Another day, another big move for the US solar industry as Voltage Energy announces expansion in North Carolina.

The post US Solar Industry Innovators Are Quiet-Quitting US Energy Policy appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Orion Energy Systems recently announced it will install 105 fast EV chargers for Boston Public Schools on a $4 million contract. EV chargers at schools often means chargers for electric buses, not hybrids, and that's the case here. CleanTechnica has published many articles about electric school buses because they have ... [continued]

The post 105 Fast EV Charging Stations Coming To Boston Public Schools appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Mark Zuckerberg (41) paid $19 billion for WhatsApp in 2014. Today it has 3 billion users, 150 billion daily messages, and 400 million businesses using it.

He could have made it the universal platform for AI access - every small business from Brazil to Bangladesh, every merchant in India, accessing AI through the tool they already use daily. 80% customer satisfaction. Zero learning curve.

Instead: poured billions into the metaverse. Meanwhile the infrastructure to democratize AI sits unused.

This isn't just Meta. The pattern repeats:

- Sam Altman (40), Zuckerberg (41), Sundar Pichai (52)

- All building for tech-savvy 25-year-olds

- Ignoring that 40+ demographics control 70%+ of global wealth

- Missing obvious opportunities in favor of "prestige" projects

I'm 40. I just spent a week running open-source AI (Gemma 3 12B) on a $1500 machine and replaced $200/month subscriptions. 90% of business tasks work fine. The technology to democratize this exists NOW.

But the decision-makers can't see it because they're optimizing for impressing other nerds, not serving billions of people who just want technology that works.

The article covers:

- Why knowledge has never stayed locked up in history (printing press → AI)

- How open-source models closed the gap from 18 months to 6 months

- The "water company future" they're all missing

- Why the greatest innovations came from diverse teams (Bletchley Park vs Silicon Valley monoculture)

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/i-spent-week-openclaw-ai-tool-heres-what-0-solved-faisal-al-khunizan-orhraf/

This is collapse in real-time: having the tools to solve problems, the infrastructure to distribute solutions, and decision-makers too insulated to see what's right in front of them.

In his latest newsletter, Bobby Campbell announces that Tales of Illuminatus No. 2 has now been released as a free webcomic, so that everyone can now read it. Print and digital copies remain available, as the free version likely won't be around forever. 

"I'm super psyched to have this out in the wild, and hopefully catch more folks up on our illuminated tales as we ready the next installment," Bobby says.

Bobby has combined two separate newsletters, previously on Substack, and moved to a new platform,  ghost.io, for a combined newsletter, Gloria Discordia. If you got the previous newsletters you should be getting the new one; otherwise, sign up here. 

I'll have a separate post on some of Bobby's other news, as I don't want it to get lost in the Tales announcement. But you can go ahead and read all about it. 

Egyptian regulators have banned Roblox, a popular children's video game, Bloomberg reports. The nation's Supreme Council for Media Regulation is coordinating with the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority on the decision to ensure its enforcement.

The state-owned outlet reported that Senator Walaa Hermas Radwandid had proposed regulation of the platform to "protect children's moral and educational values." The senator outlined his concerns with the nature of the Roblox platform, including the ability to communicate directly with strangers as well as "potential psychological and behavioral effects on young users." In a statement to Bloomberg, Roblox stated that it has "built rigorous safeguards that go beyond those of many other platforms."

Egypt joins others including Iraq, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and the UAE that have banned or heavily restricted the US-based gaming platform; Turkey and Russia also enacted blanket bans on Roblox recently, citing the "promotion of homosexuality" and "LGBT propaganda."

Roblox has a significant presence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The company's most recent economic impact report claims it added $15 million to total GDP across Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Qatar and the UAE between 2021 and 2024.

Roblox recently tightened its age verification requirements for certain in-game features following pressure from numerous US state attorneys general over child safety, though the new system is reportedly a mess.

All of this comes against the backdrop of globally internet restrictions, especially for social media services. A raft of nations including Australia, Spain and Denmark have moved to ban social media entirely for children.

Amazon's next-generation AI assistant is now available to everyone in the US for $20 per month, or for free if you're a Prime member. Amazon has also introduced a try-before-you-buy free tier for non-Prime members, but it's limited to text-based chat.

Alexa+ has been in early access since last year, and Amazon says it's listened to user insights ahead of rolling out the update nationwide today. If you're a Prime member, you can start using the new assistant by saying "Alexa, upgrade to Alexa+" or by heading to Alexa.com and signing into your Amazon account. The Alexa website is also where you'll find the new free Alexa chat feature, which lets you ask questions and research various topics with usage limits.

Given that a Prime membership costs less ($15 per month) than Alexa+ on its own, Amazon is no doubt hoping that the introduction of its now more conversational Alexa assistant will entice some would-be subscribers. Amazon also offers a 30-day free trial of Prime to first-time customers.

As well as allowing more complex and naturally flowing interactions, Alexa+ also has new agentic capabilities, making it more effective at managing your schedule, providing recommendations, making reservations and controlling your smart home devices. It's also a more personalized experience, with the idea being that Alexa keeps an eye on your digital activity so it gives you more useful answers.

Whether the overhauled Alexa will work for everyone remains to be seen. In our preview last summer, Engadget's Cherlynn Low wrote about her conflicted feelings on the next-gen assistant. While impressed by its ability to handle more complex tasks, she found the experience to be inconsistent and "just incompetent enough to be annoying."

National progressives see a chance in Texas to install a new member of the Squad in the place of departing Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett — by electing her pastor.

With Crockett vacating her House seat to run in a competitive — and increasingly ugly — Senate primary, pastor Frederick Haynes III is running to fill her seat. The progressive outfit Justice Democrats endorsed Haynes's campaign on Wednesday, becoming the first national group to wade into the primary for the Democrat-friendly 30th Congressional District.

The primary in Texas is just a month away, and Justice Democrats views Haynes as one of its first real chances to notch a win for the electoral left this cycle, the group's spokesperson Usamah Andrabi told The Intercept. The 65-year-old Dallas pastor has already attracted some national attention for his outspoken criticism of Israel's genocide in Gaza, putting him at odds with many of his peers in Texas and the Deep South, where an open affinity between right-wing Christianity and pro-Israel Zionism is common.

That stance also marks an apparent difference between him and Crockett. While Haynes is running on ending U.S. military support for Israel and the genocide in Gaza, Crockett has drawn criticism for voting to send U.S. military aid to Israel and taking a trip there as a first-term member of Congress in August 2023 with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the Israel Defense Forces. She has similarly faced criticism for accepting campaign support from the crypto industry, while Haynes has called for new regulations on cryptocurrency.

