Tories pledge to get all oil and gas out of North Sea The Labour government has committed to banning new exploration licences. A spokesperson said a "fair and orderly transition" away from oil and gas would "drive growth". Reform UK has said it wants more fossil fuels extracted from the North Sea. Badenoch is to formally announce the plan to focus solely on "maximising extraction" and to get "all our oil and gas out of the North Sea" in a speech in Aberdeen on Tuesday. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said her party will remove all net zero requirements on oil and gas companies drilling in the North Sea if elected. Exploring new fields would "not take a penny off bills" or improve energy security and would "only accelerate the worsening climate crisis", the government spokesperson warned. Badenoch signalled a significant change in Conservative climate policy when she announced earlier this year that reaching net zero would be "impossible" by 2050. Successive UK governments have pledged to reach the target by 2050 and it was written into law by Theresa May in 2019. It means the UK must cut carbon emissions until it removes as much as it produces, in line with the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. Now Badenoch has said that requirements to work towards net zero are a burden on oil and gas producers in the North Sea which are damaging the economy and which she would remove. The Tory leader said a Conservative government would scrap the need to reduce emissions or to work on technologies such as carbon storage. Badenoch said it was "absurd" the UK was leaving "vital resources untapped" while "neighbours like Norway extracted them from the same sea bed". In 2023, then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak granted 100 new licences to drill in the North Sea which he said at the time was "entirely consistent" with net zero commitments. Reform UK has said it will abolish the push for net zero if elected. The current government said it had made the "biggest ever investment in offshore wind and three first of a kind carbon capture and storage clusters". Carbon capture and storage facilities aim to prevent carbon dioxide (CO2) produced from industrial processes and power stations from being released into the atmosphere. Most of the CO2 produced is captured, transported and then stored deep underground. It is seen by the likes of the International Energy Agency and the Climate Change Committee as a key element in meeting targets to cut the greenhouse gases driving dangerous climate change

Military drills spark hundreds of wildfires in UK 5 hours ago Share Save Malcolm Prior Rural affairs producer Share Save BBC Live army manoeuvres have caused 385 wildfires on MoD training sites across the UK countryside since 2023 Live-fire military training has sparked hundreds of wildfires across the UK countryside since 2023, with unexploded shells often making it too dangerous to tackle them. Fire crews battling a vast moorland blaze in North Yorkshire this month have been hampered by exploding bombs and tank shells dating back to training on the moors during the Second World War. Figures obtained by the BBC show that of the 439 wildfires on Ministry of Defence (MoD) land between January 2023 and last month, 385 were caused by present-day army manoeuvres themselves. The MoD said it has a robust wildfire policy which monitors risk levels and limits live ammunition use when necessary. HIWFRS Wildfires left to burn can cause large amounts of smoke pollution and have a significant environmental impact But locals near the sites of recent fires told the BBC they felt the MoD needed to do more to prevent them, including completely banning live fire training in the driest months. Wildfires in the countryside can start for many reasons, including discarded cigarettes, unattended campfires and BBQs and deliberate arson, and the scale of them can be made worse by dry, hot conditions and the amount of vegetation on the land. But according to data obtained by the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act, there have been 1,178 wildfires in total linked to present-day MoD training sites since 2020 – with 101 out of 134 wildfires in the first six months of this year caused by military manoeuvres or training. More than 80 of the fires caused by training itself so far this year have been in so-called "Range Danger Areas" - also known as "impact zones". These are areas where the level of danger means the local fire service is usually not allowed access and the fire is left to burn out on its own, albeit contained by firebreaks. The large amounts of smoke produced can lead to road closures, disruption and health risks to local residents, who are directed to keep their windows shut despite it often being the hottest time of the year. One villager who lives near the MoD's training site on Salisbury Plain said wildfires there, like the recent one in May, were "a perennial problem" and the MoD had to do more to control them and restrict the use of live ordnance to outside of the hottest months. Neil Lockhart, from Great Cheverell, near Devizes in Wiltshire, said the smoke from fires left to burn was a major environmental issue and posed a risk to the health and safety of locals. Villager Neil Lockhart has asthma and says the smoke produced by the wildfires causes him particular challenges "It's the pollution. If you suffer like I do with asthma, and it's the height of the summer and you've got to keep all your windows closed, then it's an issue," explained Mr Lockhart. Arable farmer Tim Daw, whose land at All Cannings overlooks the MoD training site on Salisbury Plain, said he "must have seen three or four big fires this year" but found the smoke only a "mild annoyance". He said many locals were worried about the impact of the wildfires on wildlife and the landscape, saying the extent of the area affected by the blazes often looked "fairly horrendous", and likened it to a "burnt savannah". But he said the MoD was "very proactive" in keeping locals informed about the risks of wildfires and any ongoing problems on their land

