Podcasts about North Sea

Find us at www.crisisinvesting.com  Find  @michaelyon  at https://substack.com/@michaelyon Michael Yon the "Great Game": Chokepoints, Hydraulic Warfare, and Where Conflict Spreads Next The host interviews Michael Yon from Japan as he prepares for his baby's imminent birth, briefly discussing Japanese traditions around the kiri (paulownia) tree, then shifts to geopolitics and Yon's view of a global "great game" centered on routes, resources, and information warfare. Yon says the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed and argues conflicts are interconnected, predicting flashpoints including the Falklands/Malvinas involving Argentina, possible spillover into Brazil and Uruguay, and wider fighting affecting Europe and the North Sea. He emphasizes hydraulic warfare, describing how dams on the Nile (GERD in Ethiopia), Euphrates (Atatürk Dam), Tigris (Mosul Dam), and China's Three Gorges could be used for famine and destruction. He also discusses Tibet/Nepal flood events, chokepoints like Suez, Gibraltar/Ceuta, Bab-el-Mandeb, Panama, and Malacca, plus language, migration, intoxicants, music, demographic, and economic warfare. 00:00 Morning Intro in Japan 00:32 Baby Due Soon 01:38 Kiri Tree Tradition 04:16 Hormuz and Global War 05:48 South Atlantic Flashpoints 08:15 Nepal Disaster and Tibet 13:24 Hydraulic Warfare Explained 15:13 Egypt and the Nile Dams 29:45 Turkey Iraq and China Dams 34:28 Prayer Wheel Spycraft 36:35 Local Flood Risks and Drought 38:53 Ceuta Flashpoint 39:32 Gibraltar Chokepoint History 41:16 Phosphate Power Politics 41:43 Global Chokepoints Strategy 45:05 Florida And Brazil Predictions 48:22 Ceuta Migrants As Weapon 51:32 Language Warfare Morocco 56:27 Books Burned And Forecasts 59:17 Safe Havens And Zionism 01:02:49 Cults And Empire Origins 01:05:51 Warfare Taxonomy Explained 01:12:36 Corporate Superstructure Wrap 01:15:01 Closing Thanks And Anecdote

You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Djl86k1PyYwCo-pilots Halligan and Pearson strap back into the rocket of right thinking after their summer break to tackle Prime Minister Andy Burnham's PMQs debut.Allison slams Burnham's ‘vibes-based' leadership, warning that starry-eyed optimism won't fix record-high energy bills or a million unemployed youth. Meanwhile, Liam sounds the alarm on spiralling bond yields and a debt interest time bomb that's set to blow up the upcoming October budget.Also on the radar: the duo rate Kemi Badenoch's Shadow Cabinet reshuffle, debate the right-wing battle for welfare cuts, plus, nostalgic listener mailbags and a sobering reality check from a 26-year-old geophysics grad facing redundancy thanks to Britain's brutal North Sea tax policy.Joining your co-pilots is Reform UK's Richard Tice to talk Net Zero, tax cuts, and why pre-election pacts are completely off the table. HighlightsPlanet Normal: ‘Fair-weather' Burnham faces a growing economic stormAllison dismantles Andy Burnham's leadership Liam issues a dire warning about the bond marketsRichard Tice joins to discuss Reform UK's economic strategy, energy policy, and election approachSign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Allison ‘Burnham is terrified Badenoch will expose him as a third-rate court jester': https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/09/01/allison-pearson-burnham-scared-badenoch-will-expose-him/ |Read Allison ‘My top 10 tips to avoid paying Burnham's spiteful mansion tax‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08/30/tips-to-avoid-paying-burnhams-spiteful-mansion-tax/ |Read Liam ‘La belle France could edge the bond market's ugly contest‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/08/30/la-belle-france-could-edge-the-bond-markets-ugly-contest/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam's Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |For 30 days' free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Western Front Association's Mentioned in Dispatches Podcast, Briana Gervat discusses her book There Will Come Soft Rains, which recounts her extraordinary solo walk along the Western Front from the Swiss border to the North Sea. Briana reflects on the journey, the landscapes and communities she encountered and what walking the length of the former Western Front revealed about the enduring physical and human legacy of the First World War. The episode explores the relationship between history, memory and landscape and considers how travelling through these historic places on foot can offer a distinctive perspective on the conflict and its continuing presence in Europe

Renovation ep. 839 Roger Ley  was born and educated mainly in London, but spent some of his formative years in Saudi Arabia. He worked as an engineer in the oilfields of North Africa and in the North Sea before starting a career in higher education teaching computer-aided engineering. His stories have been published on a multiplicity of websites and broadcast on BBC Radio. He lives in Suffolk (UK). Visit his website at rogerley.co.uk More TTTV Stories by Roger Ley: https://talltaletv.com/tag/roger-ley/ His Amazon author page is at https://www.amazon.com/stores/Roger-Ley/author/B01KOVZFHM Ancient and Modern: https://talltaletv.com/ancient-and-modern/   ---- Listen Elsewhere ---- YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/TallTaleTV Website: http://www.TallTaleTV.com   ---- Story Submission ---- Got a short story you'd like to submit? Submission guidelines can be found at http://www.TallTaleTV.com   ---- About Tall Tale TV ---- Hi there! My name is Chris Herron and I'm an audiobook narrator. In 2015, I suffered from poor Type 1 diabetes control which lead me to become legally blind for almost a year. The doctors didn't give me much hope, predicting an 80% chance that I would never see again. But I refused to give up and changed my lifestyle drastically. Through sheer willpower (and an amazing eye surgeon) I beat the odds and regained my vision. During that difficult time, I couldn't read or write, which was devastating as they had always been a source of comfort for me since childhood. However, my wife took me to the local library where she read out the titles of audiobooks to me. I selected some of my favorite books, such as the Disc World series, Name of the Wind, Harry Potter, and more, and the audiobooks brought these stories to life in a way I had never experienced before. They helped me through the darkest period of my life and I fell in love with audiobooks. Once I regained my vision, I decided to pursue a career as an audiobook narrator instead of a writer. That's why I created Tall Tale TV, to support aspiring authors in the writing communities that I had grown to love before my ordeal. My goal was to help them promote their work by providing a promotional audio short story that showcases their writing skills to readers. They say the strongest form of advertising is word of mouth, so I offer a platform for readers to share these videos and help spread the word about these talented writers. Please consider sharing these stories with your friends and family to support these amazing authors. Thank you!   ---- legal ---- All stories on Tall Tale TV have been submitted in accordance with the terms of service provided on http://www.talltaletv.com or obtained with permission by the author. All images used on Tall Tale TV are either original or Royalty and Attribution free. Most stock images used are provided by http://www.pixabay.com , https://www.canstockphoto.com/ or created using AI. Image attribution will be declared only when required by the copyright owner. Common Affiliates are: Amazon, Smashwords  

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A proud sea captain driven by revenge braves a fierce North Sea storm to rescue a vessel in distress. Ride along on a high-seas adventure filled with peril, fragile pride, and unexpected bonds forged in the face of disaster.

In March 2002, John Darwin paddled his canoe into the North Sea off Seaton Carew and disappeared. Searchers found wreckage, his family mourned, and his wife Anne claimed more than £500,000 in insurance and related payments. But Darwin had not drowned: he was alive, hiding in a bedsit next door to the family home while his two sons believed their father was dead.Five years later, he walked into a London police station claiming he had amnesia. The story collapsed when investigators found a photograph of John and Anne together in Panama, taken while they were planning a new life abroad.In 2008, both were convicted of fraud. John received six years and three months in prison, Anne six and a half years, after a deception that did not just target insurers, but shattered their own family.

Low water is still disrupting European river cruises despite recent rain, with Viking, Emerald Cruises, Saga River Cruises, Avalon Waterways, Uniworld and AmaWaterways adjusting sailings on the Danube, Rhine and Main; Saga told guests "We won't turn your itinerary into a coach holiday; the ship will be sailing," while AmaWaterways COO Jon Burrows said the line doesn't "wait until conditions become a problem." In Scotland, a body has been recovered from the North Sea after a man went missing from Ambassador Cruise Line's Ambition roughly 36 nautical miles from Arbroath, in a search involving Police Scotland, HM Coastguard aircraft, coastguard rescue teams and lifeboats; police have not released his identity or age and formal identification is pending. And Port Canaveral is forecasting 10.9 million passenger movements in fiscal 2027 across 1,213 cruise calls and 23 homeported ships, on operating revenue of $281.8 million, with $203 million in cruise capital work including a $95 million Terminal 10 renovation and the debuts of Carnival Festivale and MSC World Atlantic.

Who were the Frisians, and why has their powerful early medieval realm been overlooked in North Sea history?In this episode, Daniel Farrand and Margrethe Havgar are joined by researcher and YouTuber Hilbert Vinkenoog (History with Hilbert) to uncover the forgotten kingdom of Medieval Frisia. Wedged between Anglo-Saxon England, Frankish Gaul, and Viking Age Scandinavia, Frisia commanded vital waterways and maintained a distinct, fiercely independent coastal culture.Discover the legendary pagan ruler King Redbad, explore how Frisian warriors allied with Viking fleets on pirate raids across Europe, and learn about the extraordinary archaeology of the terpen—artificial settlement mounds holding treasures rivaling Sutton Hoo. Support the show and unlock exclusive bonus Q&A episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/nordicmythologypodcastExplore handcrafted Nordic items at Horns of Odin: https://www.hornsofodin.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Processing Safety with Trish and Traci, forensic engineer Dr. Sean Brady joins Trish Kerin and Traci Purdum to revisit Piper Alpha, the 1988 North Sea platform disaster that killed 167 workers. They trace how a lost permit-to-work, a missing relief valve, and a design never updated for gas service combined with failed firewalls, redundant systems that bred false confidence and risers that kept feeding the fire. Using the "Jenga tower" metaphor, Brady explains how safety systems degrade unnoticed until they collapse, and why organizations must dispense with likelihood and focus on consequence, controls, and leadership culture to prevent the next catastrophe.

Scoop: Ed Miliband is expected to announce two different kinds of sanctions over Israeli settlements in the West Bank. We have the details, but will the plan be enforceable?Get ready for politics on hyperspeed this autumn: a decision on North Sea oil and gas, an announcement about the prisoner early release scheme, two welfare reviews, conferences, a budget and a 10-year plan. But amidst the flurry of activity, is Andy Burnham putting off some tough decisions?Reform UK says British-born workers should get priority for social housing. We look at the shifting Overton window on citizenship as three parties on the right - The Conservative Party, Reform UK and Restore UK - jostle for votes.Steven Swinford, political editor, The TimesFraser Nelson, columnist, The TimesProducers: Euan Dawtrey, Harry KitsonExecutive producer: Molly GuinnessPicture: Getty Images00:00 - Parliament Returns: The Autumn Political Agenda01:45 - Ed Miliband, Gaza Sanctions & West Bank Trade Bans07:50 - Early Release Scheme & Police Backlash (PC Harper Case)10:45 - The Mini-Budget, Welfare Reviews & 10-Year Plan15:00 - Reform UK's Housing Policy & Citizenship Split23:30 - Kemi Badenoch Meets Giorgia Meloni in RomeThis podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the first big decisions of Andy Burnham's premiership is looming: whether to drill for North Sea oil and gas. Labour made a manifesto promise not to grant new licences for oil and gas exploration, but the question of whether to go ahead and drill at the Rosebank and Jackdaw sites - offshore oil and gas fields that have pre-existing licences - remains.After a summer of wildfires and heatwaves, but with our energy security and cost-of-living precarious, the new Prime Minister faces a political dilemma.Anoosh Chakelian is joined by political editor Ailbhe Rea.LISTEN AD-FREE:

Allen covers Germany’s new offshore wind price guarantee, England’s onshore wind revival, wind for Korean chip plants, and Aeris debt trouble. The Uptime Wind Energy Podcast is brought to you by Weather Guard Lightning Tech, creators of the StrikeTape Ultra LPS retrofit. Subscribe to Uptime’s Substack newsletter. And check out Rosemary’s “Engineering with Rosie” Youtube channel. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us! Good Monday everyone. Last summer … Germany held an auction for new offshore wind capacity. Not a single company bid. Zero. This week Berlin put forward a new law to fix that. The old system asked developers to pay for the right to build in the North Sea and the Baltic. TotalEnergies and BP bid billions of euros … then walked away. So the new plan introduces contracts for difference. Build the farm … and the government backstops the price of electricity. The offshore wind association wants abandoned projects … up to sixteen gigawatts … put back on the auction block under the new rules. That is fifty billion euros worth of wind farms waiting for a second chance. The cabinet vote could come as early as next week. Stay in Europe but head west. England just posted its highest number of onshore wind applications in a decade. About forty-five proposals. Before Labour lifted the Conservatives’ ban two years ago … applications averaged one megawatt a month. Now they are running at thirty-six megawatts a month. But here is the catch. The average English wind farm has just two turbines. Eight megawatts. In Scotland … the average is nine turbines and fifty-nine megawatts. England is back in the game. It is just playing small. Now cross the Pacific. South Korea selected Pacifico Energy Korea to develop the Jindo offshore wind cluster. Two-point-one-three gigawatts. That is the second and third phases of a broader three-point-two-gigawatt project off the southern coast. And here is the connection worth noting. The region is also building the Honam Semiconductor Cluster … a major chip fabrication site. Semiconductor fabs need enormous and reliable power. This wind cluster is being positioned as the energy source to feed it. Wind as baseload for chip manufacturing. That is a new kind of offtaker. Now head to Brazil. Aeris Energy makes wind turbine blades. This week the company told its creditors it needs to restructure again. Roughly three hundred and thirty million dollars in debt. Aeris already restructured last year. But revenue fell forty-eight percent in the first half of this year. The company lost roughly fifty-three million dollars. It tried to find a buyer. No one came forward. Remember TPI Composites filing Chapter Eleven in Houston last year? The independent blade business keeps getting harder. Back to North America. In Nova Scotia … Port Hawkesbury Paper is spending four hundred and fifty million dollars on thirty-one Nordex turbines. They will be the biggest onshore turbines in North America. Each one … six-point-nine megawatts. And they carry electrothermal technology that prevents ice from forming on the blades. They operate down to minus thirty Celsius. Last January … Nova Scotia’s existing turbines dropped from three hundred and fifty megawatts to seventy-five in a single evening when the cold hit. For anyone building in northern climates … cold-weather performance is no longer optional. And in Minnesota … Xcel Energy broke ground on two projects this week. A hundred-and-eighty-five-mile transmission line that can carry four thousand megawatts of new wind and solar to the grid. And alongside it … a four-hundred-and-twenty-megawatt natural gas peaking plant in Lyon County for the days when the wind stops. So what does this week tell us? Germany’s auction reform is the story to watch. If Berlin gets contracts for difference right … sixteen gigawatts of stalled projects could come back to life. England proves that removing a political ban releases demand … but the scale gap with Scotland shows that planning culture matters as much as planning law. The blade supply chain is still under stress. If you are in procurement … know your supplier’s balance sheet. South Korea is tying offshore wind directly to semiconductor manufacturing. That kind of industrial offtaker changes the project finance equation. And from Minnesota to Nova Scotia … the message is the same. Transmission … peaking power … cold-weather reliability. The turbine is the easy part. The system around it is where the money and the risk still live. And that is the state of the wind industry for the 24th of August 2026. Join us for the Uptime Wind Energy podcast tomorrow.