Crockett, who has brushed off some criticism of her record as "intellectually lazy," says she's in favor of Haynes's campaign and endorsed him last month.

"Every leader approaches things differently, and I greatly respect Congresswoman Crockett's work and approach," Haynes told The Intercept. "My worldview and my positions are deeply rooted in my community, and the struggles I see those around me experiencing on a daily basis. Our community is justice minded here in Dallas."

Also running in the March 3 Democratic primary for Crockett's seat are former Texas state Rep. Barbara Mallory Caraway and pastor Rodney LaBruce. To win a primary in Texas, candidates have to receive a majority of votes or compete in a runoff in May.

A pastor for 40 years and a fixture in Dallas, Haynes is the 11th candidate Justice Democrats has endorsed this cycle. The group is backing more new candidates ahead of the upcoming midterm elections than it has in any other year since its inaugural 2018 cycle, which ushered in now well-known Squad members like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar. After major losses last cycle, Justice Democrats says it's deploying a more aggressive strategy this time, seeking to capitalize on voter frustration with the party establishment.

Related National Progressives Side With Mamdani in House Race Splitting NYC Left

"We try to be as selective and intentional about the races and candidates we pick and really evaluate their path to victory," Andrabi said. "We're hoping we can really, as a movement — but if not, as Justice Democrats — to start this cycle off with some wins."

In Haynes's view, "Dems have let us down," he told The Intercept. "The wolves of hunger, fascism, and injustice are at our door, and what does the Democratic establishment have to offer in response — strongly worded letters? Our community deserves better than this: they deserve leadership that will fight for them with the courage and commitment that this moment requires."

"The wolves of hunger, fascism, and injustice are at our door, and what does the Democratic establishment have to offer in response — strongly worded letters?"

As the pastor at Crockett's church, Haynes has been an activist on issues from predatory lending to voting rights. His church holds a legal clinic, hosts a toolkit for congregation members to contact their legislators, and runs programming on food security, economic and environmental justice, and civic engagement. The church website hosts a link to a petition calling for a ceasefire in Gaza led by former Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo.

That activism has also made him a target of the right. In a story last week, Jewish Insider wrote that Haynes delivered "an anti-Israel polemic from the pulpit" the day after the October 7 attacks. In his remarks, Haynes denounced Israeli apartheid.

"The Palestinians don't have the financial backing from the United States that Israel has, and so they throw their rocks and shoot their arrows," Haynes said on October 8, 2023, "and Israel is able to bomb them and kill them."

"You see a much tighter grip on evangelical Christians and churches in the south, particularly ones that represent Republican constituencies, from the Israel lobby and AIPAC," Andrabi said. But Haynes "sees it as his moral imperative to call out Israeli apartheid and genocide, particularly because so many other Christian leaders have used it for their own benefit and used it to advance their own interests and the interests of right-wing politicians."

In addition to ending U.S. military support for Israel and regulating the crypto industry, Haynes is running on abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, providing Medicare for All, getting dark money out of elections, and banning congressional stock trading. He's also rejecting corporate PAC money.

"Every time we choose imperialism abroad, or tax cuts for the wealthy, we are telling working people in our communities that we value their lives less," Haynes said, citing the notion that a budget is a moral document, often attributed to Martin Luther King, Jr. "Every bomb dropped in Palestine is money for an underfunded school, an unpaved road, a mother who has to decide between groceries and insulin. Our tax dollars must go to supporting life in our families at home, not death in other families abroad."

"It doesn't do us much good to replace old corporate shills with young corporate shills."

At age 65, Haynes contradicts the narrative that the battle over the future over the Democratic Party is purely about pitting younger candidates against older incumbents. The gerontocracy in Congress is its own issue, Andrabi said; being represented by corporate interests and right-wing lobbies is another. 

"It is a new generation. But that generation is not necessarily just defined or limited by an age group," Andrabi said. "It doesn't do us much good to replace old corporate shills with young corporate shills. The problem is that they're corporate shills, not just that they are aging." 

The post He's Running to Fill Jasmine Crockett's House Seat From Her Left. He's Also Her Pastor. appeared first on The Intercept.

Microsoft is no stranger to things breaking unexpectedly - and now one of its engineers has added a Raspberry Pi to the list.…

Microsoft Copilot saved civil servants 19 minutes daily on routine tasks, according to Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) research comparing users to a control group of non-users.…

Irish, English accent. London via Hong Kong. Apple, caffeine and good books. I do strategy for creative and ad agencies remotely (outside UK), in-person or hybrid in London - portfolio. I also write a newsletter: Strategic Outcomes. — Gearóid (Ged) Carroll

• Rose Anvil Togo wallet. Rose Anvil are a Utah-based leather goods manufacturer. They use great leather and stitch these wallets by hand. It has four interior card pockets, two open pockets for notes and is held together with saddle stitch, like your great-grandpappy would have been familiar with. I have mine in light tan with a nicely developing patina. It fulfils nine out of the ten principles of good design by Dieter Rams. The one it misses out on is 'be innovative' mainly because trying to get more than three people to agree on what is innovative any more is a pain in the ____.
• After 10 years my Apple Thunderbolt monitor gave up the ghost, leaving me in the lurch. I didn't have a spare organ to hock on the dark web for a new Apple monitor and have found the MSI Modern MD271UL 27 Inch 4K UHD Professional Productivity Monitor - a very good stand-in. So long as it lasts beyond its warranty period I am still financially ahead of buying a new Apple monitor model. There is a whole argument over quality and environmental sustainability, but needs must at the moment.
• Winter in the UK can be cold and damp. I have found the Hotties Micro Hottie which is a microwave-oven-heated hot water bottle invaluable for quickly getting ready for bed. My other half also uses it as a way to ease various aches and pains.

• Milanote - a virtual whiteboard. I've used it for facilitating virtual workshops, mapping out projects and mood boards. It comes with an online interface, a great Mac app and even an iOS app that you can reference your virtual whiteboard from on-the-move.
• The Economist now publishes data from their data journalism on GitHub that you can make use of for your own personal needs or curiosity. Well worth a browse through.

This comes from my colleague Fiona as a way of thinking about prompting your LLM of choice. The memorable phrase: Thoughtfully Creating Really Excellent Inputs stands for Task: the persona that the LLM should assume and format that you want the output to look like, Context: give it the background information that it needs, Reference materials: give the LLM examples or existing materials that show what good looks like. (Not always applicable for abstract tasks), Evaluate: review the output, did the LLM understand what you wanted from your inputs?, Iterate: Refine your prompt: If the output isn't right, try again by adding more details, rephrasing, or adjusting your request.

Sign up here to get What's in my NOW? a week early in your inbox.

