April 2017 death of an adult male passenger who was killed after an assault on a Route 189 bus operated by Metroline (Cricklewood Depot) under contract to TfL in Westminster Borough;
• the 29 June 2017 death of an elderly male pedestrian who was killed in a collision involving a Route 216 bus operated by RATP (Fulwell Dept) under contract to TfL in Surrey County;
• the 16 December 2017 death of an adult male passenger who was killed after falling on a Route R11 bus operated by Go Ahead (Orpington Depot) under contract to TfL in Bromley Borough.

In 2018, TfL states that 12 "people were killed in or by a bus", but TfL excluded following 4 fatal incidents:

• the 1 April 2018 death of a third party driver of unknown sex and age who was killed in a collision involving a Route 61 bus operated by Stagecoach (Bromley Depot) under contract to TfL in Bromley Borough;
• the 23 July 2018 death of an elderly female passenger who was killed in an "activity incident" on a Route W8 bus operated by Metroline (Potters Bar) under contract to TfL in Enfield Borough;
• the 17 September 2018 death of a passenger of unknown sex and age in an "activity incident" on a Route 318 bus operated by Arriva (Enfield Depot) under contract to TfL in Haringey Borough;
• the 6 November 2018 death of an adult male passenger after falling on a Route 32 bus operated by Metroline (Edgware Depot) in Brent Borough. 

In 2020, TfL states that 7 "people were killed in or by a bus", but TfL excluded the following 5 fatal incidents:

• the 12 February 2020 death of an adult male pedestrian in a collision involving a speeding Route 191 bus operated by Go Ahead (Northumberland Park Depot) under contract to TfL 'near' Edmonton Bus Station in Enfield Borough;
• the 14 March 2020 death of an adult male pedestrian in a collision involving a Route 96 bus operated by Stagecoach (Plumstead Depot) in Dartford; 
• the 16 March 2020 death of an elderly male passenger after falling on a Route 106 bus operated by Arriva (Ash Grove Depot) in Haringey;
• the 4 June 2020 death of a third party driver/occupant in a collision with a Route 209 bus operated by Transport UK (Twickenham Depot) in Richmond Upon Thames Borough. 
• the 22 October 2020 death of an elderly female passenger who was killed after falling on a Route 35 bus operated by Go Ahead (Camberwell Depot) in Southwark.

in 2021, TfL states that 5 "people were killed in or by a bus", but TfL excluded the following fatal incident:

• the 10 August 2021 death of an adult female pedestrian named Melissa Burr who was killed in a collision with a Route 507 bus operated by Go Ahead (Waterloo Depot) at Victoria Bus Station in Westminster Borough. The Evening Standard reported that the Mayor had issued a 'sincere apology' to Melissa Burr's family because TfL "wrongly suggested [she] may have been at fault for her death", an apology the Mayor confirmed in his response to Question 2024/3450. In my view, with all the information about the systemic causes of Victoria Station deaths now in the public domain, TfL's decision to exclude Melissa's Burr's death from the 2021 dataset demands further scrutiny.

In 2022, TfL states that 9 "people were killed in or by a bus", but TfL excluded the following fatal incident:

• the 18 December 2022 death of an adult male pedestrian named Stephen Mitchell who died after he was critically injured in a collision with a Route 363 bus operated by Go Ahead (Peckham Depot) in Southwark on 26 November 2022.  Similar to Melissa Burr's death, the fact that there is so much in the public domain about the ghastly circumstances surrounding Mr. Mitchell's death, and the fact that the Bus Driver was found guilty  calls into question TfL's decision to exclude his death from the 2022 datasets and demands further scrutiny. 