In Sunday's episode of The Daily T, Camilla Tominey and Tim Stanley are joined in the studio by Claire Coutinho, the shadow energy secretary, to tackle the fierce political and ideological debate surrounding climate change and energy policy.Following the backlash over a controversial column by Tim Stanley about Right-wing attitudes on climate change, the trio examine whether current net zero legislation is actively harming the UK economy. Coutinho outlines the Conservatives' vision with a new detailed energy plan prioritising cheaper power and consumer choice over arbitrary targets.Plus: is the Prime Minister a coward for not making a decision over North Sea oil drilling?We want to hear from you! Email us at thedailyt@telegraph.co.uk or find @dailytpodcast on TikTok, Instagram and X► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditorThe Telegraph is the Publisher Podcast Awards' Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026Studio Operator: Meghan SearleProducer: Emma Williams and David LeveneSocial Producer: Nada AggourVideo Producer: Jim SpencerExecutive Producer: Charlotte SeligmanEditor: Camilla TomineyHighlights:Tim and Camilla clash over how to approach climate changeClaire Coutinho outlines the Conservatives' new detailed energy plans.Coutinho says that Andy Burnham is cowardly for his approach to North Sea Oil drilling Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy Burnham has been on a regional tour of the UK, delivering a steady stream of policies aimed at tackling social issues. But now comes the hard part: should he push ahead with new drilling in the North Sea? After a summer of drought and wildfires, can the prime minister make the case for more fossil fuel extraction? FT political editor George Parker stands in for Lucy Fisher as host, and is joined by Inside Politics columnist Stephen Bush, and deputy political editor Jim Pickard. Plus, after Sue Gray described working in Starmer's government as ‘unbearable', and a top UK civil servant was revealed to have received a £500,000 payout package, the panel reflects on what we have learned about Starmer's premiership now that it's over. George @GeorgeWParker and @georgewparker.bsky.social; Stephen @stephenkb; and Jim @PickardJEWant more?Burnham launches pandemic-style drive to cut rough sleepingAndy Burnham faces climate test over North Sea oil decisionAre ‘dodgy' vape shops choking Britain's high streets?Working in Starmer's Number 10 was ‘unbearable,' says Sue GrayJamie Dimon warns UK chancellor against higher bank taxesTop UK civil servant received record £500,000 payout after Starmer sackingCome and join the FT and Political Fix panelists at the FT Weekend Festival on Saturday, September 5 at Kenwood House Gardens in London. To save 10 per cent on tickets, visit ft.com/festival and use the discount code FTPODCAST.You can also sign up here for Stephen Bush's morning newsletter ‘Inside Politics' for straight-talking insight into the stories that matter, plus puns and tongue (mostly) in cheek views. Get 30 days free.Political Fix was presented by George Parker and produced by Persis Love. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Original music and audio mix by Breen Turner. Our broadcast engineers were Andrew Georgiades and Petros Gioumpasis. Flo Phillips is the FT's head of audio.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Helena Horton on why the government may decide to allow more oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

A proper fucking by the North (Sea)...

“When will be the end of thus exhausting the earth, and how far will avarice finally penetrate?” the Roman natural historian Pliny the Elder asked in 77 AD. Two thousand years later, the answer seems clear. At least according to the contemporary Scottish natural historian James Crawford. In his new book, The Vanishing Earth, the Edinburgh-based Crawford provides dispatches from what he calls the “frontiers of extraction.” From the Atacama Desert in northern Chile to the melting coastline of Greenland, Crawford describes the apocalyptic consequences of our avarice toward the earth. The ultimate frontier of extraction, Crawford warns, is ourselves. Thus he reports on big tech's designs to harvest our thoughts. Consumer headsets are already reading our brainwaves, Apple holds patents for brain-reading earbuds, and another self-styled “leader in real-world neuroscience” once promised “neuro insights for marketing purposes.” The Vanishing Earth's apocalyptic warnings appear both timeless and immediate. Watching Roman miners destroy Spanish mountains, Pliny the Elder wondered when we would finally exhaust the earth. Today, we can quantify the answer. Sometime around 2020, the weight of everything humanity has built came to exceed the weight of all life on Earth. It was just three percent in 1900. We have extracted more in the past fifty years than in all prior human history combined. We now build a city the size of Paris every five days. The ideology of endless growth is only 300 years old, Crawford warns. Pliny the Elder's earth is history. Crawford confesses that he is a product of extraction himself. On his family's windowsill sits a lemonade bottle of the first North Sea crude, siphoned by his father the day it came ashore. “I am Scottish, after all,” he notes wryly. Will our avarice transform extraction into extinction? Not necessarily, Crawford explains. His last dispatch is from Butte, Montana, and offers a ray of hope. There he finds people trying to repair the seemingly apocalyptic consequences of copper mining on the earth. So apocalypse now doesn't mean apocalypse tomorrow. We still have the power to unvanish the earth, the agency to undo the avarice of our ancestors. Five Takeaways •       Pliny's Two Questions. Watching Roman gold miners collapse entire Spanish mountains — ruina montium, “the fall of mountains” — the great naturalist Pliny the Elder asked, two thousand years ago: “When will be the end of thus exhausting the earth, and how far will avarice finally penetrate?” Those two questions run like an entwined seam through Crawford's book, and he believes we're now getting the answers. The ideology of endless economic growth, he argues, is only about 300 years old — born in Enlightenment Scotland as freedom from famine and the caprices of nature, and entirely sensible at the time. The problem is that the planet has changed and the ideology hasn't. The “vanishing” of the title isn't only resources: it's the sixth extinction, the biodiversity collapse — and, potentially, us.•       A Lemonade Bottle of First Oil. Crawford is a product of extraction, and knows it. His great-grandfather fled Shetland fishing at sixteen, wrote “engineer” on his immigration form, and ended up on Ford's very first assembly line building the Model T. His father apprenticed in a coal mine, worked the Zambian Copperbelt, then spent thirty years in oil — which is why Crawford was born on the Shetland Islands, beside one of the world's largest construction sites. The day the first North Sea oil came ashore, his father — who ran the pipelines and knew where to go — filled a lemonade bottle from an outlet valve; it still sits on the family windowsill. “I am a product of extraction. But then we all are”: microplastics in our bodies, forever chemicals passing from mother to unborn child. As a species, we have merged with what we mine.•       Thought Extraction. The journey's final landscape is the mind. Consumer neurotech — EEG headsets promising calm and focus — is already reading brainwaves, and the direction of travel is unmistakable: Emotiv scrubbed “neuro insights for marketing purposes” from its website between fact-check and publication (Crawford found the old language on the Wayback Machine); Apple holds patents for EEG-reading earbuds, with Meta and Snap filing alongside. Rafael Yuste's Neurorights Foundation surveyed the roughly thirty companies selling neurotech to consumers and found that every one of them claimed unlimited access to customers' brain data — with no legal protection in place. The attention economy harvested our behavior; the next extraction, Crawford warns, is the thought itself.•       Heavier Than Life Itself. The statistics that stopped Crawford in his tracks: around 2020, the weight of everything humans have built — buildings, roads, plastics — came to exceed the weight of the Earth's entire biomass, up from three percent in 1900. We've extracted more in fifty years than in all prior history; we build a Paris every five days; in ten years China poured more cement than America managed in the whole twentieth century. Hence the global sand shortage (desert sand is useless — “like building with marbles”) that sent him to Greenland, where melting glaciers make the coastline grow while the world's shrink. And hence the hard questions about the energy transition: in 2025 humanity burned more wood, more coal, and more oil than ever before — not a transition but an accumulation, exactly as the Jevons paradox predicted when Victorian Britain worried about coal. Efficiency doesn't reduce use; it multiplies it.•       The Forever Repair. The book ends not in despair but in Butte, Montana — once the center of world copper production, its open-cast pit now a lake of sulfuric acid in the heart of the city. After thirty years of argument, a settlement around 2020 gave the city something unprecedented: BP holds a blank check to monitor Butte's soils and water in perpetuity, and the people, rather than abandon their home, stayed to watch over it and tell its story. “It's not you fix and you forget. Everything is a repair.” That, for Crawford, is the ideological shift the whole journey points toward — from extraction to repair. He is hopeful for one precise reason: we got here through a way of seeing the world, and minds can change. In the tradition of Silent Spring — which banned DDT and birthed the EPA — a book can still move the world. “I am Scottish, after all” — but the glass, on inspection, is half full. About the Guest James Crawford is a Scottish writer, broadcaster, and historian based in Edinburgh. The author of Fallen Glory: The Lives and Deaths of History's Greatest Buildings and The Edge of the Plain: How Borders Make and Break Our World, he presents book programmes for the BBC and spent over a decade with Historic Environment Scotland. The Vanishing Earth: Dispatches from the Frontiers of Extraction (Bloomsbury, 2026) is out now in the US, with the UK edition imminent from Scribe. The New York Review of Books places him with Iain Sinclair, Rebecca Solnit, and Robert Macfarlane: “Riveting.” References: •&nb...

After taste-testing their fair share of viral M&S products, Sam and Pete reveal what product they would develop uf they worked there.Pete's creation is predictably sweet, while Sam has taken things in a slightly more rogue direction. And the food chat doesn't stop there, as the boys discuss the possibility of a Staying Relevant Come Dine With Me….Elsewhere, Pete gives us a glimpse inside his flat, including the all-important question of what's actually in his bedroom.Plus, if Sam and Pete could invent their own countries, what would they look like? Sam's created the rather lively-sounding Vida Loca, while Pete's chosen somewhere near the North Sea. We'll let you decide which one you'd rather book a holiday to.

As pressure mounts on the PM over the future of North Sea oil, we speak to Dale Vince, founder of the world's first green energy company, about why he's had a change of heart over drilling. Plus: Good news as ULEZ proves its worth in the lungs of the capital's children and the jury returns no-verdict on all charges against seven defendants in the Elbit Systems break-in. Finally, we look at some of your feedback on the Jason Arday tragedy. With Michael Walker, Steven Methven, Dale Vince & Dr Laura-Jane Smith.

In this episode of Holyrood Sources, Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein and Andy Maciver unpack another week Scottish politics.The team reacts to the official Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) figures, analysing Scotland's £25.3 billion public spending deficit, falling North Sea oil revenues, and what upcoming public service reforms mean for John Swinney's government.We also dive deep into the Scottish Labour leadership contest as candidates Joe Fagan and Michael Mara prepare to battle it out following Monica Lennon's exit.Plus, the team addresses listener questions on the environmental impact and energy demands of large-scale data centres versus net zero targets, and runs a political thought experiment: what would Scottish politics look like today if Rishi Sunak had won the 2024 general election? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 Waiting for Nothing: Clacton Crack-Ups, UDI Polls, and Energy DisparitiesIn this week's episode of the Lesley Riddoch Podcast, Lesley and Fraser navigate the summer "silly season" and the agonising political waiting game. From Count Binface's impressive showing against Nigel Farage in Clacton to the glaring lack of a cohesive independence strategy from the SNP, the pair chew over the week's frustrations and bizarre news cycles. Plus, a deep dive into the media's framing of Glasgow as a "no-go zone", and a surprising U-turn on North Sea oil from Ecotricity founder Dale Vince. Oh, and make sure you get out and pick your brambles before the rain ruins them! In this episode, we discuss:Farage's Bung & Clacton Fallout: Nigel Farage secured 63% of the vote in Clacton, but Count Binface recorded a personal best with 27% of the valid vote, saving his deposit for the first time. With the investigation into Farage's £5 million "bung" now unsuspended, Lesley and Fraser debate whether a potential 10-day suspension could trigger a genuine recall petition, or if voters will think enough is enough.Reform's Welfare Plans & BBC Bias: Reform UK has proposed cutting £50 billion from the benefits bill by targeting foreign nationals and scrapping the Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The pair highlight heavy criticism from former BBC News Director Richard Sambrook, who called the BBC's headline coverage of these completely uncredible fringe policies "frankly bizarre".Defending Glasgow: Thomas Kerr and the BBC have recently framed Glasgow, specifically around St. Enoch Square, as a "no-go zone" while citing crime statistics that were inflated by 70%. Lesley and Fraser push back hard on this narrative, citing journalists who feel far safer in Glasgow than most European cities, and discussing the historical context of urban planning and community hang-around culture in the city.Scottish Labour's Leadership Squeeze: Monica Lennon failed to secure enough nominations to make the Scottish Labour leadership ballot, leaving Michael Mara and Joe Fagan to fight it out. The UDI Question & SNP Frustrations: A recent poll surprisingly shows 45% of Scots would back a Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) without Westminster's permission. Lesley expresses deep frustration over the SNP's cautiousness, endless waiting, and lack of a public plan under John Swinney, contrasting Scotland's stagnation with Catalonia's grassroots preparations and Norway's decisive 1905 independence vote.Energy Disparity & Dale Vince's U-Turn: While Norway utilizes locational pricing to drastically lower energy bills for its remote northern citizens, John Swinney has actively argued against a similar system for Scotland. Meanwhile, green energy industrialist Dale Vince has made a massive U-turn, stating he would now support opening the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil fields if price controls decoupling them from global markets are introduced. ★ Support this podcast ★