B2B News | Source: press release Zero Motorcycles | Zero Motorcycles closed out 2025 with major momentum, posting strong gains across global sales, dealer expansion, and product adoption as electric motorcycles continue to move further into the mainstream.

In North America, Zero recorded an 89 percent year-over-year increase in retail sales, while Europe and the rest of the world saw combined growth of 17 percent. The surge reflects sustained demand in Zero's core markets, alongside growing interest in more accessible electric models introduced through the brand's new XB and XE platforms.

Sales of Zero's full-size motorcycles also climbed significantly, rising 28 percent compared to 2024. Meanwhile, the company's X Line proved to be a key growth driver, accounting for more than 30 percent of total North American sales and 16 percent of sales across EMEA and APAC. Designed to lower the barrier to entry for electric riding, the X Line has helped bring new riders into the category while broadening Zero's global footprint.

To support the growing customer base, Zero expanded its retail network throughout 2025, increasing its North American dealership count by 40 percent. The brand now operates through more than 250 locations worldwide, reinforcing its focus on improving access to sales, service, and long-term ownership support.

The year ended on a high note in North America, where December retail sales jumped 491 percent compared to the same month in 2024, an indicator of strong late-year demand and growing confidence in electric two-wheel mobility.

"2025 was a defining year for Zero Motorcycles," said CEO Pierre-Martin Bos. "We expanded our global footprint, grew sales, and welcomed more riders into electric mobility than ever before, clear proof that our products and vision continue to resonate worldwide."

Looking ahead to 2026, Zero Motorcycles says it will remain focused on responsible growth, expanding access to electric two-wheel transportation, and continuing to shape the future of sustainable mobility.

B2B News | Source: Press release Sur-Ron at CycleNews | After a three-year legal battle, electric off-road motorcycle manufacturer Sur-Ron has secured a decisive victory in a U.S. patent infringement case, with a federal jury awarding the company USD $10 million in damages.

On January 16, 2026, a jury in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas (Austin Division) returned a unanimous verdict in favor of Sur-Ron in its case against Talaria Technology (Chongqing) Co., Ltd. and Talaria Technology (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. The jury found Talaria liable for willful patent infringement, marking a significant outcome in a cross-border intellectual property dispute within the electric powersports industry.

The ruling concludes a multinational lawsuit that centered on Talaria's alleged infringement of Sur-Ron's core design patent for its flagship electric off-road motorcycle, the Light Bee. According to court filings, Sur-Ron presented extensive documentation, including original design manuscripts, patent registrations, and market development records, all of which were accepted by the court as evidence of infringement.

For Sur-Ron, widely regarded as a pioneer in the electric off-road motorcycle segment, the verdict reinforces the growing global emphasis on intellectual property enforcement, particularly as Chinese manufacturers expand into international markets.

"This case demonstrates that intellectual property protection has no borders," the company stated following the verdict. "Infringement is not a low-risk shortcut, and attempts to profit from copied designs will face serious legal consequences."

The dispute also drew attention due to its backstory. Talaria was founded by former Sur-Ron employees who had previously held senior sales roles and possessed detailed knowledge of Sur-Ron's product designs and distribution channels. The case alleged that this access played a role in the development and commercialization of competing products.

Beyond the financial award, the verdict is being viewed as a broader signal to the global powersports and electric vehicle industries: international courts are increasingly willing to enforce design and utility patents, regardless of where a company is based.

For Sur-Ron, the win not only protects its brand and innovations but also underscores a larger message, that companies operating on the global stage must play by global rules. As the electric off-road market continues to grow, this case may serve as a reference point for future IP disputes across the industry.

Images: © Sur-Ron

B2B News | Source: Bcomp | Electric mobility isn't just about batteries and motors anymore. Increasingly, the conversation is shifting toward materials, what vehicles are made from, how they look, and how sustainably they're produced. A new concept vehicle from Indian EV pioneer Ather Energy and Swiss cleantech specialist Bcomp puts that idea front and center.

The result of their collaboration is Redux, a futuristic two-wheeler concept that blends scooter agility with motorcycle dynamics, while showcasing what natural fibre composites can bring to the next generation of electric mobility.

Founded in 2013 in Bengaluru, Ather Energy was among India's first electric scooter startups and has since delivered more than 5,000 vehicles. Redux represents a step beyond production realities—a design and engineering experiment exploring new materials, interfaces, and mechanical ideas.

Classified as a motor-scooter, Redux combines compact proportions with a more aggressive, motorcycle-inspired stance. But its most distinctive feature isn't its silhouette, it's what the bodywork is made of.

At the core of Redux's visual and structural identity is ampliTex, Bcomp's flax-fibre composite material. Mounted on a lightweight aluminium frame, the ampliTex panels replace conventional plastics and fibre-reinforced materials, reducing weight while still meeting the structural demands of a two-wheeled vehicle.

ampliTex is a woven fabric made from renewable flax fibres, offering a dramatically lower carbon footprint than traditional materials like ABS plastic, glass fibre, or carbon fibre. When combined with a thermoset matrix, the material can reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 85% compared to carbon fibre equivalents.

It also brings practical advantages beyond sustainability. Flax fibre composites provide natural vibration damping and more predictable behaviour under stress, qualities that matter on real roads, not just in design studios. At end of life, the material can be incinerated with energy recovery, offering a clearer sustainability pathway than many composite alternatives.

Redux follows an "inside-out" design philosophy, where materials and components are meant to be seen rather than concealed. ampliTex plays a major role here, delivering a distinctive woven texture that reads as both technical and organic, perfect for exposed applications.

Instead of acting as hidden structure, the flax-fibre panels become a visible part of the vehicle's identity, reinforcing the idea that sustainability doesn't have to come at the expense of performance or visual impact.

As Ather's Head of Design Bikash Jyoti Biswas explains:

"The Redux concept reflects our belief that materials should actively shape both design and performance. Exploring ampliTex natural fibre composites allowed us to balance sustainability with stiffness and everyday usability. Redux functions as a living laboratory, giving us insights that will inform future platforms."

For Bcomp, Redux is a clear demonstration of where advanced composites are heading.

"Redux shows exactly what ampliTex was designed for," says Gabriele Grezzana, Market Manager for North America and the UK. "Applications where material performance and visual identity are inseparable. Ather chose flax fibre not just for sustainability, but because it enabled their design vision."

As electric two-wheelers evolve into lifestyle products rather than simple transport tools, collaborations like this hint at what's next. Electrification may be the foundation, but materials, design, and sustainability are quickly becoming the differentiators.

Redux may be a concept, but the ideas behind it feel very real.

Images © Ather Energy

Nigel Farage's anti-immigration policies are reprehensible racism. And, they're completely unviable for the economy.

