Essential to Caribbean classics like the Daiquiri or Piña Colada, rum tends to conjure the climate of its native tropics. When shaken or swizzled and paired with the bright kick of citrus or a mountain of crushed ice, the sugarcane spirit demonstrates its inherent refreshing qualities. But throw it into the mixing glass alongside—or in lieu of—whiskey in an Old-Fashioned or swap it in for gin in a winterized Negroni, and rum shows off its impressive adaptability to cool-weather cocktails. Here are some of our favorites that demonstrate just that.

A panic pervades the internet: terrified talk of troops in American cities, federal shock troops brutalizing citizens and neighbors, the targeting of gun owners, mass surveillance, the deployment of militarized artificial intelligence, and the suspension of the Constitution. The year is 2015, and the far right is incensed.

This was a period of intense American paranoia and anger, largely spurred by the right-wing meltdown over the consecutive victories of President Barack Obama. It was also a time of post-Snowden horror, as a nation realized it lived inside an unfathomably immense government surveillance dragnet endorsed and expanded by both political parties. It was in this moment that, for a certain segment of conservatives, Jade Helm 15 became an American crisis.

A decade later, this imaginary emergency reveals much about the hucksters who pushed it and the tolerance of many Americans for state oppression — so long as they are not the intended targets. The cauldron of race hatred, federal violence, and surveillance brewed by the paranoiacs who pounced on Jade Helm has spilled over today not in the form of right-wing phobia, but right-wing policy.

In July 2015, Alex Jones, at that point still little more than a punchline, issued a dire warning on his website InfoWars: "This is an emergency broadcast," Jones began, warning of an impending campaign to "militarize police and to put standing armies on the streets to suppress the population and to carry out political operations."

Jones was referring to publicly released Pentagon planning documents detailing Jade Helm 15, a military training exercise throughout sparsely populated swaths of the American South, from Florida to Texas. As is often the case when the dishonest have primary documents and a vast megaphone, Jones misstated nearly every detail of the materials. A map from what was essentially a large-scale military roleplaying game labeling Texas as "hostile," colored in red, was irrefutable evidence to Jones that the Obama administration was preparing to let loose the national security state on the conservative heartland.

"We're not becoming a police state. We're already here."

All of this was simple pretext, he claimed. The White House was leveraging the national security state to build the infrastructure for the federal paramilitary occupation of the country to choke out political dissent by force. Unwanted portions of the populations would be herded into Department of Homeland Security-administered camps, warned Jones and other stalwarts of right-wing paranoia. "We're not becoming a police state," he told viewers. "We're already here."

Though there was never any factual reason to suspect Jade Helm disguised a federal takeover, the broader paranoia was anchored in some fact. Jones claimed that the training exercise was connected to the broader militarization of American police agencies, a real trend he misconstrued as a leftist scheme against his audience. "You have massive military gear being cached — armored vehicles, machine guns, helicopters, night vision, Humvees — with the police departments around the country," Jones explained. "It's about suppressing the patriot population."

Jones was not alone. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott quickly endorsed InfoWars' ravings, deploying the state guard to "monitor" Jade Helm so that "Texans know their safety, constitutional rights, private property rights and civil liberties will not be infringed," as he put it in an April 2015 letter ordering their mobilization. Former Texas congressman Louie Gohmert suggested the White House was hoping to provoke an armed confrontation between the military and the administration's critics. "It is no surprise that those who have experienced or noticed such persecution are legitimately suspicious," he said. "I understand the reason for concern and uncertainty," agreed Sen. Ted Cruz.

Some Americans heeded the warning. The New York Times interviewed a Texas doctor stockpiling ammunition. Locals organized Jade Helm volunteer groups that monitored and recorded military movement. The Oath Keepers, a prominent American anti-government militia, described Jade Helm on its website as a "Portentous government plan, a pre-fabricated and pre-constructed umbrella under which a black op by the Deep State's compartmentalized agencies could possibly 'Go Live' in a fantastic sort of Shock and Awe False Flag psycho-coup to jar the public mind of America through fear into acceptance of some nefarious policy the government desired, such as the establishment of Martial Law and the complete loss of individual liberty and our Constitution."

Related The Sinister Reason Trump Is Itching to Invoke the Insurrection Act

These days, Jade Helm isn't talked about much because nothing happened. But in the decade since, there has been a near-total inversion of the panic that Jade Helm sparked. Largely unconcerned and frequently unconstrained by law, Trump has found in his Department of Homeland Security what Jones warned was coming a decade ago: a paramilitary force to terrorize political opponents and demographic undesirables. Eleven years past schedule, Trump and a docile American right wing have finally delivered the Jade Helm presidency.

Armored personnel carriers today carry masked, heavily armed, pointlessly camouflaged federal commandos through American cities that voted against the president, backed by a sophisticated national surveillance apparatus. Trump and his lieutenants, beneficiaries of an American right-wing reshaped by the likes of Jones and his audience, make real and explicit the quiet fantasizing attributed to Obama's during Jade Helm, speaking openly of American communities as hives of the enemy. In September, Trump announced impending deportation operations in Chicago with a doctored image depicting the city under attack by napalm, captioned "Chicago about to find out why it's called the Department of WAR."

The notion of ideological foes not as electoral enemies but legitimate targets of violence is no longer the stuff of conspiracy podcasts, but the political mainstream. Trump referred to a need to stamp out the "enemy within" the United States in September speech at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, suggesting the unconstitutional use of the military to "handle" them, and mused about using American cities as "training grounds" for the Pentagon. Gun-toting agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as Custom and Border Protection are the foot soldiers of a government that describes its people as terrorists. They have been joined at times by actual soldiers, Marines and National Guard members, deployed illegally in cities like Los Angeles where the president's policies are unpopular.

Related Trump's War on America

Since Trump's speech, DHS agents have shot 12 people, killing four of them. Minneapolis residents describe the experience of ICE and CBP's surge as something akin to a military occupation. Where Obama's Jade Helm fell short in the collective imaginations of the InfoWars right, Trump's second term has succeeded in wielding DHS as an ideological cudgel. After Minneapolis residents Renee Good and Alex Pretti were gunned down by DHS agents, the department's justification for dispensing the death penalty on the sidewalk — that they were both domestic terrorists bent on killing federal personnel — quickly disintegrated in the face of video evidence. All that was left was a rationale more foreboding than anything Jade Helm truthers attributed to the Obama administration, a shrug that boils down to this brutal view: That's what they get for wanting this to stop. 

"Was he simply walking by and just happened to walk into a law enforcement situation and try to direct traffic and stand in the middle of the road, and then assault, delay, and obstruct law enforcement?" CBP's Greg Bovino wondered of Pretti at a press conference. "Or was he there for a reason?" (Pretti's reason for being there that day was clear, having been filmed from multiple angles: to legally observe and record the agents who then killed him.)

The idea that merely opposing the president's immigration policy is reason enough to warrant summary execution is, if not stated outright, now on the lips of many right-wing commentators. It's an implicit threat that the next person to record a masked cop on their block could receive the same.

Immigration authorities have brought to life the id of Jade Helm not just through overt displays of force, but also through the vast intelligence and surveillance apparatus within DHS.

In May 2015, InfoWars correspondent David Knight warned that Jade Helm would involve the collection and exploitation of enormous reams of personal information. "They analyze the data, and then because you stick out in some way, now you're treated as if you've already had due process, as if you've already been found guilty of a crime," resulting in the government kicking down the doors of innocent people. "If you understand the technology that's involved, then you'll see that Jade Helm is more of an intelligence operation using geospatial intelligence mapping," claimed InfoWars correspondent Lee Ann McAdoo. "And as information from low-level surveillance technologies such as stingrays and predictive policing programs are all getting siphoned up into NSA data centers, a detailed global map will continue to grow with near-endless stats on all individuals."

This much was true — in broad strokes, if not the specifics — back in 2015 and even more so today. DHS has steadily amassed for itself a security state within the security state, one now plump with record funding under a Trump second term clinched with the promise of a ruthless immigration crackdown. "With a budget for 2025 that is 10 times the size of the agency's total surveillance spending over the last 13 years," the Electronic Frontier Foundation wrote last month, "ICE is going on a shopping spree, creating one of the largest, most comprehensive domestic surveillance machines in history."

Thanks to the unregulated market in commercial surveillance technology, DHS has little need for a spy agency like the NSA.

Thanks to the unregulated market in commercial surveillance technology, DHS has little need for a spy agency like the NSA. Last fall, ICE reactivated its contract with spyware-maker Paragon, which makes software that can remotely break into a smartphone. DHS also makes ample use of phone-cracking tools like Cellebrite, and has been purchasing warrantless access to cellphone location data since at least 2017, providing a turn-key means of tracking virtually anyone, anywhere, while bypassing the Fourth Amendment entirely. A 2023 DHS inspector general's report found that both ICE and CBP consistently used this data illegally. Smartphone-based face recognition makes suspects out of anyone DHS agents might encounter on the street, immigrant and citizen alike.

Some in the InfoWars orbit speculated the word Jade itself "may or may not be an acronym for a military-developed artificial intelligence," columnist Mark Saal observed in 2015. Like other facets of the Jade Helm freakout, this fear managed to be prescient despite its own baselessness. What's unimpeachably true today is that DHS uses a litany of sophisticated artificial intelligence tools, including those provided by Palantir, a longtime military and intelligence contractor that has previously aided the NSA and continues to provide analytic and database services to ICE.

The role of Palantir alone within DHS is the stuff of InfoWars reverie: The company is building a tool "that populates a map with potential deportation targets, brings up a dossier on each person, and provides a 'confidence score' on the person's current address," according to a recent report by 404 Media. In contract documents renewing ICE's use of Palantir case management software reviewed by The Intercept, the agency notes that the company has a "critical role in supporting the daily operations of ICE." The case management system alone ingests data from across the federal government, including the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services, Department of Justice databases, the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System, and the Office of Biometric Identity Management, among others.

Omnipresent data collection in the name of Homeland Security has allowed for novel means of taunting and intimidating the president's critics. In a video clip that began circulating on X last week, a masked DHS agent is seen recording a car's license plate with his phone.

"Why are you taking my information down?" the woman asks. "Because we have a nice little database," the agent replies. "And now you're considered a domestic terrorist."

It's unclear what "little database" the agent was referring to, or on what grounds recording a video on a public street would be considered an act of terrorism. Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told The Intercept there is "no such database." McLaughlin would not answer when asked repeatedly whether DHS endorsed its personnel threatening to place people on a domestic terrorism database it now claims does not exist.

Related Are You on Trump's List of Domestic Terrorists? There's No Way to Know.

A national security presidential memorandum issued by Trump in September, known as NSPM-7, explicitly labels certain political and ideological stances — including "anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity" along with unspecified views on race and gender — as forms of domestic terrorism.

The Jade Helm presidency hasn't matched the scope and scale of what Jones et al. hallucinated a decade ago. But Trump's DHS — a department already plagued by bipartisan abuse, brutalization, and overreach since its founding — represents in spirit and practice exactly what far-right and right-libertarians once warned was a genuine emergency.