Vestas doubles second quarter profit and adds €4.7 billion in market value overnight. Plus EnBW finishes He Dreiht after a V236 blade break, the UK blocks Ming Yang’s Scottish factory, and India rules turbines are movable goods. The Uptime Wind Energy Podcast is brought to you by Weather Guard Lightning Tech, creators of the StrikeTape Ultra LPS retrofit. Subscribe to Uptime’s Substack newsletter. And check out Rosemary’s “Engineering with Rosie” Youtube channel. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us! The Uptime Wind Energy podcast, brought to you by StrikeTape. Protecting thousands of wind turbines from lightning damage worldwide. Visit StrikeTape.com. And now, your hosts Allen Hall: Welcome to the Uptime Wind Energy podcast. I’m your host, Allen Hall, and I’m here with Rosemary Barnes, Matthew Stead, and Yolanda Padron. And three out of the four of us will be in Melbourne Australia talking to a number of operators and interested parties about WOMA 2027. Matthew, where will we be the couple of days we’re in Melbourne? Matthew Stead: So, um, first of all, we’ve got the Pullman, uh, East Melbourne, which is, uh, where the venue will be for, for 2027. Um, so that’ll be our home base. Um, we’ve got around about eight meetings planned already. So what we’re doing is we’re talking to the operators and a few other industry, um, players about [00:01:00] what we need to talk about, how we’re gonna move the industry forward in Australia. Uh, so it’s gonna be jam-packed, but there’s a little bit of time left on the Friday afternoon if there’s any late-minute, um, people that wanna get in contact and catch up with us, um, for next Thursday, Friday, or actually Friday. Uh, so yeah, it’s gonna be a, a jam-packed time. I think we’re gonna be tired, too many coffees, and talking to all the key, all the key operators, uh, about what they wanna hear about and how we can move the, the industry forward. Allen Hall: And if someone wants to put an input into the WOMA panel about what will be discussed at WOMA 2027, Matthew, how would they do that? How do they get ahold of you?  Matthew Stead: Well, we have a wonderful website, and that’s got all the details you could ever want. Um, you can also register on the website, so please register. Otherwise, um, I’m sure we’re gonna be a sellout this year for sure. So woma2027.com.  Rosemary Barnes: I just wanna add that when people talk to [00:02:00] me about the event, they always say how they love that the topics are so relevant, and the reason why that they’re so relevant is because we make sure to go around to operators and find out what are the issues that they’re really dealing with. So anybody that’s thinking of attending, even if you can’t, you know, meet us up, meet up with us in Melbourne, get in touch and tell us what are the, yeah, what are the topics that you’re struggling with that you’re not, um, you’re having trouble finding enough information, having trouble finding the people that can help you. And y- yeah, like we take all of that information, and that’s how we come up with our agenda each year. And yeah, I mean, for us, that’s the, the main thing is that this has to be really relevant, up-to-date information for the industry, and we need your help to make sure it stays that way. I  Matthew Stead: mean, that’s what we’ve done the last two years, so this is– we’re just repeating the formula, um, listening to the operators and getting the good topics and the good speakers. Allen Hall: Well, Vestas has had a good quarter. Uh, the, for the last couple of years, honestly, s- [00:03:00] Vestas has been really thin on margins. There was questions about it continuing on. Rising costs mostly, uh, supply chains, especially during COVID, were bad. Uh, and, uh, but for the most part, the shareholders stayed attached. Well, that story is changing rapidly. The world’s largest turbine maker posted second quarter operating profits of $400- €46 million, more than double what the analysts had expected, and it’s raised its full-year margin guidance alongside half-year results for the first time in a decade. The shares climbed about 20% in Copenhagen, adding roughly €4.7 billion of market value in a single session. Now, the chief executive, uh, Henrik Andersen, ha- put it plainly to, uh, uh, in a couple of news sources that something much bigger is happening and Vestas is gonna be the, the leader in wind. That’s how I read it, that everybody [00:04:00]at Vestas was super happy with the, the change in direction and things were moving up steadily. But a 20% jump in a day is remarkable. You don’t see that in large industrial businesses like wind energy. Matthew, this has real implications on what happens next for Vestas because success like this usually means more orders.  Matthew Stead: Yeah, I wonder what’s going on under the hood there. Um, I mean, Vestas is a quality company, although, although can I just do a quick segue? How many turbines were installed in Denmark in the last, uh, two years? Like last year and the year before?  Allen Hall: I don’t know. How many?  Matthew Stead: I believe it was eight turbines installed onshore in Denmark last year, and the year before it was 12. So, you know, maybe, maybe Vestas needs to focus on their own backyard a little bit as well. Allen Hall: I’m not sure there’s a lot of opportunity there. Yeah, onshore.  Matthew Stead: How can you ever be full? I mean, there’s always, um, [00:05:00] uh, you know, um, you know, resiting or, um, you know, upgrades and-  Rosemary Barnes: You know what? Allen and I are probably gonna get some time in Jutland, uh, later this year, um, and that area and the old wind turbines there was actually the inspiration for my whole YouTube channel. It just, ’cause there’s, you know, there’s turbines there from, the earliest one is, um, from the ’70s and still going. I think it’s one and a half megawatts, actually huge for, for that time. Um, and it was like community made, um, at Tvind. But anyway, I’m interested to revisit the site and have a look and see are these, you know, all these old turbines still there. It’s only, like six years since I went through and did the experience but for the most part, they don’t seem to be yet pulling down the, the small old ones and putting up big ones. There’s a lot of, a lot of them are community owned. Um, and yeah, I mean, Danish people love wind turbines, but there’s only so many that you can have onshore. Like, people are happy to live near them by, you know, the standards of people in other countries, but you don’t want [00:06:00] one in your literal backyard. I think that there is, there, there is a, a limit to how many more onshore wind turbines that you can get in that area and offshore expansion is the more likely way to go. Um, and also I think it’s, it’s, it’s good to recognize that if you have a domestic only or a domestic first strategy, that will only get you so far and then you have to expand, and I think Denmark did that really well. I think Germany a little bit less. I think that Enercon were a bit surprised, um, by their strategy. It, uh, they had a real hard time anyway when they had to transition away from mostly Germany to getting overseas. And obviously, like if you look at China, they have most of their installations are in China. They are trying so hard to get outside of China because it’s not, like even a market as big as China, it’s got decades to go before it will be full. Um, you can still recognize that that’s not your, like long-term strategy for growth has to involve expansion, I think.  Allen Hall: I think Vestas, regardless of what happens in Denmark, is making a play for the United States. That seems to be [00:07:00] where a significant effort is happening at the moment and on offshore. Their– Vestas seems very excited about the offshore opportunities. Of course, there’s a ton of wind turbines gonna be installed in the UK and, and all around Northern Europe. Offshore, the opportunities to buy turbines, there’s only a couple that you could get today. Uh, uh, the GE Vernova offerings I, I don’t think are gonna fit the mold, and I don’t know if GE’s even actively selling. So their competitor realistically is Siemens Gamesa, which does seem like the smaller player at the minute versus Vestas, which is heavily pushing the V236 and will fill order books like crazy, I think, uh, just based upon the, the history they’ve had and everybody knowing who they are. So Also on the move in Australia, right? Vestas is huge in Australia right now.  Rosemary Barnes: I think it’s really good that their, um, yeah, finances, uh, are [00:08:00] looking a bit better ’cause it’s been funny. Like, I tried early on in my wind career to invest in, you know, wind turbine manufacturers knowing that there would be immense growth, and I was right. There, there was immense growth. Not that that was so hard to figure out that there would be, but it did not lead to any kind of, um, return on, on anything, you know. Like, that did not keep pace with the just general market. Um, so I, I stopped trying to, stopped trying to invest to that. But it has been really, really hard for the companies to, you know, raise money or y- you know, do any of the things that they need to do because they’ve always, like, they’re growing, growing, growing, but finances has been so tight that it has been a real constraint on the amount of engineering that they could do, and I really hope that Vestas are gonna take this opportunity that they’ve got compared to, you know, a lot of the other manufacturers. Vestas do have really strong, um, innovation and, yeah, engineering capabilities for doing– you know, developing new technologies and improving them, and I really hope that they’re taking this opportunity to build that up. There are a lot [00:09:00] of very good engineers with a lot of experience in the industry in that area that are working in other fields at the moment because, you know, there’s been a lot of contraction in Denmark. So I don’t know, it seems like a really good time to hire back some of that really in-depth knowledge and, yeah, get a- get ahead of, you know, some of the future quality problems. We’re going through such a hard time at the moment from the fast development that happened in the 20-teens when there wasn’t a whole lot of money around. We’re dealing with quality problems now, so, you know, maybe we can get ahead and not have the next round of them if we can invest in just a lot more, uh, engineering capacity.  Allen Hall: When you have success like Vestas has, usually the upper level management and some of the executive team starts getting pilfered, that they’ll get offers to repeat that success at another company, and it sounds like that process has started already. There’s a couple of executives that have recently departing or are in the midst of departing from Vestas. [00:10:00] I would see that continuing f- at least for the next six months, uh, because everybody wants to repeat that, right? If you can get a 20% increase in your valuation overnight, uh, I can, I can list a number of companies, regardless of industry, that would love to participate. Even in a 5% increase, that would be remarkable. So, um, Vestas is gonna have a hard time holding onto this. That’s just the nature of the business where things are successful, people will wander. And Rosemary, I, I think they’re– And Yolanda In, in my book, Vestas should sort of s-stand down and just make quality products. I’m not sure you sh-should tinker too much at the time being and just make the good stuff better. That seems like a way to really increase profits.  Yolanda Padron: Yeah, I mean, solving a lot of the issues that– And, and that’s not just a Vestas exclusive thing, right? All of these OEMs have some sort of issue that maybe– I know Rosie’s touched a lot on, on it, where [00:11:00] you build this version A and then version B solves one of the small little issues, but now it creates another little problem, and then you have version C, and then everything just kinda has its own niche little issue, um, that really expands over time. So if they could solidify what they already have in, in a, in a model that, that would help them just even keep a lot of their customers, I think that’d be great, and it would help, certainly help them, um, not continuously, like, rotate around the customers, ’cause it almost feels like, at least in the States, right, you, you get GE to be really, really strong and have a huge market share, and then GE starts focusing more on gas turbines, so then they all go onto Vestas, and then they all go onto Ontara now. Um, and then just, you know, just kind of everybody starts cycling through them because they just kind of want something that’s better quality than what they’re getting in the long haul.  Matthew Stead: Allen, you, you talked about you think there’s something big under the hood. I think you, you [00:12:00] thought that maybe Vestas was angling towards something or being quite bullish. Do you think that they might take over GE Vernova?  Allen Hall: I don’t think they’re gonna grab Vernova, and I don’t think Vernova is for sale at the minute, but I wonder if Siemens Gamesa is, or Nordex. I mean, Nordex has done terrific the last couple of quarters and is making inroads in places that I didn’t think possible three, four years ago. Uh, the European marketplace is be- becoming really unique in that sense that there’s a lot of money being put out. But is there a sole perfect solution for Europe? Not at the minute, ’cause you got two competitors there, and then China trying to, to work its way in. Will the Europeans come together and form something more united, even if it’s just a partnership, a loose partnership, versus letting China on the shores? We’ll see. 64 of the largest machines that Vestas has builds are standing off the German coast, but one blade is missing a [00:13:00] piece. We’ll talk about that when we come back. Speaker: Are you overspending on lightning repairs? Most operators are because solving lightning damage is complicated. Weather Guard Lightning Tech helps operators reduce lightning damage. Our innovative StrikeTape lightning diverter protects over twenty thousand blades worldwide. Now, StrikeTape Ultra installs faster than ever. StrikeTape Ultra cures uptower in just fifteen minutes, even in cold weather. Visit weatherguardwind.com to schedule a call. Allen Hall: Well, Germany’s largest offshore wind farm is now fully installed, and EnBW confirmed this, uh, past week that all 64 of the Vestas V236 15-megawatt turbines are s- standing at the He Dreiht wind farm about 85 kilometers northwest of Borkum. Uh, 960 megawatts, [00:14:00] 2.4 billion euros invested. Man, these offshore projects are expensive to get installed. Uh, so it’s power for roughly 1.1 million households, and there’s no state subsidy behind any of it. And so this is a little bit of a u- unique situation. Uh, th- well, the one footnote about the wind farm is they had a V236 blade break and fall into the North Sea, and they had fished it out and I think I passed along s- pictures that I saw online of, uh, one of the police boats pulling the shear web out of the water I don’t know what to think anymore about some of these offshore blade issues. Obviously, Vestas is very conscientious about it and will be doing RCAs and engineering reviews and all the above to go identify what the problem is. But it does just lead to a little bit of a pause of do– what is going on for some of these offshore [00:15:00] wind blade installations or, or whatever’s causing these blades to break? Do we have a good handle on it? Yolanda, is– are we following up on all the design details so that we can prevent these things in the future?  Yolanda Padron: I mean, I’d, I’d hope you’d be following up on the design, right? Like, and, um, but I think there is still a little bit of a disconnect from, from what we’ve seen, and again, not just Vestas exclusive, um, between the people who are designing and the people who are manufacturing, the people who are in operations, right? So, uh- The, from what we’ve heard, uh, this could have potentially been a, um, partially because of a transportation issue, which is what happens a lot in onshore. It’s a lot more common than we would like it to be. Um, and so that even goes beyond what would go on in the design studio and what would go on in the manufacturing and what would [00:16:00] go on even just for the people that are running the site, right? So, so some sort of, um, in between, uh, EPC error. Um, but yeah, I just think that, like in a lot of industries, there should be a lot more communication between all of these teams on the lower level, so that way a lot of these problems can, can be avoided.  Allen Hall: I’m wondering if it’s actually an issue on the, the testing side. And, uh, the one question that just popped up, and we saw from the ORE Catapult, uh, survey that’s being conducted at the moment, and if you haven’t participated in that, you just visit ORE Catapult and answer some of the survey questions. But torsion on a blade, which is very difficult to test for, and it really isn’t tested for today, but does happen during the move and the transportation of these big offshore blades. Is it one area that we need to do a little more work in or maybe spend some more time focusing on it to see what is happening as blades are [00:17:00]moved?  Rosemary Barnes: The thing about te- torsion is that it is much more significant as blades get longer. I can’t, I can’t remember the equation off the top of my head, which is, um, bothering me. But I think it scales with, like, the fourth power or something of, of length. And so whilst it was always a bit of a problem, it’s much more of a problem as it gets, as blades get bigger. I mean, they’ve never, like, fully tested a blade, and there was always a lot of reliance on, hey, y- you know, like we’ve tested certain things that is possible to test in a test facility on the ground. But they also rely on their decades of experience of how blades actually behave in the field. But, you know, remember, that’s a real lagging, lagging indicator because y- you know, their decades of experience is mostly with lots smaller blades. Now, blades are really different because they’re longer and different effects are, are taking over. It’s not just, uh, torsion, but it’s also the laminates get much thicker, and then y- you know, you, you have issues with the way that they’re curing, [00:18:00] and there’s a lot more just space for, um, defects to be present in a really thick laminate All of those things add up. Oh, yeah, then add in addition, like new materials, carbon fiber is new, and then new ways of producing it, you know, pultrusions, um, all kinds of different materials like balsa’s being replaced with foams and, um, like, you know, 10 times that number of what sounds like a small innovation, but all of these things have the potential for damage and don’t have a really long track record in the field to be able to kind of calibrate. We do need to remember that, like, when you do something new, things are gonna break, uh, sometimes, they’re gonna fail sometimes. If they don’t, then you’re definitely being too conservative, and your product is costing more than it should, and nobody wants more expensive wind energy, right?  Matthew Stead: Rosie, Rosie, I, I know you’re doing some, some excellent work on, um, industry studies around erosion and temperature and so forth. Um, I just wanted to let a little secret out of the bag that, um, in the future there will also be some [00:19:00] other studies on torsion and blade twist and blade dynamics. So, um, just a few things are in, in train at the moment, which I can’t share, share, but, uh, watch this space around better understanding blade twist. Allen Hall: The Hydride wind farm runs on European turbines, but the next one might not. Two governments with two very different answers on who gets to build Europe’s wind fleet. Delamination and bondline failures in blades are difficult problems to detect early. These hidden issues can cost you millions in repairs and lost energy production. CIC NDT are specialists to detect these critical flaws before they become expensive burdens. Their nondestructive test technology penetrates deep into blade materials to find voids and cracks traditional inspections completely miss. CIC NDT maps every critical defect, delivers actionable [00:20:00] reports, and provides support to get your blades back in service. So visit cicndt.com because catching blade problems early will save you millions Well, two countries and two decisions, one question. In Scotland, the UK government blocked plans for the Chinese manufacturer Mingyang to build a turbine factory, uh, near Inverness on national security grounds. 1.5 billion pounds of investment, up to about 1,500 jobs. And First Minister John Swinney has asked the new prime minister to reconsider. And the UK energy secretary minister called that request irresponsible. Meanwhile, up in Denmark, Vattenfall has just won two offshore wind farms and will not say whether it will buy European turbines. Danish suppliers are not taking that quietly. So [00:21:00] the Scotland question about the Mingyang factory is at least being discussed again with the new prime minister in the UK. It does seem like there’s a lot to do and get the government formed and make all this stuff happen. But I don’t see a Burnham administration changing the outcome for Mingyang, but I could be wrong. At the, the same time, Vestas is pushing for a more Eurocentric focus and to really keep out the Chinese. Uh, something has to give here pretty soon.  Matthew Stead: I actually think Mingyang should, um, set up a factory in Scotland. I, I mean, what’s wrong with that? I mean, uh, why is that a security issue?  Rosemary Barnes: Set up the factory and put the, like, whatever you’re worried about, put protections in place for it, require it to be a local joint venture or whatever. You know, we’ve seen the blueprint in many of what used to be, you know, less rich countries. That’s how they, you know, got a head start on some of these technologies. It’s not like, I don’t think that China [00:22:00] has a head start on wind, wind turbine technology, but they certainly have different ways of doing things that, um, yeah, we could, we could learn from. But I think across the board, wind turbines, batteries, solar panels, whatever, let them set up factories, put the rules in place that mean that your country benefits from it and you’re getting the, you know, the information transfer.  Yolanda Padron: Do you think that’ll, like, impulse a lot of these more established European companies to maybe start fixing some of the issues that they’ve known about for, for a while, um, particularly regarding the blades and everything that we’ve talked about earlier? Like, there’s enough competition there, so maybe they need to start looking a little bit more deeply into their problems.  Allen Hall: Do we think that Chinese operations have been out front, forward, honest, I’ll even use, about their blade issues?  Rosemary Barnes: No, but this is a good way to find out, isn’t it?  Allen Hall: Governments decide who is allowed to build a turbine after a discussion on Scotland. Uh, but, but [00:23:00] occasionally, a court decides what a turbine legally is. India has just settled that question, and the reasoning should be of interest to anybody who ships machines across a border right after this. As wind energy professionals, staying informed is crucial and let’s face it, difficult. That’s why the Uptime Podcast recommends PES Wind Magazine. PES Wind offers a diverse range of in-depth articles and expert insights that dive into the most pressing issues facing our energy future. Whether you’re an industry veteran or new to wind, PES Wind has the high-quality content you need. Don’t miss out. Visit peswind.com today. A tax fight in India has produced a definition every turbine supplier should read. Is a wind turbine bolted to a concrete foundation movable goods, or is it immovable property? State tax authorities argued immovable, which would have [00:24:00] taxed erection and commissioning contracts at 18% instead of 5%. The Andhra Pradesh, uh, High Court disagreed, and on the 12th of August, the Supreme Court declined to interfere. The reasoning rests on something this whole industry takes for granted. A turbine can be taken down, moved, and put back up. So a turbine is a movable object, and it has less taxation. Bonus. So this is a really interesting discussion that’s happening in India because it’s probably symptomatic of things we’re seeing elsewhere across the world about taxation for wind turbines, right? That, um, if there’s a way to tax a wind turbine, we’re gonna try to do it. This is a unique way, uh, that happens in India where depending on if it’s permanent or movable, the tax rates are different. I, I guess that would apply to a lot of components inside a wind turbine too, Matthew, don’t you? Like the, the generator, the, the big heavy things, [00:25:00] gearbox, generator, blades, rotors, tower sections, would be taxed at a, a lesser rate. Matthew Stead: I agree with the court case that it’s all movable and, uh, you can actually buy turbines on the secondhand market, can’t you? I mean, if I wanted to buy, yeah, whatever, whatever, I could buy one and, and put it up in my backyard if I had a bigger backyard. Um, so yeah, I vote for movable. I vote for lower taxes. Yolanda Padron: The way that it would work a lot of times in the US is, I mean, it’s, you pay, the company itself pays a lot less than they would’ve over time, right? Just by pure, the, the regular kind of tax laws. Um, but the community, there’d be just direct donations to the community, so then they’d get, uh, like money would actually come into the community where the turbines were being built instead of just distributed around the state, which I mean, in a state as big as Texas, it gets, um, but easier for that c- um, that county to get a lot more, uh, funding than they would typically get if it was [00:26:00] through a big enough area. Um, but yeah, no, I agr- I completely agree with you guys that, that this should be a movable good. I mean, how many times have we seen, uh, even just a blade, um, that it looks like it’s, uh, just a, a failed blade that they have to go in and replace, and then they take it out, fix it, and then just bring it back to the same site or take it to another site across the country. And, and to that point, like if you were to h- judge it as something that’s immovable, would then any blade replacement just not be taxed? Because then it’s, you’re moving that one component and two, but it’s essentially the same turbine. Like, I don’t know how that all would make sense.  Allen Hall: I think the Uptime Supreme Court agrees with the Indian Supreme Court that wind turbines are movable, and that’s good. Well, that wraps up another episode of the Uptime Wind Energy podcast. If today’s discussion sparked any questions or ideas, we’d love to hear from you. [00:27:00] Reach out to us on LinkedIn. And if you found value in today’s conversation, please leave us a review. It really helps other wind energy professionals discover the show. And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. For Rosa, Yolanda, and Matthew, I’m Allen Hall. We’ll see you here next week on the Uptime Wind Energy podcast.