Dr Benjamin Caswell, a senior economist at National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), has said:

Net zero migration leaves the economy 3.6% smaller by 2040 and this reflects slower employment growth and a smaller workforce.

The vast majority of people coming to the UK are studying or working, or their dependants. In fact, people born outside the UK but living here are more likely to be employed than UK born residents. Towards the end of 2025, 74.7% of UK-born residents were employed, compared to 81.1% of EU born residents and 74.8% of non-EU and non-UK born residents.

Farage's anti-immigration policies are not only unprincipled, but economically deficient. His party Reform aims to deport 600,000 people from the UK over the course of a parliament. And that's before you get to added restrictions on people arriving. As NIESR research shows, this would contract the economy because we are relying on people from other countries to support our workforce.

Caswell continued:

Imagine it as like freezing the population where it is, and then just having a continually ageing population. In the short to medium term, it's not too detrimental, but over 20 years this gap [in spending and receipts] becomes continually larger and larger.

This is because the UK's fertility rate is just 1.44. In order for the population to be replaced, it must be 2.1.

In 1964, the UK's fertility rate was 2.9. People could afford houses, had free university, and a much cheaper cost of living due to the nationalisation of essentials.  Now no one can afford a home. Many of us don't have the financial security to have children. Student debt is hanging over us and the cost of living keeps getting worse.

Another issue is the ratio of older people to the workforce. In 1973, there were 21.8 retired people for every 100 people working. Now there are 30.4 retired people for every 100 workers.

As economist Richard Murphy summarises:

We have a system which is, in other words, basically hostile to children; hostile to the actual fact of having children; hostile to the support of children; hostile to the parents who want to support children financially and who can't because the system makes that nigh on impossible for them to do so. Hostile to the whole idea that we should be able to reproduce in the way that we need to. And now hostile to migrants who might be able to help solve this problem by becoming the teachers and everything else that we need to fill the gaps in the system, or to simply provide the cover to ensure that sufficient nursery care is, for example, available. Everything is hostile to having children.

Automation and technological advancement could solve this. But Farage's ideological anti-immigrant policies would only make it worse.

Featured image via the Canary

By James Wright

In the aftermath of the acquittal of six of the Filton 24, pressure groups and the families of the vindicated prisoners have spoken about what the verdict could mean.

The refusal to convict any of the six defendants of any charges, including on the most serious of charges, is a powerful affirmation of jury equity and brings to a humiliating end one of the most politically charged trials of this year thus far.

The decision made by the jury critically undermines the rationale used to proscribe Palestine Action, and underscores the urgent need for that ban to be lifted. This case was the most significant test of the government's claim that acts of conscience against arms companies constitute a threat to public safety.

An independent jury, guided by conscience and moral clarity, rejected that narrative despite extraordinary political pressure, ministerial intervention, and an environment shaped to shield Israeli state-aligned interests from scrutiny.

The verdict echoes a wider public rejection of Zionist impunity, and growing support for direct action against companies complicit in genocide.

The trial has exposed how pre-trial detention and public spectacle were used to punish the defendants in advance and to deter others from challenging Israel's largest arms manufacturer. The proscription of Palestine Action must now be lifted, and all those held as a result of this political process in prison should be released immediately.

The trial demonstrated that counter-terrorism and national security frameworks are being used in line with their established purpose: to silence dissent and shield state complicity in crimes from accountability. Context was excluded, and scrutiny of Elbit systems - Israel's largest weapons manufacturer - supplying an ongoing genocide was treated as a matter to be suppressed rather than examined.

Naila Ahmed, Head of Campaigns at CAGE, said:

This is a huge victory for the movement but nationally and abroad who campaigned on behalf of the defendants, and a powerful affirmation of jury independence and moral courage in the face of extraordinary political pressure.

Though they cannot get back the 17 months of their life taken from them unlawfully, they should all be compensated and the remaining 18 defendants of the Filton 24 should also be released on bail. This case was used to justify the ban against Palestine Action, a decision that should now be overturned.

CAGE calls for full compensation for those acquitted, a lifting of the ban on Palestine Action, an independent review into the political handling of the case, and the abolition of terror laws. The acquittal should prompt serious reflection on how easily due process can be eroded when political interests are at stake.

lisa minerva luxx, a representative of the Filton24 Defence Committee said:

Today's significant victory delivered by the jury has vindicated the six defendants, who are the first six on trial from the Filton 24.

There are still 18 more defendants imprisoned across the UK in connection with this case. They are being held under joint enterprise which means they each have the same 3 charges whether they are accused of being present at the action or not. Now that the first 6 have been liberated of the most serious charge, Aggravated Burglary, and none were convicted of a single offence, it follows that the rest must immediately have this charge dropped against them, and be granted bail.

This was a trial by media. Yvette Cooper and Keir Starmer took evidence in this case out of context and broadcast it on televisions and tabloids across the country in order to justify proscribing Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, despite forewarning that this will prejudice the trial.

By acquitting the defendants of aggravated burglary, the Jury aligned with the defence case that the items taken in to the warehouse were not weapons, but were tools used to dismantle and neutralise Israeli weapons.

Now that a court of law have vindicated the first six of the Filton 24 of the exaggerated charges against them [and found that the actions against Elbit Systems that night were reasonable], we should all expect Shabana Mahmood to do the reasonable thing herself and lift the ban on Palestine Action.

It's time for the British state to accept that the movement for a liberated Palestine has been, and will continue to be, justified.

Clare Rogers, mother of Zoe Rogers said:

Our loved one's action against Elbit Systems and the state's brutal response have exposed the true values of the government. The government is determined to do business with Israel and protect its weapons industry at any cost. Our loved ones dared to poke this beast - and no expense has been spared in policing prosecuting and imprisoning them without trial. Imagine if the government had put the same amount of money, resources and political will into preventing a genocide.

As the court heard, these are six young people of conscience and compassion. They took action against Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems in Filton, Bristol, because they could not sit by and do nothing while their country armed Israel's genocide. They had tried everything else - marches, petitions, writing to MPs, encampments - and they could see that the government was not only breaking international law but was ignoring the will of its own people. They felt they had no option but to take action themselves, to try to save as many lives as they could.

Inside the Elbit facility, they found deadly quadcopter drones packed up ready for export, and were able to destroy some of them with crowbars and sledgehammers. These are the type of drones the Israeli military uses in Gaza to drop explosives, typically after a bomb has been dropped, to target survivors.

Emma Kamio, mother of Leona (Ellie) Kamio said:

The police strategically released selected clips of footage during the trial, including the incident where Sam had struck a police officer. This was devoid of all context. The public were not told that Sam had just been blinded by PAVA spray and acted to protect my daughter while unable to see.

