Mexico Agrees to More Predictable Water Deliveries to the US
Mexico and the United States reached an agreement guaranteeing a minimum annual water delivery from Mexico to the U.S., replacing a system based on five-year quotas, Euronews reported on February 4, 2026. The deal aims to aid farmers in southern U.S. states, particularly in Texas.
The agreement followed months of negotiations and a threat from then-U.S. President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on Mexican imports if Mexico did not increase water deliveries, according to Euronews. Under the new deal, Mexico will send at least 350,000 acre-feet of water annually.
In other news, Finland is set to construct icebreakers for the United States as competition in the Arctic intensifies, Euronews reported on February 3, 2026. The deal highlights Finland's expertise in icebreaking, but U.S. interest in Greenland and strained EU-U.S. ties have raised concerns about the partnership.
Meanwhile, in India, climate tech startup Varaha secured $20 million in funding to expand carbon removal projects in the Global South, TechCrunch reported. The investment, led by WestBridge Capital, marks the first portion of a planned $45 million Series B round. Varaha, founded in 2022, has raised approximately $33 million in equity to date, along with $35 million in project financing and $500,000 in grants. The company aims to position itself as a lower-cost supplier for verified emissions reductions, leveraging India's agricultural supply.
In the tech sector, Intel announced plans to enter the graphics processing unit (GPU) market, currently dominated by Nvidia, TechCrunch reported. Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan made the announcement at the Cisco AI Summit on Tuesday. GPUs are specialized processors used for gaming and artificial intelligence model training. Kevork Kechichian, executive vice president and general manager of Intel's data center group, will oversee the project, according to Reuters.
Also, Y Combinator (YC) will now offer startups the option to receive seed funding in stablecoin, according to TechCrunch. YC's standard deal involves investing $500,000 into startups in exchange for 7% of their companies. Nemil Dalal, a crypto YC partner, told The Block that stablecoin transfers are often more effective, especially for founders in emerging markets. The initiative will begin with the upcoming spring batch and will utilize the Base, Solana, and Ethereum blockchains. Last fall, YC partnered with Base and Coinbase Ventures to encourage the development of blockchain-related companies.
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