Downsizing at Climeworks comes amid economic uncertainty and ‘reduced momentum’ for climate tech

A Swiss startup that has led the way in sucking carbon out of the air has announced plans to cut its workforce by more than 10% amid economic uncertainty and “reduced momentum” for climate tech.

The downsizing at Climeworks, the company that built the world’s first direct air capture facilities, comes one week after journalists in Iceland revealed its two flagship plants have captured far less carbon than their advertised capacity . A spokesperson said the timing of the redundancies was unrelated.

Our country faces a bumpy ride as US tariffs start to hurt and disillusioned voters double down on the far right

A few days after last month’s Canadian election had delivered a minority victory to Mark Carney and the Liberal party, I got an email from someone I worked with when I lived in Virginia. They asked how I was feeling about the result, a big and complicated question.

Many Canadians I know feel immense relief at what they see as Canada’s rejection of the Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre’s, Trump-style brand . But underneath it simmers dread about what might be coming down the pipeline.

From fresh noodles and frozen lotus buns to smoked country sausages and pandan leaves, these are the brands the experts swear by (and where to get them online)

Noor Murad, chef and author of Lugma , on Phoenicia , Kentish Town, London (picture above)
This is where I go for my big Middle Eastern shop, and I can’t shout out about them enough. When I first moved to London from Bahrain I was so homesick, but this place is like a home away from home. It has everything I need.

Fresh but filling crab cakes and a spicy, seasonal mango salad with crisped chickpeas

I don’t know about you, but I’m revelling in the asparagus, early strawberries and new potatoes that are flooding the local farmer’s market. Traders are no longer wrapped up tightly to withstand the cold, and there is a spring in everyone’s step. At the fish stall, some dressed crab caught my eye, and while I love nothing more than crab on toast with thick aïoli or a nutty salsa macha , there was a nip in the air on the night in question, so I was drawn to this rich, warming dish instead. The onions are a vehicle for the spices, adding sweetness and depth to both potato cake and crab. On the side, a gloriously refreshing, spicy salad makes the most of mango season.

Immigration rises up the agenda and housing remains key issue as polls point to a similar result to 2024 vote

Portugal will return to the polls for the third time in just over three years on Sunday to vote in a snap general election triggered by the country’s centre-right prime minister, Luís Montenegro, who is under pressure over his family’s business activities.

Montenegro, who leads the Social Democratic party – the largest party in Portugal’s ruling Democratic Alliance (AD) coalition – is facing political and judicial scrutiny over a data protection consultancy that he founded in 2021 and which he transferred to his wife and sons the following year.

• Madrid meet sought-after 20-year-old’s release clause
• Defender had been on radar of a host of top clubs

Real Madrid have completed the signing of the Bournemouth centre-back Dean Huijsen. The 20-year-old defender, who has also been targeted by Chelsea, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Newcastle, will join the Spanish club at the end of the season after they agreed to pay a £50m release clause.

Real tried to sign Huijsen when he was a youth player at Málaga and have continued to track the former Juventus and Roma defender’s progress. Huijsen’s footballing idol is Sergio Ramos, the former Spain and Madrid defender. Following a loan spell at Roma, Huijsen signed for Bournemouth in July 2024.

Legislation would establish fees to seek asylum, care for a minor in US custody or apply for humanitarian parole

Congressional Republicans are proposing an array of new fees on immigrants seeking to remain in the United States in a move that advocates warn will create insurmountable financial barriers.

Legislation moving through the GOP-controlled House of Representatives could require immigrants to pay potentially hundreds or thousands of dollars to seek asylum, care for a minor in the government’s custody, or apply for humanitarian parole.

The Mayo Clinic hopes to uncover how the microbiome affects how patients react to cancer medications

A leading US clinic hopes its fecal waste biobank will help researchers make new discoveries about how to treat cancer patients – one of several efforts to turn human waste into medicine.

The Mayo Clinic biobank is part of researchers’ years-long effort to “personalize” medicine by uncovering how the microbiome changes how patients react to cancer medications.

In 2015, the UK placed first on the rainbow map. But even then, as an 18-year-old gay man, I knew that wasn’t the whole story

It should surprise no one that the UK has dropped to its lowest ever position on the annual “rainbow map” of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association (ILGA), which ranks the best and worst European countries on the basis of laws and policies that affect LGBTQ+ people. The map assesses each country through seven categories , including equality and non-discrimination, legal gender recognition and asylum.

The supreme court’s ruling last month that a person’s sex in the Equality Act 2010 refers only to “biological sex” – a redefining of trans people’s rights to their detriment, and a political and cultural victory for the gender critical movement – will have played a key role in the downgrading. Senior politicians immediately capitulated to the ruling, interpreting the implications of the verdict beyond the scope of the court, with the gay health secretary even renouncing his own support for the notion that “trans women are women”. Meanwhile, the Scottish government has dropped plans to legislate for a ban on conversion therapy during this parliamentary session. At this rate of progress the ranking will be even lower next year, as it should be.