In 2023, TfL states that 6 "people were killed in or by a bus", but TfL excluded the following 2 fatal incidents: 

• the 12 March 2023 death of an adult male passenger after a collision involving a Route 79 bus operated by RATP (Edgware) in Harrow;
• the 15 December 2023 death of an elderly female pedestrian named Grace Mecaley who was killed in a collision involving a Route 212 bus operated by Go Ahead (Northumberland Depot) under contract to TfL at Walthamstow Bus Station in Waltham Forest Borough. Since TfL had a Notice of Contravention served to it by the Health and Safety Executive as a direct result of this incident—a document, by the way, that both the Mayor and TfL have both yet to provide for public scrutiny—similar to the exclusion of Melissa Burr and Stephen Mitchell from TfL's official fatality data for 2020 and 2022, TfL's justification for excluding Grace Mecaley's death from 2023's official fatality data demands a cogent explanation. 

In 2024, TfL states that 13 "people were killed in or by a bus", but TfL excluded the following 4 incidents:

• the 27 January 2024 death of an elderly female passenger after an "activity incident event" while on a Route 55 bus operated by Stagecoach (Leyton Depot) in Westminster;
• the 11 February 2024 death an adult male pedestrian after a collision involving a Route 158 bus operated by Arriva (Edmonton Depot) in Enfield;
• the 20 June 2024 death of a Bus Occupant of unknown sex and unknown age—an incident that is published in TfL's "Road Fatalities in Greater London since 2019" spreadsheet, but does not appear anywhere else on the TfL site;
• the 30 December 2024 death of an elderly male passenger who died after falling on a Route 5 bus operated by Go Ahead (River Road Depot) in Newham on 15 March 2024. 

Since we already know that (a) at least 1 in 4 bus victims have been ignored in TfL's 2017-2024 official dataset and (b) TfL refuses to provide the raw data to support the data it cites for "people killed in or by a bus" for the period 2010-2016, I reckon that 21 unacknowledged bus deaths is already a serious underestimate of the total number of victims that TfL has chosen to ignore over the period 2010-2024.  In fact, if you've had the opportunity to read my unacknowledged 2 December 2025 Letter to Mayor Sadiq Kahn (#VisionZero: Why is TfL allowed to ghost people who've been killed or seriously injured "on or by a bus" in its annual official Road Casualty reporting?), you'll immediately recognise the names of 2 vanished bus victims from 2010-16. 

• Saba Mirza (31), who was critically injured on a Zebra Crossing in a collision involving a Route 46 bus operated by Metroline under contract to TfL on 25 November 2016, but, I understand from her family, died while still in hospital in early January 2021. How many more vanished victims like Saba Mirza are there? 
• Ezarhul Islam (73), who fell and suffered critical injuries after, judging from the Coroner's 16 June 2016 Regulation 28 Report, a Go Ahead 191 Bus moved suddenly without warning on 23 October 2015, but died while still in hospital in December 2015. In its IRIS Data, TfL recorded the cause of his death as "Medical" and didn't include the incident in its "killed in or by a bus" total for 2015.  Since 1 January 2014, TfL has recorded 69 Bus-related Fatalities with "Medical" identified as the causal factor for death. How many of these "Medical" deaths actually represent vanished bus victims like Mr. Islam?  Based on last month's response to Question 2026/0028, the public will never know because the Mayor has refused to instruct TfL to investigate. 

6. How Brake Charity can Help TfL's and the UK's Vanished Bus Victims

From my quick reconciliation of the raw 2017-2024 Bus Fatality data Keith Prince received from TfL on 21 November 2025 with (a) the documented incidents of people "killed in or by a bus" found in TfL's published  Bus Safety ("SHE/IRIS") Data and Road Safety (STATS19 ) Data  and (b) some AI-assisted Web searching, it would appear that, since 2010, there are at least 23 people whose deaths "in or by a bus" were in vain because—

• Key Vision Zero Safety Target Baselines were created;
• Executive Bonuses were determined and paid;
• Official narratives about "Progress" on Vision Zero appeared in Press Releases that were dutifully reported by the local and national press;
• Evidence was submitted by TfL to at least three London Assembly Bus Safety Investigations and also, to the Department for Transport;

—and these specific documented preventable deaths "in or by a bus" were not acknowledged by TfL to have taken place at all. 

