Multinational corporations dodge $500bn tax by shifting profits to low/no tax jurisdictions. Stifle social development. Need a simple change - must pay tax where they actually create profit, instead of where they pretend to on paper. UK can collect extra $16.9bn a yr. Must check corporate abuse.

Countries to gain $500bn more tax a year under UN ‘pay-where-you-play’ plan - Tax Justice Network

UN tax convention commitment to scrap 100-year-old corporate tax approach will unleash new economic era without increasing taxes, experts say Countries can collect US$500 billion more in corporate tax...

taxjustice.net

Major oil firms make $93bn profits in just 3 months amid war and climate crisis. They shift profits, dodge taxes, fuel poverty and inflation. They don't bear the social cost of their business. Forever holding people/govts to ransom. Polluters must pay. Need windfall tax now.

Revealed: major oil firms make $93bn profits amid war and climate crisis

Iran conflict windfall over three months reignites calls for companies ‘cashing in on human misery’ to pay for environmental damage

theguardian.com

Approval of east London datacentre labelled ‘slap in the face’ for local democracy. Datacentre prioritised over building affordable homes. Little attention to environmental issues. Govt overturning local council refusal is not devolution or democracy. Big business always wins.

Approval of east London datacentre labelled ‘slap in the face’ for local democracy

Campaigners decry Angela Rayner’s backing for Brick Lane project that has only 11 affordable homes

theguardian.com

#FAFO

Mark Chadbourn@chadbourn.bsky.social · yesterday

Ukraine has now disabled 40% of Russia’s fuel refining capabilities, Politico reports.

18,000 cases in 45 states now, @sfdegraff.bsky.social 🤮 #ETTD

Mark Chadbourn@chadbourn.bsky.social · yesterday

Two dead from the US cyclospora outbreak, just in case you had any doubt how dangerous it is. There are now 18,000 confirmed or suspected cases across 45 states. By any standard this would be a scandal but it’s just another metaphor for life under Trump - killer food contaminated with human waste.

Former neo-Nazi activist selected as Tory candidate for Somerset council election. Convictions for assaulting police officer, burglary of a police station, malicious communications, anti-semitism, racially aggravated harassment, harrasing MPs. Tories chasing Reform vote.

Former neo-Nazi activist selected as Tory candidate for Somerset council election

Joshua Bonehill-Paine, creator of satirical Crewkerne Gazette, has convictions including for harassing a Jewish MP

theguardian.com

Private equity firms made up 50% of the largest US corporate bankruptcies with $1bn+ in liabilities Jobs, communities destroyed for short term profit PE has devoured UK high street; controls vets, supermarkets, care homes, pubs, housing, restaurants. Shadow banking wreaks havoc, govts do nothing.

Private equity continues disproportionate role in 2026 bankruptcies

Since 2024, PESP has tracked and analyzed corporate bankruptcies, identifying the disproportionate role that private equity-owned firms have played in bankruptcy filings. This trend continued in the…

pestakeholder.org

#cat #cats #grumpycat (not that one)

Mark Chadbourn@chadbourn.bsky.social · 2d ago

Morning Bluesky.

The #climatecrisis is driving drastic measures. In Romania the navy has carried out a controlled explosion to deepen the channel of the Danube to keep water flowing to the Cernavoda nuclear plant's cooling systems.

BP quarterly profits up from $2.5bn to $5.73bn as Iran war sends oil prices soaring. Shell doubled its net profit to almost $10bn. High bills fuelling poverty and misery for households and businesses. Boon for execs and shareholders. Must levy 100% windfall tax on oil, gas, energy companies.

BP profits more than double as Iran war sends oil prices soaring

Energy company’s $5.73bn quarterly profits come after Shell posted second highest quarterly earnings on record

theguardian.com

We should never forget how the BBC has changed this country by giving endless airtime to Nigel Farage and other rightwing extremists, while shutting out progressive voices.

Nicolas Chinardet@zefrog.eu · 3d ago

And why is #r4today giving (yet again) such prominence to a hair-brained scheme that has little chance to ever be implemented? A GE is unlikely soon and the threat of Reform winning it is apparently receding. What is the justification for legitimising it?

AstraZeneca in talks with Bristol Myers Squibb on $400bn (£300bn) merger. Concentration of economic power. Bigger ability to hold people/govts to ransom. AstraZeneca CEO already threatened to withhold drugs from NHS unless it paid more. Govt capitulated. Promised UK investment didn't materialise.

AstraZeneca holds talks with Bristol Myers Squibb on $400bn merger

Tie-up would be one of the biggest-ever pharmaceutical deals and create the world’s fourth-largest drugmaker

theguardian.com

Crumbling infrastructure & lack of water jeopardising govt plans for new homes. Privatisation of England's water prioritised shareholder returns. No new reservoirs, desalination plants, or national grid of water. Companies don't do national planning. Yet govts intoxicated with privatisation

‘We cannot magic up more water’: the supply problems putting housing targets in England at risk

Council leaders say crumbling infrastructure and lack of water are jeopardising government’s plans for new homes

theguardian.com

Turn failing water firms into not-for-profit cooperatives, MPs and mayors tell PM. Issues: Corporate debt would be transferred to co-ops. Co-ops would borrow for investment at commercial rates, not govt rates. High debt and debt servicing cost, higher bills. Need public ownership.