Incinerator broke air pollution limits 916 times 17 hours ago Share Save Esme Stallard Climate and science reporter, BBC News Share Save Getty Images Beddington incinerator has breached its environmental permits on 916 occasions Beddington incinerator, which serves four south London councils, faces enforcement from the Environment Agency after exceeding air pollution limits on 916 occasions. The offences, which occurred between 2022 and 2024 at the energy-from-waste plant, were revealed last week after the operator Viridor admitted it had been collecting pollution data incorrectly. Sutton Council, who sends waste to the site, has written to the Environment Secretary Steve Reed urging him to take enforcement action and say it was only told about the breaches 16 months after they were discovered. A Viridor spokesperson said it takes environmental responsibility seriously and the under-reporting was "human error". The plant provides waste disposal services for 400,000 households across four councils - Croydon, Sutton, Merton and Kingston. In order to operate, it has to record daily air pollution from burning the waste for key pollutants and ensure these remain below certain levels. In March, Viridor realised that its monitoring software was incorrectly calibrated and that a reassessment revealed it had been breached daily pollution limits for nitrogen oxides regularly between August 2022 and March 2024. The Environment Agency (EA) was notified and a subsequent investigation confirmed 16 breaches of its licence - one for each quarter across its two incinerators. The regulator told the BBC it was considering further enforcement action. This could include a fine and, as a last resort, criminal proceedings - although such action is rarely taken. A Viridor spokesperson said: "The Environment Agency has acknowledged the breaches at Beddington resulted from human error on the part of the third-party contractor, corroborating the independent environmental consultant's investigation. " It went on to say it takes environmental responsibility seriously. 'Potential harm' Sutton Council told the BBC it was only notified of the breaches this month - some 16 months after Viridor first found the issue. On Friday, council leader Barry Lewis wrote to the company and the Environment Secretary who represents neighbouring Streatham and Croydon North, raising concerns about the health impacts and reiterating its opposition to the proposed expansion of the site. In his letter to Mr Reed, Mr Lewis said the news is "still deeply troubling" for residents. "What is also concerning is the lack of proper monitoring and scrutiny by the EA. it is important that our residents have confidence in the ability of government regulators. This report only contributes to the erosion of that trust," he wrote. The government has yet to respond

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 – the best pictures so far 1 day ago Share Save Maddie Molloy BBC Climate & Science Share Save Bidyut Kalita This image titled "Special Delivery" was highly commended in the Behaviour: Invertebrates category. At first glance, the potter wasp appears to be riding a broomstick. But this industrious insect isn't flying back to stir its witch's cauldron, or playing Quidditch. It's carrying a caterpillar – prey to feed its young. It was captured by macro wildlife photographer Bidyut Kalita and was among the runner-up or 'highly commended' entries in this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. The winning images will be announced on 14 October, followed by an exhibition at the Natural History Museum, showcasing 100 standout photographs from around the world. Scroll down to explore other highly commended works from the competition. Emmanuel Tardy Title: No Place Like Home Photographer: Emmanuel Tardy (France) Location: El Tanque, San Carlos, Alajuela, Costa Rica Mr Tardy captured a brown‑throated three‑toed sloth clinging to a barbed wire post after crossing a road. As their habitats become fragmented due to tree loss, sloths are forced to make more ground crossings to reach the next tree, leaving them vulnerable. Bertie Gregory Title: Ice Edge Journey Photographer: Bertie Gregory (UK) Location: Ekström Ice Shelf, Atka Bay, Antarctica Mr Gregory captured a group of fledgling emperor penguin chicks teetering on the edge of an ice shelf. After spending two months observing the colony, he saw most chicks using natural ice ramps to descend safely to the sea – but this group had missed the easier route down. Left to fend for themselves, emperor