Ellie had been tasered twice at this point, the second time by accident, and the police officer who did so was dragging her up off the ground in one handcuff while standing on her abdomen and screaming at her to stay down. The whole time she had painful tazor barbs still in her arm and thigh as he dragged her around.

So she was screaming in pain, and was never resisting arrest. At this point, Samuel Corner had witnessed a security guard strike his co-defendant with a sledgehammer, and had witnessed excessive force repeatedly by the security. Whilst blinded by PAVA spray, and hearing screams from Ellie, screams which even the police described as "blood curdling", he could only make out what he thought was a security guard, causing more pain, and did what he could to make it stop.

Striking the police officer was a terrible mistake that I'm sure Sam deeply regrets, but he simply reacted to protect Ellie when he heard the blood curdling scream that came from the second electrical current passing through her body, and all this after having witnessed the violence they experienced from the security guards that night.

Sukaina Rajwani, mother of Fatema Zainab Rajwani said:

'When they are told, "Do not spread corruption in the land", they reply, "We are only peace-makers". Indeed it is they who are the corruptors, but they fail to perceive it.' (Holy Quran 2:11-12)

I am grateful for every heart that has turned towards this movement, for every hand that has raised in prayer for us, and for every word that has amplified our voice in seeking justice for the Filton 24. Despite the state's best efforts to silence us and oppress our loved ones; we stand united in strength and power against a corrupt government and an unjust legal system.

Our fight does not end here. We will continue to expose Elbit Systems and British complicity in genocide.

Brogan Devlin, sister of Jordan Devlin said:

Despite having all the odds stacked against them, I can now say with the biggest smile that Jordan has been acquitted of aggravated burglary and violent disorder, and none of the defendants have been convicted of a single offence. The jury could see through the state lies, the political interference and the corruption.

Today we celebrate, tomorrow we rest, but this is not over - Angelo Volante is the name of the Elbit Systems security guard who assaulted my brother multiple times. My heart sank watching the footage of my brother unarmed, being attacked by Volante with a sledgehammer. Jordan was attempting to deescalate the situation when Angelo Volante kicked, choked, struck and even attempted to bit my brother.

The jury was shown Jordan's black eye, bruised body and sledgehammer marks. Why was this never released to the media? Throughout the trial we have been silenced by reporting restrictions in a bid to protect Elbit Systems and its violent employees.

Angelo Volante and Elbit Systems should be the ones on trial, not my brother. Thankfully ordinary citizens of the jury could see that and so we leave today with our heads held high and our loved ones by our side.

Featured image supplied

By The Canary

Reform leader Nigel Farage is running scared of Green leader Zack Polanski. And, in the run-up to the Gorton and Denton by-election, the clash between the two parties could well be a sign of things to come in the British political landscape.

Of course, Farage is refusing a challenge to a face-to-face debate with Polanski. After all, the far-right figurehead is far batter at manufacturing glib soundbites than he is at answering probing questions.

Politics UK posted on social media:

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has spiked its own report describing Israel's treatment of Palestinians as a "crime against humanity". It's Israel-Palestine director Omar Shakir resigned in protest at the decision.

The report, which had been legally approved and was ready for publication, addressed Israel's denial of Palestinians' legal 'right of return' to their homes and lands. Hundreds of thousands were violently expelled by Zionist militias and UK military in 1948. Many more have been dispossessed or killed since and Israel has forcibly expelled Palestinians from refugee camps.

The report analysed field work in refugee camps in Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. Despite passing successfully through all HRW's checklist stages, new executive director Philippe Bolopion shelved it. It was due to go public last December, but Shakir was informed that it had been spiked a fortnight before.

Bolopion's killing of the report came after a senior HRW official objected on the grounds that it would undermine Israel's apartheid. Or, as the official put it, that it might:

demographically extinguish the Jewishness of the Israeli state.

Shakir told Drop Site News that he had lost faith in HRW's leadership after a decade of hard work:

I've given every bit of myself to the work for a decade. I've defended the work in very, very difficult circumstances. I have lost faith in our senior leadership's fidelity to the core way that we do our work, to the integrity of our work, at least in the context of Israel, Palestine.

The refugees I interviewed deserve to know why their stories aren't being told.

Shakir's Palestinian researcher Milena Ansari also resigned, leaving HRW without an Israel-Palestine team.

In an attempt to justify its decision, HRW said in a statement that the report was "complex":

The report in question raised complex and consequential issues. In our review process, we concluded that aspects of the research and the factual basis for our legal conclusions needed to be strengthened to meet Human Rights Watch's high standards. For that reason, the publication of the report was paused pending further analysis and research. This process is ongoing.

Bill Frelick, HRW's Refugees and Migrant head, claimed he did not object to Palestinians' legal right of return. He then questioned whether it really applied any more - in part, ironically, because some Palestinians might have obtained citizenship elsewhere:

To be clear, I am not objecting to our position that the Right of Return (RoR) is, indeed, a human right and that denying the right of return is a human rights violation. I do not think, however, that we have strong grounds for asserting that the denial of this right is a Crime Against Humanity (CAH)…

…I also question the strategic value of HRW advocating in 2025 for Palestinian refugees and their descendants to reclaim homes in present-day Israel that were lost in 1948…

… Does the suffering (and claims) of descendants of refugees who lost their homes in 1948 weaken over time? How does HRW assess whether descendants of refugees from 1948 have maintained ties that keep their claims viable? Does having citizenship in another country have impact on those claims? Are these claims unique to the descendants of Palestinian refugees or do they apply to the descendants of all refugees from all places throughout history?

At least ten percent of Israelis hold dual nationality - probably considerably more now. Iran's effective retaliation to Israel's aggression in June 2025 saw a flood of Israelis apply for passports in their original states. Frelick also questioned whether Israel was deliberately causing harm by preventing Palestinians returning to their homes:

Per the requirement of "intentionally" causing great suffering, is Israel's intent in denying return to cause great suffering or it is rather motivated by Israel's national security concerns, demographic engineering, or other motivations, and, therefore, whatever suffering it causes would be incidental or consequential to these purposes but not their intent?

According to Drop Site, HRW's senior management refused attempts to find a compromise and told staff the report could only be published if its scope was limited to Palestinians displaced since 2023 and excluded refugees in other countries. Some 200 staff signed a letter of complaint; 300 participated in an online all-staff meeting and voiced their objections. All were ignored. Participants in the meeting said that human rights defenders were "losing" HRW and that the spiking was indefensible:

We are losing the organization we love and are so passionate about…

…no one will be able to defend the organization.

Quite.