While TfL press spokespeople callously dismiss these ignored vanquished lives as "a small number of other fatalities" and TfL Board Documents negligently classify all bus deaths as "small numbers of low probability events", as the CEO of the leading national charity providing support to Road Victims, can I assume that you will not dismiss TfL having ignored at least 23 victims "killed in or by a bus" since 2010 in its benchmark road safety publications as merely the data geek pedantry of a highly-motivated Bus Crash Survivor but rather treat it as the breach of public trust by the Mayor and TfL that I think it clearly represents?  I might add, for governance of the Mayor's Vision Zero Programme and also for these victims' families, I think the Mayor's and TfL's acknowledgement of these 23 victims "killed in or by a bus" is precisely the point of Vision Zero. 

Accordingly, for a public bus fleet that is entirely within TfL's control, but—

• still ranks poorly for safety performance among its 'world city' peers, and;
• is probably the least safe of any major European city.

—I think the Mayor's Vision Zero metric "for no one to be killed in or by a London bus" makes obvious sense.  But—as you are no doubt aware—since the Lord Peter Hendy rejected Lord Hampton's 'Vision Zero for Buses' Amendment to the Bus Services [No. 2] Bill on 13 October 2025, Transport for London stands out as the only Local Transport Authority in the country with a Vision Zero Policy that claims to use this "killed in or by a bus" metric to measure its public Bus Safety Performance.  
But the stark difference between the official annual bus fatality totals TfL is reporting to the public and the press versus the actual number of "people killed in or by a bus" demands that the Mayor act now to compel TfL to report the truth about the annual number of these incidents. 

Thanks to my years of volunteer campaigning and relentless scrutiny by London Assembly Members like Keith Prince and Neil Garratt, there is now so much TfL Bus Safety Performance data available in the public domain that there's no longer any excuse for the truth to be just another victim of TfL's contracted bus operation. I know that was not the case sixteen years ago today when I was searching for TfL Bus Safety Performance Data on my laptop from my hospital bed while I was still being fed through a stomach tube: I could find no TfL Bus Safety Performance Data in the public domain.  
In closing, I've got a few final questions for you and the Charity you lead. 
Will Brake Charity?—

• Campaign for the Mayor and TfL to understand that the first step toward supporting those 'impacted' by the frequent deaths and injuries generated by London's contracted public bus operation will be for both to acknowledge that these fatal incidents have occurred at all and have them appear in TfL's Annual Road Casualty publications, Monthly Board papers and the baselines TfL uses to measure 'progress' against for Vision Zero 'bus-involved fatalities and determine annual bonus payments for its executives.  It is not acceptable that the Mayor and TfL have been allowed to claim credit for 'progress'—and TfL's executives have been receiving larger bonus payments—for meeting Vision Zero targets that are not based on the actual number—or published Vision Zero Target—of people "killed in or a by a bus".
• Meet with the Bus Drivers who are leading the Bus Driver Bill of Rights Campaign. I ask, because I know that TfL's secretive Vision Zero Reference Group of which Brake Charity is a member, has representatives from political lobbying groups from the Bus, Taxi and Car industries, but lacks any members who can speak with authority about the well-evidenced "institutionally unsafe" conditions that TfL Bus Contracts inflict on London's Bus Drivers.  And given your recent public comments about the Government's new Road Safety Strategy, I urge to you also to 'be brave' and instruct your charity to begin to understand and campaign to change the systemic safety problems that have plagued TfL's contracted surface transport operation for decades that undermine the ability of a Bus Driver to operate with duty of care for passengers and other road users.
• Read the Evidence Submissions from London and UK Bus Drivers to the Bus Services [No. 2] Bill.  If you are not familiar with Bus Drivers' key systemic safety concerns, these well-evidenced submissions are a good place to start.  I'll make it easy for you—

• https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/61844/documents/6811
• https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/61680/documents/6750
• https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/61691/documents/6758
• https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/61678/documents/6749
• https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/61683/documents/6752
• https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/61937/documents/6837