As Andy Burnham marks his first two weeks in Downing Street, the polls are registering a bump in support for Labour. This week, Ellen Halliday and Imaan Irfan are joined by Prospect's contributing editor Tom Clark to assess the prime minister's first steps in office.Tom discusses surprising policy pledges, “sugar-rush politics” and how Burnham's thinking has changed, from devolution to drastic social care reforms. What challenges will he face in making his promises a reality?After the Ceuta border crossing, does political rhetoric around immigration signal change or continuity? Is Burnham willing to make enemies over the drilling of oil and gas in the North Sea? And what are the chances of an early election?Plus, Tom compares Burnham with Keir Starmer and reflects on whether his leadership signals a departure from factionalism. Has Burnham finally unified the Labour party—and, if so, can it last?To read more of Tom's analysis, click here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/author/2823/tom-clark Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, we look at the government's response to extreme heat, and fires around the country, as he chairs a meeting of the government's emergency Cobra committee, as temperatures are set to soar again.Firefighters are continuing to tackle a wildfire in the New Forest, Hampshire, which started on Sunday, and in Scotland fire crews are still fighting a wildfire in the Cairngorms that first broke out on 15 July.We look at what the government is doing and the political position it puts Andy Bunham, in with Green Party leader Zack Polanski saying it means there should be no new oil and gas extraction in the North Sea.Scotland editor James Cook is back on, as well as broadcasting legend Kirsty Wark, who we try to convince that solar eclipses aren't boring.You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscordGet in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXdNewscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Miranda Slade with Shiler Mahmoudi. The social producer was Joe Wilkinson. The technical producer was Noah Dunnett. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Calum MacDonald, Geoff Aberdein, and Andy Maciver break down Scotland's latest GERS figures, examining revenue vs. public spending, the Barnett Formula, and Scotland's fiscal deficit. Plus, the Holyrood Sources team discuss the realities of North Sea oil vs. renewables, and whether John Swinney can escape Sturgeon's legacy.Later, George and Andy share their thoughts on former Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar's comments that the House of Lords should be abolished. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Energy is no longer the preserve of the business pages and is central to questions of European Security. Disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has left European gas prices far above where they sat at the start of 2026 and reserves are lower than where they need to be for winter. Jet and diesel markets are tighter than at any point since 2022. And, across the North Sea, unexplained drones and loitering vessels have become a routine feature of offshore operations. In this episode, Andrew Gee, Director, International Security at RUSI, is joined by Amund Vik, senior advisor at Eurasia Group and former head of strategy and policy for the Norwegian Labour Party, and Petras Katinas, a research fellow in climate, energy and defence at RUSI Europe. They discuss the following core questions: How exposed will the United Kingdom and Europe energy markets be this winter and is more North Sea energy production any kind of solution? Who does Europe now depend on for its energy? Is that reliance a partnership or a vulnerability? If energy infrastructure is now a target, what does defending it require? Would a turn to civil nuclear power change the picture?

 After a three-week summer break, Lesley Riddoch and Fraser Thompson return to dissect Scotland's political landscape. From Anas Sarwar's sudden elevation to the House of Lords to Nicola Sturgeon taking public lumps out of John Swinney in the paperback edition of her book and in interviews, the pair unpack the internal friction, leadership manoeuvring, and communication breakdowns across Scottish politics.Meanwhile, as Europe and the Cairngorms burn amidst record heat, the hosts examine the stark realities of climate change, food inflation, and the ongoing tug-of-war over North Sea oil licences. Add in lessons on local democracy from Sweden, Icelandic EU ambitions, and a trip to the Killin Highland Games, and this return episode covers the full political and cultural spectrum.In this episode, we discuss:Anas Sarwar's Peerage & The Scottish Labour Leadership: We unpack Anas Sarwar taking a seat in the House of Lords and stepping into a UK trade role, leaving Scottish Labour in a lurch. Lesley and Fraser critique the party's defensive media spin and analyse the upcoming leadership race—looking at why candidates like Monica Lennon and Michael Marra face structural hurdles while South Lanarkshire Council leader Joe Fagan emerges as the party machinery's favoured pick.Nicola Sturgeon vs. John Swinney: Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon re-emerges at the Edinburgh Book Festival to criticise John Swinney's campaign and vision. Fraser compares her interventions to Margaret Thatcher's post-power backseat driving, while Lesley highlights insider reactions—including Liz Lloyd's sharp observation that while the party respected Nicola, members love John Swinney.Rosebank, European Wildfires & Climate Economics: With wildfires raging from Southern Europe to Nethy Bridge in the Cairngorms, we look at the climate crisis hitting home. We examine First Minister John Swinney's hesitation over North Sea licences like Rosebank and Jackdaw, BP's scale-back in the North Sea, and expert warnings that 40% of recent food inflation is directly linked to climate-driven agricultural disruption.Iceland's EU Referendum & International Borders: We look at Iceland's upcoming referendum on restarting EU accession negotiations, analysing how the bloc courts a nation of 355,000—and what potential fishing opt-outs mean for Scotland's constitutional future. Plus, we look at the pragmatic border deal reached in Gibraltar.Manchester Apathy vs. Swedish Democracy: Following the Greater Manchester mayoral by-election, we discuss winner Bev Craig and the dismal 25% voter turnout. Lesley contrasts Britain's top-down regional mayor model with Sweden's hyper-local democracy, where 290 municipal councils collect basic income tax and command 90% voter turnouts.Coigach Filming & Highland Games Catch-Up: Fraser recounts his time at the Commonwealth Games, while Lesley shares updates on her documentary filming in Coigach and Strathnaver, commemorating the 1852 clearance protests at the newly opened An Lòrg stone circle.Links & Mentioned Events:Bute Highland Games: Saturday, 22nd August in Rothesay. https://butehighlandgames.org/  ★ Support this podcast ★

# Episode 157: Swedish Ghost Rockets – A Deep Dive into Declassified UAP History **Episode Summary** – In this compelling episode of the Rocky Mountain UFO Podcast, we examine recently declassified government files that illuminate decades of military and intelligence encounters with unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP). From the 1946 Swedish Ghost Rocket wave to modern infrared footage of "cold orbs" over the Gulf of Oman, this presentation reveals a consistent pattern of advanced technology that defies conventional explanation. --- ## The 2021 Gulf of Oman Incident: UAPs React to Weapons Fire Among the most striking revelations in recent document releases is footage from September 2021, captured by a U.S. Special Operations Forces AC-130J gunship during a live-fire exercise over the Gulf of Oman . **Key details from the incident:** - Approximately **25 UAP instances** were observed on infrared sensors - Objects described as **"cold orbs"** approximately four feet in diameter - Speeds ranging from **250 to 1,300 miles per hour** - No detected means of propulsion - Objects appeared to **react to the aircraft firing its main cannon**, described as "similar to how dolphins playfully swim in a pod" The objects were first spotted hovering above a water-activated flare dropped as a mock target, suggesting deliberate observation of military activity . --- ## FBI Reconstructions: Massive Triangular Craft The fifth PURSUE tranche of declassified files, released August 7, 2026, includes FBI digital reconstructions of large triangular objects that have repeatedly appeared near military installations . **Notable triangular UAP sightings include:** ### Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan – 2002 At approximately 4:30 AM, a U.S. military pilot observed stars becoming obscured, revealing a massive equilateral triangular object estimated at **over 150 meters in size** – larger than any aircraft ever built . The object: - Flew from west to east at a stable speed of approximately 150 knots (277 km/h) - Emitted **no sound or light** - Maintained constant altitude - Was witnessed by a fellow pilot who asked, "Did you see that?" ### Additional Sightings - **2011 Afghanistan** – Two U.S. servicemen reported a similar triangular craft - **2023 Colorado Springs** – A former Pentagon employee described a "dark, triangular object that felt transparent" Harvard astrophysicist **Avi Loeb** noted that a 150-meter craft would exceed any known aircraft in size, lending credibility to military witnesses with decades of experience . --- ## Historical Context: The 1946 Swedish Ghost Rockets The episode traces the phenomenon back to the summer of 1946, when approximately **1,500–2,000 sightings** were recorded across Scandinavia . **Characteristics of the Ghost Rockets:** - Observed during both day and night - High-speed projectiles with ball or projectile shapes - Incandescent colors: blue, white, red, green, or yellow - Sometimes associated with noise - Observed too far away for detailed examination The Swedish Defense Staff conducted a comprehensive investigation but attributed sightings to astronomical phenomena – a conclusion that U.S. Project Blue Book and Project Grudge officers accepted without further investigation . ### The Soviet Missile Hypothesis At the time, many assumed the objects were Soviet V-2 rockets developed from captured German technology. The Soviets had active missile programs at Mittelwerk, Germany, in 1946, potentially conducting test launches toward the North Sea . However, declassified Swedish files show sightings continued even after press coverage ended, suggesting the phenomenon transcended any single explanation . --- ## Performance Characteristics Defying Known Physics Across multiple declassified documents, a consistent pattern emerges of UAPs exhibiting performance characteristics that **cannot be reconciled with known aerospace engineering** : | Characteristic | Documentation | |----------------|---------------| | 90-degree turns at high speed | Multiple military encounters | | Cold-IR objects emitting no heat | Gulf of Oman 2021 | | Hypersonic travel without sonic signatures | Various reports | | Sustained transmedium flight | Multiple sensor data | | Instantaneous acceleration | Historical and modern cases | These characteristics have been documented across **decades of multi-sensor military encounters**, sworn Congressional testimony, and the unclassified record of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence . --- ## The PURSUE Declassification Program The released documents are part of the **Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE)** , launched by the Department of War on May 8, 2026, following President Trump's February 2026 directive ordering agencies to declassify UAP and UFO records . **What's included:** - 41 files released in the fifth tranche (August 7, 2026) - 513 MB of video footage, 130 MB of documents - Materials from the Pentagon, FBI, CIA, State Department, and Office of the President - Unresolved cases spanning from the 1950s to 2026 **Official statement:** Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stated, "These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation – and it's time the American people see it for themselves" . --- ## Conclusion: A Persistent Reality The cumulative evidence presented in this episode suggests that UAPs represent a **persistent reality rather than explainable errors**. From the 1946 Ghost Rockets to modern military encounters, these declassified sources demonstrate: 1. **Consistent reporting** of advanced performance characteristics across decades 2. **Active documentation** by multiple government agencies 3. **Repeated interactions** with military assets 4. **Unresolved cases** that the government cannot explain As former defense analyst Marik von Rennenkampff observed, "These new records continue to show a great deal of strange and extremely inexplicable activity in the sky" . --- **Listen to the full episode of the Rocky Mountain UFO Podcast for an in-depth analysis of these documents and the implications for our understanding of non-human technology.** *The truth is out there… and it's waiting in the Rockies.*

Is supporting North Sea drilling an extremist position? Does Jeremy Clarkson have the right to ask benefit claimants for a thank you note? And should you grass on naughty neighbours breaking the hosepipe ban?Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Oli Dugmore to discuss some of the biggest questions of the week.

