Life in Late Stage Capitalism

“It’s much easier to imagine the end of all life on earth than a much more modest radical change in capitalism.”

– Slavoj Žižek

2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019

2025

Czech president signs law criminalising communist propaganda:

The revised legislation signed by Petr Pavel allows judges to hand down prison sentences of up to five years for anyone who “establishes, supports or promotes Nazi, communist, or other movements which demonstrably aim to suppress human rights and freedoms or incite […] class-based hatred.”
The U.S. administration is about to incinerate 500 tons of emergency food:

Five months into its unprecedented dismantling of foreign-aid programs, the Trump administration has given the order to incinerate food instead of sending it to people abroad who need it. Nearly 500 metric tons of emergency food—enough to feed about 1.5 million children for a week—are set to expire tomorrow, according to current and former government employees with direct knowledge of the rations.
Foreign YouTube stars secretly paid by U.K. Government for “propaganda” clips:

A three-year investigation by Declassified UK has found that online influencers are made to sign legal contracts banning them from disclosing the Government’s involvement.

“Feedback” on each video is given by Whitehall officials before the influencers are allowed to publish them.

London-based media agency, Zinc Network Ltd – co-founded by a former Conservative Party spin doctor – is heading up the work on behalf of the Foreign Office in a deal worth nearly £10 million of public money.

Zinc has won lucrative contracts from the UK, US and Australian governments.

Speaking to Declassified, one former employee described Zinc’s work as “state propaganda” and accused it of interference in foreign elections.
Growing number of U.S. homeowners who bought in pandemic boomtowns owe more than homes are worth.
Deutsche Bahn is on track for more delays and cancellations:

In Germany, where the trains were said to never run late, a route is now considered punctual if it is delayed by less than six minutes. Since 2022, only 62% of trains run right on schedule, compared with close to 99% in neighboring Switzerland. Much longer delays are commonplace, and trips are as likely to be canceled completely as they are to end prematurely. The frequent problems are exacerbated by strikes and weather conditions. If is particularly hot or cold, travelers are likely to encounter more problems.
U.S. judges are deporting record numbers of young children:

More kids aged 11 or under — 8,317 — received a removal order from an immigration court in April than any other month in over 35 years of data collection, according to court data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC).

Since Trump’s inauguration in January, judges have ordered removals for over 53,000 immigrant minors.

Those children are predominantly elementary school age or younger. Some 15,000 children were aged under four years old, and 20,000 of them were children aged four to eleven.

[…]

Some of these children being deported are unaccompanied minors, who do not have a legal guardian in the US; though the exact number is unclear, since immigration authorities stopped recording this data years ago.

Children, including toddlers, are required to show up at immigration hearings to be questioned by a judge – and many, unsurprisingly, do not understand what is happening nor the gravity of their situation.
Texas officials scrapped “Flash Flood Alley’ warning system before 27 killed at Camp Mystic — because it was too expensive.
Texas hit by deadliest inland flooding in the U.S. since 1976, with at least 118 dead and more than 160 missing.
Mediterranean Sea experienced marine heatwaves of “record intensity”.
The U.S. is having its worst year for measles in more than three decades.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security tells police that common protest activities are “violent tactics”.
U.K. Post Office scandal may have led to more than 13 suicides, inquiry finds:

More than 13 people may have killed themselves as a result of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal and it drove at least 59 more to contemplate suicide, according to the first findings from the public inquiry into what has been labelled the worst miscarriage of justice in UK history.

[…]

About 1,000 post office operators were prosecuted and convicted by the Post Office between 1999 and 2015, the report said, because of faulty Horizon accounting software that suggested they had committed fraud. A further 50 to 60 people, possibly more, were prosecuted but not convicted. The total wrongly held responsible for losses was in the thousands, with many making up the shortfall out of their pocket without ever being charged.
Trump appointees have ties to companies that stand to benefit from privatising weather forecasts.
Death toll from Kenya’s latest anti-government protest surges to more than 30:

Police on Monday clashed with protesters on the outskirts of Nairobi after officers put up roadblocks to stop people entering the capital, as well as in 17 counties across Kenya. More than 100 people were injured and over 500 arrested amid widespread destruction to property, including supermarkets.

[…]

Tensions rose further when a police officer shot a civilian at close-range during a demonstration against police brutality.
Nvidia becomes the first company to reach $4 trillion in value.
U.S. immigration budget now bigger than most of the world’s militaries:

The Senate has passed a bill making Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) the U.S.’s largest interior law enforcement agency with funding for Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda higher than most of the world’s militaries […].