• Watch the videos produced by Bus Drivers posted on the new @BetterBuses YouTube Channel. For more information about his new grassroots driver-led initiative, please read my unacknowledged 16 January 2026 Open Letter to Elly Baker (Labour), Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee. 
• Campaign for the DfT to revise its STATS19 bus fatality data definitions to conform to London's Vision Zero "killed in or by a bus" metric, a more robust metric that actually reflects the "Safe Systems" approach upon which the Government claims its recently-published Road Safety Strategy is based.  Based on what we've recently discovered in London, we know that DfT's data showing 521 fatalities from a "Bus or a Coach" for the period 2015-2024 has to be a smaller number than the actual number of road safety-related fatalities that have been generated from the country's bus and coach operations over that period.  Because Lord Hampton raised the issue of the defects of STATS19 reporting for Bus Fatalities in the House of Lords on 13 February 2025, Lord Hendy's response on that date—"in respect of accidents away from public roads, which I will go away and have a close look at. I am not familiar with that nuance, but it is clearly important" —confirms that the Minister knows about STATS19's definitional defects and suggests that the Government's primary road safety dataset for Bus and Coach Fatalities is neither robust nor accurate. I hope Brake Charity can convince Lord Peter Hendy to do more than just "look at" the manifestly obvious and easily solvable problems surrounding STATS19 definitions that have resulted in many of the UK's bus victims to be excluded from the statistics upon which laws and policies are determined.

TfL's contracted bus fleet constitutes about 25% of the public buses in the United Kingdom and delivers over half the country's bus journeys.  If Brake Charity succeeds in using the public funds it receives under its contract from TfL to compel more scrutiny of Bus Safety Performance Reporting by the UK's largest Local Transport Authority, I am confident TfL's longest-serving Commissioner-now-Minister will get up to speed on the 'nuances' to make Bus Safety Reporting more transparent and truthful at a national level. And, since the Lord Hendy is now actively opposing Lord Hampton's Vision Zero (120D) and LTA Bus Safety Reporting (120E) Amendments to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, there's no time like the present for Brake Charity to act to help TfL's and the country's past and future Vanished Bus Victims. 
Yours sincerely,
Tom Kearney#LondonBusWatch E: comadad1812@gmail.comTwitter: @comadadBluesky: @comadad.bsky.socialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BetterBuses and https://www.youtube.com/@tomkearney955 2018 Winner, Community Hero Award — The Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association2016 Winner, Transport - Sheila McKechnie Foundation SMK Campaigners Award

Nick Buckley MBE is the Advance UK candidate in the Gorton & Denton byelection. With the fight for the seat heating up, we thought it was time we shone a light on what Buckley actually stands for. And it's pretty dark:

This is what feminism has done to women - turned them into whores and made them unhappy - 20% of U.K. women are on antidepressants.

Feminism:%20Myths,%20Lies%20&%20Ungratefulness%3A%20Exploring%20Ground%20Zero%20Of%20The%20Woke%20Virus https://t.co/1vxHNVOYJ2

— Nick Buckley MBE (@NickBuckleyMBE) October 26, 2024

Let's get it out of the way, you're going to see a lot of misogyny and racism, so buckle up.

Another woman-hating, racist wanker on the ballot

Buckley has been on some really fucking wild rants on Twitter.  Firstly, he states women shouldn't have tattoos, and we can't do anything right:

Female tattoos are just a trendy way to self abuse - just like cutting, not eating, gender ideology, abortion and always picking wrong men. https://t.co/su3L2sTgx4

— Nick Buckley MBE (@NickBuckleyMBE) September 5, 2025

He fucking hates abortions and apparently all women do is hoof antidepressants and kill babies:

If we do not support women across the globe then how are they going abortion their babies, rely on antidepressants, neglect their children, hate men and contribute to the coffers of the multinationals??