While HRW is frequently critical of Israel, it has also been accused of going soft on its crimes when it matters. Academic and author Immanuel Ness wrote that HRW demonstrates:

continuous and reliable support for positions advanced by the USA, Britain, and Western states.

Featured image via the Canary

By Skwawkbox

As reported by the BBC, Peter Mandelson has made his most brazen claim yet:

Mandelson just told the BBC that when he passed government documents to Jeffrey Epstein he was "acting in the national interest" pic.twitter.com/8NY8YOYeqo

— Nicholas Guyatt (@NicholasGuyatt) February 3, 2026

Sorry, but we're having a hard time believing that feeding British secrets to an international paedophile was in the "national interest".

As revealed by the latest Epstein Files, Mandelson was feeding the now-dead paedophile confidential government information during the New Labour years:

Peter Mandelson leaked a sensitive UK government document to Jeffrey Epstein while he was business secretary that proposed £20bn of asset sales and revealed Labour's tax policy plans. https://t.co/vVvoE5TIH9 pic.twitter.com/B31Ba2sKXj

— Financial Times (@FT) February 2, 2026

I've been trawling through the Mandelson/Epstein emails and those guys were TIGHT
Here's Mandelson tipping Epstein off on a major financial announcement while he was Business Secretary and Epstein was on year of probation on house arrest after his conviction and jail sentence pic.twitter.com/nYC32jSg7A

— Robbie G D2theI2theD2theF (@Gruntfutuck) January 31, 2026

In the clip at the top, the BBC's political editor Chris Mason said:

It's my understanding that he doesn't believe he has acted in any way criminally; that he was acting in the national interest. It's his view, I'm told, that in his dealings with Jeffrey Epstein - particularly during the financial crisis - dealing with Epstein, a man who had knowledge and expertise in banking, was worthwhile.

To give you an idea of how Epstein viewed the world, we know from another leak that he told Palantir boss Peter Thiel Brexit was "just the beginning". When asked "of what", Epstein answered:

return to tribalism… counter to globalization. amazing new alliances. you and I both agreed zero interest rates were too high, and as I said in your office, finding things on their way to collapse… was much easier than finding the next bargain

Reading this, do you think it would be in your interests for this man to have access to confidential British secrets?

Because to us, it reads like the grandiose monologuing of a man who wants to burn the world down to sell off the ashes.

Speaking of Peter Thiel and Palantir, as we've reported, Starmer's government has handed this company new contracts worth hundreds of millions.

And the dodginess doesn't end there.

They are, generally speaking, disgusting people entirely unrepresentative of the country in just about every way.

But a combination of our electoral system (which has so far guaranteed two parties), and the media, has completely insulated them from real accountability.

— Aaron Bastani (@AaronBastani) February 2, 2026

At this point, the connections are obvious. And it's clear that none of this is being done in the name of Britain's 'national interests'.

Featured image via FCDO

By Willem Moore

Six members of the Filton 24 have been acquitted by a jury in a major victory for anti-genocide protesters. After an 8-day deliberation Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Ellie (Leona) Kamio, Fatema Zainab Rajwani, Zoe Rogers, and Jordan Devlin were cleared of all charges brought against them by the Starmer regime. The 'Filton 24' are a group of political prisoners held for action to inhibit the manufacture of Israeli weapons used against Palestinians.

The verdicts include the most serious charge, that of aggravated burglary. The jury refused to convict all the defendants of that charge, as well as charges of criminal damage. The 'conscience' verdict came despite five of the defendants admitting in court that they had destroyed Israeli weapons and equipment belonging to Israel's biggest weapons firm, Elbit Systems.

The trial exposed the Starmer government's collusion with Israel and the UK state's lies about the accused's actions, when video evidence contradicted the claims of police and security guards.

Corner was also acquitted of a charge of 'grievous bodily harm with intent'. Corner had been accused of striking a police officer.

The political prisoners' supporters described the result as a "monumental victory" that has "vindicated" the defendants, who had been smeared by government ministers and state-corporate media as "violent criminals".

Aggravated burglary carries a potential sentence of life in prison. The not guilty verdicts mean that the jury did not accept the prosecution case that the defendants entered the Elbit weapons factory with the intention of using the items they carried as weapons, or threatened/used unlawful violence against Elbit security guards.

Instead, the jury agreed with the defence argument that the defendants sole intention was to use the items, including sledgehammers, as tools to disarm Israeli weapons to "prevent violence".

Campaigners say the refusal to convict the defendants even of criminal damage, despite evidence demonstrating damage of Israeli weapons, shows that the jury:

understood that it is not those who destroy Israeli weapons which are guilty, rather the guilty party in the one that it is deploys such weapons to commit genocide in Gaza.

Featured image via the Canary

By Skwawkbox

Despite its supremely sleek design, the iPhone Air actually has a pretty respectable battery life, lasting for somewhere in the region of 27 hours if you're continuously streaming video. But you're still going to be wary of it dying on you if you're on a trip or just having a particularly screen-heavy day. That's where Apple's iPhone Air MagSafe battery pack comes in, and it's currently on sale for $79.

This accessory only works with the iPhone Air, but much like the phone it attaches to, it's extremely slim at 7.5mmm, so crucially doesn't add so much bulk when attached that it defeats the point of having a thin phone in the first place. The MagSafe Battery isn't enormous at 3,149mAh (enough to add an extra 65 percent of charge to the Air), but it can wirelessly charge the AirPods Pro 3 as well, making it an even more useful travel companion. You can also charge your iPhone while charging the battery pack.

At its regular price of $99, the MagSafe battery pack is an admittedly pricey add-on to what is already an expensive phone, but for $20 off it's well worth considering what Engadget's Sam Rutherford called an "essential accessory" for some users in his iPhone Air review.

Many Apple loyalists will always insist on having first-party accessories for their iPhone, but there are plenty of third-party MagSafe chargers out there too, a lot of them considerably cheaper than Apple's lineup. Be sure to check out our guide for those. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

It's hard to tell the difference between Apple's second-generation AirTag and the almost-five-year-old original just by looking at them. In fact, the only way to tell is the many scratches on my old tracker, picked up from all those years attached to my keyring, living in my pocket. 

While the price is still $29, Apple's latest tracker packs some core upgrades. The new AirTag has a second-generation ultra-wideband (UWB) chip that extends its Precise Finding range up to 50 percent, though it requires an iPhone 15 or newer to do so. It's also apparently 50 percent louder and has a new, higher-pitched chime. Still no keyring hole, though.

The new AirTag looks… the same. It's arguably the most understated hardware design Apple has ever made, with no buttons or ports, just a company logo on one side. It's made from a combination of a stainless steel plate and a (now 85-percent recycled) plastic enclosure. It's like a thick coin, a little bigger than a quarter, and slips into any small pocket or wallet. The battery can be replaced by rotating the backing off, but it's still solid enough that I never felt there was a risk of coming off accidentally. 