Pending its passage in the House of Representatives, Trump’s bill could mean a massive increase in ICE funding as part of an immigration enforcement agenda worth $150 billion over four years.
Kabul, a city of over six million people, could become the first modern city to run out of water in the next five years, a new report has warned.
The number of Americans dealing with food insecurity has almost doubled since 2021:

[…] 15.6% of adults were food insecure, almost double the rate in 2021. At that time Congress had beefed up SNAP benefits and expanded the Child Tax Credit driving down poverty rates, and giving people more money for food.
Ursula von der Leyen slams “Russian puppets” as MEPs debate motion to topple her presidency:

The motion rests on three main accusations, the first of which relates to text messages exchanged between Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during the COVID-19 vaccine negotiations. Her team’s contentious refusal to release the messages was met with a scathing rebuke by the European Court of Justice.

[…]

The other allegations involve the “misapplication” of the Digital Services Act (DSA) in national elections, which is not backed by evidence, and the “abusive use” of Article 122 of the EU treaties to bypass the Parliament in the new €150-billion loan programme for defence. The plan, known as SAFE, only required the blessing of member states.
South Korea to give citizens free money, aimed at stimulating domestic consumption.
French police use knives to puncture migrant dinghies in the sea.
U.S. deports men from Asia and Latin America with criminal records to South Sudan:

The deportations to South Sudan — a country plagued by armed conflict and political instability that the U.S. government warns Americans not to visit — mark an unprecedented new frontier in President Trump’s government-wide crackdown on illegal immigration.
42% increase in heat-related deaths at work in the E.U. since 2000, trade union says.
Spain and England record hottest June as heatwave grips Europe.
Shoplifting hits record high in Germany.
U.S. debt is now $37 trillion.
U.S. President signs sweeping tax and spending bill into law:
The 870-page package includes:
- extending 2017 tax cuts of Trump’s first term
- steep cuts to Medicaid spending, the state-provided healthcare scheme for those on low incomes and the disabled
- new tax breaks on tipped income, overtime and Social Security
- a budget increase of $150bn for defence
- a reduction in Biden-era clean energy tax credits
- $100bn to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Germany prepares €25 billion tank order to ramp up N.A.T.O. brigades.
Leather from cattle raised in deforested areas and on Indigenous land in the northern Brazilian state of Para is being turned into luxury items in Italy, according to an investigation.
Nearly 20% of cancer drugs defective in four African nations. Across Africa, cancer medications have been found to be substandard or counterfeit.
N.H.S. estimated to be spending £50bn a year on effects of deprivation and child poverty:

Rising rates of child poverty have led to a growing burden on hospitals, with the knock-on cost to the NHS comparable to the annual defence budget.

One senior NHS figure said they were seeing “medieval” levels of untreated illness in some of Britain’s poorest communities, including people attending A&E “with cancerous lumps bursting through their skin”.
Spies for hire used “Big Brother” tactics on U.K. salmon farm activists:

Wildlife activists who exposed horrific conditions at Scottish salmon farms were subjected to “Big Brother” surveillance by spies for hire working for an elite British army veteran.

[…]

One firm, run by a former special forces pilot, was found to have infiltrated Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and other environmental groups for corporate clients in the 2000s. Another, reportedly founded by an ex-MI6 officer, was hired in 2019 by BP to spy on climate campaigners.
Amazon, Inc. founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez gear up for final wedding party in Venice:

The three-day gala, estimated to cost some $50 million, will culminate on Saturday evening with the closing party in a former medieval shipyard where Lady Gaga and Elton John are expected to perform.

[…]

Bill Gates, Leonardo DiCaprio, Orlando Bloom, Tom Brady, Jordan’s Queen Rania, Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner and Kim and Khloe Kardashian, as well as Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner and Domenico Dolce from Dolce & Gabbana were among the 200-250 guests.
Five Greek government officials resign over E.U. farming subsidy fraud allegations.
France faces €5 billion in fresh cuts as debt balloons to record high. France’s public debt rose again in early 2025, reaching just over €3.35 trillion at the end of the first quarter – 114 % of G.D.P.
Flights cancelled in Brussels’ airports amid fifth general strike of the year over government plan to reform pensions.
U.S. Army recruits tech executives:

The US military created a new army reserve body earlier this month that included four players from the biggest tech companies in the world.