The earth is burning, Britain is parched brown and rain is a distant memory. Yet the Tories are purging the last of their Net Zero advocates, the Greens seem to have lost interest in green policies, and Burnham's Labour are teetering on the edge of reopening oil and gas in the North Sea. Saving the planet is just so expensive! What will it take to get British politicians to take the climate emergency seriously?   Plus, will the real Kemi Badenoch please sit down? The current and quite possibly final leader of the Conservative Party stood by convicted neo-Nazi Joshua Bonehill-Paine as a local council candidate (he withdraws right in the middle of this recording). So how come the commentariat is convinced of the “Keminaissance”?  ESCAPE ROUTES: • Zoë has been reading Slags by Emma Jane Unsworth.  • Seth has been to Bayreuth for the Festival (hurry, it's still on). • Ros got a preview copy of Deep Into The Sixties: Britain 1965–66 by David Kynaston • Rachel has been reading Pagans by James Alistair Henry. Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at ogwn@podmasters.co.uk.  • Find out if you're owed on car finance at refundclub.co.uk/OGWN  • Refund Club is a trading style of Sandsford Law Limited, authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA no. 8008114). Checking is free. A fee is payable only if your claim is successful. Eligibility: car finance taken out in the UK between 2007 and 2021. The average claim is around £829 per agreement; this is an average and not a guarantee of the amount you will receive. You can also claim yourself for free by contacting your lender or the Financial Ombudsman Service. refundclub.co.uk/OGWN   www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Ros Taylor with Zoë Grünewald, Rachel Cunliffe and Seth Thévoz. Audio Production by Chris Jones. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Choice Classic Radio presents Sherlock Holmes, featuring today's episode titled “Death in the North Sea.” Please consider supporting our show by becoming a patron at http://choiceclassicradio.com We hope you enjoy the show!

