UN-backed climate banking alliance ceases operations

PARIS – The Net-Zero Banking Alliance, a United Nations-backed initiative seeking carbon neutral investments by banks, announced on Oct 3 its immediate shutdown – at a time of faltering climate commitments in the United States and Europe. Launched in 2021 under the UN Environment Programme’s Finance Initiative, the NZBA aimed to get banks to slash the carbon footprint of their loans and investments, and help drive the transition to a net-zero economy by 2050. At its peak, the group counted…

Apple removes ICE tracking apps after pressure from Trump administration

WASHINGTON – Apple said on Oct 2 that it removed Iceblock, the most popular Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tracking app, and other similar apps from its App Store after it was contacted by the Trump administration. The app alerts users to ICE agents in their area. ICE has been a central part of US President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration agenda, and its agents have regularly raided and arrested migrants. The Justice Department says the app could increase the risk…

Musk joins conservative ‘cancel Netflix’ campaign

SAN FRANCISCO – Elon Musk has urged his 227 million social media followers to cancel their Netflix subscriptions, accusing the streaming platform of promoting what he describes as transgender propaganda. In his latest culture war campaign, the Tesla tycoon joined a trend launched by conservative social media account Libs of TikTok that cited the animated series Dead End: Paranormal Park and Netflix’s corporate diversity efforts as a cause for dropping the streaming service. The show’s creator, Mr Hamish Steele, is…

What are the Gerbera drones used in Poland incursion?

KYIV, Sept 10 (Reuters) – A suspected Russian drone incursion in Poland on Wednesday, which provoked deep alarm as Moscow’s war in Ukraine spilled onto the territory of a NATO member, was conducted at least in part with Gerbera drones, according to a Polish army official. Here is what we know about the Gerbera: * It is a cheap long-range drone which Ukrainian intelligence says is made of materials like plywood and foam and assembled at Russia’s vast Yelabuga facility….

Ursula von der Leyen calls for suspension of EU trade with Israel

The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has called for a suspension of trade with Israel, as she spoke of Europe’s “painful” inability to respond to the war on Gaza and ensuring humanitarian disaster. In her most extended condemnation yet of the Israeli government, von der Leyen criticised plans for illegal settlements that would split the occupied West Bank in half, as well as incitement of violence by extremist Israeli ministers, as a “clear attempt to undermine the two-state…

Anne Applebaum: ‘The West doesn’t understand the extremism of Putinism’ | DW News

Internationally renowned historian, writer, and publicist Anne Applebaum told in an interview with DW why Trump is so patient with Putin and what Putin’s ultimate goals are in Ukraine.

Analysis: Hezbollah continues exploiting Canadian vehicular theft and money-laundering schemes

Last week, the Canadian government issued its 2025 report assessing money laundering and terrorist financing risks in Canada. The report noted that Hezbollah was using both illicit and otherwise legal channels in the country to fund its activities in Lebanon—including exploiting the charitable and non-profit sectors and trade-based money laundering techniques. One noted example was Hezbollah’s continued utilization of the used car trade to raise revenue. The report stated that the Port of Montreal in Quebec Province is a “known…

Quebec turns down federal funding for addressing systemic racism in justice system

The Quebec government has turned down federal funding aimed at combatting systemic racism in the criminal justice system, saying it doesn’t agree with the program’s approach. The federal government first offered $6.64-million in funding to provinces and territories in 2021 to improve fairness in the courts. Spread out over five years, the money was aimed at addressing the overrepresentation of Black people in the criminal justice system by promoting the use of race and cultural assessments before sentencing. These assessments…

Democracy Now! 2025-09-01 Monday

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Trump threatens NBC, ABC licences over news coverage

US President Donald Trump berated NBC and ABC as “two of the worst and most biased networks in history”, adding he would support the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in revoking licences to their television stations. The FCC issues licences to owners of television stations, which must be periodically renewed. The networks “give me 97 per cent bad stories”, Mr Trump said in a Truth Social post on Aug 24, “despite a very high popularity and, according to many, among the…

Suspects plead not guilty to sabotage in Baltic Sea cable breaches

HELSINKI – The captain and two officers of an oil tanker accused of severing five undersea power and telecoms cables when their vessel left Russia and sailed through the Gulf of Finland pleaded not guilty as their trial began in Helsinki on Monday. NATO allies with forces stationed around the Baltic Sea went on high alert after the December 25 incident, one of a string of suspicious cable and gas pipeline outages in the region since Russia invaded Ukraine in…

UK targets Iranian oil magnate, four companies with asset freeze

LONDON – Britain imposed sanctions on one individual and four entities on Thursday under its Iran sanctions regime, saying they are part of a network that supports Tehran’s overseas activities, including “destabilisation” in Ukraine and Israel. The sanctions include an asset freeze on Iranian oil magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, and on four companies operating in the shipping, petrochemical and financial sectors, the foreign office said in a statement. Britain said Tehran relies on revenues from such trading networks to fund…

Canada to acquire six ship-based UAVs for maritime surveillance

Ottawa will acquire up to six yet-unnamed vertical take-off and landing aircraft from Canadian manufacturer MDA Space for use aboard the Royal Canadian Navy’s Halifax-class multi-role frigates. Canada plans to acquire up to six domestically sourced uncrewed aircraft to support maritime surveillance and targeting for Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) ships. Ottawa on 5 August announced it has awarded procurement contracts to Ontario-based MDA Space covering a new fleet of uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) to be operated from the RCN’s Halifax-class…

Trump administration imposes fresh sanctions on four ICC officials

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday imposed sanctions on two judges and two prosecutors at the International Criminal Court, as Washington kept up its pressure on the war tribunal over its targeting of Israeli leaders. Washington designated Nicolas Yann Guillou of France, Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji, Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal, and Kimberly Prost of Canada, according to the U.S. Treasury and State Department. ICC judges issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli…

Federal Judge Delivers Judicial Smackdown To FTC’s Politically Motivated Attack On Media Matters

from the retaliatory-animus dept A federal judge has delivered an extraordinary rebuke to the FTC’s Andrew Ferguson, finding that his investigation into Media Matters was motivated by “retaliatory animus” rather than legitimate antitrust concerns. In a scathing ruling, Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan granted Media Matters’ motion for a preliminary injunction, calling out not just the investigation’s pretextual nature, but the systematic pattern of harassment the organization has faced for accurate reporting. Courts almost never find that federal agencies act with…

ACLU Sues over Legal Black Hole at “Alligator Alcatraz” ICE Jail

We speak with ACLU lawyer Eunice Cho about a new federal lawsuit brought on behalf of immigrants held at the detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” The detainees allege being routinely subjected to human rights abuses, denied due process and access to legal counsel, while families have complained of being unable to find their loved ones “disappeared” into the facility. “These are basic constitutional rights that are afforded to anybody that is held in government custody. And…