penguin chicks must eventually take a leap into the icy ocean for their first attempt at feeding. Scientists believe that the decline in sea ice may force penguins to breed on ice shelves, making leaps like this a more common thing. Kutub Uddin Title: Slime Family Portrait Photographer: Kutub Uddin (Bangladesh/UK) Location: Slindon Wood, West Sussex, England, UK Mr Uddin discovered a grouping of slime moulds arranged on a fallen log in a forest. He described the scene as a "bizarre family portrait," complete with a tiny yellow insect egg. A slime mould consists of mobile, single-celled, amoeba-like organisms that live independently but can come together to function as a single entity in order to find food and reproduce. Jamie Smart Title: Rutting Call Photographer: Jamie Smart (UK) Location: Bradgate Park, Leicestershire, UK A red deer stag bellows during the autumn rut at Bradgate Park, as captured by Miss Smart from a safe distance. She avoided long grass by stretching upwards to keep the view clear. The stag's antlers, now fully hardened and velvet‑free, regrow each spring, becoming more impressive with each year as new points called tines develop. Amit Eshel Title: Inside the Pack Photographer: Amit Eshel (Israel) Location: Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada Eye‑level with an inquisitive Arctic wolf pack in −35 C, Mr Eshel fulfilled his dream to photograph these elusive creatures. The wolves came so close he could smell their breath. Arctic wolves, found only in Canada's north and northern Greenland, are curious of humans due to minimal exposure. Kesshav Vikram Title: Essence of Kamchatka Photographer: Kesshav Vikram (India) Location: Kurile Lake, Kamchatka Krai, Russia After days of patience, Mr Vikram captured a brown bear walking along the shores of Kurile Lake, with Iliinsky volcano looming through cloud. Whilst bears are generally solitary, this one was heading to feast with others on the glut of sockeye salmon migrating upriver from the Pacific to their origin lake to spawn. Parham Pourahmad Title: A Tale of Two Coyotes Photographer: Parham Pourahmad (USA) Location: Bernal Heights Park, San Francisco, California, USA Catching the morning light, Mr Pourahmad framed a male coyote's amber eye within the curve of a female's black‑tipped tail. He followed this pair across rocky hillside for a couple of hours and took his shot when the male paused to nuzzle the female. Coyotes are highly adaptable and are beginning to re‑establish themselves in San Francisco, where they had once disappeared from. Leana Kuster Title: Pink Pose Photographer: Leana Kuster (Switzerland) Location: Pont de Gau, Camargue, France Leana Kuster shows a greater flamingo in the act of scratching its head with one of its unmistakably long legs. While on holiday she was fascinated by their foraging behaviour as they moved gracefully through the shallow, saline wetlands, filter-feeding for molluscs and crustaceans. Flamingos use their tongues to pump water through their uniquely adapted bills, which are lined with rows of fine, comblike plates. The greater flamingo's pink colouring comes from a diet high in carotenoids - pigments found in algae and invertebrates such as shrimp. Marina Cano Title: Deadly Lessons Photographer: Marina Cano (Spain) Location: Samburu National Park, Samburu County, Kenya In Kenya's Samburu National Park, Marina Cano witnessed young cheetahs practising a hunt on a Günther's dik‑dik, with their mother watching close by. Cheetah cubs stay hidden for two months and only join hunts at about a year old to learn stalking and killing skills. Lakshitha Karunarathna Title: Toxic Tip Photographer: Lakshitha Karunarathna (Sri Lanka) Location: Ampara, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka In Sri Lanka, Lakshitha Karunarathna documented a lone Asian elephant navigating a waste disposal site. Over the past three years, he has been recording the impacts of humans on elephants in the region. The landfill site in Ampara was created more than a decade ago near a protected wildlife zone that is home to about 300 elephants. Along with food scraps, they consume plastic, which slowly kills them, officials say. Gabriella Comi Title: Wake-up Call Photographer: Gabriella Comi (Italy) Location: Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Gabriella Comi and her guide David spotted a cobra moving towards two napping lions in the Serengeti National Park in the scorching midday sun. The eldest lion lifted its head to face the slithering threat. Ralph Pace Title: Jelly Smack Summer Photographer: Ralph Pace (USA) Location: Monterey Bay, Monterey, California, USA In the midst of a mass – or "smack" – of Pacific sea nettles, Mr Pace coated any skin not covered by his wetsuit with petroleum jelly to protect himself from stings. The trailing tentacles can deliver a painful sting, which Mr Pace says feels more like that of a bee than a nettle. Sitaram Raul Title: Nature Reclaims Its Space Photographer: Sitaram Raul (India) Location: Banda, Maharashtra, India In total darkness, Mr Raul stood amid fruit bats emerging from a historical ruin, using focus and flash to capture the moment. Bats swooped overhead while "randomly pooping" on him and his camera. In southern Asia, old world fruit bats often roost in abandoned buildings. Isaac Szabo Title: Fragile River of Life Photographer: Isaac Szabo (USA) Location: Columbia County, Florida, USA Wading in a crystal clear Florida river, Mr Szabo photographed a female longnose gar alongside several males during the mating season. A turtle drifting into the scene was the "icing on the cake", according to Mr Szabo. This river is one of over 1,000 waterways fed by freshwater springs, known for their exceptional clarity. Protecting the aquifers that sustain these springs is essential, not only for iconic wildlife like manatees, but also for supplying drinking water to nearly half of Florida's population