Apple's accessories to attach the AirTag to your keys are still more expensive than the tracker itself. However, compared to when the original tracker launched, there's now a rich collection of third-party options from the likes of Mophie, Belkin and more, many of which are more reasonably priced at around $15. A $35 keyring for a $29 tracker is a very tough sell, Apple.

Setting up a new AirTag is just as effortless as its predecessor. Pull out the plastic tag, connecting the battery, and a notification will pop up on your nearby iPhone. You can then name it, assign it to an item and it'll join your list of findable Apple hardware. 

I've been testing the range of the new AirTag, and if anything, the 50 percent increase in Precision Finding range is a conservative estimate. Naturally, tracking can be affected by building structure, walls, a lack of nearby Find My network devices and other interference, but the next-generation AirTag's "getting closer" screen consistently appeared on my phone when I was around 80 feet away. The older tracker, however, needed me to be around 30-40 feet away to do the same. The benefit of Precision Finding was limited on the debut AirTag, because its range was so tiny — especially in busy environments. The hardware upgrades now make it truly useful. The new AirTag is also faster to connect and more responsive to my movements and sudden turns, thanks, I expect, to the new ultra-wideband chip. 

You can now also use newer Apple Watches (Series 9, Ultra 2 and up) with precision location detection. After updating her Apple Watch Series 11 to the latest software, my colleague Cherlynn Low reported that locating the new AirTag was pretty much the same as on an iPhone. She did find it slightly counterintuitive to have to first add the Find My shortcut to the Control Center on the watch instead of going to the Find My Items app to do so, but ultimately, once she did that, it mirrored the existing setup for Precision Finding on iPhones. 

Apple also redesigned the AirTag's speaker assembly, which it says makes sounds 50 percent louder. Possibly the most effective audio upgrade is a higher-pitched chime that's easier to hear over ambient noise and in busy public spaces. I could hear it ringing out from the other side of my gym's locker room, while inside a locker, over music playing in the background. My old AirTag was inaudible until I was a few feet away from my locker. I always thought the sound on the original AirTag was a little too low-key for something you were urgently trying to find. (I'd love to be able to customize the chime, though.)

It's the Find My network that makes the AirTag shine. Apple's massive footprint of over a billion devices, from iPhones to Macs, continues to offer a tracking range and finer precision than GPS and Bluetooth alone. If anything, this network is even more built out since the launch of the first Apple tracker.

Since we tested the first AirTag, Apple has added multiple new features, usually through iOS updates, that expanded the utility and versatility of its trackers. In iOS 17, you could share an AirTag through Family Sharing. In iOS 18.2, Share Item Location allowed you to share your tracking information with third parties (such as airlines or train companies), improving the chances of finding the AirTag. 

There have also been subsequent safety upgrades, including expanding unknown tracker alerts to Android devices without needing to install an app. Apple also reduced the time an AirTag takes to emit a sound when separated from its owner, shifting the interval to a random range between 8 and 24 hours. At launch, this was a three-day span.

Do you need the new AirTag? While improved in every way, it's pretty much the same device. However, the AirTag's simplicity and ease of use are second to none when it comes to Bluetooth trackers. If you already own a single AirTag for your keys or wallet, upgrading to the second-gen iteration and repurposing the old one to track, say, your luggage, makes a lot of sense. You get the more precise location tracking and sensing for your smaller item, while you can reduce your bag anxiety if your suitcase doesn't make it to your destination.

There's no doubt the second-gen AirTags are improved, and thankfully, upgrading to the new capabilities doesn't come at too steep a cost.

Nintendo has lined up its first showcase of the year. The next Nintendo Direct is taking place on February 5 at 9AM ET, the company has announced. It will run for around 30 minutes.

As previous reports suggested, it will focus on third-party titles from partners instead of first-party games from Nintendo itself. So if you were hoping for new Mario or Zelda announcements, that may not happen during this event. Still, you can expect to hear about new games that are coming to Switch and Switch 2. You can tune into the Direct via the YouTube video embedded above.

FromSoftware's The Duskbloods, a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, is slated to arrive this year, so we may get another look at that (or the Switch 2 version of Elden Ring, for that matter). Meanwhile, Resident Evil Requiem will hit the console later this month, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Capcom making an appearance during this Direct.

The Devil Wears Prada 2, complete with Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci, hits theaters on May 1. Here's the trailer! If this is an extremely dubious sequel, it sells itself well. Hathaway's Andy is returning to Vog—sorry, Runway, as its new features editor, but Streep's Miranda Priestly has either forgotten who she is or is pretending to have forgotten who she is. — Read the rest

The post The Devil Wears Prada 2 trailer appeared first on Boing Boing.

Congresswoman Nancy Mace ordered her staff to boost her in a Reddit discussion about the "hottest women in Congress," upvoting positive comments and otherwise manipulating her standings. And that's just one magical detail in New York Magazine's portrait of the South Carolina Republican, "Nancy Mace Is Not Okay," by Jake Lahut. — Read the rest

The post Former staff say Nancy Mace had them rig Reddit discussion about hottest women in congress appeared first on Boing Boing.

Pelletino is a tiny handheld Pac-Mac arcade game you play by tilting it. It runs the original 1980 arcade ROM under emulation on a 32-bit RISC-V ESP32-C6 microcontroller, wedded to a 240×280 ST7789 LCD and a six-axis inertial measurement unit to detect movements. — Read the rest

The post Pelletino puts a tilt-controlled Pac Man in your pocket appeared first on Boing Boing.

A day of two halves sees Honda and VR46 claim the top three as opposite fortunes for Yamaha see all their machinery stay in the pits on Wednesday.

Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) headed the timesheets on Day 2 in Sepang, putting in a notable laptime and becoming the fastest Honda rider ever at the venue - taking a chunk off test rider Aleix Espargaro's top lap at the Shakedown last week. Franco Morbidelli slots into second just ahead of teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio as Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team complete the top three. Action was curtailed a little early due to rain, but the morning made for some interesting laptimes…

One of the biggest stories of the day, however, was off track - Yamaha. After an issue on Day 1 for Fabio Quartararo - after his crash which later caused him to withdraw from the remainder of the test - the all-new YZR-M1 was kept in the pits on Wednesday. A precaution from the Iwata marque as they say they know the issue but not the cause and are investigating before doing any more running. So both Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP and Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP stayed in the box on Day 2.