— Nick Buckley MBE (@NickBuckleyMBE) January 28, 2026

And comparing abortion to the holocaust is absolutely wild:

We are killing our babies almost as fast as we are making them. Abortion is out of control and a shame on our society like slavery and the holocaust. History will judge us and it will not be pleasant. https://t.co/XEAkgJ1mIB

— Nick Buckley MBE (@NickBuckleyMBE) January 23, 2026

He really fucking hates abortion:

Feminism taught us that men and women are the same. Women are just as evil as men and commit horrendous acts - they just do it differently to men. pic.twitter.com/UgY75PFrVX

— Nick Buckley MBE (@NickBuckleyMBE) January 15, 2026

And let's throw a little transphobia in there for good measure:

The Trans lunatics are back! The NHS, our NHS as we are constantly told, is going to be experimenting on kids - legally. All doctors involved should be stripped of their license and prosecuted for child abuse. pic.twitter.com/Q5ekCC2fJz

— Nick Buckley MBE (@NickBuckleyMBE) November 26, 2025

Policing

Let's be honest, it's not shocking at all that Buckley is racist. It's almost a given with Advance UK:

This is a great example of the failures of DEI. We recruit rapists because we have to give blacks a job to ensure no one thinks we are racist. It started with feminism but ends with rapists. pic.twitter.com/3JXAQHU5Kq

— Nick Buckley MBE (@NickBuckleyMBE) January 8, 2026

One commenter was quick to point out the case of Wayne Couzens, a white copper who killed Sarah Everard:

That's never happened before. pic.twitter.com/8KRjEWrhgf

— catrellneff (@catrellnefff) January 9, 2026

The police literally ignored sexual harassment allegations made against him. Oh, and two other coppers shared racist and misogynistic messages with Couzens.

This isn't an issue of political correctness; it's an issue of the police ignoring the offences of its officers.

This disgustingly racist rhetoric is absolutely bullshit.

Currently, 97% of rape allegations are not even brought to charge in the UK; why the fuck isn't he screaming about that? 6 out of 7 assaults against women are carried out by someone they know.

Why the fuck are we bringing race into this when it's clearly just a man problem?

Advance UK throws another stereotype into the ring

Let's be honest, none of this is shocking from a far-right party endorsed by Tommy Robinson and Elon Musk. But this sets a dangerous precedent for the trajectory of Advance UK. For a party that claims it's not far right, it definitely seems like it is. And the leader, Ben Habib seems to fully support Buckley:

I am delighted @NickBuckleyMBE will be standing for @_AdvanceUK in the Gorton and Denton by election.

Nick is a proud patriot, local to the area where he also based his charity, Mancunian Way. His MBE was for charitable work.

Nick offers real change, not the same old or the…

— Ben Habib (@benhabib6) January 31, 2026

Luckily, Advance UK's man seems somewhat irrelevant, but we need to be calling out these fascist wankers whenever we can, and Buckley is definitely one of them.

Featured image via Instagram

By Antifabot

At this point, the following shouldn't surprise anyone about Trump, and yet it is staggering to see:

BREAKING: Trump just posted an incredibly racist photo of the Obama's faces photoshopped on to the body of apes.

Every day is a new rock bottom for this ugly pig. pic.twitter.com/GlMM7Cfjoe

— Dean Withers (@itsdeaann) February 6, 2026

Pure, unfettered racism from Trump

Everyone accepted long ago that it's racist to depict black people as apes, and the video does literally nothing besides depicting the Obamas as apes.

There is no attempt to hide what his intent is here.

The only excuse you could make for Trump is that he's too stupid and/or unwell to understand what he posted.

If that's the case, WHY IS HE THE PRESIDENT?

A racist president is intolerable; a sick president with access to the nuclear button is potentially world ending.

Here's how people have reacted to Trump's latest hate crime:

This is the racist video Donald Trump posted.

This is where we're at. pic.twitter.com/kH49rMWfVH

— Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) February 6, 2026

Trump posted a video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys. Incredibly racist and disgusting. Beneath the office of the presidency, like everything he does.

Every American must condemn this. pic.twitter.com/vYbGgqqv09

— Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) February 6, 2026

Global problem

Given how America throws its weight around, it's a problem for everyone in the world for there to be a racist and/or fascist president. It's an even bigger problem for us in the UK, because politicians like Keir Starmer, Nigel Farage, and Kemi Badenoch all think there job is to suck up to this man.