Turn failing water firms into not-for-profit cooperatives, MPs and mayors tell PM

Labour politicians say mutualised model puts public in control without adding debt to government’s balance sheet

theguardian.com

UEFA has given FIFA President Gianni Infantino an ultimatum: resign or face a no-confidence vote, The Telegraph reports . It says all 55 members would back it. Only 43 votes are needed.

“We’ve moved into the Age of the Oligarch which is defined by a network of the rich and powerful and the authoritarians they prop up. The group transcends national borders and has zero interest in the countries that elevated them to power.”

The Third World War Is Here

And it's not what you think

open.substack.com

There is a reason why I've had so many barbecues this year - and it's not a god reason It's because the oil companies have ruined our planet 🌍 Thatcher privatising the water industry has made matters worse, a high percentage of water is wasted through leaking pipes www.bbc.co.uk/weather/arti...

UK weather: England and Wales on course for driest July on record

Met Office records indicate England and Wales are likely to have had their driest July since records began 190 years ago.

bbc.co.uk

🤭🤭🤭 #FAFO

Mark Chadbourn@chadbourn.bsky.social · 4d ago

The commander of US European Command has warned the Pentagon that the US no longer has enough Navy destroyers to simultaneously protect Israel from Iranian missile attacks and meet broader US defence commitments, WaPo reports.

After listening to a few #Twitch streamers, such as @j4ckiechan.bsky.social, Fletch74 and Baalorlord, I've now managed to reach Ascension level 2+ on all four #SlayTheSpire2 characters Never managed that with the original game 😊 #VideoGame #MegaCrit #SlayTheSpire #Roguelike #DeckBuilder #CardGame

#PR #ProportionalRepresentation #InAction www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cn...

Labour's Bev Craig elected mayor of Greater Manchester, replacing Andy Burnham

The contest was triggered when now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham stood down from the role following his election as an MP last month.

bbc.co.uk

#MMT

George Monbiot@georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 4d ago

You could say the same about any public service, or anything at all of public interest. The demands of capital owners trounce all other considerations, degrade the service and transform it into something with an entirely different purpose. UEFA's succinct critique of capital should be framed.

Financial Reporting Council says it will monitor how the largest firms manage their overseas teams for the next year... And then do sweet FA about it, business as usual...

Prem Sikka@premnsikka.bsky.social · 4d ago

Who audits big companies for mega fees? On paper it is the big four accounting firms - Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC. But they use offshore networks. There people without proper control do audits remotely. For bigger profits. Offshoring of audits is not disclosed. archive.ph/MBclD

Gianni infantino abandons plans to sell World Cup to private equity and Kushner/Trump family after massive pushback. The plan would have increased his pay packet from £4.5m to £47m. Such people can't protect the game or supporters. Sack the FIFA board.

Infantino abandons plans to sell World Cup profits to private equity following massive pushback

FIFA President Gianni Infantino is abandoning his divisive plan to sell World Cup profits to private equity after receiving pushback from all corners of the soccer world

independent.co.uk

#WaterCompanies #LyingTossers #NationaliseWater #IWishToRegisterAComplaint (Sorry, we're closed for lunch)

Prem Sikka@premnsikka.bsky.social · 5d ago

Ofcom and BBC, correct the record: Thames Water CEO misled the public about public ownership. Too many journalists amplify water industry PR. Please follow the advice in this link and lodge your complaint.

#FoodOnFriday Bastilla is a Moroccan egg & chicken pie usually made with phyllo dough. As I have celiac, phyllo is right out 😉. But corn tortillas aren't. Hence bastilla tacos with cold marinated carrots. #FoodPhotography #Photography #WestCoastKin #ECK #Foodie #CookSky #Foodsky #Food #Cooking

#WindfallTax #DodgyBankers

Prem Sikka@premnsikka.bsky.social · 5d ago

NatWest Bank quarterly pre-tax profits surge 29% to £2.3bn. It received £45.5bn bailout after the 2008 crash. Last year, just ahead of bumper profits, govt sold its stake, appeased the City. All banks are profiteering, closing branches. Must levy windfall tax archive.ph/DqegK

If you're interested in data protection and privacy, which admittedly a lot of people don't seem to care much about, then a "smart TV" isn't necessarily your best option for a new TV (especially if you intend to use it as a monitor) appleinsider.com/inside/mac/t...

If you're fed up with people posting links that don't take you to the article in question then you might be better off checking out @infinitemonkeyshq.bsky.social instead Mark's had about 70 books published, so he knows what he's talking about 😉

Yorkshire Bylines@yorkshirebylines.co.uk · 2w ago

Getting published isn't just about writing a great book. Editors, marketing, distribution, royalties, creative control – every publishing route involves trade-offs. Dr Sally Brown explains what authors need to know.

They are not fighting for land... Their aim is to destroy the rules-based order so that they are free to plunder wherever they want. This is why Trump is trying to wreck the UN, NATO, the International Criminal Court and any other organisation that will stop him doing exactly what he wants to do.

Mark Chadbourn@chadbourn.bsky.social · 5d ago

“The Third World War is already underway, has been for a while, but remains unrecognised because it doesn’t follow the patterns we know.”