BP reports earnings amid continued price volatility and the company looks to market its North Sea assets. President Trump says talks with Iran have resumed despite Tehran denying the two sides are negotiating. Oil inches higher following a three-week low and President Trump slams IOCs for windfall profits in the sector and urges retail price cuts. The White House is due to host top A.I. company bosses later today to discuss cyber security as Palantir CEO Alex Karp attacks the leading labs over data protection.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A V236 blade fails during construction at He Dreiht. Plus a 53 GW US wind forecast, Suzlon’s record quarter, and what turbine noise really measures. Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly newsletter on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard’s StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on YouTube, Linkedin and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary’s “Engineering with Rosie” YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us! The Uptime Wind Energy podcast, brought to you by StrikeTape. Protecting thousands of wind turbines from lightning damage worldwide. Visit striketape.com. And now your hosts Allen Hall: Welcome to the “Uptime Wind Energy” podcast. I’m your host, Allen Hall, and I’m here with Matthew Stead, Yolanda Padron, and Rosemary Barnes. And to lead off this week, s- there’s been some trouble in the North Sea. On July 22nd, a blade failed on one of the turbines at EnBW’s 960-megawatt He Dreiht offshore wind farm. Uh, EnBW spokesperson said there were no injuries, thank goodness, and that the authorities were notified immediately, which is generally the case in Europe. They’re very safety conscious, of course. But the machine was a Vestas V236, which is a– that 15-megawatt offshore turbine that Vestas is offering. And He Dreiht is where the platform [00:01:00] has made its debut. So Vestas and EnBW are working together on an investigation, an RCA, a- along, uh, looking at the environmental impact because parts of the blade landed in the water. And the, the images I saw online were like a sheer web that was being pulled in onto a ship, so big pieces of blade. Uh, there’s gonna be 64 of these turbines going into that wind farm, but this is probably a little bit of a weird thing because it does seem like that the wind farm is under construction when the blade broke, which is not the first time this has happened, right? That we’ve seen blade breaks at, uh, Vineyard Wind and at Dogger Bank on the GE side. Is this just a construction issue, Yolanda, you think? Or is it some sort of, uh, vibration that’s happening during construction that’s putting extra stress on the blades?  Yolanda Padron: We were talking about it a little bit offline and how it might be a loading [00:02:00] issue because it’s not, uh, it’s not in the optimal operating, uh, conditions, right? Uh, but this is– It’s– I don’t like that it’s becoming a trend more than an anomaly from what we’ve seen on this podcast. Uh, Matt, I know you work a lot in solutions, right? What, what would you recommend people start doing?  Matthew Stead: Yeah. I think, um, more and more there’s ways of just checking out, you know, pre-construction, um, you know, some of the vibration modes, some of the unusual, um, wind loading when it’s in standstill, you know, different yaw angles and so forth. So there, there’s more and more ways of, um, checking out what the blade is doing when it’s in those unusual, um, sort of pre-con, pre-operation phases. So, um, you know, for instance, um, we do know that there is some sort of sometimes edgewise or flatwise vibration, which, um, you know, maybe is not normal, um, and maybe could be, be [00:03:00] thought about in a bit more detail. Um, certainly I know there are some research organizations which are looking into this and also, you know, things like blade twists. Um, so what is actually happening in terms of the, um, the twisting of the blade along, along its axis.  Allen Hall: I think the last time this happened, I remember going back and looking at patents about how to protect the blades during this construction phase. So you wanna prevent the blade from generating lift from sideways winds pretty much. So the designs that I saw were like putting like a, a netting across the blade to disrupt the airflow so that it wouldn’t generate lift. But I haven’t really seen that implemented. Maybe it is being implemented, but these loads are a little odd, right? I, I, I’m wondering if there’s any IEC certification test that looks into them, uh, just because it’s, it’s happened a couple of times now, more than a handful.  Matthew Stead: We, we saw, um, we saw that picture of some blades on the ground. [00:04:00] You remember they were in storage. Um, there was a, a strong wind that came across them when they were in storage, and there was some, some flutter and, you know, some, some damage it caused, uh, even when they were on the ground. Um, yeah, I think just thinking out loud, you know how on some, you know, wind stacks and, or, you know, turbine stacks and, um, you know, poles, you know, exhaust stacks. Sorry, that’s the word I’m looking for. Exhaust stacks. They have the, the spiral around it. You know, it’s for around vortex shedding. So maybe it’s an opportunity for, for Rosie to jump in here and, uh, and comment. But, um, maybe we can put like vortex, uh, spiral vortex, um, you know, dissipators on the, on the blades before they’re fully commissioned.  Rosemary Barnes: So it’s cer- certainly not a, a matter of the design just being a little bit wrong, right? That would mean that it would last for a, for a while and then And then break. But it, it also, it could be several things. It could [00:05:00] have been a manufacturing defect, a bad one. It could have been transport damage. Tho- those are two other things. It could have been, yeah, you know, like a, a new design feature or material that performed massively differently under real loads than what it did, um, you know, in their computer models and in their coupon tests and in their, um, static tests, fatigue tests that they did. It could be any of those things. Sometimes you do see problems where technically you’re not supposed to leave the rotor locked out for any period of time because it is not designed for the off, off-axis weird loads that you can get when the blade is oriented in a suboptimal way compared to the wind. And there have been instances where it’s like technically, you know, that was in the instruction manual, however, nobody ever followed it, and it’s only under extreme circumstances where that actually is severe enough to break it. There, there can be instances like that [00:06:00] where I would say that it- it’s pretty difficult/impossible to actually design s- for safety during any conceivable series of events during installation. The way that you would do it would be to make sure that the blade can handle any wind load and, you know, up to the maximum gust at any, at any time in any position. But having, you know, done a little bit of work, um, on blade design in my past, it is massive. That is just a massive, massive load that is y- it will never see in its lifetime. You would have such heavy, expensive blades if you actually designed it like that. Um, and so yeah, the That, that would be probably the most charitable reason for a failure where nobody really did their job wrong. It’s just kind of like some bad luck that happens every now and then.  Allen Hall: Well, it does seem like there’s a trend there between Dogger Bank, Vineyard Wind, [00:07:00] some of the things we’ve seen in China. During the construction phase, those turbines are very vulnerable and the, the blades can break. Aren’t there extra precautions that could be put in place? Like, you, you could obviously do weather forecasting, and I know that that’s done, but it does seem like it’s, uh, such a consequential problem to have a blade break on a turbine in the North Sea, near Germany. Like, that, that’s just bad PR. Even if you have all the engineering precautions in the world there, you would still maybe play it a little bit safer so this wouldn’t happen?  Rosemary Barnes: It’s really hard. Like I said, if you want to design it so that a blade won’t break under these, like, really unusual set of operating conditions that happen during construction, not during– Like, during operation it has to be able to handle whatever is thrown at it, like, no doubt. Um, everybody agrees on that, including, you know, certification bodies. But during installation, yeah, if you want your blade to be able to handle anything that [00:08:00] that area can throw at it, even, you know, one in 50, one in 100 year storm that comes up unexpectedly, I personally think I haven’t done the optimization. I wouldn’t be surprised if people had. In fact, I would be surprised if they hadn’t. But I bet that it will cost more to design every blade to withstand that than it would to lose the occasional one, you know, one out of What is it? Like one out of 500 blades or something this happens to, one out of 1,000? I, I, I don’t know, maybe even less, less than that. Um, you know, so it’s, I don’t know how much these blades cost new, but, you know, say a few hundred thousand. Uh, it’s just, it’s gonna be it, it’ll be more cost-effective to lose the odd one every now and then. And like you say, it’s bad PR, but, um, I don’t know. Is it that, like- It- … things, things happen, things break sometimes. Um, yeah, I don’t know. Is the PR that bad? I’m not sure.  Matthew Stead: So [00:09:00] I, I’ve got a question and, um, you know, on LinkedIn, you know, you see whenever there’s a, um, whenever there’s a failure on L- um, e- everyone posts about it.  Rosemary Barnes: Condition monitoring would’ve stopped this. If there had only been condition monitoring that, that turbine, then they wouldn’t have had a blade break during construction. That’s why I’m so hesitant to, to, you know, make any calls now ’cause I don’t wanna sound like one of those  Allen Hall: LinkedIn losers. LinkedIn loser.  Rosemary Barnes: I learned that the last, um, root cause analysis, like, you know, catastrophic blade failure, um, the last one that I, uh, yeah, got approached to work on, I was told y- you know, like half a dozen different companies have approached us after they saw this in the news. So people are ambulance chasing. I’m like, “Oh my goodness, should I, should I be ambulance chasing? Is this a new, a new thing that I should be doing?”  Allen Hall: Let’s take a quick break and when we come back, a fresh forecast says the United States is building more wind than anyone expected As wind energy professionals, staying [00:10:00] informed is crucial, and let’s face it, difficult. That’s why the Uptime podcast recommends PES Wind magazine. PES Wind offers a diverse range of in-depth articles and expert insights that dive into the most pressing issues facing our energy future. Whether you’re an industry veteran or new to wind, PES Wind has the high-quality content you need. Don’t miss out. Visit peswind.com today. Well, here’s a number that runs against the mood of the industry. Wood Mackenzie now expects the United States wind industry to add more than 53 gigawatts of capacity by 2030. That is a 5% increase over the previous quarter’s five-year forecast, and the reason is really straightforward. Shovels are in the ground. Developers pushed to start construction ahead of the July safe harbor deadline, and firm turbine orders reached 1.1 gigawatts, five times the level of a year earlier. So demand is holding up too, [00:11:00] led by a 1.9 gigawatt deal between Google and Xcel Energy. So the One Big Beautiful Bill, or OB3 as I’ve heard it called more recently, is driving wind energy installations up for the time being. This is somewhat of a positive measure. Does it demonstrate in, in sort of uncertain terms that wind is still a choice for a lot of energy developers?  Yolanda Padron: I mean, we’ve still seen a lot of wind developers continue on, right? And just maybe put something further back down the timeline than they initially would for, for a new project. Uh, but I, I don’t know. I kind of equate this to, like, you know when there’s, like, a massive sale or something on a, at a store where it’s like, “Everything must go”? And I feel like everybody was just kind of leaning towards that in the short term, and then there’s probably gonna be a lull, [00:12:00] and then just go back to, things will probably just go back to normal, I think. Matthew Stead: My, my take is that if I had a spare few billion dollars, um, and I was in the energy market I would be building wind solar and battery. And so I would see it continuing  Allen Hall: The existing Department of War review, this is that are not being completed, so it’s holding up a number of projects. That’s gonna eventually hit the courts. I know it’s in the courts right now. I’m– At least that seems to be some of the news about it, and my guess is based on previous history in the courts is that they’re gonna force the Department of War to either finish the analyses and make some sort of proclamation or to allow them all to pass through. Uh, just put a stay on the, in the Department of War. I’m not sure how that works because I’ve never heard of that happening in the past, but w- you know, we’re in new times [00:13:00] obviously. But if they, if the courts were able to tell the Department of War to stand down and let the developers go, that would be very interesting. I think you may see some more activity in wind and that was, you know, off the table just a couple of weeks ago. Is, is that the feeling? I, I know that there’s also some larger discussions. I was listening to this discussion from an MIT analysis about how wind is gonna suffer because solar is so cool and battery is the hot thing. But in reality, good luck, right? I think you have to have all of the above scenario to get your projects done. If you can’t rely on gas turbines, you better be looking for every possible electricity-generating piece of equipment you can get your hands on right now.  Yolanda Padron: Do you guys think it’s gonna be one of those things where the US kind of turns away from its traditional cowboy-like way of approaching wind [00:14:00] turbines? Or at least like blades, you know? Because there’s gonna– there seems to be a lot more I, I don’t know if a lot more restrictions, but a lot more implementation of those restrictions on the operation of wind turbines, um, just like from bird monitoring and just a lot of issues that you might see on a wind site that maybe people didn’t care too much to look at before. Allen Hall: Well, the argument that MIT was making was operating wind turbines is harder than running a solar farm, which generically is true early on. I think that’s probably true. But from what I see from solar farms and hear from operators, solar farms are not easy either. They have their own problems like fire, hail, uh, yeah, bad inverters, electrical problems, animals eating the wires. Like, everything comes with this set of issues that it has to work through. But wind’s been going a little bit longer. I feel [00:15:00] like there’s an infrastructure there that solar is just now developing, and the history from large solar developments like in, in Spain has not been great over time. And Australia’s sort of a little bit of a different case, Rosemary, where most of the solar in Australia is put on top of people’s roofs. But is there a real advantage to solar and battery over wind?  Rosemary Barnes: I think yes. I think it’s, it, like, it’s not The scale is, yeah, there, it, there is maintenance and management to be done on a solar farm, but it’s not like on a wind farm, uh, in my opinion.  Allen Hall: Why? Why do you say that?  Rosemary Barnes: So when I talk with asset managers for solar farms, their number one challenge, at least in Australia, is, is grass, managing the grass. And in fact, there were some solar farms in Victoria that got shut down briefly by the safety regulator because the grass levels were not s- not safe in terms of, you know, being a fire hazard. You know, like basically it’s mowing the grass, and it’s once a year driving some drones around that are doing [00:16:00]thermal imaging and seeing if there’s any faults there, and then replacing them. So there’s stuff to do, but it’s not like as much stuff as there is in a wind farm. I’ve always thought that it’s wrong to have wind and solar competing against each other, and it’ll be, you know, like one renewable generation to rule them all. I think it’s definitely true that solar is cheaper and simpler than wind energy. It had a big disadvantage up until recently because it turns out that the sun sets every single night. I’m not sure if you guys were all aware of that, but, um, yeah, people, people have gotten in touch with me on LinkedIn comments to let me know that that’s true, that the sun sets every night, and sometimes it’s not windy. Are these two… You know, mind absolutely blown from the, um, YouTube commenters.  Matthew Stead: LinkedIn losers. Yeah.  Rosemary Barnes: Not so much LinkedIn losers, like YouTube, YouTube, um, I don’t know, Y- YouTube enthusiasts. But then batteries came along and started getting cheap enough that you can quite easily cover, you know, at least the evening peak with, um, by adding [00:17:00] batteries to a solar farm. So I think that that together has reduced how much wind energy we need by a bit. But what it hasn’t touched is, um, the times when there isn’t solar available. So wind can step in for that, wind can step in for cloudy weeks and, you know, that’s somewhere like Australia, which is, you know, the most favorable place for solar plus batteries. But then when you head to somewhere more northern, somewhere with a more severe winter, less sun, uh, and more, you know, demand for heating, et cetera, then y- you know, you just can’t do without wind. It’s, it’s, it’s doing a different thing than what solar is. So I do think that it’s wrong to think solar or wind. We have to be better than solar. Um, we need to be better for sure. We being wind energy. Wind energy does need to be better, but not because it’s in a competition with solar, but because it’s in a competition with, you know, fossil fuels and y- just being able to [00:18:00] do the transition, energy transition at all. Allen Hall: We’ll be right back after a short break, and when we return, a turbine maker having a very good year, and it may not be one that you would guess Delamination and bondline failures in blades are difficult problems to detect early. These hidden issues can cost you millions in repairs and lost energy production. CIC NDT are specialists to detect these critical flaws before they become expensive burdens. Their nondestructive test technology penetrates deep into blade materials to find voids and cracks traditional inspections completely miss. CIC NDT maps every critical defect, delivers actionable reports, and provides support to get your blades back in service. So visit cicndt.com because catching blade problems early will save you millions. Well, not [00:19:00] every wind turbine maker is having a hard year. Suzlon Energy has posted its highest ever first quarter deliveries, 506 megawatts of wind turbine generators. Revenue for the first quarter of the fiscal year came in at 3– 38.19 billion rupees, or roughly $398 million. That is up 22 and a half percent from a year ago. 506 megawatts delivered in a single first quarter says the machines are not just being ordered, they are going up. So there’s a, a big demand in India. India is trying to get into a lot of solar and wind and some battery storage to improve the electricity grid there. S-Suzlon is gonna be a, a winner in that race. At least there’s just a handful of companies that can really participate because of the way that India has structured the market there. But the Suzlon stock dropped, uh, a couple of percentage points on this news as the net profit was a little tighter than analysts would have [00:20:00] preferred, so there was a lot of profit-taking earlier in the day. But the long-term forecasts have to be very positive for Suzlon, right? It, it’s just been a long-term player in India and elsewhere even, United States being one of those places, um, Australia being another Is it a positive sign that they’re just seeing more orders, more deliveries, that eventually the profit margin will jump up and that Suzlon will be extremely profitable, kinda like Vestas is now? Matthew Stead: Yeah, I mean, they’re a, you know, great, great company. They’ve got great product. Um, they’ve got a great market in India. You know, India is growing. Um, I think they’ll continue to improve. I, I would’ve thought it’d be a great stock.  Allen Hall: It’s, it does seem to be a little bit of a rough ride just because there’s now a lot of competitors within India, Adani being one of them. There’s o- other wind turbine manufacturers in India. Uh, not a lot of European participation. And was it GE Vernova is essentially out. [00:21:00] Is that right, Rosemary? GE Vernova is out of India altogether at the moment.  Matthew Stead: And Siemens Gamesa as well?  Allen Hall: Oh, that would be Omtera. I’m not sure if Omtera is in India at the minute. Yeah.  Matthew Stead: Thanks for the reminder.  Allen Hall: Do you think it’s gonna be a little bit of a rough ride? I think that’s my take on it. And even though the demand will be there and the, the government is making a huge push for it, it, it… Nothing is easy in wind is when you’re trying to scale up because it’s such a huge industry. Everything’s big. Everything’s expensive. You’re trying to expand your capacity. It doesn’t go smooth, and you’re gonna spend more than you would’ve spent because you gotta get new people in, and you need more equipment, you need more tooling. Everything gets more expensive as you’re doing it. I would expect the profits to drop down a little bit as you’re growing. That’s normal.  Matthew Stead: I disagree. I, I think, you know, that they know what they’re doing. They’ve been doing it for a long time. You know, the market is growing, uh, but, you know, they’ve done it before. So I, you know, apart from their little wobble a while ago, um, I, I think it’s, it’s optimistic for [00:22:00] Suzlon.  Allen Hall: The growth of Suzlon and all the Indian wind turbine manufacturers internally allow them to, uh, do much more work outside of India. Do you think that will help their order book, just because they’re successful in India and have that baseline of a marketplace that they can reach out to other parts of the world?  Matthew Stead: Yeah, I think that one’s– That’s gonna be harder , ’cause there’s a whole lot more competition.  Allen Hall: Right. That’s the real question. How are they gonna compete against the Chinese in, in places where they don’t have a foothold yet?  Matthew Stead: Yeah, I mean, that one’s tricky. And, you know, I think, you know, while Suzlon has done well in Australia, they haven’t necessarily maintained their, their lead in Australia. So yeah, outside of India, it’s probably a different story. Allen Hall: Isn’t Europe the next marketplace just because it won’t be banned like China has essentially been with- within Europe, the greater Europe? That Suzlon would be that one place, that one company that would be allowed in to, to make some onshore turbines?  Matthew Stead: I think we spoke about that probably about two months ago, and that was definitely in the news that, you know, Suzlon were looking at expanding into, into [00:23:00] Europe and, uh, exactly making the most of that. Um, yeah. So that, maybe that’s their, their golden, um, export market.  Allen Hall: Well, a project in Queensland just got cut in half, and for two reasons at once. Alinta Energy has dropped the southern portion of its Mount Challenger wind farm in the Whitsunday Hinterlands. Six months of LiDAR monitoring showed that the wind resource at Kelsey Creek was not as strong enough to really to support the turbines, and the company also heard from residents opposed to turbines in that area, and a local action group gathered more than 6,000 signatures. And for developers, it’s, it’s really a case study in wind data and the community arriving at the same result. But we’ve seen a lot of action up in Queensland more recently. Uh, I’m not sure what’s driving all the opposition to wind turbines, but I’ve seen news stories about it in the United States. [00:24:00] It’s great to have Matthew here because he’s an acoustician. Uh, some of the discussion in the community, uh, event that I saw was just discussing 40 decibels of wind turbine noise, and which didn’t sound like a lot. And when I looked it up online, 40 decibels was like a library, which I think is being fairly quiet.  Rosemary Barnes: Yeah. Imagine if something got built near your property that was so noisy it was as bad as being inside a library or having a refrigerator in your home. Easy to see how your life could be ruined.  Allen Hall: Matthew, what’s the, what’s the amount of noise from a, a road going by? Like a truck going by on a road, what is, roughly what is that?  Matthew Stead: I mean, that can quite easily get well above 60, 70, um, sometimes 80. I mean, the analogy, um, that I like to use is that each turbine has the sound emission which is similar to a truck. [00:25:00] You know, a reasonable sized truck. Okay? So each– imagine each turbine is a truck. Um, but those trucks are a kilometer away. So, you know, the noise level decays in a logarithmic way. Um, and so by the time you’re a kilometer away, the noise from that truck is quite low. An individual turbine is gonna be way, way, way, way, way less than 40 But, you know, there’s more than one turbine, so you need to add them up and it’s n- it’s not a, it’s not a, you know, 20 plus 20 equals 40. It’s a logarithmic addition. There are many, many, many people that live on busy roads with not 100 trucks, but thousands of trucks. So, you know, the noise exposure from a road can be way, way, way more than from a, you know, a wind farm.  Rosemary Barnes: That’s one of the things that strikes me when I have a, a look at, um, yeah, like Twitter comments for this particular post and everyone’s like, “Oh my God, that’s so terrible, 40 decibels.” Like, yeah, I can see [00:26:00] why you’re ruining– that’s ruining your life. And yeah, I, um, I, you know, said that sarcastically at the start, but there’s, there’s plenty of, you know, hundreds of people that are, um, you know, thinking along the same lines, but the majority of them are like, “It should be legislated. You know, there should be rules around this. They can just do whatever they want.” But, uh, the, it is legislated, right? Like, we all accept that wind turbines make noise. It is legislated. You can measure it, right? And so if you h- uh, have a property and you think it’s too noisy for the wind turbines two or three kilometers away, there’s something you can do, right, Matt? Can you maybe tell us what is the process that, that happens when somebody thinks that a wind farm is too noisy?  Matthew Stead: So a few things. So, um, normally at a house, um, where you’re, say you’re a kilometer away, normally the ambient environment can be louder than the wind farm. The first challenge is to actually measure the noise from the wind farm and not from the ambient environment. So what that means is that normally, um, measurements are taken around a wind [00:27:00] farm before the wind farm’s even built, and so that way we actually know, well, how much is the ambient noise. Um, and you know, the ambient noise is probably above 40 for a good proportion of the time. So th- that’s the first thing. You need to understand what the noise environment is like before the wind farm. And then, um, using highly sensitive, highly calibrated, um, sound level meters, which can be, you know, 0.1 decibel accuracy, um, you can then monitor the sound before and after And then compare the two. But what happens is, um, as I said, it’s normally very difficult to separate out the sound from the wind turbine from the general environment. So then what, um, there are different methods then to, um, either measure in like, um, halfway. So if you measure halfway between the wind turbine and the house, then you can start to separate out the wind turbine noise from the general environment and then do a, you know, propagation or a [00:28:00] prediction or extrapolation of what it’d be at the house. Um, the other way of doing it is actually measuring at the turbines. So you can measure the individual turbine sound and compare that to what was expected, um, and then sort of validate, um, the initial, you know, source levels. You know, is it really a truck or is it, um, quieter or, or louder than a truck?  Rosemary Barnes: And if they do, it, it– I mean, I’m sure on occasion that people do get it wrong in terms of the noise. They are able to do stuff about that. That’s partly what the, um, serrations on a blade are, are there to make a, um, a blade quieter. And you can also just do something as simple as turning down the turbine when, um, wind conditions are such that you know that it’s gonna be particularly noisy. No one wants to do that because you get less power output, but certainly you can do something about it if it turns out to violate the conditions of the, um, y- you know, the noise that they promised it when the turbine was, when the wind farm was developed. Matthew Stead: Yeah. And, um, you know, in the past, it’s [00:29:00]improved a lot, but in the past there were some unusual sounds that came from some turbines, which came from like the gearboxes and, you know, you know, the drivetrain and so forth. Um, but, you know, those things are– they’re, they’re mechanical machines as we spoke about, you know, and they can be addressed, and they can be dealt with through, through design and good engineering, and also, also fixed, you know, retrospectively as well. And like you say, Rosie, um, if there’s too– if there’s more aerodynamic noise than expected, um, there are serrations and, and lower noise add-ons that can be added. Um, but also many of the turbines also have noise modes, uh, so it can be slightly derated y- with, with certain sectors of wind, um, wind direction and wind speeds to, you know, reduce the noise further. It is an absolute science. It’s really well understood. It’s, it’s measurable. I mean, there is some uncertainty in the measurements, but it’s, it’s, yeah, there is a lot of knowledge about this topic.  Allen Hall: Well, I just had a math question. If they want to reduce the decibels by like three [00:30:00] dB, what kind of power reduction are we talking about? Is it like a 5% decrease or 50% decrease in power output to achieve that three dB reduction in noise  Matthew Stead: Yeah. Uh, I don’t have the maths in front of me, but it would depend on the power curve and the actual make model, but I, I… It’s not, it’s not half the power. It’s, it’s, it’s, it’s, um, less tweaks to the power output than, than that much. Allen Hall: So i- it’s not a massive number. It’s, it’s a reduction of course, but it’s not, you’re not losing a, a ton of revenue.  Matthew Stead: No, no. I mean, obviously it depends, but yeah, it’s not necessarily a ton of revenue loss.  Rosemary Barnes: But I think it’s a real shame, ’cause like when I look at, you know, social media posts where, um, people are up- upset about noise, like they are clearly not aware that there is a very mundane process to go through. Like, you know, it is not… You don’t, you don’t have to get so worked up. If you’ve got noise at your house and, um, you know, it’s upsetting you, [00:31:00]there is a very established process that you can go through and it can be, it can be fixed. And I know from, you know, the asset managers that I, I work with, um, that are some of my friends, like I, I know that they want to help you. They do not want people living around the wind farm to hate the wind farm. So y- you need to get in touch and let them know, and, and I… They’re gonna be able to fix your problem. If it’s, if it’s detectable y- you know, with the methods that Matt said, then they are gonna be able to, um, fix it. I know that sometimes people say that they can hear noise, and you just cannot find any evidence of it, and therefore you cannot, there is nothing you can do to that wind farm operation to be able to solve that problem. So I’m not saying in every case if you think you’ve got a problem they’re gonna be able to solve it, but if they can pick it up with a, what is it called? A noise meter? A decibel meter? Yeah, whatever that doodad’s called. If they can pick it up on that, then they can, they can fix the problem for you. And yeah, it’s just, uh, it, it upsets me that, you know, people are really, are really getting worked up [00:32:00] about this issue, but there’s a, a process to go through. Matt’s holding it now for everyone just listening in. It’s like the size of, I don’t know, a liter of milk. It’s just not it’s not, not a complicated thing.  Matthew Stead: I think one of the big challenges that we’ve had is that there’s been a lot of negativity around noise, and then people get sensitized. And so, um, the, you know, what I’ve, um, what I, what I’ve heard many times is, um, the sensitivity to noise can be communicated Um, so, you know, like Rosie, if I tell you you’re gonna be really annoyed by this thing, this thing is coming, you’re not gonna like it, you’re gonna hate it, and then you’re sensitized to it, and then you’ll tend to have more of a, you know, a, a response  Rosemary Barnes: If we’d gone on a nationwide campaign to, you know, visit every house that’s within 600 meters of a y- you know, of a road and, um, you know, given impassioned speeches to them about [00:33:00] how it would ruin their life, then yeah, it is easy to see how we would be so fixated on it that our lives would really be ruined. Allen Hall: Meanwhile, the Australian band AC/DC came to Charlotte the other day to a sold-out concert at the huge football stadium, and I guarantee you that concert was way above the noise level of a wind farm.  Rosemary Barnes: I hope so. Imagine if imagine if a, a bunch of whingers in the audience are like, “Excuse me, I’ve got my little noise measuring doodad and it’s over 40 decibels.” Allen Hall: Well, that wraps up another episode of the Uptime Wind Energy podcast, and thank God for that. If today’s discussion sparked any questions or ideas, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us on LinkedIn, and if you found some value in today’s conversation, please leave us a review. It really helps other wind energy professionals discover the show. And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. And so for Rosie, Yolanda, and Matthew, I’m Allen Hall, and we’ll see you here next week on the Uptime Wind Energy [00:34:00] podcast.