Starmer and Farage both drape themselves in flags but once again it's really clear where their loyalty really is.

It's Trump first. They will always be on the side of the super rich and powerful - no matter how heinous the crime.

This is not patriotism. It's subservience. https://t.co/M7sVgGLgMJ

— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) January 3, 2026

Featured image via X

By Willem Moore

A Labour Party whistleblower has confirmed to the Canary that the disgraced Epstein associate Peter Mandelson, alongside then Director of Campaigns Morgan McSweeney, helped to vet Labour candidates for the 2024 general election.

Mandelson: the scandal continues

I have been investigating McSweeney's operations for the last six months, and have personally heard accounts from several party insiders of widespread corruption in the run-up to the election, with local candidates systematically dumped in favour of Mandelson-McSweeney picks with no apparent connection to the area.

Furthermore, I was contacted by a former Labour MP who served as a frontbencher under Ed Miliband. He claims that Mandelson and McSweeney worked together to "get rid of" him. He added:

Everyone has overlooked Megan McCann, [McSweeney's] former due diligence officer. She is his Achilles heel.

Megan McCann told me at a famous curry house meeting that when she had finished doing in candidates or getting them through, she built a dirty dossier on every MP. McCann takes instructions from McSweeney."

As it emerges that Peter Mandelson assisted McSweeney in building a covert network within the Labour Party to ensure their positions became policy, MPs who have defended the Epstein associate for so long are now moving to distance themselves.

We now know that as Business Secretary, Peter Mandelson passed classified government information to likely Israeli intelligence asset Jeffrey Epstein, even messaging the notorious paedophile on the day former Prime Minister Gordon Brown "finally got him to go." But Mandelson had two deputies at the time, assisting him in his work: David Lammy and Pat McFadden.

Last year, Lammy, who was Foreign Secretary at the time, vehemently defended the appointment of Mandelson as US Ambassador, saying that he was "a man of considerable expertise". Not words many of us would use for a person who described a convicted paedophile as their "best pal".

Things get murkier when we take into account David Lammy's 2014 failed London mayoral nomination bid.

Murky

His campaign was led by a former chair of Labour Friends of Israel, David Mencer, who went on to become a spokesman for the Israeli government. You may have seen Mencer on television in recent months, defending the most heinous crimes of the Gaza genocide.

Life-long Israel lobbyist Trevor Chinn donated £30,000 to Lammy's the short-lived mayoral campaign. Chinn has funded both Conservative and Labour Friends of Israel throughout his life, and was personally awarded for "service to the state of Israel" by Israeli President and genocidaire Isaac Herzog.

But Chinn was also a director and major funder of Morgan McSweeney's "Labour Together Ltd." outfit. When McSweeney was found to have concealed £739,492 worth of donations to Labour Together, one of his excuses was that he trying "to protect Trevor".

Another of Lammy's financial backers is Lady Woodford-Hollick, the wife of Labour peer Clive Hollick. Clive Hollick was another funder of the Labour Together project, but he also previously served as a Special Adviser to Peter Mandelson.

From acting as his deputy in 2008 to defending him in interviews last year, the question needs to be asked: what did David Lammy know about the Mandelson-Epstein communications?

The McFadden link

Peter Mandelson's other deputy during his tenure as Business Secretary was Pat McFadden. McFadden has been described as "the most powerful Labour politician most have never heard of". He initially worked on Tony Blair's 1997 election campaign alongside Peter Mandelson and Alistair Campbell.

In 2008, he was made Mandelson's right-hand man. Indeed, in a fawning article printed by the Guardian in September 2023, Mandelson waxes lyrical on his former assistant, saying: "Pat has seen it all. He is a walking encyclopedia of political and policy knowledge, and experience in government." But had McFadden "seen" Mandelson's communications with Epstein?

