Reading the FT front page story about a Chinese company introducing a battery with a 1500 km range & six minute recharging time & about how two Chinese companies own more than half of the global EV battery market & I am struck by the different realities the US and China occupy. We’ve lost the plot.

With Orban gone the EU has now approved the 90 billion Euro loan to Ukraine and another package of sanctions on Russia. V good news.

I'm just relieved nobody is talking about how I said I bought a house in Clacton, then admitted it was in the name of my girlfriend, Laure Ferrari, even though she couldn't afford £885,000, which conveniently meant I avoided £44,000 in tax.
Please don't share.

This painting, titled Dos Mujeres (Two Women) or Portrait of Two Women, was created by Mexican artist Diego Rivera in 1914. It is an important early work from Rivera in Paris, where he explored Cubism alongside Picasso and Braque.

This painting, titled Dos Mujeres (Two Women) or Portrait of Two Women, was created by Mexican artist Diego Rivera in 1914. It is an important early work from Rivera in Paris, where he engaged with Cubism alongside Picasso and Braque.

Photo featuring a green garden with flowers and trees and a large bronze,circular sculpture with oval holes in each side

Barbara Hepworth garden, St.Ives, Cornwall, UK #WomensArt

Middle East crisis live: Trump extends ceasefire but blockade continues; Iran attacks container ship off Oman US Treasury secretary says Iran’s Kharg Island storage facilities will be full and their oil wells shut in mere days because of the blockade

The head of the UN maritime agency has appealed for help for thousands of seafarers stranded in the Gulf by the effective closure of the strait of Hormuz.

Men, We Need to Talk About "Rape Academy" This isn’t about women. This is about us. And it’s long past time we had this conversation

Social media analytics show that I lose followers every time I share my article about men needing to stop being pathetic little manbabies and instead step up and hold other men accountable to stop rape culture.

Oh, whoops, sharing it again. And won't stop either
www.qasimrashid.com/p/men-we-nee...

Yvette Cooper was removed as Home Secretary because Keir Starmer thought she was not tough enough on immigration. Cooper was replaced by a woman who responds to being challenged on the similarity of her policies to Reform by telling them 'to fuck right off'. Another case of ideology before country.

Study warns of terrifying Atlantic Ocean current collapse New research shows a critical Atlantic Ocean current system is weakening faster than expected, raising the risk of irreversible climate disruption.

New research shows a critical Atlantic Ocean current system is weakening faster than expected, raising the risk of irreversible climate disruption.
johnmenadue.com/post/2026/04...

Push for EU membership to galvanise progressive support, report argues A new report by Best for Britain shows that a push for UK membership of the European Union would galvanise support among progressive voters. The report highlights that a pro-membership position offers...

🚨🚨New @bestforbritain.org report argues I think convincingly that a push for UK membership of the EU would galvanise support among progressive voters, recognising that other halfway options such as customs union or EEA are would offer to limited benefits. 🧵 www.bestforbritain.org/push_for_eu_...

Exclusive: US to delay weapons deliveries to some European countries due to Iran war, sources say U.S. officials have informed some European counterparts that some previously contracted weapons deliveries are likely to be delayed ‌as the Iran war continues to draw on weapons stocks, five sources f...

www.reuters.com/world/middle...

Tech giants and giant slayers: the case for digital sovereignty Digital Sovereignty – control over a country’s digital infrastructure, data and technology – is critical for economic and national security

A handful of global tech firms now underpin our economies, governments, & public discourse.
They aren’t elected.
They aren’t neutral.
And increasingly – they aren’t accountable.

Clive Lewis MP on the UK's growing dependency ⤵️

@eastangliabylines.co.uk @labourlewis.bsky.social

‘Why isn’t the energy used by people?’: China’s global AI push hits resistance TikTok’s plan for $9.5bn data centre on Brazil’s coast reflects national ambitions but is hit by environmental concerns

giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... ‘Why isn’t the energy used by people who don’t have energy?" - this is a vg example of why sovereignty (in its broadest sense) is the next emerging battleground in the US—China AI arms race

FT Exclusive: The number of Americans seeking Irish citizenship through ancestry jumped 63% last year, as the Trump administration’s harsh rhetoric and policies fuelled demand for ‘plan B’ passports. ft.trib.al/VLmOiJH

Volvo electric semi scores another real-world win with Coca-Cola Pepsi may grab headlines with their Tesla tie-in, but arch rival Coca-Cola is quietly building an electric semi truck fleet of its own.

So China & Tesla don’t steal all the headlines, Volvo Trucks (Volvo Group) quietly put 5,000+ electric trucks into real-world deployment, logging 100+ million zero-emission miles over the past five years.

Not under Geely. Not hype. This is happening. EV trucks are scaling everywhere, all at once.

Countries continue to turn to renewables for national security despite Trump's attacks on wind and solar.
➡️ https://l.euronews.com/8ARL

The rush to appease Trump led Keir Starmer into this ethical void | Rafael Behr Mandelson’s flaws were mistaken for credentials to represent Britain in the court of a rogue president, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

Excellent - @rafaelbehr.bsky.social puts the finger on the real problem with the Mandelson appointment:

“traits that should have disqualified him from the job were mistaken by Starmer for credentials.“

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Trump Is Said to Be in Talks to Send Afghans Who Aided U.S. Forces to Congo

The Trump administration, after shutting down a resettlement program for Afghans who aided U.S. forces, is now negotiating to relocate up to 1,100 of those individuals to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Inner London primary schools to be hit by 11% fall in pupils by 2030 UK spending watchdog says ministers need a plan to close or shrink classrooms as schools will struggle financially

DfE only started to track the specific risk of not responding to changing demographics in 2024 and does not yet have a clear approach to supporting the sector in deciding how and when to respond.
Our new @nao.org.uk report looks at falling primary pupil numbers in England
www.ft.com/content/6963...

Not to be seen on the BBC TV News, doesn’t suit their agenda .

Also not to be seen in the Telegraph, Express, Mail, Sun, etc.

And nowadays not in the Guardian either.

cherry blossoms against a blue sky with petals falling from the branches ALT: cherry blossoms against a blue sky with petals falling from the branches

My profoundly deaf mother heard a nightingale tonight for the first time in 88 years. A little bit of #joy given freely by nature. Our cherry has come out today and the apple blossom will surely break soon. I will be concentrating on finding beauty in life for the next few days.

a blue flag with yellow stars on it is waving in the wind ALT: a blue flag with yellow stars on it is waving in the wind

We have an out of control war mongering lunatic to the West, a murderous dictator to the East and a genocidal maniac in between.

I don’t care about Mandelson, he’s yesterdays news.

#RejoinEU #DumpTrump #CutNetanyahuLose
#SaveUkraine

I see that more and more Europeans, Americans and Canadians are joining forces. They are spreading the same ideas, believe in democracy and are fighting against the far right and nationalism.

If we closely cooperate in the run-up to elections, it's very hard for right-wing propaganda to beat us!

Government promises to 'break the link' between gas and power prices Reforms to renewables subsidy regime aims to help curb electricity costs, but some experts argue market shake-up still leaves gas playing a key role in setting power prices

Lots of good stuff in the government's clean energy announcements this morning, but several experts reckon they've oversold the idea these reforms 'break the link' between gas and power prices. www.businessgreen.com/news/4528585...

#Starmer is a lawyer & finds such plain speaking incredibly difficult because it offers a hostage to fortune, especially in relation to Trump. Until the 🍊Felon goes we're stuck with him, an inherently dangerous & vulnerable position. Realpolitik means not calling him a liability that needed handling

LOCAL ELECTIONS 2026 5PM - TUESDAY 21st April DON'T FORGET! Return your postal vote application form for elections on 7 May VOTE GREEN THURSDAY 7th May Green Party Promoted by Chris Williams on behalf of The Green Party, both at PO Box 78066, London SE16 9GQ

⌛️ The deadline to register for a postal vote is 5pm today!

Won't be around on polling day? 📨

Register for a postal vote now ⤵️

An important 🧵on UK electricity pricing 👇

Resolution has applied my model to data up to 2025. As the chart shows, we can be less confident as time goes on. But firm-level evidence from Bloom et al shows a 6% loss. I think it's time to retire the OBR's 4%, which was a simple average of pre-Brexit forecasts.

A vaccine for Lyme disease could be on the horizon The vaccine candidate is the furthest any shot has gotten since the last one was pulled in 2002. Scientists are testing other ways to block infection.

New clinical trial data from vaccine makers show that their Lyme disease vaccine reduced cases by about 70%.
www.sciencenews.org/article/lyme...