Though it made no effort to attach itself to facts, Jade Helm fearmongering touched, glancingly, on some uncomfortable truths: The federal government is willing to use force, surveillance, and extraconstitutional power to suppress dissent. But the greater truth revealed in the intervening decade is that for many Americans, these abuses aren't a problem so long as it's someone else's back pushed onto the concrete, someone else's car windows smashed, and someone else dealing with the pain of a chemical irritant.

Far-right commentators and elected officials are making clear that their opposition was never to authoritarian violence or state terror, but instead to being subjected to that violence and terror themselves. The contingent of the country that swore to avenge Ruby Ridge and Waco now seem mostly content to cheer on more of the same beneath X videos.  

The far right is making clear that their opposition was never to authoritarian violence or state terror, but instead to being subjected to that violence and terror themselves.

When the administration blamed Alex Pretti's death on his wholly legal gun ownership, having failed to slander him as an "assassin," even the National Rifle Association, which once derided federal police as "jackbooted government thugs," felt obliged to claim he was "antagonizing" ICE, even while defending his right to bear arms.

"We now know that Alex Pretti was a violent agitator who repeatedly went out armed to deliberately instigate physical confrontations with law enforcement," conservative commentator Matt Walsh posted on X. "He is not a victim. He was not a mere 'protester.' And he got what was coming to him. Simple as that."

InfoWars' Jade Helm coverage is now seemingly scrubbed from the site. With a friendly president in the White House, the publication has shifted from condemning the Pentagon as the harbinger of American apocalypse to joining its official press corps. But the spirit of the old anti-state paranoia of InfoWars remains — just inverted entirely in the state's service.

Headlines like "Could the Minneapolis Rioters Be Using Automatic License Plate Recognition Systems?" are what the Jade Helm-believers now wonder about dragnet surveillance. "Watch Two Brave ICE Officers Fight Off A Violent Leftist Mob That Invaded Their Hotel!" is the formerly paranoid right's assessment of DHS. The notion of camouflaged agents in the streets is cause for celebration, not an "emergency broadcast" of 2015. "A War Has Erupted On The Streets Of America, And It Is Going To End With Martial Law In Major U.S. Cities," InfoWars warns today, paired with an AI-generated image of federal officers defending themselves from an antifa onslaught.

Eleven years after Jade Helm, this is forecast with at least a little excitement.

The post Welcome to the Jade Helm Presidency appeared first on The Intercept.

TL;DR: Get a Microsoft 365 1-year subscription on sale for $69.99 (MSRP $99.99).

We don't need to sell you on Microsoft Word. Or Excel. You've used them for years, probably most of your life, and now, you can get them all at a steep discount with this Microsoft 365 deal. — Read the rest

The post 30% off Microsoft 365 is productivity, but slightly less soul-crushing appeared first on Boing Boing.

Meanwhile, in France

*At least those Hebdo cartoonists know what a slaughterhouse looks like

TikTok is finally "back to normal" in the US after days of technical issues and outages tied to winter storms. Less than a week after companies like Oracle took ownership of TikTok's domestic operations, the platform faced a major power outage when one of its primary US data center sites — run by Oracle — got taken down by the storm. 

The problems started last Monday, January 26, when TikTok announced it was working on a "major infrastructure issue" and warned of bugs, time-out requests, missing earnings, and more. The next day TikTok shared that progress has been made but there were still some issues. It added, "Creators may temporarily see '0' views or likes on videos, and your earnings may look like they're missing. This is a display error caused by server timeouts; your actual data and engagement are safe."

Then, yesterday, February 1, TikTok claimed the problem was straightened out and that users shouldn't experience any more related issues. "We're sorry about the issues experienced by our U.S. community. We appreciate how much you count on TikTok to create, discover, and connect with what matters to you," the platform stated in its update. "Thank you for your patience and understanding."

A number of US users have uninstalled TikTok in response to its new ownership and technical issues. Some users also claimed that TikTok was censoring what they could post or what others saw. For instance, The Guardian reports that many people faced issues sharing videos about ICE agents killing Alex Pretti and general anti-ICE content. 

On January 26, analytics firm Sensor Tower told CNBC that uninstalls of the app had increased by over 150 percent during the five days since its change in ownership, when compared to the three months before. At the same time, independent app and competitor UpScrolled saw a surge in downloads. 

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

"Climate Change As A Geopolitical Force: From Arctic Militarization To Climate Wars…

"The Arctic dynamics reflect a broader trend: climate change is no longer solely an environmental issue but a geopolitical force that reshapes power relations, strategic calculations, and alliance structures."

https://www.eurasiareview.com/02022026-climate-change-as-a-geopolitical-force-from-arctic-militarization-to-climate-wars-oped/

"The catastrophe bond market shattered a host of records in 2025 — and many expect another banner year as investors flock to what has been an often-overlooked asset class…

"In the absence of a disastrous event triggering a loss, CAT bonds are known to offer highly attractive equity-like returns, low volatility and low correlation to broader financial markets."

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/02/catastrophe-bonds-insurance-climate-change-markets.html

"There's a Triple Threat to the World's Food Security.

"There are five times as many people alive today as there were in 1900. Yet humanity is better fed than at almost any point in its history. That's thanks to three major developments that have made our planet far more resilient to the risk of starvation: yield improvements, water usage and trade. Worryingly, all are threatened right now."

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2026-02-01/there-s-a-triple-threat-to-the-world-s-food-security

"Geopolitical tensions and commodity repricing hit smartphone supply chains.

"Global shipments of smartphone AMOLED panels are forecast to decline to 810 million units in 2026, marking a significant year-on-year contraction after three consecutive years of growth, according to the latest data from Omdia."

https://cyprus-mail.com/2026/02/02/geopolitical-tensions-and-commodity-repricing-hit-smartphone-supply-chains

"Aviation leaders tackled barriers to growth and the impact of geopolitical tensions on the eve of the Singapore Airshow on Monday, while reaffirming pledges to reduce emissions.

"Supply chain problems are hurting global airlines and will remain for some time to come, the head of the International Air Transport Association warned industry leaders and regulators."

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/aviation-leaders-tackle-industrial-geopolitical-headwinds-2026-02-02/

"European stocks set for sharp declines as global market fears are reignited.

"European stocks are expected to open in negative territory as concerns over artificial intelligence and volatility in precious metals haunt global markets… Wall Street also turned its attention to Nvidia as questions over the artificial intelligence boom loomed…"

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/02/european-markets-sotxx-600-ftse-dax-cac-global-markets-silver-gold-bitcoin.html

"The State Of The $2.52 Trillion AI Bubble, January 2026.

"Worldwide spending on AI is forecast to reach $2.52 trillion in 2026, a 44% year-over-year increase, according to Gartner. By 2030, Gartner predicts that AI will account for nearly all of IT spending… For some, observing the mood at Davos 2026 brings memories of another bubble: "I was in Davos in January of 2000, right before the Internet bubble burst, and the mood was similarly ebullient."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/gilpress/2026/02/01/the-state-of-the-252-trillion-ai-bubble-january-2026/

"AI Giants' Bond Surge Sparks Market Stability Fears.

"Three years after the AI revolution was triggered by the emergence of ChatGPT in late 2022, the global AI industry has shifted from a technological competition to a "capital war." The Korea Center for International Finance analyzed, "Concerns are growing over the impact on financial market stability…""

https://www.chosun.com/english/market-money-en/2026/02/02/Q6VP57PZ6BFBXIFO6GD3OU3OBA/

"Oracle plans massive $50 billion debt-and-equity raise.

"Oracle (ORCL) on Sunday said it expects to raise $45 billion to $50 billion in 2026 to build additional capacity ​for its cloud infrastructure business. The company, chaired by billionaire Larry Ellison, said it intends to meet its funding needs through a mix of debt and equity."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/technologyinvesting/oracle-plans-massive-50-billion-debt-and-equity-raise/ar-AA1VsJw3

"'We're fighting for the soul of the country': how Minnesota residents came together to face ICE…

"In what is arguably the most widespread effort in the country to combat Donald Trump's severe mass deportation tactics, tens of thousands of Minnesotans have played a role in defending their neighbors from ICE."

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/01/minnesota-twin-cities-ice-protests

"British factories hit by Trump's tariffs mayhem cut exports to US…

"Stephen Phipson, the chief executive of Make UK, said: "Tariffs and trade friction in global markets are creating uncertainty and disrupting longstanding customer and supply chains. "Many businesses are responding by diversifying exports, adjusting supply chains or scaling back activity to manage rising costs and delays.""

https://www.thetimes.com/business/companies-markets/article/british-factories-hit-by-trumps-tariffs-mayhem-cut-exports-to-us-8rw3cdmbs

"More people despair over 'broken Britain' than during financial crisis.

"Some 68 per cent of the public claim British society is broken, compared with 63 per cent in September 2008, according to research by Ipsos for The Telegraph. Fewer than three in five (58 per cent) shared this dissatisfaction with the country in August 2011, just two months before the start of the Occupy London protest movement…"

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/01/31/more-voters-despair-broken-britain-than-financial-crisis/

"Germany news: Nationwide strikes hit public transport.

"German commuters faced freezing temperatures and deserted platforms on Monday as a widespread public transport strike, orchestrated by the Verdi trade union, paralysed bus and tram services across most cities."

https://www.dw.com/en/germany-news-nationwide-strikes-hit-public-transport/live-75756854

"German regulator sounds alarm on banks' exposure to private debt funds…

""Financial companies here in Germany are intertwined with foreign private debt vehicles," Branson said. "They provide the funds with capital, which is then used to leverage investments. This poses risks outside the traditionally regulated banking sector.""

https://alternativecreditinvestor.com/2026/01/28/german-regulator-sounds-alarm-on-banks-exposure-to-private-debt-funds/

"Europe's oil majors prepare to cut billions in shareholder payouts.

"Most supermajors require Brent crude to stay above $80 per barrel to cover current dividends and buybacks. With Brent averaging near $63-$70 recently, firms are facing significant shortfalls."

https://www.ft.com/content/b4f22a34-8ad1-4062-b395-aa71cd7be130

"Exclusive: $500 billion euro crisis fund could be used for defence, says ESM chief.

"A European crisis fund with more than 430 billion euros ($514 billion) of firepower could lend money to countries for ​defence, the head of the European Stability Mechanism told Reuters, as the bloc scrambles to reinforce its military."

https://www.reuters.com/business/500-billion-euro-crisis-fund-could-be-used-defence-says-esm-chief-2026-01-30/

"Transnistria: Russia, the EU, and the Persistence of a Frozen Conflict.

"The Transnistrian conflict is a long-standing territorial dispute in Eastern Europe and has been ongoing since the early 1990s. Emerging from the collapse of the Soviet Union, this conflict has deep historical, political, and socio-economic roots…"

https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2026/02/02/transnistria-russia-the-eu-and-the-persistence-of-a-frozen-conflict/

"Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv reschedules peace talks as battered power grid strains in -15C.

