❌

Reading view

New North Sea oil drilling faces delay after gear accidentally dropped in sea

Exclusive: Blunder at Rosebank, UK’s biggest undeveloped oilfield, comes as government considers granting licence

Production at Britain’s biggest undeveloped oil and gasfield could be delayed for months after equipment from a rig was accidentally dropped in the North Sea, the Guardian can reveal.

Andy Burnham’s new government is under pressure from the fossil fuel industry to allow oil to be retrieved from the Rosebank site despite opposition from climate campaigners and some Labour MPs.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Martin Langer/Alamy

© Photograph: Martin Langer/Alamy

© Photograph: Martin Langer/Alamy

  •  

Office of Space Commerce to move ahead on mission authorization

Jordan

The Commerce Department is moving ahead with plans to implement a voluntary mission authorization system for novel space activities that are not regulated by other agencies.

The post Office of Space Commerce to move ahead on mission authorization appeared first on SpaceNews.

  •  

EU delays release of Copernicus imagery over Gulf of Oman 

The Gulf of Oman, imaged in September 2018 by the Copernicus Sentinel-3A satellite. Credit: ESA; CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

JOHANNESBURG — The European Union has ordered a 24-hour delay in the release of some Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 imagery following a request from the United States based on concerns that […]

The post EU delays release of Copernicus imagery over Gulf of Oman  appeared first on SpaceNews.

  •  

Real Inflation is a Result of Expansion of the M2 Money Supply

The underlying cause of real price inflation is linked to the expansion of the US Federal Reserve's M2 money supply, rather than conventional measures like the CPI. Gold and silver remain more reliable investments compared to fiat currencies, which inevitably devalue to zero over time.

  •  

Take Centrica’s gas storage warning seriously – Britain still needs secure supplies | Nils Pratley

One task awaiting new energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh is devising a plan to avoid a crisis by the end of the decade

Welcome to the energy secretary job, Miatta Fahnbulleh. You have a politically tricky decision to make on whether to approve production at the Jackdaw gasfield and the Rosebank oilfield. But here’s another one that can’t wait much longer: what is the broader plan to ensure Britain avoids a gas supply crisis in 2030?

By way of reminder, one of the more alarming reports published by the energy department under Ed Miliband was the one that warned of “an emerging risk” to gas supplies at the turn of the decade if an important piece of kit – an import terminal, say, or the critical 725-mile Langeled pipeline from Norway – were to be out of the action during a severe cold snap.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: PA Images/Alamy

© Photograph: PA Images/Alamy

© Photograph: PA Images/Alamy

  •  

Elon Musk says he got ‘carried away’ with Trump – but still holds on to contentious political views

In interview, billionaire says instead of running ‘Doge’ he should’ve ‘worked on my companies’ and shares extreme predictions

Elon Musk has admitted he became too consumed by politics during his volatile alliance with Donald Trump and his brief appointment as the president’s financial axman, running the so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge).

The world’s richest person, and briefly its first trillionaire after his SpaceX company floated on the New York stock exchange in June, made the confession in a wide-ranging interview with the Economist published on Thursday. He shared his positions on subjects from foreign wars to AI, and made a number of eye-opening predictions for the future.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

© Photograph: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

© Photograph: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

  •  

Who is Miatta Fahnbulleh, the radical-thinking new UK energy secretary?

Selection of economist formerly at helm of green thinktank marks continuation of decarbonising Miliband era

In her first 48 hours as energy secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh was left in no doubt about the thorny policy decision at the top of her in-tray. Protesters from Fossil Free London met her outside her new offices dressed as firefighters holding placards reading: “We’re already putting out fires, don’t start new ones.”

The MP for Peckham – a radical economist who is outspoken about the climate crisis – is a surprising choice as secretary of state for energy and net zero for those who believe the speculation in Westminster that Andy Burnham wants to approve new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing/Getty Images

© Photograph: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing/Getty Images

© Photograph: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing/Getty Images

  •  

Why are OpenAI and Anthropic cheering on regulation in Australia? The answer has global reach

The companies hope to follow in the footsteps of SpaceX, which raised $86bn and soared to a $2.1tn valuation after it listed on public markets in June

Top US AI developers Anthropic and OpenAI cheered when Australia announced it would set new AI rules.

Big tech celebrating limits on their Silicon Valley VC-funded free-for-all might seem counterintuitive but there’s a much broader play than just what happens in one relatively small market.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Dado Ruvić/Reuters

© Photograph: Dado Ruvić/Reuters

© Photograph: Dado Ruvić/Reuters

  •  

How are Gold and Silver Performing Against Real Inflation?

I update my charts illustrating the price performance of gold and silver relative to inflation based on M2 money supply and CPI. Gold prices are notably above expected values, while silver, previously undervalued, has recently aligned with its fair market price but currently appears cheap for buyers.

  •  

Miliband has been relentlessly attacked for net zero; what will happen now?

Tories, Reform, fossil fuel industry and some in his party lined up against decarbonisation target as energy secretary

“Whenever the Labour party feels a bit sad,” according to one close observer of the current government, speaking some months ago, “they wheel out Ed Miliband to talk about rooftop solar.”

It might not have been literally true, but it often felt during Keir Starmer’s premiership as if energy secretary Miliband brought the sun. Unfailingly upbeat, with a simple message that was understandable to voters, he had a clear mission – to decarbonise the UK’s power sector by 2030 – that was seen to be progressing fast.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images

© Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images

© Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images

  •  

The Fed Liabilities Show That WWIII Will Be the Mother of All Wars

The U.S. national debt stands at $40 trillion, with Federal Reserve liabilities at $6.8 trillion, stemming mainly from credit creation since the 2008 financial crisis. Historical analysis shows substantial increases in debt during major wars, suggesting that contemporary conflicts may lead to unprecedented levels of war and debt, impacting the economy and society.

  •  

US launches 10th round of strikes as Iran says it is in ‘full-scale war’

Diplomats say de-escalation talks continue as Trump vows retaliation over US soldier deaths

The US military said it has launched its 10th consecutive round of strikes on Iran to force the reopening of the strait of Hormuz.

Earlier on Monday, Iran’s president said the country is in a “full-scale war” after the US expanded its aerial campaign and Tehran struck Washington’s Gulf allies, even as diplomats said talks to de-escalate were continuing.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: US Central Command (CENTCOM)/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: US Central Command (CENTCOM)/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: US Central Command (CENTCOM)/AFP/Getty Images

  •  

Burnham risks Labour backlash if he reverses ban on new oil and gas drilling

Party manifesto pledged to honour existing North Sea exploration licences but not issue new ones

Andy Burnham risks his first confrontation with Labour MPs if he announces new oil and gas drilling licences when he becomes prime minister, insiders have warned.

Speculation is rife that Burnham will unveil fresh plans for drilling in the North Sea after he is installed in Downing Street.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Jack Taylor/Reuters

© Photograph: Jack Taylor/Reuters

© Photograph: Jack Taylor/Reuters

  •  
❌