SpaceX pulls off Starship rocket launch in much-needed comeback 17 hours ago Share Save Georgina Rannard Science correspondent Share Save Watch: SpaceX Starship completes successful test flight SpaceX has pulled off a successful test flight of its newest generation rocket Starship, reversing a trend of disappointing failures. The world's largest and most powerful rocket blasted off from Texas just after 18:30 local time (00:30 BST) for a nail-biting 60-minute flight. Parts of the engine appeared to explode at one stage, and flaps on the side of the rocket caught fire and swung from side-to-side. US space agency Nasa plans to use Starship to send humans to the Moon for its Artemis programme in 2027. "Great work by the SpaceX team!!", posted SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on X, who is spending billions on developing Starship, which each launch costing an estimated $100m. He will be welcoming the success after three Starship launches ended in spectacular failure this year, and one rocket exploded on the launch pad in June. Starship is the largest and most powerful rocket built to date. It is made up of a booster called Super Heavy and the spacecraft Starship. The signs were positive from the start of Tuesday's test flight. All of the booster's 33 engines fired up, and after about seven minutes, the booster separated from the spacecraft and fell into the Gulf of Mexico. Starship continued to ascend, reaching a maximum height of almost 200km above Earth, before coasting around the planet. SpaceX said it intended to put the rocket under stress to test its limits, and parts of the rocket's flaps appeared to burn and swing wildly during the descent. The company has designed Starship to one day be a fully reusable transport system capable of carrying people to the Moon and Mars. "This was a great day for SpaceX, executing its full mission for the first time and deploying some test dummy satellites along the route," says Dr Simeon Barber, a planetary scientist at the Open University. He adds that SpaceX will have gathered a full set of data from take-off, cruising and landing, which is a big step forward for the company. The first version of the rocket had five successful launches, but all attempts to launch the newest version had ended in spectacular explosions. In March, one explosion grounded flights and caused debris to rain down over the Bahamas with pieces landing in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean. But SpaceX did successfully execute the "chopstick" manoeuvre that caught the rocket booster in mechanical arms when it returned to Earth. And in June, a Starship rocket exploded on the launch pad in Texas when preparing for a test flight. Starship is the largest and most powerful rocket system which has ever flown

'Punk rock' dinosaur with metre-long spikes discovered 15 hours ago Share Save Pallab Ghosh • @BBCPallab Science Correspondent Share Save Matt Dempsey Artwork: the dinosaur had long spikes sticking out from the side of its head Scientists have discovered a bizarre armoured dinosaur which had metre-long spikes sticking out from its neck. The species, called Spicomellus afer, lived 165 million years ago, and is the oldest example of a group of armoured dinosaurs called ankylosaurs. The elaborateness and spikiness of the animal found in Morocco has come as a shock to experts, who now have to rethink how these armoured dinosaurs evolved. Prof Richard Butler, from the University of Birmingham who co-led the research, told BBC News that it was the "punk rocker" of its time. Punk rock is a sub-culture and music style that first emerged in the 1970s. Its followers often have spiky hair and accessories. "It is one of the strangest dinosaurs ever discovered," said Prof Butler. Prof Butler's project co-leader, Prof Susannah Maidment of the Natural History Museum, added that it was surprising that the spikes were fused directly on to the bone. "We don't see that in any other animal, living or extinct," she said. "It's absolutely covered in really weird spikes and protrusions all over the back of the animal, including a bony collar that wraps around its neck and some sort of weapon on the end of its tail, so a most unusual dinosaur," she said. The discovery is so unusual that the two professors are considering whether the discovery might force a rethink of theories on how ankylosaurs evolved. These animals survived late into the time dinosaurs were on Earth, in a period known as the Cretaceous. This was between 145 to 66 million years ago. The end of this period saw the emergence of large carnivorous predators, such as T Rex, so it had been thought that ankylosaurs started off with simple small armoured plates on their back, which then became larger and more extensive to protect themselves from these big beasts, according to Prof Butler. "If you had asked me what I would have expected the oldest known ankylosaur to look like I would have said something with quite simple armour," he told BBC News. "Instead, we have an animal bristling with spikes like a hedgehog, the most bizarre armour that we've ever found in any animal, far outside the range of armour seen in later ankylosaurs. " The researchers don't have enough of the skeleton to be sure of the animal's proportions, but they estimate it would have been about four metres long and one metre high, weighing around two tonnes. Getty As ankylosaurs evolved, their armour became simpler and possibly more functional The discovery raises the possibility that ankylosaurs started off with elaborate armour in an earlier dinosaur period, known as the Jurassic, which evolved over tens of millions of years to become more simple and possibly more functional, according to Prof Maidment. "What we are speculating is that maybe these structures actually were used for display, and it was only later in the Cretaceous, when we start to see gigantic dinosaurs with huge jaws and crushing bites, that they actually then needed to co-opt these display structures as body armour. " Trustees of the NHM The dinosaur fossils were discovered by a team of scientists in Morocco

Get ready for fracking, Reform UK tells energy firms 56 minutes ago Share Save Joshua Nevett Political reporter Share Save PA Media Trapped in underground rocks, a potential energy resource has eluded generations of British politicians. It's called shale gas and the method of getting it out of the ground, known as fracking, has proved politically difficult. Fracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, has been banned many times by different prime ministers since 2011 over concerns about earthquakes and environmental impacts. And yet despite this, Reform UK - which is leading in national opinion polls - believe it's worth going after the gas again. "We've got potentially hundreds of billions of energy treasure in the form of shale gas," Richard Tice, the party's deputy leader and energy spokesperson, says. "It's grossly financially negligent to a criminal degree to leave that value underground and not to extract it. " The party led by Nigel Farage is telling energy firms to get ready to "drill, baby, drill" if it gets into government after the next general election. Reform UK says it's serious about shale - but will its plans succeed where so many others have failed? The history of fracking in the UK shows it won't be easy. Shale fail Fracking has been going on in the British oil and gas sector for decades and largely flew under the political radar until about 2010, when shale gas extraction started taking off in the United States. At the time, Charles Hendry was the energy minister and at first, he was cautiously optimistic about the prospects for a US-style shale gas boom. But the abortive fracking efforts of the last decade or so have turned the former Tory MP into a sceptic. He watched former Prime Minister David Cameron's dash for the gas slow to a crawl after fracking projects were hampered by planning delays, minor earthquakes, legal challenges and persistent protests. As a result, Cameron's promised "shale gas revolution" never materialised and in 2019, tremors were recorded at a fracking site, leading to a ban. "When ambition hit reality, it wasn't what people had hoped for," Hendry says. "It is much more difficult than it is in the US. " The former minister says there was simply less space for fracking in the UK than in the US and consequently more obstacles in the way. Given the level of opposition to removing those barriers, Hendry says, Reform UK's zeal for shale gas was mistaken. "Even Reform voters will be up in arms about the idea," Hendry predicts. The most recent attempt to get fracking going again is another cautionary tale. When former Prime Minister Liz Truss last lifted the fracking ban in 2022, opposition MPs forced a vote on the issue and although her government won, a major rebellion by Tory MPs shook confidence in her leadership and she resigned the next day. Her successor, Rishi Sunak, reinstated the moratorium on fracking and now the Labour government says it intends to ban the practice permanently. So, how would Reform UK navigate this political minefield? PA Richard Tice said the UK should be making the most of its gas resources Firstly, Tice says, Reform UK would lift any fracking ban immediately. Secondly, he says, a Reform UK government would work with oil and gas companies using new extraction techniques to explore for shale gas at a couple of independently monitored fracking wells. "That will confirm the quantity of gas available and satisfy people that it's safe," Tice says. The British Geological Survey (BGS) has identified four areas where there's potential for commercial shale gas extraction, with the largest spanning Lancashire and several countries in the Midlands. In one prominent 2013 study, the BGS said more testing was needed "to prove that shale gas development is technically and economically viable" in the UK. Even then, the BGS said, "it is far from certain that the conditions that underpin shale gas production in North America will be replicable in the