failure to prevail against Iran would help to deter any Chinese assault on Taiwan

Is this what you meant? Doesn’t seem to be what you intended?

Bit windy here too.

Feels like a big season for Oxley's First Rule of Political Parties: new/expanding parties will initially attract many people who are very political but have worked their way out of all the other parties due to an oddness of their views, personalities, or often both.

This is also why universal demand subsidies in rich countries are immoral.

Lots of interesting stuff coming from CATL batteries. Lighter, longer ranges and faster charging times

“I owe the city” - Bellingham buys stake in Birmingham Phoenix

Sorry but this is nonsense. If he wanted to “give back to the city”, there are plenty of better ways to do it than lining the pockets of rich businessmen.

Day at Fingringhoe: I counted 19 singing Nightingales (the staff had 26 on the board), amazing singing. Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Robins tried to compete without much success! Willow Warbler kindly presented itself for inspection, 2 Reed Warblers first I’ve heard. Comma butterfly too. #essexbirding

One for @thenorfolkcoast.bsky.social

Bahn-Vorstand zum Schienenausbau: „Das wird sich noch die nächsten zehn Jahre hinziehen“ Wann wird die DB wieder besser? Fernverkehrschef  Peterson über die Krise bei der Bahn, die Folgen des Kriegs und warum wohl niemals ein Zug von Berlin nach London fahren wird.

"The willingness to travel long distances by train has increased dramatically...The Berlin-Paris ICE is a great success, 80%+ occupancy. We thought 50% of passengers would travel the full 8h, but 75% do. Talking to SNCF about a 2nd Berlin-Paris train in 2028."
www.berliner-zeitung.de/article/chef...

'Piccadilly South' (2023) by Rob Pointon
robpointon.co.uk

A peaceful scene viewed from the railway of a canal cutting through countryside. Two barges are passing under a bridge. In the background is a windmill.

“Barges are loaded with goods from factories built beside canals. Barges may be towed by horses or driven by their own motor engines”

‘In the Train’, 1955
Artist: WC Watson

Pink double flowers of Cherry against blue sky

Cherry flowering beautifully 🌱🇬🇧

NEW: Russian Chief of the General Staff Army General Valery Gerasimov continues to make greatly exaggerated claims of Russian advances amidst Russian forces’ poor performance in their ongoing Spring-Summer 2026 offensive. 🧵(1/6)

Read more: isw.pub/UkrWar042126

'Battersea Sunset' (2023) by Juan del Pozo
juandelpozo.net

'Spencer House from Green Park, London' by Julian Barrow
markmurray.com/julian-barrow-paintings-for-sale

Lovely long (for me) 🚲 this morning. No Lesser Whitethroats where I’ve heard last 2 years, nor Nightingales but perhaps disturbed by power cable works, or the dog that decided to abandon its owner & aggressively pursue me for 50m! Whitethroats almost everywhere, lovely weather but strong cold wind

'Hammersmith Bridge' by Rod Pearce
riversidegallery.co.uk/product-category/artists/rod-pearce/

Following on from last week's bs "investigation" which absolutely misrepresented the scale and nature of people potentially claiming asylum under false grounds, it is exceptionally hard to see how this is in any way acceptable and not blatant bias. This is an advert not a news piece.

I suspect this is a currency correction or something. The UK economy has been flat for a while while India is growing at a speed not seen here since Queen Victoria was Empress of India

'Evening Sun From Southwark Bridge' (2015) by Benjamin Hope
benjaminhope.net

"Sweden agreed with the BND, Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, that Russia was understating its budget deficit by $30bn, and had also noticed some financial indicators that could point to a future banking crisis" www.ft.com/content/04a9...

65 years of natural colonisation and natural woodland expansion at Monks Wood. Entirely self-sown by Jays, thrushes & wind; zero management: no planting, thinning or fencing. Oak-Ash canopy and Hawthorn-Blackthorn understorey dominate. Roe deer, Muntjac, Grey Squirrels haven't inhibited it.

'Autumn Morning, Clapham Common' (2022) by Mark McLaughlin
markmclaughlinartist.co.uk

'Winter Light on the Pimlico Grid' (2025) by Harriet Lawless
harrietlawlessartist.com

Lovely local walk, Whitethroats have arrived en masse! Blackcaps singing, Chiffchaffs becoming a little quieter, Linnets and Yellowhammers too. #essexbirding

In China battery electric trucks and hybrid trucks now outsell diesel trucks for the first time.

Murray and Pierre return to the lab after an evening out to find a blue glow emanating from the aparatus

On this day, 20th April 1902 Marie Skłodowska Curie and husband Pierre successfully isolated one tenth of a gram of Radium, the first sample of a radioactive element, from 8 tons of pitchblende.
Artist: Frank Hampson
‘Madam Curie’ (1970)

Good morning! This week's theme is London Sunshine 🌞
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'London Cherry Tree in Sunlight' by Melissa Scott-Miller
scottmillerart.com

THREAD: The IEA global energy review 2026

* CO2 record high, but growth nearly ground to halt
* Clean energy shaved 3bn tonnes off CO2
* Fossil-fuel power pushed into reverse
* Age of Electricity "confirmed"
* "Extraordinary" solar growth
* Batteries up 40%
* EVs up 20%
1/10