During the 2024 general election campaign, McSweeney and McFadden's desks were "right in the middle of the room" at Labour HQ. His wife, Marianna McFadden, was already McSweeney's no. 2. Mandelson said that McFadden and McSweeney would complement each other, opining that "Pat is cautious…[whereas] Morgan is a hard-driven street fighter." High praise all round from the Epstein-informant.

Megan McCann is now a Special Adviser to Labour Chief Whip Jonathan Reynolds. Like former Mandelson deputy Pat McFadden, Reynolds is also a vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel, and both men have travelled on LFI-funded delegations. In 2019, Reynolds even accepted a £100 donation directly from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Israel connection and Labour Together

Recently, Starmer tabled an amendment to the motion to release the Mandelson Files, calling for an exemption for "papers prejudicial to UK national security or international relations". The amendment was signed by the PM and three other Labour MPs. Jonathan Reynolds was one of them.

Another signer of the failed amendment was fellow LFI supporter and Chief Secretary to the PM, Darren Jones. Jones, who received over £57,000 in donations from Labour Together, recently said that Starmer picked Mandelson "because we want to do things differently".

The third signer of the amendment to restrict the release of the Mandelson Files was Nick Thomas-Symonds. Thomas-Symonds received £35,521 from Labour Together.

Before working for Reynolds, McSweeney's former "due diligence officer" Megan McCann was on the staff of Labour MP Oliver Ryan. Another suspected McSweeney-Mandelson "pick", Ryan received £10,000 from Labour Together.

Tom Rutland, the new MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, was another member of Labour Together's "£10k club". A pattern is coming to the fore: the Mandelson-McSweeney cabal used not only Excel spreadsheets, but also the financial weight of Labour Together to ensure those loyal to them got elected.

Mark Sewards also received £10,000 from Labour Together. Last August, Sewards became the first Member of Parliament to create an "AI version of himself" to communicate with constituents, a disturbing move condemned by many for its potential detrimental effects on many of the most vulnerable in society.

Recently, Sewards travelled to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Last November, her was announced as the new parliamentary chair of Labour Friends of Israel after previously accepting an LFI-funded trip to occupied Palestine in May 2025. These are the individuals waiting in the wings for Starmer's downfall.

Tony Blair as well

Another of the new crop of Labour MPs is Georgia Gould, a member of the Jewish Labour Movement who previously served on Camden Council. Whilst there, fellow Camden Labour councillor + JLM member Izzy Lenga posted a photograph on Facebook in which she is wearing an Israeli military uniform, holding an automatic weapon and draped in an Israeli flag. The photograph was subsequently deleted.

Before moving into politics, Gould worked for the Tony Blair Faith Foundation. She has previously been described as a "Blairite heiress who could be Labour leader one day" and a "close ally and mentee" of Alistair Campbell, the third wheel in the Mandelson-McFadden team behind Blair's rise to power.

Marianna McFadden, Pat McFadden's wife, had her own links to the infamous war criminal, having previously worked at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. She was later appointed as Starmer's deputy campaigns director. The most unpopular Prime Minister ever is a continuation of Blair's legacy in more ways than one.

Georgia Gould is the daughter of two "peers for life". Her husband, Alex Zatman, was previously a Special Adviser to Liz Kendall, but is now a director at Teneo, a controversial lobbying firm with close links to the Clinton family. When Teneo was established in 2011, both Tony Blair and Bill Clinton were named as members of their advisory board. Clinton, who departed in 2012, had a yearly salary of $2.5 million.

In one leaked e-mail from the Jeffrey Epstein files, Ghislaine Maxwell writes to his "best pal" Peter Mandelson:

Pete, what is wrong. I am here for you. Call me - Clinton sd he will do what you want at the conference…PS Don't be disgusting.

The e-mail is dated September 14th 2002. On October 2nd 2002, Clinton addressed the Labour conference in Blackpool. Ghislaine of course was the daughter of Robert Maxwell, the now deceased member of the British House of Lords, media baron, and, according to ex-Israeli intelligence operative Ari Ben-Menashe, Mossad asset.