"Planned outages in force across Ukraine while Russian strike kills 12 miners hours after Zelenskyy says next trilateral talks to start on Wednesday."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/02/ukraine-war-briefing-kyiv-reschedules-peace-talks-battered-power-grid-strains-cold-snaps

"Russia's Lukoil Reaches Tentative Deal To Sell Most Overseas Assets To US Private Equity Firm Carlyle Amid Sanctions…

"The companies did not disclose the value of the potential deal, which includes Lukoil's oil and gas fields from Iraq to Mexico, thousands of petrol stations in 20 countries, and refineries in Bulgaria and Romania."

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/russias-lukoil-reaches-tentative-deal-203301323.html

"Shoigu backs China's position on Taiwan, says Russia watching Japan's 'militarization'.

"Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that ​Moscow continues to support Beijing over Taiwan, as Russia keeps a close eye on Japan's "accelerated militarization," the TASS state news agency ‍reported."

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/02/asia-pacific/politics/shoigu-russia-china-taiwan-japan/

"Britain, Japan agree to deepen defence and security cooperation.

"Britain and Japan agreed to strengthen defence and economic ties, visiting Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Saturday, after his bid to forge closer links with China drew warnings from US President Donald Trump."

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260131-britain-japan-agree-to-deepen-defence-and-security-cooperation

"Trade war, global instability push de-dollarisation into China's academic mainstream…

"Chinese scholars have called for greater urgency in reducing reliance on US dollar assets, particularly after Washington and its allies froze about US$300 billion in Russian foreign exchange reserves in 2022."

https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3341876/trade-war-global-instability-push-de-dollarisation-chinas-academic-mainstream

"Hopeful signs in China's property market? Not really, say developers…

""I don't see how private developers are going to survive," said a senior executive at a Shanghai-based firm, one of many developers to have defaulted on debt in the wake of the liquidity crunch triggered by the "three red lines" policy."

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/business/hopeful-signs-in-chinas-property-market-not-really-say-developers/articleshow/127854548.cms?from=mdr

"Vanke's Record Loss Leaves Developer at Mercy of State Backer.

"China Vanke Co.'s $12 billion record loss underscores how its ability to avoid default depends on how far its state shareholder is willing to support the stricken property developer."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-02/vanke-s-record-loss-leaves-developer-at-mercy-of-state-backer?srnd=all

'Deeply insecure': Why Bangladeshi minorities are scared ahead of elections.

"A spate of recent attacks has amplified fears among the country's religious minorities ahead of the February 12 vote, even though the government insists most incidents have been ordinary crimes."

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/2/1/deeply-insecure-why-bangladeshi-minorities-are-scared-ahead-of-elections

"Traders Brace for Bond Losses on India's Record Borrowing Plan.

"Indian bonds look set to suffer losses on Monday as the government's plan to sell an unprecedented and more-than-expected amount of debt adds to pressure from weakening demand, market participants said."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-02/traders-brace-for-bond-losses-on-india-s-record-borrowing-plan

"More than 200 killed in intense clashes between separatists and army in Pakistan's Balochistan.

"More than 145 militants and another 49 people, including 17 security personnel, were killed in the last 40 hours in a series of intense clashes between Balochistani separatists and Pakistani military forces, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti said on Sunday."

https://www.wionews.com/world/more-than-200-killed-in-intense-clashes-between-separatists-and-army-in-pakistan-s-balochistan-1769957610746

"Iran warns any war started by US will 'spread across the region'.

"US President Donald Trump says that Iran is now "seriously talking" to the US, despite previous threats of military action…. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned that any US attack would be met with a "strong blow" from the Iranian nation."

https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/iran-trump-war-update-b2911790.html

"Iraq's parliament delays presidency vote again amid political deadlock.

"Iraq's parliament on Sunday postponed a session to elect the country's next president following a similar decision on Tuesday, due to a persistent deadlock between the two main Kurdish parties. The session was adjourned…"

https://www.chinadailyasia.com/hk/article/628246

"Supplies running out at Syria's al-Hol camp as clashes block aid deliveries.

"An international humanitarian organization has warned that supplies are running out at a camp in northeast Syria housing thousands of people linked to the Islamic State group, as the country's government fights to establish control over an area formerly controlled by Kurdish fighters."

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/sdf-damascus-islamic-state-kurdish-save-the-children-b2911420.html

"Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon kill one, injure seven amid truce.

"Israeli airstrikes have killed one person and wounded seven others in southern Lebanon, marking another breach of the November 2024 ceasefire. The attacks targeted the towns of Ebba and Harouf in the Nabatieh governorate."

https://en.yenisafak.com/world/israeli-strikes-in-southern-lebanon-kill-one-injure-seven-amid-truce-3714026

"Israeli air strikes kill at least 32 Palestinians in Gaza, rescue officials say…

"The civil defence agency, which is operated by Hamas, says children and women were among those killed. It added that in one attack, helicopter gunships hit a tent sheltering displaced people in the southern city of Khan Younis."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c701g1g00gdo

"Drone strikes in Ethiopia's Tigray kill one amid fears of renewed conflict.

"One person has been killed and another injured in drone strikes in Ethiopia's ‍northern Tigray ‍region, a senior Tigrayan official and a humanitarian worker said, in another sign of renewed conflict between regional and federal forces."

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/31/drone-strikes-in-ethiopias-tigray-kill-one-amid-fears-of-renewed-conflict

"'Executions, torture, abductions, rape': Ethiopia's hidden conflict…

"The OLA has been battling Ethiopia's government since 2018, even if at times the rebellion was overshadowed by the country's other conflicts, such as the 2020-2022 war in the northern Tigray region."

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/oromia-ethiopia-ola-oromo-amnesty-international-b2911949.html

"Sudan: Countdown to catastrophe in Kordofan, as world once again looks away.

"South Kordofan is now the epicentre of the war in Sudan, which has caused the world's largest humanitarian crisis. Civilians in this part of southern Sudan face intensified fighting and near-total blockage of humanitarian supplies…"

https://www.nrc.no/news/2026/sudan-countdown-to-catastrophe-in-kordofan-as-world-once-again-looks-away

"'You take what you can and run': families describe harrowing journey to escape fighting in DRC.

"There was only one sound that halted the family's progress: bombing. The shelling was relentless, each side trying to outdo the other. "They bomb, and the others bomb back. Over and over again," Muka recalls."

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/feb/02/families-describe-escape-drc-fighting-burundi-east-africa

"Clashes erupt between armed factions in W. Libya.

"Violent clashes broke out overnight Friday to early Saturday in the western Libyan city of Zawiya between forces affiliated with the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity, local media reported, resulting in a shift of control between rival armed factions aligned with the UN-backed government."

https://www.chinadailyasia.com/hk/article/628203

"The Algerian defence ministry said the army killed four "terrorists" on Sunday in a mountainous region of the northwest.

"A ministry statement said the operation was still ongoing in the Djebel Amrouna area about 130 kilometres (80 miles) west of Algiers… The army regularly announces the arrests or deaths of "terrorists", the authorities' term for armed Islamists still active since the North African country's 1992-2002 civil war."

https://www.newarab.com/news/algeria-says-army-killed-four-terrorists

"A mix of hope and fear settles over Venezuela after US-imposed government change…

"Thirty days after the U.S. raid and capture of then-President Nicolás Maduro upended Venezuela, adults and children alike are still unsure of what exactly is happening around them."

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/nicolas-maduro-venezuela-caracas-donald-trump-white-house-b2911938.html

"Cuba denies security threat accusations as US raises pressure.

"The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Monday calling for dialogue and stressing that the Caribbean island does not support "terrorism"."

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/2/cuba-denies-security-threat-accusations-as-us-raises-pressure

"How hard cash and central banks are fuelling a global crime wave…

"Criminals want cash dollars — or, to a slightly lesser extent, cash euros and pounds — so they can buy things without suspicious compliance officers being able to notice the transaction and report it to the authorities. Drug smugglers take payment in hard currency, as do people smugglers, wildlife traffickers, kleptocrats and terrorists…"

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/where-is-cash-going-circulation-5t2gt3gvf

"International law meant to limit effects of war at breaking point, study finds…

"Such is the scale of violations, and the lack of consistent international efforts to prevent them, that the study, entitled War Watch, concludes that international humanitarian law is at "a critical breaking point"."

https://www.theguardian.com/law/2026/feb/02/more-than-100000-civilians-killed-war-crimes-out-of-control-study

"UN risks 'imminent financial collapse', secretary general warns…

"António Guterres said the UN faced a financial crisis which was "deepening, threatening programme delivery", and that money could run out by July. He wrote in a letter to all 193 member states that they had to honour their mandatory payments or overhaul the organisation's financial rules to avoid collapse."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr579mdv4m7o

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

The post 2nd February 2026 Today's Round-Up of Economic News appeared first on Climate and Economy.

Marco Bezzecchi and the RS-GP say yes. 

After receiving a proposal at the end of the race in Valencia, the RS-GP Albarosa - as Marco called her at the beginning of his adventure with Aprilia - has said yes. Their union is now confirmed. Below is the contract that governs the terms, maintenance, sporting and emotional management of their relationship, as well as their reciprocal rights and responsibilities on and off track.
 

• Watch the ceremony here 

PROPERTY AGREEMENT

MARCO AND ALBAROSA agree to share all components, replacement parts, aerodynamic upgrades, wheels, tyres, fuel, lubricants, and any mechanical or software "add-ons", as well as awards and bonuses from results.
 

MAINTENANCE, CARE, AND SPORTING CUSTODY

MARCO undertakes to treat ALBAROSA with the diligence of a good garage caretaker, ensuring her routine and special maintenance in accordance with technical plans.

On her part, ALBAROSA undertakes to provide power in a quantity proportional to the twisting of the right wrist, avoiding manifestations of electronic jealousy towards other bikes on the grid.
 

FAITHFULNESS

MARCO acknowledges his responsibility to sporting faithfulness to ALBAROSA, her twin, and all Aprilia Racing prototypes. They do not constitute a violation of the obligation of faithfulness.
 

RACE MANAGEMENT AND STRATEGIC DECISIONS

Decisions on tyres, setup, overtaking on the final lap, and on race strategies in general, will always be implemented jointly, in observance of the principles of reason and track limits.

On the track, in the event of any discord, MARCO's feeling will prevail. In this case, ALBAROSA may express disagreement by vibrating or skidding, but not beyond the limits of traction control.
 

DURATION AND EFFECTIVENESS

This agreement takes effect on the date it is signed and is valid for multiple years, in particular, where MARCO is concerned, as long as he desires to race around the track and, where ALBAROSA is concerned, as long as fuel flows through her injectors. 
 

JURISDICTION

Past cases advise strongly against seeking recourse in any court.
 

FINAL PROVISIONS

MARCO declares his knowledge of ALBAROSA's every particularity, including engine maps and character during braking and acceleration.

ALBAROSA declares her acceptance of MARCO's riding, acknowledging his leaning skill, sensitivity with the front end, and attitude of never letting up on the gas.

MARCO BEZZECCHI: "I'm extremely happy to have renewed for another two years. From the first day I signed, I had the goal in mind of building a long-term project. I'm happy to have found the support of the entire team and the whole Noale factory. I hope I'll be able to give them a lot of joy, as they most certainly will with me."

MASSIMO RIVOLA, CEO APRILIA RACING: "We are obviously extremely satisfied, because the renewal was our priority. We wanted to celebrate the signing in a particularly fun way, which I believe goes perfectly well with Marco's personality. We have built a path creating solid foundations, and the fact that Marco chose to stay with us, in spite of various other offers he received, gives us great pleasure and further highlights the work and spirit of this team."

Marco Bezzecchi, in his first season with Aprilia Racing in 2025, has already become the most successful rider in the Italian team's MotoGP history. He has achieved three victories in the long races (Silverstone, Portimão and Valencia), three sprint race wins (Misano, Mandalika and Phillip Island), a total of 15 podium finishes and five pole positions (Austria, Misano, Mandalika, Portimão and Valencia). These results allowed him to finish the championship in third place with 353 points.

The post MotoGP: Bezzecchi Renews With Aprilia Until 2027 appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

Hey, want to score a special deal? How about a nice MotoGP-rider, pretty fast and only slightly used. No? Maybe prefer a rookie, instead? Someone promising but without proven records, so dirt cheap if you act fast. Better act fast before they're all gone…

Yes everyone, it's Auction Day at Oxley Bom and we are your auctioneers! In front of us: a collection of riders, contracts currently still unsigned. Who will ride into a new season, and who will step out of the race? That's what we're about to find out. It's mean and merciless - but that's business, baby! 

So come with us and get bidding, because these riders are going fast… 

• Listen to the podcast here! 

Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music! 

The post Oxley Bom MotoGP Podcast: The Great Auction appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

Steven Sinofsky warned Microsoft that its flagship Surface was about to flop in public, then sought exit advice from Jeffrey Epstein as he negotiated his way out of Redmond.…

Bork!Bork!Bork! Most people would be perfectly happy to ride the bus without seeing ads. So this latest public error could be a blessing in disguise for passengers, if not for the bus company hoping to make money. Love it or hate it, this bit of borked digital signage looks to have run into a problem that only an open-source hero can solve.…

The Honda HRC Castrol MotoGP team issued the following press release after their online team launch: 

Honda HRC Castrol Reveal 2026 Colours

• Read more about Press Release: Honda HRC Castrol Reveal 2026 Livery
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The LCR Honda team sent out the following press release and photos after their online team launch:

EVERY NUMBER TELLS A STORY

• Read more about Press Release: LCR Honda - More Than A Number
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Noise-canceling earbuds have become an everyday essential for a lot of people, whether you're trying to survive a noisy commute, concentrate in a shared workspace or just carve out a little quiet time. Advances in active noise cancellation and audio processing mean today's best earbuds do a much better job of cutting through background noise, without forcing you to move up to bulky over-ear headphones.

The latest models also balance sound quality with convenience, offering stable Bluetooth connections, comfortable fits and battery life that can last through a full day with help from their charging cases. From premium options with the strongest ANC to more affordable picks that still get the basics right, there's no shortage of solid choices depending on what you value most.

Most true wireless earbuds these days have a "traditional" design that's a round bud that fits in your ear canals. However, there are some variations on the formula in terms of shape, size and additional fitting elements. Some companies include fins or fit wings to help hold their in-ear earbuds in place while others opt for an over-the-ear hook on more sporty models. You'll want to pay attention to these things to make sure they align with how you plan to use them. Also consider overall size and weight since those two factors can impact the fit. A less-than-ideal seal due to a weird fit will affect the performance of active noise-canceling earbuds.

Next, you'll want to look at the type of ANC a set of earbuds offer. You'll see terms like "hybrid active noise cancellation" or "hybrid adaptive active noise cancellation," and there are key differences between the two. A hybrid ANC setup uses microphones on the inside and the outside of the device to detect ambient noise. By analyzing input from both mics, a hybrid system can combat more sounds than "regular" ANC, but it's at a constant level that doesn't change.

Adaptive ANC takes the hybrid configuration a step further by continuously adjusting the noise cancellation for changes in your environment and any leakage around the padding of the ear cups or ear tips. Adaptive ANC is also better at combating wind noise, which can really kill your vibe while using earbuds outdoors. For this top pick list of the best noise-canceling earbuds, I'm only considering products with hybrid ANC or adaptive ANC setups because those are the most effective at blocking noise in noisy environments.

You'll also want to check to see if the ANC system on a prospective set of earbuds offers presets or adjustable levels of noise reduction. These can help you dial in the amount of ANC you need for various environments, but it can also help save battery life. Master & Dynamic, for example, has ANC presets that either provide maximum noise-blocking or prioritize energy efficiency. Other companies may include a slider in their companion apps that let you adjust the ANC level.

The primary way we test earbuds is to wear them as much as possible. I prefer to do this over a one-to-two-week period, but sometimes deadlines don't allow it. During this time, I listen to a mix of music and podcasts, while also using the earbuds to take both voice and video calls.

Since battery life for ANC earbuds is typically 6-10 hours, I drain the battery with looping music and the volume set at a comfortable level (usually around 75 percent). When necessary, I'll power the headphones off during a review without putting them back in the case. This simulates real-world use and keeps me from having to wear them for an entire day.

To test ANC performance specifically, I use the earbuds in a variety of environments, from noisy coffee shops to quiet home offices. When my schedule allows, I also use them during air travel, since plane noise is a massive distraction to both work and relaxation. Even if I'm not slated to hop on a flight, I simulate a constant roar with white noise machines, bathroom fans, vacuums and more. I also make note of how well earbuds block human voices, which are a key stumbling block for a lot of ANC setups.

I also do a thorough review of companion apps, testing each feature as I work through the software. Any holdovers from previous models are double-checked for improvements or regression. If the earbuds I'm testing are an updated version of a previous model, I'll spend time getting reacquainted with the older set, and revisit the closest competition as well.

Opinion Barely a month into 2026, electrical power infrastructure on two continents has tested positive for cyberattacks. One fell flat as attempts to infiltrate and disrupt the Polish distribution grid were rebuffed and reported. The other, earlier attack was part of Operation Absolute Resolve, the US abduction of Venezuela's President Maduro from Caracas on January 3.…

Ahead of the release of new album Domestic Bliss and an appearance at Acid Horse festival in May, the amniotically-linked trio speak to Archie Forde in binaural stereo

London trio Voka Gentle have been playing music together in some form "since the womb", their guitarist, William J. Stokes tells me. Which might be why their latest album, Domestic Bliss, works so well. Composed of identical twin sisters Ellie and Imogen Mason, and William, Imogen's husband, the band craft left-field, mercurial pop that's as hard to box into a genre as it is easy to enjoy. 

Recorded at London City University, where the band taught sound workshops in exchange for studio time, their latest LP is a tour-de-force in this synergistic mode of music-making, which...

The post Phone it in: Voka Gentle Interviewed appeared first on The Quietus.

Opinion Microsoft has had a bad start to the year. Two out-of-band updates in the weeks after the first Patch Tuesday of 2026 rattled administrators' already shaky faith in the company. But are things getting worse?…

With some of Ukraine's most valuable biodiversity sites and science facilities under occupation, experts at Sofiyivka Park in Uman are struggling to preserve the country's natural history

In the basement laboratory of the National Dendrological Park Sofiyivka, Larisa Kolder tends to dozens of specimens of Moehringia hypanica between power outages. Just months earlier, she and her team at this microclonal plant propagation laboratory in Uman, Ukraine, received 23 seeds of the rare flower.

Listed as threatened in Ukraine's Red Book of endangered species, Moehringia grows nowhere else in the wild but the Mykolaiv region of Ukraine. Of those 23 seeds, only two grew into plants that Kolder and her colleagues could clone in their laboratory, but now her lab is home to a small grove of Moehringia seedlings, including 80 that have put down roots in a small but vital win for biodiversity conservation amid Russia's war with Ukraine.

To see a film the way the creators intended, you really need a projector. A good one can show a bright, sharp image up to 250 inches in size for an immersive experience that no TV can match — and usually at a much lower price. Plus, they're great for immersive gaming with consoles and PCs.

Thanks to companies like Anker and Valerion, projectors are starting to be seen as a must-have item for cinephiles and outdoor party screenings alike. That means there are a wide variety of choices, ranging from classic ceiling-mounted models to battery-powered projectors you can take on a camping trick. You can also choose from dozens of ultra short throw (UST) models for a more TV-like installation.

But compared to TVs, projectors remain a bit more confusing for a majority of buyers. This guide will fill you in on important details to consider like brightness, type (classic, portable and ultra short throw) and other factors to help you choose the best model for your setup.

Some projectors are for serious cinephiles, projecting sharp 4K video with HDR brightness and hyper realistic colors to a large screen. Others are bright enough to replace your TV for sports or gaming, and some low-cost portable models can be set up for camping or outdoor fun. That's why we've divided this guide into several categories to help you find the right one.

For a deep dive on projector technology check my previous explainer, but there are few key things to keep in mind. What will the projector mainly be used for? What type of room will it be used in? And how big of an image do you want? You'll also see a variety of specifications that may be confusing, so here are a few to consider and what they mean.

Brightness is measured in ANSI lumens; the brighter the projector, typically the more expensive it will be. 1,500-2,500 lumens is good for darkened rooms, 3,000-4,000 lumens allows you to see with some ambient light and 4,000+ lumens is bright enough to use in direct sunlight. High contrast is important for detail, because projectors are more sensitive to things like ambient light and reflections.

Laser projectors offer the most brightness and they are entering the mainstream with models costing well under $2,000. Below that, you're looking at projectors with bulbs. Aside from brightness, laser projectors have an advantage in that the light source lasts 10,000 hours or more, compared to 2,000 hours maximum for bulb projectors.

Digital light processing units (DLPs) used by Optoma, BenQ, LG and others allow bright 4K images. The negative is that they can produce a "rainbow" effect, or red/blue/green artifacts that affect some viewers more than others. LCDs are used mainly by Epson, but also Sony and Sanyo. Those are often brighter, more color accurate and don't produce rainbow effects, but are also more expensive and susceptible to image degradation over time.

If you want a true 4K projector, beware: only expensive models have native 4K resolution (many movie theaters still use 2K projectors for various reasons). However, most DLP projectors and some LCD models can use pixel-shifting to attain 4K resolution.

Projectors can't produce anywhere close to the amount of light required to qualify as true HDR. Rather, they use a technique called tone mapping to fit the entire HDR gamut into a lower brightness range. That said, many projectors can display millions of colors, with some models surpassing the color accuracy of TVs and monitors.

Classic projectors and screens can be mounted on the ceiling so they're great if you have no floor space. They can also project a larger video for a truly cinematic experience. UST projectors mount on the floor right next to the screen so they can take the place of a TV. They don't beam as big an image but are generally brighter, sharper and more expensive. For best results, they require special screens.

Ceiling mounting requires some work and don't forget to budget for a bracket and any necessary long cables, including extra power for a Google Chromecast or other streaming device. UST projectors require less labor, but getting the image perfectly square can still be surprisingly time-consuming. As for fan noise, some projectors (usually cheaper DLP models) generate more than others.

For more flexibility with location and image size, ceiling mounted projectors need a good zoom range. Lens shift, meanwhile, is used if the projector is mounted higher or lower relative to the screen than recommended by the manufacturer. Otherwise, you might have to use a "keystone correction" to digitally stretch part of the image, resulting in distortion or artifacts. Also, keystore correction may not work in gaming modes for some models.

If you're interested in a projector for gaming, look up the refresh rate and input lag figures. Some projectors offer good numbers in that regard (240Hz and <20 ms, respectively), but others designed for home entertainment have very poor input lag and refresh rates at just 60 Hz. If it's streaming you want, be sure to pick a model either with built-in Google TV or a bundled streaming dongle.

Should you project onto a wall, roll-down screen, fixed screen or ambient light rejecting (ALR) screen? The choice depends largely on the room and what kind of projector you have. Roll down screens take up no space as they're ceiling mounted, fixed screens can be moved easily and ALR models are perfect in rooms with a lot of ambient light.

Yes, because higher resolution is more noticeable on larger screens, so 4K is particularly useful with projectors since they beam images up to 200 inches in size. That being said, brightness and contrast are more important.

Projectors can provide a more immersive experience thanks to the large screen, but they're not necessarily "better." Since you usually have to dim the lights with a projector, TVs are superior for everyday use.

Yes, 2000 lumens is easily bright enough, even with some ambient light in the room. However, the image will still be hard to see with the windows open on a bright day.

That depends on your budget and needs. If your budget is below $1,000, look for a 1080p projector with the best brightness and contrast. Between $1,000-$2,000, you'll need to weigh whether brightness or 4K resolution is most important. Above that, choose the brightest 4K projector you can afford.

The best projectors in daylight are ultra short throw (UST) models, as they have the brightest and sharpest image. However, they generally cost more than $2,000.

Technically, you don't need a screen to use a projector — any light-colored, smooth wall can work in a pinch. But if you want to get the most out of your projector, a screen can make a difference. Projector screens are designed to reflect light evenly and enhance contrast, so colors look more vibrant and the picture appears sharper. With a screen, you'll notice darker blacks and brighter colors, which can give a real boost to your movie nights or gaming sessions. So while you can absolutely enjoy a projector without one, a screen can make the experience feel a bit more like your own personal theater.

It depends on how and where you plan to use it. If you want a projector you can easily move around, bring to friends' houses or set up indoors or outdoors easily, a portable projector is a great choice. They're usually smaller, lightweight and often have built-in speakers and batteries, making them convenient for on-the-go use.

On the other hand, if you're looking for a more permanent setup for a home theater or living room, a home projector might be the way to go. Home projectors tend to be more powerful, with higher resolution and brightness, which gives you that crisp, cinema-quality experience. They're ideal if you have a dedicated space and don't mind leaving it set up in one spot.

After stories revealed high levels of contamination in neighborhood around factory processing US toxic waste, government announces sweeping array of tactics

The Mexican government has announced it will pursue a sweeping array of tactics to combat industrial pollution, from $4.8m in fines against a plant processing US hazardous waste to the rollout of a new industrial air-monitoring system, following investigations by the Guardian and Quinto Elemento Lab, a Mexican investigative unit.

Those stories revealed high levels of heavy-metal contamination in the neighborhood around the factory, Zinc Nacional, in the Monterrey metropolitan area, and showed the broader extent of industrial pollution in the region, linked to Monterrey's role in manufacturing and recycling goods for the US market.

Bridport, Dorset: Paths became streams and new islands appeared as the River Brit burst its banks

We were warned that rain was coming - and so it did, barrelling down all night, falling through the darkness on to ground that was already saturated. By the time it was light, the rivers through Bridport had risen and spread across the floodplain, splicing into a broad, brown rope of water twisting to the harbour at West Bay.

Contemptuous of its banks, the River Brit was running noisily across meadows, forming new lakes where herring gulls sat floating on its muddy surge. Water went straight through the allotments, sending plastic pots bobbing like buoys against the boundary fence.

This piece is copublished by DeSmog and ExxonKnews. ExxonKnews is a reporting project of the Center for Climate Integrity.

The U.S. oil lobby aims to bulldoze European climate regulations as a top policy goal in 2026. 

In a policy agenda published this month by the American Petroleum Institute (API), the country's largest oil and gas trade association said it will ensure that laws outside of the country "do not disadvantage U.S. producers." The API explicitly names two European climate laws it will zero in on: the EU Methane Regulation and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), a law designed to force large corporations to cut emissions to deal with the negative environmental and human rights impacts of their businesses.

API's policy directive around European climate laws comes amid precarious trade negotiations and tensions between the U.S. and the EU. President Donald Trump's chaotic quest for worldwide "energy dominance" and allegiance to fossil fuels has worked out in the favor of American oil companies before, which doesn't bode well for the future of EU climate regulations. 

Behind the scenes, the U.S. fossil fuel industry has already spent nearly a year coordinating a campaign of attack on the CSDDD, a trove of leaked documents obtained by the research group the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO), and reviewed by DeSmog and ExxonKnews, shows. Their strategy, in part, was to "amplify" concerns about U.S. trade threats and international tensions to unravel key provisions in the law.

The effort was orchestrated by the Competitiveness Roundtable, a coalition of primarily U.S. fossil fuel companies, including ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Koch Inc., with close ties to the Trump administration, DeSmog first reported last month. The PR company Teneo, which represents major U.S. oil companies, organized the Roundtable.  

"It's extremely worrying that the API appears to continue its campaign against the CSDDD in 2026 and wants to water it down even further, despite the massive concessions the EU adopted already following intense lobbying by U.S. fossil fuel companies," said David Ollivier de Leth, a researcher at SOMO and author of a December report on the Competitiveness Roundtable documents. 

"With all the political turmoil at the moment, it is crucial that the EU stands strong and defends its laws aimed at protecting people and the climate against even more interference from corporations and the Trump administration."

The American Petroleum Institute did not respond to a request for comment.

Stay up to date with DeSmog news and alerts

The Competitiveness Roundtable met weekly, as documented in activity updates and strategy outlines, after the European Commission announced last February that it would renew talks over the legislation and draft an Omnibus package to "simplify" the CSDDD law.

In mid-December, the European Parliament approved a new version of the CSDDD stripped of several elements the coalition had opposed. Those included provisions for large companies trading in the EU to implement climate transition plans, and harmonization of civil liability laws, which would have allowed companies to be sued for failing to comply with the CSDDD across EU member states.  

How has the U.S. oil lobby worked to dismantle EU climate regulations so far? By exploiting frailties in the legislative process while encouraging the Trump administration to fight the law on its behalf, according to documents uncovered by SOMO.

The Competitiveness Roundtable pressured European lawmakers to ally with the European Parliament's far-right and adopt "the most extreme position" on the CSDDD, documents reveal.

In a July 11 document, the coalition said it would "take advantage of the 'weak' Council negotiating mandate and disagreements on contentious articles," like the one that would have required companies to make climate transition plans. It would "push for a blocking minority" to kill that article by assigning teams of oil majors to "establish rapporteurships" with the opposing member states, thus "divid[ing] and conquer[ing] in the Council for influence." (A minority of governments representing at least 35 percent of the EU's population or at least four EU member states can block an EU Commission proposal from being adopted.)

At the same time, the companies strategized to encourage U.S. officials to "have the EU use [the CSDDD] as a concession in negotiations on tariffs."

"Amplify concerns through US foreign and trade policy channels," reads one document from May.

In June, the coalition discussed pressuring their U.S. allies to present the CSDDD as a "key barrier" to EU-U.S. trade and tariff negotiations. That month, the Trump administration threatened to increase tariffs from 20 to 50 percent.

In July, the companies discussed using their "close ties" with the Trump administration to ensure that upending the CSDDD was a top priority for the U.S. Trade Representative, the agency handling international trade agreements. 

In August, the EU agreed to propose changes to both the civil liability requirements and climate transition plan mandate of the CSDDD in exchange for a tariff freeze.

The coalition aimed to get "third countries" involved, too. After Qatar threatened to stop exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the EU if member states strictly enforced the CSDDD penalties, the coalition planned to get an op-ed or open letter published "similar to the [interview with] Qatar Energy in the FT," referring to the Financial Times. 

A day prior to a critical vote on CSDDD negotiations in October, the governments of Qatar and the United States published an open letter warning of "unintended consequences for LNG export competitiveness" if the law was not repealed or at least modified to remove the civil liability and climate transition requirements, among others.

The U.S. companies worked to disguise their role through trade associations, think tanks, outside countries, and its facilitator, PR company Teneo, sometimes the only firm listed as a lobbyist in meetings recorded by the EU's Transparency Register even though other companies were present. 

"If the message comes from so many different sides, for policymakers, it starts to feel like it's not just you, Exxon, or any other company," de Leth said.

In the July meeting notes, Exxon and Chevron were assigned to support lobbying against the CSDDD by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, including through a white paper that would ultimately be published in October. The paper warned that if the EU imposed CSDDD penalties on companies outside the EU, it would be "undermining international law" and "alienating key trading partners." It also decried that the law could hold companies liable "in EU courts for U.S.-based conduct that is lawful in the U.S."

Ironically, around the same time, Exxon and the Chamber were fighting climate laws in the United States in court. U.S. oil companies, and now the American Petroleum Institute, are also fighting for immunity from climate lawsuits in the U.S.

In August, the coalition planned to pay at least €185,000 for TEHA Group, a Brussels-based management consulting think tank, to write a paper and organize an event on the CSDDD with "those favouring our view and relevant policymakers." TEHA group later confirmed to SOMO that Roundtable companies funded the resulting report and Exxon funded the event.

TEHA Group told SOMO that "the analyses and findings presented are the result of TEHA's independent research and are not determined by, nor bound to, the views or positions of the supporting companies," and that it "had sole responsibility for the professional organisation and curation of the event" sponsored by Exxon, according to SOMO.

The Roundtable also discussed a larger strategy to "activate third countries with minimal US visibility," including organizing a "letter campaign by third countries / third country associations" to push the European Commission on its priorities.

The American Petroleum Institute and Roundtable companies have a decades-long, successful history of profoundly influencing international climate negotiations, DeSmog has revealed. Robert Brulle, a visiting professor of environment and sociology at Brown University who researches fossil fuel lobbying, called this latest effort a "casebook example of an information and influence campaign to undermine the laws of the EU by the oil and gas sector."

The Roundtable effort has "all the hallmarks" of such a campaign, Brulle said, including coordinated lobbying, financial contributions to garner political support, facilitation by a major PR firm, and the enlistment of think tanks to obstruct climate action. "The question is whether they'll get away with it or not."

The final EU Sustainability Omnibus package is expected to be approved by EU member states next month, though its compliance has been pushed back until July 2029. 

It's unclear what the American Petroleum Institute plans to do between now and then — though it also included in its agenda a priority to "Promote U.S. LNG through coordinated action by the Department of Energy and State Department, using proactive energy diplomacy to support allies, strengthen global energy security, and reinforce U.S. economic leadership."

The question of LNG exports now also looms over struggling trade negotiations between the EU and Trump. With the EU increasingly more dependent on the U.S. for LNG and Trump forcefully encouraging Europe to embrace fossil fuels as he threatens its sovereignty, EU climate policies — including the CSDDD and EU methane regulations — could once again be sacrificed for Trump and U.S. companies' demands. 

The American Petroleum Institute has lobbied for the expansion of LNG export infrastructure and has been a key U.S. opponent of EU methane regulation, the other target it listed in its 2026 agenda. Those regulations would limit companies' ability to export far less regulated gas from the United States. According to reporting from the New York Times, the Trump administration is lobbying European lawmakers to overturn the climate laws, or at least exempt American oil companies from penalties.

"[U.S. LNG producers have] spent so much money in developing their LNG infrastructure," said Brulle, adding that a "whole new category" of front groups have been created to sell the product overseas. "This is kind of an existential crisis for them."

The consequences would be dire if the companies succeed in completely thwarting EU climate regulations. "Given current policies alone — with no further progress — we are currently looking at planetary warming that likely lies between 2.5​​ and 3℃, teetering on the edge of societally destabilizing planetary warming," said climate scientist and professor Michael Mann, who has co-authored a recent book on the topic, Science Under Siege. 

Some climate advocates point to the courts as the remaining avenue for accountability. Fossil fuel majors have increasingly been sued in the EU over climate harms and damages, particularly the small group of producers most responsible for global emissions, including Exxon and Chevron. Those claims will move forward, even without the harmonized liability regime proposed in the CSDDD. 

"As climate impacts intensify and demands for justice mount, the fossil fuel industry has been working transatlantically to insulate itself from accountability," said Nikki Reisch, director of the climate and energy program at the Center for International Environmental Law. "Policymakers must reject attempts by the biggest climate culprits to dodge their duties while communities suffer and the planet burns."

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In the first few weeks of 2026, UK newspapers have been ablaze with sensational claims about climate policy: cutting emissions to net zero would cost up to "£9 trillion". An electricity grid run on renewable power would cause "blackouts". The government department tasked with climate policy needs to be "shut down".

The claims - which were quickly debunked by climate experts and public bodies - were based on three policy papers and endorsed by the Conservative Party's shadow energy secretary, Claire Coutinho.

But as DeSmog's analysis shows, the reports were all authored by individuals or organisations with ties to the fossil fuel industry.

Last week, Coutinho wrote the foreword to a report - 'It's Broke, Fix It: Where British Energy Policy Went Wrong and How to Get it Right' - published by the Prosperity Institute, which is owned by investors behind the right-wing broadcaster GB News.

Coutinho called the report - which was covered in The Telegraph and Express newspapers - "timely" and "insightful".

The report advocated for the Department of Energy and Net Zero - which Coutinho previously led - to be "shut down" in order to "divorce energy policy from climate policy". It also claimed that the "rapid build-out of gas-fired capacity, or even coal" is required to cut energy prices.

DeSmog can reveal that the report's author, Rupert Darwall, has roles at two leading U.S. climate science denial groups, both of which have received funding from oil and gas interests.

Darwall is a senior fellow at the National Center for Energy Analytics (NCEA), which was launched in 2024 by the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) with $250,000 from the Brigham Family Foundation, whose president - Ben M. "Bud" Brigham - is an oil and gas executive.

Brigham is founder and chairman of Brigham Exploration, an oil and gas management and acquisition company. He donated to Donald Trump's 2024 presidential election campaign and the Republican National Committee the same year. He's also the founder and executive chairman of Atlas Energy Solutions, an oil and gas logistics company.

The TPPF received more than $4 million from oil and gas billionaire Charles Koch's foundations between 1997 and 2018, according to Greenpeace USA. Charles Koch and his late brother David have been leading sponsors of climate science denial across the globe in recent decades.

Darwall is also listed as a member of the CO2 Coalition, a U.S. climate denial group which describes CO2 as "plant food" and denies the link between emissions and rising temperatures. The group received $662,000 (£481,000) from Koch foundations between 1997 and 2017.

Darwall did not respond to DeSmog's request for comment.

Coutinho also launched a report by Watt-Logic, a company run by Kathryn Porter, an oil and gas industry consultant. Porter states on her website that she works for "businesses with projects across the electricity, gas and oil industries".

Her report claimed that increasing renewable energy capacity in the UK will heighten the risk of blackouts - a claim rejected by the National Energy Systems Operator (NESO), which helps to plan and manage the country's energy network.

Porter - who has also authored reports for the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF), the UK's leading climate science denial group - did not deny that she still has oil and gas clients, when asked by DeSmog.

Coutinho also provided a supportive quote for a report by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), which claimed that achieving net zero emissions could cost the UK up to £9 trillion - a figure described by experts as "fundamentally wrong".

As DeSmog revealed, the IEA has received funding from oil majors including BP and Shell.

Amid pressure from Nigel Farage's Reform UK, the Conservative Party under Kemi Badenoch has ditched its previous support for climate action, declaring it would be "impossible" to reach net zero by 2050, and vowing to repeal the 2008 Climate Change Act.

"The Conservatives seem to want to hold back the UK's shift to homegrown clean energy and keep us hooked on fossil fuels, just so that a handful of oil executives can keep the profits rolling in," said Tessa Khan, executive director of the research and campaign group Uplift.

"Delaying the energy transition increases the UK's reliance on imported gas. The reality is, the UK has burned most of its gas and, regardless of new drilling, we are set to be dependent on imports for nearly two-thirds of our gas in just five years' time and almost 100 percent by 2050 - unless we move to renewable energy.

"Coutinho knows - and has admitted - that more drilling won't bring down bills, and she understands the dangers to us and future generations from unchecked climate change. We need politicians that will stand up to the anti-science, anti-renewable agenda of Donald Trump and his paymasters in the oil and gas industry".

The Conservative Party was approached for comment.

Darwall wrote a book in 2017 called Green Tyranny: Exposing the Totalitarian Roots of the Climate Industrial Complex. In interviews promoting the book he argued that the climate movement has its roots in Nazi Germany, claiming: "virtually every theme you see in the modern environmental movement, the Nazis were doing." 

Coutinho, in her foreword to Darwall's Prosperity Institute report, said: "I may not agree with every point Rupert makes, but as we look to a future unburdened by net zero and the Climate Change Act, the ideas in this report will be immensely useful to debate so we can chart the journey back to an energy system that puts consumers at its core."

The Prosperity Institute (formerly the Legatum Institute) is a conservative think tank owned by UAE-based investment firm Legatum Group, which co-owns GB News alongside hedge fund boss and fossil fuel investor Paul Marshall.

The Prosperity Institute's advisory board includes Neil Record, a Tory donor who helped to bankroll Kemi Badenoch's 2024 Conservative leadership campaign. Record is also the director of the GWPF's campaign arm, Net Zero Watch, which campaigns against renewable energy and backs new oil and gas extraction.

In late 2023, the Legatum Institute Foundation gave £50,000 to a Conservative Party faction run by Danny Kruger MP, who has since defected to Reform.

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Nadhim Zahawi, a high-profile defector from the Conservatives to Reform UK, chairs the advisory board of a luxury property developer in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), DeSmog can report.

Former Tory chancellor Zahawi joined Nigel Farage's right-wing populist party on 12 January amid a string of recent Conservative defections.

Farage often portrays Reform as an "anti-establishment" party taking on corporate and political "elites", yet Zahawi's record doesn't conform to this image.

Since May 2025, he has served as chairman of the advisory board at Omniyat, a property developer in Dubai, UAE. Zahawi stood down as an MP at the 2024 general election.

Posting on LinkedIn last year, Zahawi said that Omniyat wants to shape "the future of ultra-luxury living".

The company's website states that it achieved $800.2 million (£583 million) in sales in 2024, flogging 37 percent of the properties in Dubai listed for more than $10 million (£7.3 million).

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Zahawi - along with his new Reform UK colleagues - has extensive property assets. In 2022, it was reported that he controlled a family property empire worth £100 million.

His business interests have long been the subject of controversy. While serving as chancellor in 2022, Zahawi paid a £4.8 million bill to HMRC - including a £1.1 million penalty charge - over a tax "error". He was sacked as the Conservative Party's chairman in 2023 after an ethics inquiry found he had failed to disclose that HMRC was investigating his taxes.

When announcing his defection, Farage said that he hoped Zahawi could raise "huge amounts of money" for Reform.

As revealed by DeSmog, senior Reform politicians have been amassing close ties to the UAE government, an autocratic monarchy whose wealth is heavily derived from oil and gas revenues.

Farage received front-row tickets to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December courtesy of the Abu Dhabi government, while Reform treasurer Nick Candy has been in business with a property company owned by the UAE since October 2024.

Zahawi attended the 2023 COP28 climate summit in Dubai as a guest of the UAE, and was part of a bid by an investment firm backed by the UAE to buy the Telegraph Media Group that year.

He also spoke at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair last year, which is headed by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Zahawi was promoting the Arabic language version of his memoir, The Boy from Baghdad.

Reform, which campaigns to scrap the UK's climate policies and ramp up fossil fuel extraction, has been funded heavily in the past by polluting interests and those who refute basic climate science.

The party received 92 percent of its donations between the 2019 and 2024 UK elections from oil investors, major polluters, and climate science deniers, while Candy has claimed the party is actively raising money from oil executives.

"Given the party's growing traction, Reform cosying up to an authoritarian petrostate should worry us all," Jon Noronha-Gant, a senior investigator at Global Witness, previously told DeSmog.

Omniyat and Zahawi were approached for comment.

Writing for the Daily Mail about his reasons for joining Reform, Zahawi complained that the UK has "an energy secretary hell-bent on pursuing a net zero policy which will bankrupt the country."

However, this contradicts his previous views on the subject. In 2021, as Boris Johnson's secretary of state for education, Zahawi spoke at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow about the importance of climate action.

"We want to deliver a better, safer, greener world for future generations of young people and education is one of our key weapons in the fight against climate change," he said.

He announced a series of climate policies, including a scheme to install solar panels in schools and replace their gas and coal boilers.

Specifically endorsing the UK's 2050 net zero emissions target, he added: "The COP26 summit has further amplified the UK's commitments to become a world leader in sustainability right across the education system by engaging young people and bringing them on our journey towards net zero and a green future."

In a debate in Parliament in February 2022, Zahawi again backed net zero, stating: "We also need to adapt our economy and society to meet our commitment to net zero by 2050 and maintain our global leadership on climate change following COP26, with all the opportunities that there are in those new and emerging sectors for the economy." 

Zahawi is not the only Tory-to-Reform defector to U-turn on net zero. In September, Conservative MP Danny Kruger jumped ship, declaring: "We need large-scale reindustrialisation and an end to the madness of net zero."

But in articles on his website unearthed by DeSmog, the former Tory called climate change "one of the greatest challenges we face", warned of "the threat from global warming", and praised government climate action for "protecting our planet for centuries to come".

It appears that both Zahawi and Kruger were correct in their previous guises. While the net zero economy is growing at 10 percent a year, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), it has been estimated that Reform's anti-climate policies would wipe £92 billion off the UK economy by the end of the decade.

A version of this article has been published by The New World.

The post Tory-Reform Defector Nadhim Zahawi's Role in 'Ultra-Luxury' UAE Property Developer appeared first on DeSmog.

Plans by the European Commission to scrap routine checks on pesticide safety would break EU law, according to a new legal opinion published today (27 January). 

The Commission announced plans in December to "simplify" regulations for pesticides, including ditching requirements for all pesticides to be reassessed every ten to fifteen years to account for new evidence around health and environment impacts.

The move could violate the high levels of protections enshrined in EU law, according to the new legal opinion, published ahead of initial discussions between ambassadors on Monday. 

Widespread pesticide use has contributed to rapid bird and bee declines in the EU, and is linked to incidents of cancer, Parkinsons and other serious health conditions. The market is worth more than $67 billion (€56 billion) worldwide. 

The legal opinion, which was commissioned by seven non-profits including legal advocacy group ClientEarth and campaign organisation Pesticide Action Network, also criticised the Commission for failing to adequately consult experts and the public.

It comes after 200 scientists warned policymakers against the changes, in an open letter published in December. They said that the proposed amendments would "create loopholes that keep harmful pesticides in use" by doubling the time that a pesticide could continue to be used after being banned, from one and a half to three years. 

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The recent proposals follow intensive lobbying by the pesticide industry against efforts to reduce pesticide use in the bloc. In February, the Commission announced that it was dropping plans to halve pesticide use, a target that was originally signed off by Parliament in 2021. 

The changes currently under review are part of the Commission's so-called 'Omnibus packages' — a series of proposals that the legislator says will "cut red tape and simplify EU rules". 

In an email, a Commission spokesperson told DeSmog, "the existing system of periodic renewal assessment of every active [pesticide] substance has become unsustainable. […] we are not lowering the safety standards, on the opposite we are making the system more efficient and rapid, ensuring a faster uptake of scientific knowledge at the European level."

The recent opinion on the pesticide legislation, which was published by Berlin-based law firm Geulen & Klinger Rechtsanwälte, is not legally binding, but indicates that the Commission could face legal challenges were it to go ahead with the changes. 

"The Parliament has a legal and moral obligation to reject these dangerous [pesticide] proposals, and instead to work towards a toxic-free and healthy farming system," said Anja Hazekamp, Dutch Left MEP.

Austrian Green MEP Thomas Waitz said the legal opinion confirmed his fears. Regular reassessment was "essential to reassess risks to human health and environmental damage such as groundwater contamination and insect decline," he told DeSmog. 
 
 "Following the logic of 'once approved, always approved', we'd still be drinking from lead pipes or building with asbestos." 

Under the proposed rules, a small number of high-risk pesticides would still be reassessed every ten to 15 years.However, the majority would get approval to be used indefinitely. 

The Commission has stressed its "pragmatic approach" to checks, adding that unlimited approval would only be given where pesticides "clearly meet the approval criteria". 

However, campaigners point to pesticides such as bee-killing neonicotinoids that were approved years before scientific evidence of their harms came to light, and may therefore not be caught by the proposed new tiered system.

"Instead of 'simplification', this omnibus package creates legal uncertainty and health risks that only benefit companies," said ClientEarth lawyer Elisabeth Koch. 

"The proposed changes undo decades of progress in pesticide regulation, putting the health of farmers, consumers and nature at risk." 

The changes are part of the Commission's "Food and Feed Safety Simplification Omnibus". Since the start of 2025, theEuropean Commission has put forward ten such packages for cutting regulation of everything from subsidies for farmers to reporting requirements for large companies, with five approved last year. 

Academics and campaigners have repeatedly raised concerns after policymakers slashed green rules and targeted due diligence laws as part of the deregulation drive.

The Commission has also come under fire for its fast-tracking of these 'omnibus' changes. In normal circumstances, the Commission consults with experts and the public before publishing its proposals. However, no such process has been followed for its omnibus packages — a decision the Commission has sought to justify based on the need for "urgent" regulatory reform in the bloc. 

In November, the EU Ombudsman — an independent body that investigates complaints about EU institutions — slammed the Commission for "shortcomings", and called on the executive to do more to ensure "accountability and transparency" in future decision-making. 

The Commission confirmed to DeSmog that it did not plan to conduct an impact assessment or public consultation for the proposed changes. 

"The impact analysis of other possible measures would not influence the final political choice, as alternative options that lead to a significant burden reductions are necessarily similar in nature," they said.

The pesticide industry celebrated the proposal in December. "The Omnibus is an important first step in addressing many long-recognised bottlenecks in the system," the sector's main lobby group CropLife Europe wrote on its website. 

Ambassadors from EU member states will discuss the proposals on Monday (2 February), while conversations in the European Parliament are ongoing. The three bodies will then negotiate amendments before a final vote, with the Commission hoping to finalise the package by the end of the year.

The post EU Plans to Weaken Pesticide Rules 'Unlawful', Experts Say appeared first on DeSmog.

A key goal of the Mark Carney government is to "increase our oil production", according to the Canadian prime minister's former Chief of Staff Marco Mendicino.

Mendicino made the comment during a panel on U.S.-Canada relations at the Next Campaign Summit 2026, a recent one-day conference in Toronto held to "redefine the future of political campaigning, advocacy, and innovation in Canada." 

When asked by the moderator to outline what success looks like for Canada as it navigates a tumultuous relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, Mendicino's answer included specific examples of energy goals that the Carney government is working towards. 

"I would say take a look at the energy sector and the work that the major projects and sub-offices are doing on account of it, and how we can get LNG to Asia," he said, according to audio of the event obtained by DeSmog. "How, yes, we can increase our oil production. As complicated as that may be when it comes to our relationship with the climate and First Nations groups."

This energy agenda is seemingly at odds with Carney's previous stated commitments to addressing climate change, and with the country's emissions goals. Canada is projected to overshoot its climate targets of net-zero emissions by 2050 even without considering further increases to oil production. 

Yet the goal of higher oil production seems to align with Carney's recent speech at Davos, which generated headlines around the world for its apparent critique of a U.S.-led international order, where he stated that Canada is "fast-tracking a trillion dollars of investment in energy, AI, critical minerals, new trade corridors, and beyond." 

Keith Stewart, senior energy strategist with Greenpeace Canada, responded to Mendicino's comments in an interview with DeSmog. "It's like he's acknowledging that [the federal Liberals] are betraying a portion of their base" and "the commitment that they've made on climate, on reconciliation, on free prior and informed consent," Stewart said.

Mendicino did not respond to DeSmog's request for clarification about his comments at the summit.

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Mendicino was a Liberal Member of Parliament from 2015- 2025, and served as Immigration Minister and Public Safety Minister Minister under Justin Trudeau before working as Chief of Staff to Mark Carney beginning in early 2025. Mendicino recently left politics and joined the national law firm Cassels Brock & Blackwell.

In addition to boosting fossil fuel production, Mendicino listed reviving NAFTA, supporting the manufacturing industry in Ontario and aiding aluminum producers across the country as other key goals for the federal Liberal government during the panel.

Things not included in his ideas for success were a plan to fight climate change, economic support for renewable energy, or mention of repairing relationships with Indigenous peoples.

Carney has taken some steps to support the green economy including recently allowing China to sell electric vehicles in Canada. Carney's list of nation-building projects for fast-tracking includes The Iqaluit Nukkiksautiit hydro project. Similarly, Carney's "transformative strategies" under the Major Projects Office include the Alto High-Speed Rail project between Toronto and Quebec city and the Wind West Atlantic Energy project.

Despite this, Carney's government is still intent on supporting oil and gas. Carney continues to refer to Canada as "an energy superpower", a term used by former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, though at times Carney adds "in clean and conventional energy." Carney seems to be focused on the conventional side, however, as he slated two LNG projects for fast-tracking and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith for a new oil pipeline to the west coast of Canada.

Some of Carney's actions seem to align directly with the interests of oil and tech billionaires. DeSmog revealed in December that Carney took speech ideas from Build Canada, a Canadian group that was founded in part by the billionaire Tobias Lütke, who is CEO of the Ottawa-based e-commerce company Shopify. The group is also associated with oil and gas investor and billionaire Adam Waterous.

While Carney promotes oil and gas production as a means of strengthening Canadian sovereignty, billions of dollars in fossil fuel profits from Canada land in American shareholder pockets. U.S. investors now own 59 percent of Canadian fossil fuel companies while Canada's four largest oil sands companies are over 60 percent U.S. owned, according to reporting from Oilprice.com and a recent report from Canadians for Tax Fairness.

Carney's goal of increasing oil and gas production is also facing resistance from First Nations, many of which aren't on board with an expanded fossil fuel agenda. Several BC First Nations are strongly opposed to Carney and Smith's proposal for a new west coast oil pipeline.

"We're doubling down on exporting more fossil fuels at a time that all of our major customers not only want to stop importing fossil fuels, but can stop importing fossil fuels," Stewart said, adding that it's like "betting on Blockbuster when Netflix is on the rise."

The post Mark Carney's Goal Is to 'Increase Our Oil Production,' Says Former Chief of Staff appeared first on DeSmog.

A group of senior advertising executives has released an anonymous memo warning that "a vacuum of responsible leadership" means the ad industry is morally failing itself and society.

"We know our industry is funding hate, legitimising environmental destructive companies, and working at the frontline of a US-led rollback on diversity, equity and inclusion" (known as DEI), they said in the memo, while "paying little more than lip service to solving critical issues" that include "spreading hateful content" and "helping polluting industries such as oil and gas rebuff public scrutiny."

Many of the advertising and public relations industry's headquarters and biggest clients are located in the United States.

The insiders called for an "honest conversation with industry's power holders" such as agency leaders, the industry press, and advertising trade bodies, which they say are "failing to make a material stand on any of the issues that would give our industry a moral justification for existing alongside a commercial one."

Harriet Kingaby, co-chair of the industry group Conscious Advertising Network, said that the memo is "a warning shot to both the C-Suite and investors in the advertising industry as well as the brands that use them.

"People [in the industry] are not happy and they will not roll over on the issues that matter to them," said Kingaby.

The memo was written by at least 15 executives from some of the world's most significant ad agencies, some of whom have over 20 years experience, according to Inside Track, the UK-based group that co-ordinated the memo.

"This memo shows the deep sense of frustration being felt by senior leaders in advertising," said Ned Younger, director at Inside Track.

The memo's release comes at a time of unprecedented turbulence for the global advertising industry.

Clients are being tight-fisted with their marketing budgets amid geopolitical and economic instability, even as the intermediary role of traditional ad agencies is being squeezed out by advertising tools offered by social media platforms, tech companies, and consultancies.

Growth has slowed for most of the five big holding companies, which dominate the industry with their hundreds of subsidiary agencies around the world: London-based WPP, New York-based Omnicom, Tokyo-based Dentsu, and Publicis and Havas, both headquartered in Paris.

Meanwhile, the industry's adoption of artificial intelligence and Omnicom's $13.5 billion acquisition of New York-based rival Interpublic Group (IPG) have driven thousands of job losses as agencies look to cut costs.

These pressures are accelerating "a hollowing out of the values…that most in our industry hold dear," the whistleblowers stated.

"I continue to believe that advertising can be a positive force within the world," said one member of the group, who declined to be named for fear of professional repercussions. "But increasingly it feels like the checks and balances that can make that true are being undermined by leaders I cannot trust to respond effectively and responsibly."

The claim is a reference to a perceived rollback on public commitments made by major agencies to reduce the industry's climate-heating pollution, as well as DEI initiatives to increase staff from groups that have been historically discriminated against, marginalized, and under-represented in the industry.

In March 2025, The Guardian reported that WPP had cut all references to DEI in its 2024 annual report, down from 20 mentions the previous year, and DeSmog revealed that WPP ad agency AKQA had quietly closed its sustainability-focused arm Bloom.

Three agencies within the Havas network lost a social impact business accreditation known as "B-Corp" in 2024, after another Havas agency, Havas Media, signed a multi-million dollar contract to handle buying ad space for oil giant Shell.

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All five of the big holding groups are publicly-listed companies. Richard Wielechowski, a senior investment analyst at Planet Tracker, said "the issues raised in this memo highlight a clear material risk" for investors.

"As a service industry, staff dominate the cost base for the ad agencies," said Wielechowski. "Our research highlights that if agencies fail to address environmental or social concerns linked to their activities or clients, higher staff churn could materially impact revenues, costs and long-term profitability."

Dentsu, Havas, Omnicom, Publicis, and WPP, did not respond to requests for comment.

The anonymous group say this trend away from outwardly progressive initiatives echoes the very public war that the current United States government is waging against such efforts.

President Trump ordered all federal DEI programmes to shut down on his first day back in office, and has demanded that businesses as well as federally-funded entities such as universities end their own DEI initiatives.

Under Trump, climate denial has become official U.S. policy: The Biden-era landmark climate action law has been crippled, and federal climate research and programmes have been gutted. His administration is also seeking to overturn the legal basis for regulation of greenhouse gas emissions as pollution.

The whistleblowers also pointed to the influence of big tech and social media companies — where brands increasingly spend their advertising budgets compared to traditional routes such as TV and billboards — in pushing back on attempts to reform the industry.

Industry initiatives designed to stop brands from funding harmful content — such as hate speech or online scams — have fallen to pressure from both social media giants and the U.S. government over the last two years.

Industry trade group the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) shut down its Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) in 2024, after social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk, sued the group and WFA members including Unilever and Mars for unlawfully conspiring to boycott X by no longer advertising on the platform.

Initiatives such as GARM set guidelines for brands on where to buy ad space so that their ads do not appear next to, and in turn monetize, harmful content.

Online content watchdogs including Media Matters flagged increasing amounts of such content appearing on X after Musk stripped back the platform's content moderation teams following his purchase of the company in 2022.

Musk's X sued Media Matters for defamation in 2023. Both cases are ongoing.

The U.S. government appears to have backed Musk in his war against the advertisers and advertising groups taking a stance on harmful content. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission only accepted the merger of Omnicom and IPG, which was completed in November, on the condition that the newly-formed company did not choose where to buy advertising space based on "specific political or ideological viewpoints".

IPG may also have suspended publication of its annual Media Responsibility Index, which rated online platforms such as X on their content safety guidelines. The index was regarded as a powerful tool in encouraging social media platforms to improve their safety standards in return for ad spend from major IPG clients such as Nike.

IPG did not release a new Media Responsibility Index in 2025, but has not publicly announced that it was ending the initiative.

Omnicom (into which IPG has now merged) did not respond when asked why it did not release its Media Responsibility Index in 2025.

The group's memo acknowledged that there are individuals working hard to address the industry's negative impacts on society.

However, the whistleblower-executives said, most industry forums on issues such as sustainability or digital safety, are "paying little more than lip service" to solving these problems.

Ad Net Zero, a voluntary emissions-reduction initiative that counts most of the world's biggest ad agencies and media platforms among its signatories, has been criticised for not requiring its members to consider the climate impact of creating campaigns for major polluters.

The memo also called out the influence of the numerous advertising awards that take up much of the industry conversation, saying the metrics of success for these prizes "are entirely based on business as usual."

Previous DeSmog investigations found that the industry's most prestigious climate awards — such as the UK-based Ad Net Zero Awards or the sustainability categories at the global advertising festival Cannes Lions — mostly went to agencies that also worked for fossil fuel companies.

Ad Net Zero said at the time that its award entry forms ask for specific evidence of real-world impact from sustainability campaigns in areas such as food waste or greenhouse gas emissions, and that promoting such work could inspire change in the industry.

The memo's authors criticised the practice of creating internal "working groups" at agencies to tackle industry-related climate and DEI issues — often made up of the same junior and mid-level staff who had pushed for action from their leadership — as "providing space for talk without power for action."

In August, a DeSmog investigation revealed that over 800 employees at IPG (now Omnicom) signed a letter demanding then CEO Philippe Krakowsky drop IPG's polluting clients such as Saudi Aramco, the world's biggest oil company. However, according to meeting notes shared with the hundreds of signatories, senior IPG executives suggested the group that co-ordinated  the open letter should itself convene a working group to explore the issue further. Staff say momentum petered out without executive-backing, and Aramco is still one of the network's biggest clients.

A dozen IPG staff also said that the firm's work for Aramco violated its "industry first" climate pledge, made in 2022.

"It felt as though things were happening," said a former employee at the time, who was involved in a staff-led climate initiative at IPG. "However, it now seems rather superficial. I don't think the [climate] pledge is worth the digital paper it's written on to be honest."

The post Whistleblowers Warn That Ad Industry Is Fuelling Online Hatred and Climate Crisis appeared first on DeSmog.

Nigel Farage's donors have paid for him to take trips around the world to the tune of £151,000 since July 2024, DeSmog can reveal.

Farage jetted off to the elite networking forum Davos in Switzerland last week during which he stated that the world would be a "better place" if the U.S. took control of Greenland - an objective of U.S. President Donald Trump.

His trip was paid for by the family trust of Iranian billionaire Sasan Ghandehari, a venture capitalist.

This has been a common theme of Farage's time in Parliament, with the Reform UK leader having made at least seven trips abroad to cheerlead for Donald Trump or attend events associated with the U.S. president, paid for by wealthy donors.

A version of this article was published by The Mirror.

Farage's most expensive trip came in November last year, when he flew with two staff members to Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida for an event celebrating U.S. military veterans. According to official records, the trip was funded to the tune of £55,000 by Bassim Haidar, a Nigeria-born Lebanese billionaire who donated £355,000 to Reform last year.

The Reform leader has also taken multiple trips to the U.S. on the dime of Reform's biggest donor, crypto investor Christopher Harborne, who gave £9 million to the party in August.

In January last year, Harborne shelled out nearly £28,000 for Farage to travel to Washington D.C. for Trump's inauguration, after paying £33,000 the previous summer for Farage to fly to the U.S. and campaign for Trump's re-election.

The latter trip drew controversy after experts and campaigners suggested that it could have been seen as a donation to the Trump campaign.

Farage's other donor-funded flights have included jetting off in December 2024 to meet tech boss and Trump donor Elon Musk, who has subsequently called Farage "weak". This trip was funded by Reform backer and Farage's "fixer" George Cottrell.

The same month, the New York Young Republicans Club paid for Farage to attend its annual gala. The group was disbanded in October 2025 after Politico documented racist WhatsApp messages from its members.

Farage has accepted all of these gifts despite earning more than £1 million a year, largely through his non-parliamentary work. Research by Persuasion UK has indicated that Farage's closeness to Trump is one of his key political vulnerabilities.

Douglas Parr, Greenpeace UK's policy director, said that Farage "claims to be a man of the people, promising to put the British working class before billionaires and multinational corporate interests," and yet "has accepted free flights from billionaire donors to attend pro-Trump events worth more than the average Clacton resident earns in five years."

As DeSmog has previously reported, Farage spent his first year in Parliament attending events at home and abroad during which he echoed Trump's anti-climate conspiracy theories.

Trump has called climate change a "hoax" - an attitude mirrored by Farage, who has claimed it's "absolutely nuts" for carbon dioxide to be considered a pollutant.

Climate scientists at the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world's leading climate science body, have stressed that "it is a statement of fact, we cannot be any more certain; it is unequivocal and indisputable that humans are warming the planet".

Meanwhile, both Farage and Trump have received extensive financial support from fossil fuel interests and other polluting industries.

As revealed by DeSmog, Reform received 92 percent of its funding between the 2019 and 2024 elections from fossil fuel investors, climate science deniers, and major polluters. The fossil fuel industry spent hundreds of billions on the 2024 U.S. presidential race and 2023 congressional contests, according to figures compiled by the advocacy group Climate Power.

"Nigel Farage is a fraud," a Green Party spokesperson said. "He pretends to be a patriot, while jetting off to hang out with the American far-right when Trump dishonours all the British troops that died fighting for America".

Reform was approached for comment.

The post Nigel Farage Racks Up £151,000 in Donor-Funded Flights to Support Donald Trump appeared first on DeSmog.

The MotoGP Silly Season is in full swing at Sepang, with rumors and speculation swirling. But there is also the first official and confirmed signing, with Aprilia announcing a contract extension of two years with Marco Bezzecchi. The Italian will remain with Aprilia for the 2027 and 2028 seasons.

The news does not come as a surprise. At the Aprilia launch in Milan in January, Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola said that they were already talking with Bezzecchi and expected to sign a deal soon. Bezzecchi's strong 2025 season, and especially the second half of last year when he outscored everyone to finish third behind the Marquez brothers, was a testament to how well Bezzecchi fitted at Aprilia. So it was a natural step for both parties to continue.

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Geologist

Can I Get a Pack of Camel Lights?

Animal Collective member smashes multiple genres into dizzying, kaleidoscopic combinations

Can I Get A Pack Of Camel Lights? by Geologist

Can I Get a Pack of Camel Lights? is the phrase that Brian Weitz, the man behind the moniker 'Geologist' and one of the members of Animal Collective, repeated daily for over four thousand days. Now it's been over five thousand days since he stopped.

In the opening of Tarkovsky's The Sacrifice there is a discussion on the impact of rituals, even the smallest ones, how over time they create something bigger, like a river eroding away at a stone or sediment layering into geological strata. Repetition shapes reality. Any singular thing done every day will change...

The post Geologist - Can I Get a Pack of Camel Lights? appeared first on The Quietus.

Who, Me? Monday brings the shock of a return to work, a transition The Register always tries to ease by bringing you a new instalment of Who, Me?, the reader-contributed column in which your fellow readers admit to errors and disclose how they dodged the consequences.…

French consulting and tech services giant Capgemini has decided to offload Capgemini Government Solutions (CGS), the entity it uses for some work with the US government - including a controversial gig assisting immigration authorities.…

Seven years ago, in 2019, I unveiled a new list, and I think we'll keep it going. It's fair to call this another tradition of sorts. If the title of this entry sounds familiar to you, that's not entirely by accident. As a long supporter of Brian Housman's words on music, I've been relying on Stationary Travels to pull me out of my vortex of sonic tunnel myopia and remind me of the sounds I've…

Source

I visited IBM's headquarters in Yorktown last December, arriving just after a snowstorm had rolled through the Hudson Valley. The timing was fitting. Quantum computing, like winter weather, is something people talk about constantly but many don't experience directly. At IBM's Quantum Technology labs, you can at least hear the ... [continued]

The post IBM Advances Quantum Computing with Nighthawk for Clean Energy Transformations appeared first on CleanTechnica.