Global shipping moves roughly 80 to 90% of the world's trade, and it comes with a real climate cost: the industry is responsible for a little over 2% of global CO2 emissions. On today's episode of the How to Protect the Ocean Podcast, Andrew looks at one of the more surprising fixes the industry is turning to: sails. Not the old canvas kind, but massive rigid wing sails retrofitted onto modern cargo vessels to cut fuel use and emissions without waiting on next-generation fuels. The centerpiece example is the Pyxis Ocean, a bulk carrier fitted with two 37.5-meter WindWings that fold down like giant airplane wings when they're not catching wind. It's part of a wider trend: more than 100 large cargo ships now sail with some form of wind propulsion installed, and the fuel savings range from about 1% to as much as 47%, depending on the number of sails and wind conditions. Andrew breaks down why shipping companies are leaning into this old-school technology now, from tightening emissions regulations to the simple fact that wind is free once the hardware is on deck. The bigger obstacle isn't the technology, it's the business model. Andrew digs into the split incentive problem in shipping: the owners who pay to install wind systems often aren't the ones paying for fuel, and the charterers who control fuel costs aren't the ones footing the bill for new equipment. That mismatch, more than any engineering hurdle, is what's slowing wind propulsion from scaling across the global fleet. Takeaways: Global shipping carries 80 to 90% of world trade and produces roughly 2% of global CO2 emissions The Pyxis Ocean was retrofitted with two 37.5-meter WindWing sails and helped kick off the current wave of wind-assisted shipping More than 100 large cargo ships now have wind propulsion installed, saving an estimated 100,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent a year combined Wind can cut fuel use anywhere from 1% to 47%, and purpose-built wind-assisted ships could average a 50% reduction The biggest barrier to scaling wind propulsion is commercial, not technical: owners and charterers have mismatched incentives The IMO has set decarbonization targets for shipping, and EU-funded projects are running sea trials in the North Sea to prove the technology out Support Independent Podcasts: https://www.speakupforblue.com/patreon Need help with your ocean non-profit, company, or project? Get the help you need with Pisces Oceans Inc.: https://www.piscesoceans.ca Connect with Speak Up For Blue Website: https://bit.ly/3fOF3Wf Instagram: https://bit.ly/3rIaJSG TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@speakupforblue Twitter: https://bit.ly/3rHZxpc YouTube: www.speakupforblue.com/youtube  

Time Arist Title Duration Album Year Composer Label Listeners 0:00:00 Fates Warning Left Here 6:57 FWX 2004 Jim Matheos 0 0:06:58 1151 1:10 33 0:08:08 Fates Warning Left Here 6:57 FWX 2004 Jim Matheos 29 0:10:42 O.S.I. Shutdown 10:19 Office of Strategic Influence 2003 Jim Matheos 30 0:21:01 O.S.I. Head 5:16 Office of Strategic Influence […]

Time Arist Title Duration Album Year Composer Label Listeners 0:00:00 Fates Warning Left Here 6:57 FWX 2004 Jim Matheos 0 0:06:58 1151 1:10 33 0:08:08 Fates Warning Left Here 6:57 FWX 2004 Jim Matheos 29 0:10:42 O.S.I. Shutdown 10:19 Office of Strategic Influence 2003 Jim Matheos 30 0:21:01 O.S.I. Head 5:16 Office of Strategic Influence 2003 Jim Matheos 33 0:28:43 North Sea Echoes A Time of Innocence and Purpose 4:13 How to Cast a Shadow 2026 34 0:32:57 North Sea Echoes Enjoy the View 3:53 How to Cast a Shadow 2026 33 0:36:50 Vanden Plas Fireroses Dance 5:55 Christ 0 2006 36 0:42:45 Unitopia The Great Reward 5:41 Artificial 2010 Inside Out Music; Inside Out Music 36 0:48:26 Fates Warning Left Here 6:57 FWX 2004 Jim Matheos 36 0:53:20 North Sea Echoes Good Enough 3:21 How to Cast a Shadow 2026 35 0:56:41 OSTURA Duality 12:02 The Room 33 1:08:43 Arjen Anthony Lucassen Starchild 8:55 Space Metal [Limited Edition] Disc 1 2002 Arjen Anthony Lucassen 40 1:22:08 Magenta The Lizard King 11:49 The Twenty Seven Club 2013 41 1:34:02 Ghost Of The Machine Panopticon 11:38 Empires Must Fall 2025 36 1:48:26 Mars Hollow Midnight 5:00 Mars Hollow 2010 Mars Hollow 10T Records 37 1:53:25 North Sea Echoes All That Comes After 3:39 How to Cast a Shadow 2026 37 1:59:36 Shadow Gallery Act II: New World Order 8:07 Tyranny 1998 Carl Cadden-James Magna Carta 39 2:07:44 Oddleaf Ethereal Melodies 7:21 Where Ideal and Denial Collide 2024 41 2:15:05 North Sea Echoes How to Cast a Shadow 6:26 How to Cast a Shadow 2026 38 2:21:42 North Sea Echoes Revenge 3:52 How to Cast a Shadow 2026 40 2:25:34 Stuckfish 1. The Bridge 5:37 The Watcher (Progressive Rock, feat. guest Thijs Van Leer from Focus) 2019 39 2:31:11 North Sea Echoes What Is and What Was 2:45 How to Cast a Shadow 2026 43 2:33:55 North Sea Echoes How to Cast a Shadow 6:26 How to Cast a Shadow 2026 39 2:36:11 Magic Pie Full Circle Poetry 14:04 Motions of Desire 2005 Kim Stenberg Prog Rock Records 37 2:53:25 North Sea Echoes How to Cast a Shadow 6:26 How to Cast a Shadow 2026 40

Time Arist Title Duration Album Year Composer Label Listeners 0:00:00 Fates Warning Left Here 6:57 FWX 2004 Jim Matheos 0 0:06:58 1151 1:10 33 0:08:08 Fates Warning Left Here 6:57 FWX 2004 Jim Matheos 29 0:10:42 O.S.I. Shutdown 10:19 Office of Strategic Influence 2003 Jim Matheos 30 0:21:01 O.S.I. Head 5:16 Office of Strategic Influence 2003 Jim Matheos 33 0:28:43 North Sea Echoes A Time of Innocence and Purpose 4:13 How to Cast a Shadow 2026 34 0:32:57 North Sea Echoes Enjoy the View 3:53 How to Cast a Shadow 2026 33 0:36:50 Vanden Plas Fireroses Dance 5:55 Christ 0 2006 36 0:42:45 Unitopia The Great Reward 5:41 Artificial 2010 Inside Out Music; Inside Out Music 36 0:48:26 Fates Warning Left Here 6:57 FWX 2004 Jim Matheos 36 0:53:20 North Sea Echoes Good Enough 3:21 How to Cast a Shadow 2026 35 0:56:41 OSTURA Duality 12:02 The Room 33 1:08:43 Arjen Anthony Lucassen Starchild 8:55 Space Metal [Limited Edition] Disc 1 2002 Arjen Anthony Lucassen 40 1:22:08 Magenta The Lizard King 11:49 The Twenty Seven Club 2013 41 1:34:02 Ghost Of The Machine Panopticon 11:38 Empires Must Fall 2025 36 1:48:26 Mars Hollow Midnight 5:00 Mars Hollow 2010 Mars Hollow 10T Records 37 1:53:25 North Sea Echoes All That Comes After 3:39 How to Cast a Shadow 2026 37 1:59:36 Shadow Gallery Act II: New World Order 8:07 Tyranny 1998 Carl Cadden-James Magna Carta 39 2:07:44 Oddleaf Ethereal Melodies 7:21 Where Ideal and Denial Collide 2024 41 2:15:05 North Sea Echoes How to Cast a Shadow 6:26 How to Cast a Shadow 2026 38 2:21:42 North Sea Echoes Revenge 3:52 How to Cast a Shadow 2026 40 2:25:34 Stuckfish 1. The Bridge 5:37 The Watcher (Progressive Rock, feat. guest Thijs Van Leer from Focus) 2019 39 2:31:11 North Sea Echoes What Is and What Was 2:45 How to Cast a Shadow 2026 43 2:33:55 North Sea Echoes How to Cast a Shadow 6:26 How to Cast a Shadow 2026 39 2:36:11 Magic Pie Full Circle Poetry 14:04 Motions of Desire 2005 Kim Stenberg Prog Rock Records 37 2:53:25 North Sea Echoes How to Cast a Shadow 6:26 How to Cast a Shadow 2026 40

P.M. Edition for July 31. ExxonMobil and Chevron had a blockbuster quarter after the Iran war disrupted energy markets. Journal reporter Collin Eaton discusses the historic refining margins they're enjoying. Plus, America's lettuce growers are facing a steep decline in sales because of the cyclospora outbreak. As WSJ's Amira McKee explains, that's forcing some to make some tough choices about what to do with their current crops. And Apple saw a record decline in market cap after the iPhone maker's disappointing outlook. Alex Ossola hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Meta and Microsoft reported quarterly earnings as investors raised concerns about AI spending, and the US Federal Reserve held interest rates steady. The Bank of Japan is also expected to leave rates unchanged at its meeting on Friday, and UK oil and gas companies are looking away from the North Sea in favour of foreign investment opportunities.Mentioned in this podcast:Microsoft's cloud business boosts sales as AI investment climbs to $41bnMeta shares drop on falling profits and weak sales forecastUS central bank holds rates steady even as Iran war threatens fresh jolt of inflationUK North Sea oil companies look overseas for growthInvestors warn Bank of Japan faces test to inflation-fighting credibilityListen to Unhedged on Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts or Spotify.Credit: Federal ReserveSave 10% on tickets with the code FTPodcast. Visit ft.com/festival to find out more.Want to get in touch? Email us at podcasts@ft.comNote: The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts The FT News Briefing is produced by Victoria Craig, Sonja Hutson, Saffeya Ahmed, Katya Kumkova, and Fiona Symon. Our editor is Marc Filippino. Our show is mixed by Sam Giovinco and Alex Higgins. Additional help from Gavin Kallmann, Michael Lello, Peter Barber and David da Silva. Our intern is Cole van Miltenburg. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Flo Phillips is the FT's global head of audio. The show's theme music is by Metaphor Music. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeremy Kyle reacts as French police admitted orders of limited intervention as hundreds crossed the Channel, intensifying scrutiny of Andy Burnham's migration strategy. Meanwhile, record mega-dinghies carrying up to 165 people highlighted traffickers' profits, evolving tactics and mounting risks to life. Donald Trump warned Burnham migration was “killing” Britain, while urging expanded North Sea drilling and condemning wind power.Wake up with Talk Breakfast in full on YouTube, DAB+ radio, Samsung TV Plus or the Talk App on your TV from 6am every morning. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joseph Sternberg criticizes Prime Minister Andy Burnham's economic policy as ineffective against the cost-of-living crisis. Sternberg argues that the UK is trapped by net-zero regulations that prevent the use of vast North Sea oil and gas reserves. Burnham finds it politically difficult to cut taxes or reverse climate policies despite potential economic benefits. This paralysis makes his government a target for future replacement. (13)1521

SCHEDULE THE MAKING OF THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 7-28-26.1900 IDAHOLiz Peek reports the US economy remains robust, driven by strong consumer spending in rural areas like Connecticutand Lancaster County. Peek highlights rising small business and consumer confidence despite increasing gasoline prices. Attention shifts to new Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh, who may end "dot plot" forecasting. Warsh aims to be more "taciturn," forcing markets to rely on incoming data rather than Fed projections. (1)Liz Peek examines the Michigan Democratic Senate primary as a national test for the party's ideological direction. Moderate Haley Stevens faces Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a candidate favored by the Democratic Socialists of America. Peek notes the "shocker" UAW endorsement of El-Sayed, highlighting a shift toward "woke" politics among union members in higher education. This race evaluates if a far-left candidate can win a statewide swing-state contest. (2)Thaddeus McCotter and Judy Dempsey discuss Ukraine's strike on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea, which complicates global energy security for Europe. This inland sea is a vital source of non-Russian energy. Dempsey reports that Germany is carefully observing the implications of this new front. The strike underscores the deep military connection between Russia and Iran regarding equipment exchanges. Meanwhile, recent polls show seven out of ten Americans oppose the Iran war. (3)Thaddeus McCotter and Judy Dempsey turn to a deadly ramming attack at a Berlin parade that has put Chancellor Friedrich Merz on the defensive regarding his security credentials. The populist AfD party is exploiting the tragedy to criticize "uncontrolled immigration" ahead of crucial state elections. While Merz responded with calls for law and order, the incident underscores the difficulty police face in monitoring numerous terrorist suspects. The AfD utilizes these crises to offer simple solutions. (4)Mary Kissel notes diplomatic efforts with Iran currently involve "shuttling messages" through intermediaries like Omanand Qatar. Kissel argues that the Islamic Republic is a revolutionary regime with no interest in genuine strategic peace. The administration's lack of a cohesive strategy has led to declining public support for military action. Meanwhile, the Houthi threat in the Red Sea remains a dangerous Iranian-backed tool for disrupting international shipping. (5)Mary Kissel observes President Zelenskyy is receiving a warmer reception in Washington due to Ukraine's increasing military leverage. Innovative long-range drone strikes on Russian energy nodes have demonstrated Ukraine's utility to USstrategic interests. Unlike the situation with Iran, the US maintains active diplomatic channels in Moscow to discuss potential conflict resolutions. Kissel notes that influential voices on the right are beginning to shift their views on Ukraine. (6)Jonathan Schanzer reports the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East are merging as Russia, Iran, and Chinacoordinate their efforts. Schanzer notes that Ukraine's Caspian Sea strike has clarified this global partnership. The US is currently attempting to "keep a lid" on Israel to prevent a regional escalation. However, the US military faces a depletion of missile interceptors, making it difficult to sustain a long, high-intensity conflict. (7)Jonathan Schanzer discusses new UK–US talks focused on a maritime coalition to secure the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has an opportunity to reset the relationship with Donald Trump. The Iranian-backed Houthi threat remains a top concern for global oil analysts and regional powers like Egypt. Meanwhile, the US is signaling that Lebanon is "too big to fail" to counter Hezbollah's regional influence. (8)Gregory Copley reports the Trump administration has imposed tariffs on Australia, alleging "forced labor" practices—a claim Copley describes as spurious. This move antagonizes a loyal ally that has fought alongside the US for over a century. Consequently, Australia and Canada are beginning to lessen their strategic dependence on the US. Copley warns that such unilateral protectionism could weaken the long-term structure of the Western alliance. (9)Gregory Copley describes Cuba's total implosion as its infrastructure collapses and major blackouts occur. Copley describes a strategic failure in the Caribbean, where China has built significant influence over the last 20 years. The USmust decide whether to facilitate a rapid collapse or a managed transition of the regime. While the Cuban people suffer, the wealthy expatriate community remains ready to fund reconstruction. (10)Gregory Copley reports Xi Jinping faces significant internal opposition from Communist Party elders at the Beidaiheretreat. Despite his titles, Xi's operational power is waning as the Chinese economy evaporates and social unrest grows. A recent ballistic missile launch served as a show of strength before a state visit to the US. Copley notes that youth unemployment is high, and the PLA may eventually act independently. (11)Gregory Copley turns to the UK, where following the rise of Prime Minister Andy Burnham, the country faces political uncertainty as Labour struggles with a lack of growth. Copley highlights King Charles III's vital role as a unifying force, focusing on British national identity and values. While the Burnham government is viewed as sclerotic and ideological, the King remains an egalitarian figure. His efforts to preserve heritage, like Dumfries House, bolster his standing. (12)Joseph Sternberg criticizes Prime Minister Andy Burnham's economic policy as ineffective against the cost-of-living crisis. Sternberg argues that the UK is trapped by net-zero regulations that prevent the use of vast North Sea oil and gas reserves. Burnham finds it politically difficult to cut taxes or reverse climate policies despite potential economic benefits. This paralysis makes his government a target for future replacement. (13)Joseph Sternberg notes Chairman Kevin Warsh is moving the Federal Reserve toward a "taciturn" style, ending the practice of "forward guidance." This reform aims to prevent the Fed from becoming locked into policies that may become inappropriate as data shifts. Sternberg suggests that saying less may protect the Fed from political conflict with the White House over tariffs. Markets must now interpret raw data rather than Fed signals. (14)Thaddeus McCotter describes the Michigan Democratic Senate primary as a "civil war" between establishment candidate Haley Stevens and progressive Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. The candidates are sharply divided over AIPAC funding and support for Israel. Stevens is endorsed by high-profile figures like Gretchen Whitmer and Barack Obama. The result will indicate if the Democratic Socialists of America can succeed in a statewide race in a swing state. (15)Thaddeus McCotter notes Dr. Abdul El-Sayed denies being a socialist, claiming he merely wants to regulate "capitalism run amok." However, his platform includes radical proposals such as abolishing ICE. Haley Stevens frames him as a "celebrity candidate" and questions his appeal to women voters. McCotter notes that while the DSA lacks a ground model, identity politics may drive a high turnout among Michigan's large Muslim population. (16)Corrections applied throughout as directed: Thaddeus McCotter and Liz Peek.