The Army’s new initiative – Detachment 201, called the Executive Innovation Corps to Drive Tech Transformation, will see senior tech executives serve as advisors to the military to “help guide rapid and scalable tech solutions to complex problems,” the army’s website reads.

[…]

The first four reserve members are Shyam Sankar, Palantir’s chief technology officer, Andrew Bosworth, Meta’s chief technology officer, Kevin Weil, OpenAI’s chief product officer, and Bob McGrew, advisor at Thinking Machines Lab and former chief research officer at OpenAI.
The world’s 3,000 billionaires gained $6.5 trillion over the last ten years, while nearly half of the world’s population — over 3.7 billion people — live in poverty, Oxfam says.
N.A.T.O. chief Mark Rutte bizarrely calls Trump “daddy”.
Man “refused entry into U.S.” as border control catch him with bald J.D. Vance meme.
Panama temporarily suspends some constitutional guarantees in protest-rocked province:

Nationwide, protesters - backed by unions and Indigenous groups - have faced off with authorities over a pension reform law passed in March. Confrontations have been particularly intense in Bocas del Toro, largely led by workers at a local Chiquita banana plantation.

Chiquita called the workers’ strike an “unjustified abandonment of work” and sacked thousands of employees.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is using no-bid contracts, boosting big firms, to get more detention beds.
Billions of login credentials from Google, Facebook and other sites have been leaked, report says.
Plurality of Americans believe “civil war” likely in next decade.
British woman mistaken for thief after shop face scan alert:

A woman who was wrongly accused of shoplifting toilet roll due to an apparent mix-up with a facial recognition system was left “fuming” after being ejected from two Home Bargains stores.

[…]

She later discovered she was falsely accused of stealing about £10 worth of items after her profile was added to a facial recognition watchlist to prevent shoplifting.
Finland’s lawmakers vote to leave land mine treaty as Nordic country boosts defenses against Russia. In the Baltics, lawmakers in Latvia and Lithuania earlier this year voted to exit the treaty.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement directed to pause immigration arrests at farms, hotels and restaurants.
Protesters against overtourism take to the streets of southern Europe.
Japan’s annual births fall to record low as population emergency deepens.
Pray for food, Nigeria government tells its staff amid mockery:

An internal memo from the head of the ministry’s HR department urges staff to attend a solemn prayer session and fast for the next three Mondays.

Some Nigerians have responded by questioning the government’s commitment to the task of bringing down the high cost of food.

[…]

At least 4.4 million people in Nigeria do not have enough food, according to UN estimates, with the country experiencing its worst economic crisis in a generation following policy changes brought in by the new government since 2023.

The ever-increasing price of basic food staples was one of the triggers for nationwide cost-of-living protests last year. Yams, for example, quadrupled in price from one year to the next.
Two Democratic lawmakers shot, one fatally, in “politically motivated assassination” in Minnesota.
European journalists targeted with Paragon Solutions spyware, say researchers. Citizen Lab says it found “digital fingerprints” of military-grade spyware that Italy has admitted using against activists.
Top defence C.E.O. touts need for €100 billion E.U. defence fund:

Micael Johansson, the CEO of Swedish defence and security company Saab, said […] that steps taken by the European Commission to turbocharge defence spending in the EU go in the right direction but that more needs to be done to facilitate countries and companies developing and acquiring new systems together.

The EU executive’s “Readiness 2030” plan for defence […] relies on two main financial pillars: the relaxation of fiscal rules for defence spending which the Commission estimated could see €650 billion poured into the sector over the coming four years; and a €150 billion loan instrument called SAFE.
Corruption allegations intensify around Spain’s government as prime minister resigns:

Sánchez, who became prime minister in 2018 after using a motion of no confidence to turf the corruption-mired conservative People’s party (PP) out of government, is already contending with a series of graft investigations relating to his wife, his brother, his former transport minister, and one of that minister’s aides. All deny any wrongdoing. A former PSOE member was recently implicated in an alleged smear campaign against the Guardia Civil police unit investigating the corruption allegations.

The pressure on his administration increased further […] when the judge announced he had “firm evidence” that suggested Santos Cerdán, the PSOE’s organisational secretary, had discussed taking kickbacks on public contracts with the former transport minister […] and one of the minister’s aides […].
The U.S. spends $1 trillion a year to service its debt.
Nearly 50 people killed in South Africa floods.
Waymo pauses service in downtown L.A. neighborhood where driverless cars getting lit on fire.
British photographer injured by “plastic bullet” in L.A. protests.
Australian reporter covering Los Angeles immigration protests hit by rubber bullet on live T.V.
Downtown Los Angeles under curfew for second night after days of protests:

Nearly 400 people have been arrested in LA since protests began on Friday, including 330 undocumented migrants and 157 people arrested for assault and obstruction - including one for the attempted murder of a police officer.

Federal prosecutors have so far charged two men for throwing Molotov cocktails at police officers in two separate incidents.

A total of 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines have been deployed to help quell the unrest. Some of those National Guard troops are now authorised to detain people until police can arrest them.
U.S. deploys Marines to Los Angeles as Trump backs arrest of California governor:

Some 700 Marines based in Southern California were expected to reach Los Angeles Monday night or Tuesday morning, officials said, as part of a federal strategy to quell street demonstrations opposing the immigration raids, which are a part of a signature effort of President Donald Trump’s second term.
U.S. Government deploys National Guard as Los Angeles protests against immigration agents continue.
California labour union president arrested in I.C.E. raids.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests under Trump top 100,000 as officials expand aggressive efforts to detain migrants.
German manufacturing job losses deepen fears over industrial decline:

Germany has lost almost a quarter of a million manufacturing jobs since the start of the Covid pandemic as companies and politicians sound the alarm that Europe’s industrial heartland is suffering an irreversible decline.

[…]

According to the industry group VDA, some 11,000 jobs were lost last year alone among German car suppliers — one of the first sectors to announce job cuts as car production started to decline.

Gesamtmetall, a lobby group for employers in the metal and electrical industries, has warned of further cuts in jobs, forecasting that up to 300,000 more jobs will disappear from its members over the next five years — a near 7 per cent decline.
Sweden reaches “historic” deal with Estonia to rent prison cells to tackle overcrowding.
At least seven Sudanese migrants found dead after being stranded in Libyan desert.
U.N. demands probe after dozens of bodies found at Libya detention sites:

The United Nations is calling for an independent investigation after the discovery of dozens of bodies and evidence of human rights violations at militia-run detention facilities in the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

[…]

Reports received by his office between May 18 and May 21 detail the excavation of 10 “charred bodies” at the SSA headquarters in the Abu Salim neighborhood in Tripoli. A further 67 bodies were discovered in refrigerators at Abu Salim and Al Khadra hospitals in the capital, with some of the remains said to be in an advanced state of decomposition due to power outages.
Therapy chatbot tells recovering addict to have a little meth as a treat.
Chlordecone victims in French West Indies demand justice as state denies liability after authorising the use of the pesticide for years in banana plantations in Martinique and Guadeloupe.
More than 700 believed dead in devastating Nigeria floods.
Biden White House insisted families were safe after toxic East Palestine derailment — but behind the scenes, admin warned of “cancer cluster”.
Latvia has introduced “military lessons” as a compulsory subject in schools.
Over 25 million South Africans depend on social grants amid rising poverty.
Skincare industry makes billions marketing products to tweens, including some that could harm young skin.
Boeing to pay $1.1 billion to avoid criminal prosecution in 737 Max case.
Special Forces officer blocked 1,585 Afghans from U.K.:

A UK Special Forces officer personally rejected 1,585 resettlement applications from Afghans with credible links to special forces, newly released documents say.

[…]

The MoD told the court that the officer may have been connected to matters under examination by the ongoing inquiry into alleged war crimes committed by the SAS.

The admission comes after the BBC revealed last week that the UKSF officer – who previously served in Afghanistan - rejected applications from Afghans who may have witnessed the alleged crimes.
Chiquita fires thousands of striking banana workers in Panama, says it suffered $75 million losses.
The retirement age in Denmark has been raised to 70.
Nebraska becomes first state approved to ban soda purchases with food stamps.
Pentagon accepts Boeing jet from Qatar that will be used for Trump:

[Secretary of Defense] Hegseth’s acceptance of the plane comes days after sources confirmed to CBS News that the Qatari royal family would be donating aircraft for Mr. Trump’s use. […] Valued at $400 million, the jumbo jet will be donated to Mr. Trump’s future presidential library just before he leaves office.
France to open high-security prison in Amazon jungle:

The €400m (£337m) facility, which could open as early as 2028, will be built in an isolated location deep in the Amazon jungle in the northwestern region of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni.
Gran Canaria migrant centre closed after allegations of child abuse:

A recent investigation by Amnesty International highlighted several other issues with the islands’ network of more than 80 centres for unaccompanied children, including a lack of staff with proper training, with “nightclub bouncers” in some cases hired to staff the centres. It said it had documented allegations of abuse including excessive punishments that had forced children into isolation or deprived them of food.
President Nayib Bukele consolidates his authoritarian style in El Salvador:

Since coming to power, Bukele has not hesitated to implement despotic measures. On his first day in office, he fired hundreds of public employees and dissolved entire institutions with a single message on Twitter. Over time, he took even bolder steps — like in February 2020, when he entered the Legislative Assembly with soldiers and sat in the chair of the Assembly president as a pressure tactic to get lawmakers to approve a loan to fund his security strategy.

Later, in 2021, after winning an absolute majority in Congress, Bukele dealt a blow to the Supreme Court of Justice and handpicked judges who later approved his reelection bid, despite it being prohibited by the Constitution. He also removed the attorney general who was investigating his negotiations with the MS-13 and Barrio 18 gangs, and forced prosecutors to flee the country. That same year, he launched a purge of the judiciary to install judges aligned with his agenda.

But the move that most accelerated his global image as an authoritarian was the implementation of the state of emergency — a measure allowed by El Salvador’s Constitution in cases of natural disaster or national emergency, and intended to last one month. Bukele has renewed this measure more than 36 times.

While the president frames it as a strategy to combat the gangs that had turned El Salvador into one of the most violent countries in the world, the imprisonment of nearly 80,000 people in a country of 6.3 million has raised serious concerns among the international community and human rights organizations. Since then, local groups have documented nearly 400 deaths without convictions inside prisons, many of them showing signs of torture.
Spain struck by phone and internet blackout, just four weeks after nationwide electricity outage.
Japan’s farm minister apologises over “never had to buy rice” remark amid rising price of food:

Japan’s Agriculture Minister Taku Etō has issued an apology after remarks he made about never needing to purchase rice due to gifts from supporters sparked widespread outrage among citizens struggling with soaring food prices.
French government covered up Nestle mineral water scandal, report shows:

The French government “at the highest level” covered up a scandal over the treatment of mineral water by food giant Nestle, including the iconic Perrier brand, a Senate investigation said […].

In recent years the Swiss food and drinks conglomerate has been under pressure over its Perrier and other brands as EU regulations strictly limit what treatments are allowed for any product marketed as natural mineral water.
Nissan more than doubles layoffs to around 20,000.
Japan Prime Minister warns financial condition worse than Greece’s:

According to the International Monetary Fund, Japan’s general government debt as a percentage of gross domestic product stood at 234.9 per cent as of 2025 while it was at 142.2 per cent for Greece.
European “green” investments hold billions in fossil fuel majors. Funds with names such as “Sustainable Global Stars” have stakes in some of the world’s biggest polluters.
French crypto entrepreneurs promised extra security after violent kidnapping attempts:

A group of leading French cryptocurrency entrepreneurs and their families will receive enhanced security following two successful kidnappings and one abduction attempt involving industry leaders and their loved ones.
Romanian government accused of online censorship ahead of election rerun:

The criticisms center on emergency regulations rushed through in January that are considered too far-reaching and punitive, with regular voters unfairly considered as “political actors,” platforms required to take down content within five hours, and the risk of fines of more than half an average yearly salary. Over 4,000 content-removal orders have been given since April 4, most of them for TikTok.

[…]

One of the videos the bureau has demanded be taken down shows a man in his living room clapping to the sound of pop music with the caption “Clap if you want to come home too, clap for GS and CG,” referring to George Simion and Călin Georgescu. The man, who has 148 followers, mostly shares content about a child who appears to be his daughter.

[…]

According to the Central Electoral Bureau, any user who mostly posts political messages and does so repeatedly should be considered to be a political actor, and any content that “directly or indirectly urges voters to choose or not to choose, to vote or not to vote” for a candidate is considered political advertising material.
Moody’s strips U.S. of top-notch triple-A credit rating. Agency warns of strains caused by rising government debt and a widening budget deficit.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection seizes shipment of t-shirts featuring swarm of bees attacking a cop.
U.S. President Trump gets richer:

Now that President Trump is back in office, his family is profiting from his brand: At least $2 billion has flowed to Trump companies in just the last month. The ventures include real estate, a cryptocurrency and a private club slated to open in Washington with a $500,000 membership fee. Now, Qatar may give him a new presidential airplane.
YouTube viewers will start seeing ads after “peak” moments in videos:

Imagine you’re watching a highly anticipated video from your favorite YouTube creator […] when an ad pops up immediately after the clip. This is part of YouTube’s new ad format called “Peak Points.”