Mandelson's hands are all over the past 25 years

The extent of Epstein-informant Mandelson's influence on government policy, and further revelations over the next days and weeks will be devastating for the Starmer regime and all those who defended him.

When Morgan McSweeney initially joined Labour in 2001, not long after his stint on an Israeli "kibbutz", he was put to work on Mandelson's "Excalibur" database, used to gather information on "internal political rivals". The two have been close ever since, and the bullying tactics once employed by Mandelson are echoed by his political heir McSweeney today.

One prospective parliamentary Labour candidate in London, Sara*, spoke to me about being hauled in front of a now infamous three-person committee: Luke Akehurst, Sharma Tatler, and Anu Prashar. "I was given 5 minutes notice and then told I was not suitable, with no right to appeal", she said.

Tom*, a Labour member from east London, told me about a culture of fear surrounding McSweeney: "Everyone is so scared to speak, and people are getting suspended for anything." Sara told me: "You have to prove your loyalty by being mean and nasty…it's a cesspit."

The Mandelson-McSweeney-Starmer cabal has ruled Labour with an iron fist, but the house of cards is beginning to fall.

*Names have been changed to protect whistleblowers' identities.

Featured image via the Canary

By Jody McIntyre

The government has pledged £88m to recruit 10,000 new foster carers by the end of this parliament. Currently, there is a severe shortage of them in the foster care sector. This means local authorities are placing many children far from home in expensive residential settings.

According to the Local Government Association, councils currently spend £4.7bn per year on residential children's care.

According to the Guardian, the government has doubled its spending on residential care since 2020. Costs reached £3.1bn in 2023-24. This means that each place in a children's home costs over £300,000 a year.

Now, the government is aiming to attract a wider range of households to foster caring. It emphasises that carers don't have to be married, homeowners, or in full-time employment. This would reduce reliance on these expensive residential homes whilst also providing children with greater stability.

The £88m will also include £25m to help current foster carers extend or update their homes. This will allow them to accommodate more children. It will also pilot a new scheme which could mean potential foster carers help out on a part-time basis.

Profiteering from foster care

Additionally, Josh MacAlister, Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing, has said that the government will push private providers of child social care in England out of the system if they discover they're profiteering.

The Competition and Markets Authority found that in 2022, children's home owners in England, Scotland and Wales were making massively excessive profits. At the same time, they were also carrying too much debt. This was exposing both children and councils to unacceptable risks.

As it stands, more than 80% of residential children's homes in England are for-profit, which makes you question whether they really have the best interests of children at heart.

MacAlister also called for an equivalent of the Homes for Ukraine scheme to provide homes for tens of thousands of children in foster care.

However, the government's plan does not appear to address the increasing number of private foster care agencies.

These are known to pay foster carers far more than local authorities do, meaning the government then pays far more to use them. Because, of course, profit is vitally important when looking after vulnerable children.

Local authorities have reported struggling to compete. So when foster carers leave and turn to private companies, there are not enough carers, and the government has no choice but to rely on the private agencies.

Safe, stable, and secure foster care placements have the ability to change a child's life for the better.

But until the government puts a stop to profiteering private companies taking advantage of vulnerable children needing a home, their best interests are never going to be the primary goal of the foster care system.

Feature image via BBC Creative/Unsplash

By HG

Ever since Keir Starmer and his cronies blocked Andy Burnham from running, it's seemed like Labour stood no chance in the Gorton & Denton byelection. To make matters worse, Starmer has embroiled himself in one of the most unseemly scandals of this century. And as you'd expect, that's done nothing for Labour's chances in Gorton & Denton:

It's clear that #MandelsonGate is having an effect on the Gorton and Denton by-election.

Labour going down.

Greens going up.

It's Green vs Reform - Labour are out of the running. pic.twitter.com/aMxUlbHUaZ

— Darren Parkinson

Corruption probe takes detour as staff facing trial reportedly asked AI if seat-blocking scams caused financial damage

More than 30 Romanian railway employees accused of running a bribery and ticket resale racket allegedly tried to crowdsource their legal strategy from ChatGPT.…