In this episode, we're locking in, talking about our favourite miracles, the devil and his body, climate denial, the North Sea, and fascists.Order our bookhttps://themagnificast.wordpress.com/pre-order-now-enough-is-enough-degrowth-capitalism-and-liberation-theology/Get our Winstanley Zinehttps://themagnificast.wordpress.com/zines/Join our patreonhttp://patreon.com/themagnificastMusic by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon

The team discuss how Andy Burnham's social media is annoying the ‘lobby'; the mad debate over North Sea drilling continues; and how to make the new PM funny. 

Symbiosis ep. 835 Roger Ley  was born and educated mainly in London, but spent some of his formative years in Saudi Arabia. He worked as an engineer in the oilfields of North Africa and in the North Sea before starting a career in higher education teaching computer-aided engineering. His stories have been published on a multiplicity of websites and broadcast on BBC Radio. He lives in Suffolk (UK). Visit his website at rogerley.co.uk More TTTV Stories by Roger Ley: https://talltaletv.com/tag/roger-ley/ His Amazon author page is at https://www.amazon.com/stores/Roger-Ley/author/B01KOVZFHM   ---- Listen Elsewhere ---- YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/TallTaleTV Website: http://www.TallTaleTV.com   ---- Story Submission ---- Got a short story you'd like to submit? Submission guidelines can be found at http://www.TallTaleTV.com   ---- About Tall Tale TV ---- Hi there! My name is Chris Herron and I'm an audiobook narrator. In 2015, I suffered from poor Type 1 diabetes control which lead me to become legally blind for almost a year. The doctors didn't give me much hope, predicting an 80% chance that I would never see again. But I refused to give up and changed my lifestyle drastically. Through sheer willpower (and an amazing eye surgeon) I beat the odds and regained my vision. During that difficult time, I couldn't read or write, which was devastating as they had always been a source of comfort for me since childhood. However, my wife took me to the local library where she read out the titles of audiobooks to me. I selected some of my favorite books, such as the Disc World series, Name of the Wind, Harry Potter, and more, and the audiobooks brought these stories to life in a way I had never experienced before. They helped me through the darkest period of my life and I fell in love with audiobooks. Once I regained my vision, I decided to pursue a career as an audiobook narrator instead of a writer. That's why I created Tall Tale TV, to support aspiring authors in the writing communities that I had grown to love before my ordeal. My goal was to help them promote their work by providing a promotional audio short story that showcases their writing skills to readers. They say the strongest form of advertising is word of mouth, so I offer a platform for readers to share these videos and help spread the word about these talented writers. Please consider sharing these stories with your friends and family to support these amazing authors. Thank you!   ---- legal ---- All stories on Tall Tale TV have been submitted in accordance with the terms of service provided on http://www.talltaletv.com or obtained with permission by the author. All images used on Tall Tale TV are either original or Royalty and Attribution free. Most stock images used are provided by http://www.pixabay.com , https://www.canstockphoto.com/ or created using AI. Image attribution will be declared only when required by the copyright owner. Common Affiliates are: Amazon, Smashwords  

SCHEDULE FOR THE JBS, 7-23-20261950 ONTARIO WILDFIREEvan Ellis examines Mexico's economy, increasingly integrated into the American market and moving beyond oil into diverse manufacturing sectors. Despite Trump administration objections to the USMCA, the treaty includes provisions requiring a ten-year exit process. Current negotiations reflect tensions over Chinese inputs, automotive tariffs, and labor standards. President Claudia Sheinbaum manages these diplomatic challenges while cooperating with the US on extradition, drug lab seizures, and stemming illegal immigration through Mexican territory. (1)Evan Ellis reports Cuba faces a severe humanitarian crisis with failing electricity, yet the communist regime maintains tight control. A recent State Department report labels Cuba the "capital of 21st-century communism," citing its subversion of Latin American democracies and involvement in left-wing political terrorism. Meanwhile, in Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo have officially abolished future elections, claiming the opposition seeks to "capture power" through voting. This moves the country toward becoming a "hermit kingdom." (2)Evan Ellis notes former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández returned to Honduras following a pardon by President Trump, despite previous US convictions for cocaine trafficking. In Venezuela, the US has collected over $13 billion in oil revenue, yet economic recovery remains muted following recent earthquakes. The lack of transparency regarding these funds raises concerns about their management under the Rodríguez regime. Simultaneously, Colombia's new leader faces the challenge of dismantling entrenched cocaine cartels. (3)Evan Ellis surveys Brazil's high-stakes election, with Lula da Silva currently leading Flavio Bolsonaro in polling. New 25% US tariffs threaten nearly 26% of Brazil's exports, totaling $15 billion in goods. Tensions rise as the Supreme Courtblocks high-profile visitors like Argentina's Javier Milei from meeting the elder Bolsonaro. Many Brazilians believe the elder Bolsonaro's influence triggered these punitive trade measures, while the military remains the largest force in South America. (4)Kaitlyn Tiffany recounts how, following JFK's assassination, Lyndon Johnson convened the Warren Commission to consolidate intelligence from the FBI, CIA, and Dallas police. The commission included controversial figures like Allen Dulles and Gerald Ford, the latter of whom clandestinely back-channeled with the FBI. Chief Justice Earl Warren was reluctant to serve, fearing the political nature of the committee and its impact on the American image. Critically, the commission lacked its own independent investigative staff. (5)Kaitlyn Tiffany describes how FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover quickly established the "lone gunman" theory, asserting Lee Harvey Oswald fired three shots from the Texas School Book Depository. However, Shirley Martin, a grieving Oklahoma housewife, began independently investigating the case and badgering the FBI with tips. Her relentless correspondence frustrated Hoover, who viewed her as a nuisance to the bureau's formal investigation. Martin interviewed overlooked witnesses in Dallas and became a key critic of the official narrative. (6)Kaitlyn Tiffany profiles Sylvia Meagher, a World Health Organization secretary who became obsessed with the disorganization of the Warren Commission's evidence. Drawing on professional experience, she created a comprehensive index for the commission's twenty-six volumes of supplementary materials. Meagher was particularly suspicious of Dallas security lapses, having witnessed heads of state protected at the UN. She joined other women, including wealthy soprano Maggie Field, in scrutinizing photographic evidence and government claims. (7)Kaitlyn Tiffany describes the 1965 gathering of independent researchers known as "warologists" at Sylvia Meagher's apartment to discuss missing pieces of the JFK investigation. While they allied with lawyer Mark Lane, they grew frustrated with his territorial and inaccurate behavior. The group was also wary of Marguerite Oswald, who insisted on her son's innocence but was demanding and unpredictable. They focused on inconsistencies in eyewitness testimony and the implausible "magic bullet" theory. (8)Kaitlyn Tiffany notes that by 1966, the media labeled these researchers as "housewives" to dismiss their work, describing them as a "keening pack of speculators." Central to their dissent was the "magic bullet" theory, which claimed a single pristine projectile caused multiple wounds in both JFK and Governor Connally. Dissenters highlighted the bullet's lack of deformation and the FBI's initial reports of a non-exiting back wound. They also investigated the Grassy Knoll for additional shooters. (9)Kaitlyn Tiffany recounts District Attorney Jim Garrison's 1967 high-profile investigation into a New Orleans-based conspiracy to kill the president. He targeted Clay Shaw, alleging a mysterious, powerful figure orchestrated the plot. While some researchers supported Garrison for his willingness to investigate, others like Sylvia Meagher felt he was reckless with facts and self-serving. The investigation ultimately failed with a not-guilty verdict, causing a permanent rift within the community of critics. (10)Kaitlyn Tiffany relates how personal tragedy struck Shirley Martin when her daughter died in a car accident, effectively ending her research. In 1977, the House Select Committee on Assassinations reopened the case, initially concluding a fourth shot from the Grassy Knoll indicated a "probable conspiracy." This finding was based on a police motorcycle radio recording analyzed by scientists. However, later analysis revealed the recording was made after the shooting, causing the conspiracy evidence to crumble. (11)Kaitlyn Tiffany tours modern-day Dallas, a strange mix of somber memorials and pop-culture commercialization of the assassination. Visitors can tour Ruth Paine's house or the rooming house where Oswald lived, which plays As the World Turns on a loop. While some local businesses sell "magic bullet coffee," the Sixth Floor Museum provides a staged look at the sniper's perch. Extensive archives of the critics' work are preserved at Hood College and the Mary Ferrell Foundation. (12)Anatol Lieven warns the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are converging into a global energy crisis, with refined oil products like diesel in short supply. Ukrainian drone attacks have severely damaged Russia's refining capacity, while US refineries struggle to keep pace. Leadership instability in Kyiv, including the dismissal of the defense minister, further complicates the war effort. Meanwhile, Houthi threats against Saudi tankers jeopardize the world's ability to secure reliable oil exports. (13)Anatol Lieven assesses new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who faces a country demanding increased spending on health, prisons, and defense despite rising debt costs. While popular for his management of Manchester's transport system, he must navigate radical tax proposals targeting millionaires to raise revenue. Burnham is under pressure to resolve the "net zero" debate and potentially expand North Sea fracking to lower energy prices. He remains wary of reopening the divisive Brexit debate. (14)Anatoly Zak recounts the July 1976 Soviet launch of the Salyut 5 mission, a secret military reconnaissance project camouflaged as civilian research. The mission, dubbed the "Keystone Cosmonauts," was plagued by accidents, including a truck blocking a fuel train and a failed automated docking system. Onboard, the crew faced extreme stress, power failures, and a mysterious illness that incapacitated one cosmonaut. These failures forced an emergency landing and a premature end to the expedition. (15)Anatoly Zak reports Roscosmos is currently developing the Russian Orbital Station (ROS) to replace its segment of the International Space Station after retirement. This modular station is intended to test hardware for future lunar exploration, including a habitat module similar to the American Gateway project. Russia still hopes for potential international cooperation with NASA and the ESA in lunar orbit. The ROS will typically host two to three cosmonauts for long-term deep space validation missions. (16)Corrections applied, pending your confirmation for the log: Kaitlyn Tiffany (transcribed as "Caitlin" — the Atlanticwriter), Anatoly Zak (transcribed as "Anatoli" — his own byline spelling at RussianSpaceWeb), and Allen Dulles in segment 5 (transcribed as "Alan").

Anatol Lieven assesses new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who faces a country demanding increased spending on health, prisons, and defense despite rising debt costs. While popular for his management of Manchester's transport system, he must navigate radical tax proposals targeting millionaires to raise revenue. Burnham is under pressure to resolve the "net zero" debate and potentially expand North Sea fracking to lower energy prices. He remains wary of reopening the divisive Brexit debate. (14)

Former Maine state Senate President Troy Jackson effectively secures the Democrat nomination to challenge Republican Senator Susan Collins, despite questions surrounding his record - Editor-in-Chief of The Maine Wire Steve Robinson weighs in. A former Army soldier accused of anti-government extremism allegedly sets a fire and fires a pellet gun outside a Manhattan federal building housing immigration courts and ICE offices. Andy Burnham becomes the UK's seventh prime minister in a decade, replacing Keir Starmer as Labour leader and promising stability while signaling a possible shift on North Sea drilling. President Trump says his Qatari-donated Air Force One will be grounded for about a month this fall while it receives additional security upgrades.   Birch Gold: Text MK to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold   Lean: Discover why LEAN is becoming the choice for real weight‑loss results—shop now at https://TAKELEAN.com use code MK. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Five years ago, a 21-year-old activist stood on a TED stage next to the CEO of Shell and accused him of making ‘evil decisions' wreaking ‘devastation on communities around the world'. And then walked off. Christiana was moderating. She went into that panel believing dialogue itself could be the mechanism for change - that an honest conversation could move a company like Shell. What she didn't know is that the activist, Lauren MacDonald, had a different plan. It wasn't a quiet moment to be talking about oil and gas. A couple of weeks later, COP26 would openan hour away, in Lauren's home city of Glasgow. Five months earlier, the International Energy Agency had said something it had never said before: if the world is serious about net zero, there's no room left for a single new oil field, anywhere. Lauren was campaigning to stop Cambo, one of the biggest North Sea developments in a decade. Ben van Beurden, Shell's CEO at the time, was there to argue that oil and gas revenue was what would fund the transition away from it.Five years later, this is the first time Christiana and Lauren have spoken together publicly about that day. Cambo is paused, but it isn't dead. Its larger neighbour, Rosebank, is still waiting on a government decision - more than 80 UK MPs and MSPs signed a pledge against it this week alone. So what has actually changed - for Christiana, for Lauren, and for the fight itself?Learn More: