Author: Lucas Bennett

India has moved to deepen its energy ties with Russia after state-owned oil company ONGC’s overseas investment arm secured a significant share in one of Siberia’s most productive oil fields. OVL, the international investment division of India’s ONGC, has agreed to purchase a 15 percent stake in the Vankor field in Russia’s far east for a reported $1.2 billion. The field is the second largest in Russia and had until this point been developed exclusively by the Russian state energy company Rosneft. Political backing for the acquisition was reportedly granted at the recent BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit held…

A new daily pill to treat menopausal hot flushes and night sweats is now available on the NHS in England, offering an alternative for the hundreds of thousands of women for whom hormone replacement therapy is not suitable. The drug, called Veoza — also known by its clinical name fezolinetant — works by blocking the nerve pathways in the brain responsible for triggering hot flushes and night sweats. Unlike HRT, it contains no hormones, making it an option for women who cannot take hormonal treatments due to underlying health conditions. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, known as…

Canada has passed sweeping new anti-terrorism legislation that significantly expands the powers of its intelligence services and places new restrictions on speech both online and in print — drawing comparisons to measures introduced in the United States following the September 11 attacks. Bill C-51, which became law in June despite sustained opposition from civil liberties groups, makes it a criminal offence to encourage terrorism or distribute terrorist propaganda. It also grants the government authority to remove material it classifies as propaganda from the internet and dramatically expands the operational powers of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, known as CSIS. Under…

A non-psychoactive ingredient found in cannabis may have the ability to speed up and strengthen the healing of broken bones, according to new research from Tel Aviv University. Scientists injected rats with cannabidiol — commonly known as CBD — following mid-femoral fractures and found that after just eight weeks the compound had significantly enhanced the healing process. Crucially, the effect was present even when CBD was administered without tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive component of cannabis more commonly known as THC. The study tested two groups of rats — one receiving CBD alone and another receiving a combination of CBD and THC.…

If your office always feels freezing, there may be a scientific reason behind it — and a new study suggests the problem has been built into the system from the start. Research has found that climate control systems in office buildings were designed around a formula based on male thermal comfort, leaving women consistently colder and wasting significant amounts of energy in the process. The study highlights that heat exchange between the body and its environment depends on several individual factors including body size, surface area, metabolic rate, tissue insulation and clothing. Because these vary between individuals, no single office…

British forces stationed in Iraq intercepted two Iranian drones overnight after coalition bases in Erbil and Baghdad came under sustained attack, Defence Secretary John Healey has confirmed. The base in Erbil — capital of the Kurdistan region and home to both US and British personnel — was struck multiple times, injuring a number of American troops. A second coalition base in Baghdad was also hit. Brigadier Guy Foden said British forces successfully brought down two unmanned aerial vehicles launched toward the Erbil camp, though several others broke through and impacted the site. No British casualties were reported. Healey, speaking during…

A shooting at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia has left two people hospitalised and the gunman dead, the university confirmed on Thursday. The shooting took place inside Constant Hall, which houses the university’s business school. Two people were wounded and taken to hospital. The circumstances of the gunman’s death have not yet been confirmed by officials. Old Dominion University cancelled all classes and suspended operations across its main campus for the remainder of Thursday. The university urged students, staff and members of the public to stay away from the area around Constant Hall while emergency services remain on scene.…

Energy regulator Ofgem has granted Tesla a licence to supply electricity to homes and businesses across England, Scotland and Wales, opening the door for Elon Musk’s company to enter the British energy market for the first time. The approval allows Tesla to sell electricity directly to domestic and commercial customers, mirroring the model it already operates in Texas under the Tesla Electric brand, where the company positions itself as a provider of low-cost sustainable power for homes, electric vehicles and local communities. The licence covers electricity supply only. Tesla will not be able to offer combined gas and electricity deals,…

The world’s most critical oil shipping lanes are under sustained attack, with six vessels struck in the space of just two days as Iran escalates its campaign against energy infrastructure across the Persian Gulf and beyond. Two foreign oil tankers in Iraqi waters were set ablaze in Iranian strikes, killing at least one crew member. Thirty-eight others were pulled from the water by rescue teams. Separately, three vessels were hit by projectiles near the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway through which roughly one-fifth of all global crude oil passes — according to the United Kingdom’s maritime agency. A…

A preliminary US military inquiry has concluded that American forces were responsible for a Tomahawk missile strike that killed at least 175 people — the majority of them children — at an elementary school in southern Iran on 28 February. The school in the town of Minab sat on land that was originally part of an Iranian Revolutionary Guards Navy base. When US Central Command drew up strike coordinates targeting that base, it relied on targeting data provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency that had not been updated to reflect the building’s current use as a school. By the time…