[…]

Peak Points leverages Google’s Gemini AI to analyze YouTube videos and identify moments it believes have the highest viewer engagement or are most emotionally impactful, and then suggests placing the ad right after it.
Airlines are selling air traveler data to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
German Chancellor Merz wants to create Europe’s strongest military.
French scientists denounce poor conditions as Macron courts U.S. talent:

France’s president is hoping to position his country as a thriving scientific hub to attract US academics, but domestic researchers say they have been worn down by government cuts.

[…]

In February, the government slashed the 2025 budget for higher education and research by €1 billion, and a further €493 million in cuts was announced in April. This has had a direct knock-on effect on the work and working conditions of researchers across a range of fields.

“70% of university buildings in France are in a state of disrepair, while researchers in France are working on extremely tight budgets and the majority of institutions are in the red,” Virginie Saint-James, Secretary General of Sup’ Recherche UNSA, a union for academic researchers, told Euronews.
French child welfare service accused of allowing kids to fall into prostitution.
Ex-U.K. Special Forces break silence on “war crimes” by colleagues:

Former members of UK Special Forces have broken years of silence to give BBC Panorama eyewitness accounts of alleged war crimes committed by colleagues in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Giving their accounts publicly for the first time, the veterans described seeing members of the SAS murder unarmed people in their sleep and execute handcuffed detainees, including children.
Press freedom in Greece going “from bad to worse”, Human Rights Watch report says.
Lithuania’s parliament votes to withdraw from landmines treaty.
Rapidly aging E.U. countries have an estimated shortage of some 1.2 million doctors, nurses and midwives.
Facebook allegedly detected when teen girls deleted selfies so it could serve them beauty ads.
Ukraine is using video game incentives to slay more Russians:

The program — called Army of Drones bonus — rewards soldiers with points if they upload videos proving their drones have hit Russian targets. It will soon be integrated with a new online marketplace called Brave 1 Market, which will allow troops to convert those points into new equipment for their units.
Perplexity C.E.O. says its browser will track everything users do online to sell “hyper personalised” ads.
Harvard scientist’s I.C.E. arrest leaves cancer researchers scrambling.
Venezuelan detainees at Texas center spell out S.O.S. with their bodies. The men fear deportation to El Salvador under wartime law despite maintaining they do not have gang ties.
Global military expenditure sees steepest year-on-year rise since end of Cold War:

The world’s top ranked spenders — the US, China, Russia, Germany and India — spent a combined total of $1.635 trillion (€1.437 trillion), accounting for 60% of total global military spending.

Meanwhile, real term military spending increased by 9.4%, taking worldwide total military expenditure to $2.718 trillion (€2,389 billion), and the global military burden — the share of global economic output devoted to military expenditure — increased to 2.5% of GDP.
Spain, Portugal and parts of France hit by massive power outage.
America’s nuclear arsenal to cost $946 billion over next decade, U.S. government report reveals.
Low-cost airline partners with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement for deportation flights.
Pop star Katy Perry and television personality Gayle King will join Jeff Bezos’ fiancee Lauren Sanchez on Blue Origin spaceflight.
One million Haitian children face “critical” food shortage, says U.N.
LG TVs’ integrated ads get more personal with tech that analyses viewer emotions .
U.S. Social Security lists thousands of migrants as dead to prompt them to “self-deport”:

By placing migrants in Social Security’s “death master file,” the Trump administration is seeking to cut off their access to credit cards, bank accounts and other financial services.
U.K. creating “murder prediction” tool to identify people most likely to kill. Algorithms allegedly being used to study data of thousands of people, in project critics say is “chilling and dystopian”.
Google is allegedly paying some A.I. staff to do nothing for a year rather than join rivals.
There are more billionaires than ever before – and Elon Musk is the richest of them all, according to Forbes’ latest billionaires list.
Easter eggs are so expensive Americans are dyeing potatoes.
Trevor Milton, Trump-donor who was sentenced to prison last year for fraud, was pardoned by President Donald Trump.
Florida to consider relaxing child labour laws to fill vacant jobs.
C.E.O. of A.I. ad-tech firm pledging “world free of fraud” sentenced for fraud.
Yale suspends scholar after A.I.-powered news site accuses her of terrorist link.
U.S. administration deports hundreds of immigrants even as a judge orders their removals be stopped.
Greenpeace ordered to pay more than $660 million over Dakota Access Pipeline protests.
French scientist denied U.S. entry after phone messages critical of Trump found.
China delays approval of BYD’s Mexico plant amid fears tech could leak to U.S.
Elon Musk installs “quick and dirty” turbines to power Memphis data centers.
U.N. judge guilty of forcing woman to work as slave.
Amazon rainforest cut down to build highway for climate summit:

A new four-lane highway cutting through tens of thousands of acres of protected Amazon rainforest is being built for the COP30 climate summit in the Brazilian city of Belém.

It aims to ease traffic to the city, which will host more than 50,000 people – including world leaders – at the conference in November.
Tesla created secret team to suppress thousands of driving range complaints.
Cryptocurrency exchange Bybit lost $1.5 billion to North Korean hackers.
Mental health crisis pushing French farmers to a breaking point:

French agriculture is facing an unprecedented crisis as farmers struggle with falling incomes, mounting debts and bureaucratic burdens. Despite being the EU’s largest agricultural producer, France sees one farmer die by suicide every two days.
BlackRock to buy Hong Kong firm’s Panama Canal port stake amid Trump pressure:

Trump refused to rule out military action to assert U.S. control over the canal, which is operated by the Panama Canal Authority, an autonomous agency overseen by the Panamanian government, and surrounded by several ports.

The U.S. president has complained about the presence of Chinese and Hong Kong-based companies in Panama, and American officials and politicians have said CK Hutchison’s control of the ports represents a security risk for the operation.
Violent protests in Greece on rail crash anniversary as frustration at system failures boils over.
Jeff Bezos narrows Washington Post opinion pages around “personal liberties” and “free markets”. Billionaire owner says overhauled section will focus on “underserved” viewpoints.
BP shuns renewables in return to oil and gas.
E.U. borders recorded over 120,000 migrant pushbacks in 2024, says report by N.G.O.s.
Apple, Inc. pulls encryption feature from U.K. over government spying demands:

Apple has stopped offering its end-to-end encrypted iCloud storage, Advanced Data Protection (ADP), to new users in the UK, and will require existing users to disable the feature at some point in the future. The move comes following reports earlier this month that UK security services requested Apple grant them backdoor access to worldwide users’ encrypted backups.
Sri Lanka scrambles to restore power after monkey causes islandwide outage.
HP deliberately adds 15 minutes waiting time for telephone support calls:

HP Inc is trying to force consumer PC and print customers to use online and other digital support channels by setting a minimum 15-minute wait time for anyone that phones the call center to get answers to troublesome queries.
New San Francisco public health chief was part of notorious McKinsey opioid-marketing operation.
So many Americans died from COVID, it’s boosting Social Security to the tune of $205 billion:

The working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research finds that approximately 1.7 million excess deaths among Americans 25 and older occurred between 2020 and 2023 related to the pandemic. Premature deaths related to COVID mean Social Security will not make retirement payments to those individuals in the future, reducing payments by about $294 billion, the researchers found.
Brazil’s former President Bolsonaro charged over alleged coup that included a plan to poison Lula:

Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet alleges that Bolsonaro and 33 others participated in a plan to remain in power. The alleged plot, he wrote, included a plan to poison Lula and shoot dead Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, a foe of the former president.
Argentina’s president Javier Milei launches meme coin.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to monitor and locate “negative” social media discussion about the agency and its top officials, according to contract documents.
MI5 lied to courts to protect violent neo-Nazi spy.
Germany bars climate activist from becoming school teacher.
U.S.-funded “social network” attacking pesticide critics shuts down after journalist investigation:

The St Louis, Missouri-based company, v-Fluence, said it is shuttering the service, which it called a “stakeholder wiki”, that featured personal details about more than 500 environmental advocates, scientists, politicians and others seen as opponents of pesticides and genetically modified (GM) crops.
Trump halts enforcement of U.S. law banning bribery of foreign officials.
Car company Stellantis introduces pop-up ads in vehicles:

In a move that has left drivers both frustrated and bewildered, Stellantis has introduced full-screen pop-up ads on its infotainment systems. Specifically, Jeep owners have reported being bombarded with advertisements for Mopar’s extended warranty service. The kicker? These ads appear every time the vehicle comes to a stop.
Mass graves with bodies of nearly 50 migrants found in southeastern Libya.
U.K. orders Apple to let it spy on users’ encrypted accounts:

Security officials in the United Kingdom have demanded that Apple create a back door allowing them to retrieve all the content any Apple user worldwide has uploaded to the cloud, people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.
Google lifts a ban on using its A.I. for weapons and surveillance.
Over 90% of U.S. airport towers are understaffed, data shows.
Sweden aims to introduce law letting police wiretap children as gang violence rises.
Kansas faces one of the largest tuberculosis outbreaks in U.S. history.
The E.U. Commission paid N.G.O.s to influence parliamentarians within the interests of the E.U. Commission.
U.S. restricts Switzerland’s access to A.I. chips.
U.S. school’s $1 million A.I. gun detection system fails to detect weapon before fatal school shooting.
Elon Musk makes fascist salute at Trump inauguration rally.
Swedish man dies in South Korea after being denied urgent treatment at 21 hospitals:

Hospitals were reportedly reluctant to treat the individual due to his foreign nationality, the high cost of surgery, and concerns over reimbursement for his medical care.
Biden pardons five members of his family in final minutes in office.
Oxfam report finds billionaires’ wealth increased three times faster in 2024 than in 2023, outpacing the previous year’s growth.
N.H.S. frontline nurses are being forced to give care in corridors, cupboards and car parks on a daily basis, report has revealed.
U.S. schools using A.I. emulation of Anne Frank that urges kids not to blame anyone for Holocaust.
Melania Trump launches her own cryptocurrency.
Trump begins selling new crypto token:

The president-elect and his family have a direct and potentially lucrative stake in the sale of a cryptocurrency product that surged in value in the hours after going on sale, days before his inauguration.
Top three insurers reaped $7.3 billion through their drug middlemen’s markups, F.T.C. says:

The top pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) — CVS Health’s Caremark Rx, Cigna’s Express Scripts and UnitedHealth Group’s OptumRx — generated roughly $7.3 billion through price hikes over about five years starting in 2017, the FTC said.

The “excess” price hikes affected generic drugs used to treat heart disease, HIV and cancer, among other conditions, with some increases more than 1,000% of the national average costs of acquiring the medications, the commission said.
U.K. prisons recruit officers from Nigeria in move which sees some sleeping rough.
At least 100 illegal miners have died while trapped in a South African mine for months, group representing the miners said.
As wildfires rage in Los Angeles, private firefighters join the fight for the fortunate few.
2024 first year to pass 1.5 °C global warming limit.
U.S. announces $25 million reward for arrest of Venezuelan President Maduro.
Baby born on migrant boat crossing from Africa to Canary Islands.
Number of homeless people in Germany rises to more than 500,000.
U.K. Special Forces S.A.S. had golden pass to get away with murder, inquiry told.
Italian village forbids residents from becoming ill:

Around half of Belcastro’s 1,200 residents are over the age of 65 and the nearest Accident & Emergency (A&E) department is over 45km (28 miles) away, the mayor said.

He added that the A&E was only reachable by a road with a 30kmh (18mph) speed limit.

The village’s on-call doctor surgery is also only open sporadically and offers no cover during weekends, holidays or after hours.
U.S. president Trump refuses to rule out use of military force to take control of Greenland and the Panama Canal.
Nazi ties to Credit Suisse ran deeper than was known, hidden files reveal.
Kenya police hide killings of anti-government protesters.
Doctors call for more scurvy testing in British Columbia in light of vitamin C deficiency data.
Washington Post cartoonist quits after Jeff Bezos cartoon is killed:

Ann Telnaes, a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist for The Washington Post, said on Friday evening that she was resigning after the newspaper’s opinions section rejected a cartoon depicting The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos, genuflecting toward a statue of President-elect Donald J. Trump.
U.K. girl, 12, designs solar-powered blanket for homeless.
Poorer children hit hardest as scurvy makes a comeback in France:

Scurvy, a disease caused by severe vitamin C deficiency, is making a comeback in France. A new study links its resurgence, particularly among young children from low-income families, to rising food insecurity and inflation since the Covid pandemic.

“[E]mancipatory politics must always destroy the appearance of a ‘natural order’, must reveal what is presented as necessary and inevitable to be a mere contingency, just as it must make what was previously deemed to be impossible seem attainable.”

– Mark Fisher

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