HONDA HCR CASTROL & HONDA LCR:

Mir will take the plaudits on the second day in Sepang. It's the factory's first time dipping their toe in the coveted 1:56s, which confirms their continued progress that we saw towards the end of last season. Both Mir and Honda HRC Castrol teammate Luca Marini remain very positive about the performance of the 2026 RC213V, but - as expected and understandably - they're keeping their feet firmly on the ground, insisting that they're not looking at the timesheets. Marini ended the day sixth fastest with the mileage limited due to the afternoon weather, as HRC eye another solid day at the office on Thursday to head to Thailand in very good shape.

In the LCR box, Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) was also pleased with the how Day 2 went, with the Frenchman looking to have a solid long run on the final day to see where the package stacks up to the competition. And of course, Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR) was back on track and said that he made solid progress in the morning, while also getting a taste of what his Honda feels like in the wet conditions for the first time. The Brazilian is upbeat about his feeling on a MotoGP bike heading into the final day of testing in Sepang.

DUCATI LENOVO TEAM, PERTAMINA ENDURO VR46 RACING TEAM, BK8 GRESINI RACING MOTOGP:

Continuing to go about their business quietly and methodically, Ducati's charge was led by Morbidelli in second - the only rider other than Mir to drop into the 1'56s. A 1'56.983 was good enough for the Italian, just 0.109s adrift of Mir and Honda in P1. Giannantonio continued his strong test and was third overall, a further 0.066s behind the #21, and said the front end feeling was a key improvement.

In factory red, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was again in P8 as his test continued; despite wanting to do a Sprint simulation, the morning saw him do six runs but none more than four laps long. Still, he was very positive about his feeling come the end of play. Teammate and reigning World Champion Marc Marquez was taking it easier on day two having topped the opening day of action and was 15th after a total of 30 laps. Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), meanwhile, became the latest rider to crash at Turn 5 as he was back testing the 2024 aero package. He was OK and did go back out in the brief dry spell in the afternoon but didn't improve his morning time, finishing 12th overall.

RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING & RED BULL KTM TECH3:

Over at the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing outfit, Pedro Acosta was in fine form, setting laps in the low 1'57s - quicker than KTM's previous fastest ever time at Sepang but yet to crack the 1'56s. The Spaniard used an updated front fairing both in the wet and dry, getting valuable data en-route to fourth. Brad Binder was the lowest-placed KTM in 13th, his tougher day compounded by a couple of messy practice starts. As well as his on-track exploits, however, it's also worth noting that he continues to develop his working relationship with new crew chief Phil Marron.

At Red Bull KTM Tech3, Maverick Viñales took advantage of the rain to spin some wet laps and acquire useful data and experience whereas Enea Bastianini remained in the box and completed the top ten. It's a marked improvement for Tech 3 as during the same test last season, both riders weren't just continuing their adaptation but struggling to find a direction. This year, they're firmly in the top ten with fifth and tenth respectively on day two - let's see what time attacks on day three bring.

APRILIA RACING & TRACKHOUSE MOTOGP TEAM:

Marco Bezzecchi continued his honeymoon with the RS-GP in P6, fastest Aprilia, with Raul Fernandez of Trackhouse MotoGP Team right on his tail. Speaking of, the tail unit of the Aprilia caused plenty of chat on Day 2, with new aero fins sticking straight up making their debut in pitlane, which was tested back-to-back. The Noale factory were also testing a swingarm.

Ai Ogura slotted into P9 for Trackhouse, with only Bagnaia in eighth splitting the Aprilia-running race riders on Wednesday. Test rider Lorenzo Savadori was also back out putting in the kilometers.

That's all she wrote on Day 2, but there's more to come on Thursday in a final push at Sepang. Join us for more from 10:00 (UTC +8)!

More from a press release issued by Honda HRC Castrol: 

Mir Reigns Supreme on Second Day in Sepang.

The Honda RC213V and Joan Mir set a new reference over a single lap while Luca Marini kept pace as weather curtailed the afternoon's running.

With a positive first day in their pocket, the Honda HRC Castrol squad were immediately back to work around the 5.54-kilometre-long circuit. Wednesday's action would again show that even in its early stage, the 2026 Honda RC213V has continued on the path set out in 2025 as engineers continue to work on refining all of the small details.

Leading the charge was Joan Mir who blitzed the field early in the day and set a 1'56.874. 0.6s faster than his Q2 time from the Malaysian GP just a few months ago. Although the time is impressive, Mir and Honda HRC remain focused on the work ahead with plenty more still to come in the 2026 season. Rain would see Mir do just two laps after the lunch break.

Another productive day saw Luca Marini continue to focus on the testing plan in the morning, the afternoon rain prematurely ending his chances to push from a single fast lap. 0.676s back from his teammate, the Italian was left content with what he achieved given the more limited track time. This evening will be spent finalising the plan and finding the balance between testing final items in Sepang and what can also be assessed in Buriram.

A final day of testing remains, and Honda HRC Castrol are eager to make the most before heading to Buriram, Thailand for the second test and first race of the season. Work to be done, but the first two days have certainly helped to maintain Honda HRC's momentum into the new year.

Joan Mir: "I think we have to be happy about the lap time today! This morning, I was feeling quite strong and I was able to push for a good lap, my confidence is growing and this translates to what we saw today with the new tyre. Today we focused on the lap time in the morning before getting back to the puzzle of testing after. Tomorrow, we need to make another step and make up for the time we lost to the rain. At the moment I am happy with what we've done but there will also be a lot of work to do after the test." 

Luca Marini: "We had a busy morning, trying to make the most of every lap and really hit our targets. Even without the second session, we did a lot. Between me and the other Honda riders we split the work load a little bit which also has helped us to be more productive. It's been a good test so far and we are not in a big rush to do a huge job tomorrow; we can focus on what we need to do and find the balance." 

More from a press release issued by Castrol Honda LCR: 

Castrol Honda LCR rider Johann Zarco finished 14th on the second day of testing at Sepang.

• The Frenchman and his team had a productive and solid second day at Sepang, focusing on testing different configurations and collecting valuable data for future adjustments.
• Johann and the technicians tried various setups to find the most comfortable bike balance for him, and they identified some positive aspects.
• However, afternoon rain disrupted their plans, preventing them from completing their work. Tomorrow will be crucial to assess the improvements, with a long run scheduled.

More from a press release issued by Pro Honda LCR: 

Pro Honda LCR rider Diogo Moreira finished 17th on the second day of testing at Sepang.

• Determined to keep learning and pushing, the Brazilian rider had a consistent day working alongside his crew.
• Moreira completed 34 valuable laps to assess the bike's behavior, even in rainy conditions, which was another first for him.
• By the end of the day, Diogo was satisfied with the work done and is looking forward to trying a long run tomorrow, the final day of testing.

The post MotoGP: Mir and Honda Top Day 2 of the Sepang Test appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.