UK". Despite this uncertainty, Tice is bullish and says they'd know within two years of testing whether fracking for shale gas was worthwhile in the UK. But unlike Labour, which promised to spend £28bn a year on green energy, Reform UK wouldn't invest any public money in fracking. "The government's job is to create an attractive regulatory and tax framework," Tice says. Although the next general election is potentially years off yet, Tice and Farage have already been laying the groundwork for their fracking resurrection in meetings with oil and gas firms. In one such meeting in Aberdeen, Scotland a few months ago, Tice and Farage told these companies to prepare applications for licences to look for shale gas. "Don't write off Britain," Tice told them. "Keep us in mind, and in the run up to the next general election, you should be getting your ducks in a row and getting applications ready. " Getty There were frequent protests at fracking sites in England during the 2010s Reform UK's Andrea Jenkyns, the Lincolnshire mayor, is also a fracking enthusiast and recently met Egdon Resources, an oil and gas firm that has licences for targeting shale gas in an area known as the Gainsborough Trough. The company has been touting analysis by accounting firm Deloitte, which estimates that gas in the trough could be worth £140bn to the UK economy and create 250,000 jobs. The Deloitte assessment is not public and Egdon Resources would not share a copy with the BBC. Mark Abbott, the CEO of Egdon Resources, says the company would look to invest millions in shale gas "if the regulatory environment allowed that". He says that "clearly Reform has a policy which is more supportive than we've seen for a while". Star Energy Group is another company that has interests in areas with potential shale deposits. Its CEO Ross Glover has met Reform UK councillors in Lincolnshire, where the party controls the county council. "We know there's a world class resource there," Glover says. "I believe the UK needs whatever indigenous energy it can get, be it wind, solar, geothermal

It’s tempting to talk about “the West” or “the East” as if they were single, unified blocks — one voice, one agenda, one mindset. But this kind of reductionism flattens reality. The United States, for example, is not one policy or worldview; it’s a landscape of competing voices — from grassroots activists to corporate lobbies, from academic thinkers to local communities.

When we say “the U.S. always does this” or “the East always thinks that,” we stop asking the harder questions: Which voices? Which groups? Which institutions? In a world already flooded with oversimplified narratives, maybe the most radical act is refusing to treat whole societies as monoliths.

Do you think media (and even experts) rely too much on “monolithic” labels when analyzing global politics? What’s lost when we accept those shortcuts?

For orca left in limbo, zoo resorts to sexual stimulation to stop inbreeding 7 hours ago Share Save George Sandeman BBC News Share Save AFP Wikie, pictured with her calf in 2011, are still being kept at a facility in southern France A male killer whale at a closed marine zoo is being sexually stimulated by his trainers to stop him inbreeding with his mother. Marineland Antibes shut in January but managers, the French government and animal rights activists have not agreed on where or how the orcas should be rehomed. The closure comes ahead of a French law taking effect in December, which bans the use of whales in marine zoo shows. The impasse means the pair - Wikie, 24, and her 11-year-old son Keijo - are still being kept in their pools and being cared for by their trainers at the facility in southern France. Last week the activist group TideBreakers obtained overhead footage showing two trainers standing at the edge of a pool next to Keijo as he lies upside down. One trainer holds on to a flipper as the other stimulates the whale, who can be seen writhing about in the water. Wikie can be seen in an adjacent pool facing towards where her son is being held. Keeping them in separate pools permanently is considered harmful to their wellbeing as orcas are sociable animals. The footage was taken on 12 August and managers at Marineland tell BBC News the action was necessary as Keijo is reaching adolescence and has increasingly strong sexual urges. TideBreakers Marineland trainers stimulate male orca Keijo as his mother Wikie is kept in an adjacent pool "In order to avoid inbreeding with his mother, but also to prevent them from fighting and injuring each other, Marineland decided to sexually stimulate Keijo [to relieve him of his] tensions. " Managers add: "Although spectacular, this is natural and totally painless for the animals. " 'Humans are all they know' - Fate of whales uncertain as marine zoo shuts Stranded killer whales 'must leave now' as rehoming options shrink The French ecology ministry, which must approve where the orcas are rehomed, say they were informed by Marineland that Keijo is being stimulated once a month and that a veterinary expert has been consulted about the process. Valerie Greene, a member of TideBreakers who worked at SeaWorld Orlando for a decade, tells us the stimulation of Keijo for sexual relief is unusual. "As a former killer whale trainer, I've never seen this behaviour performed for anything other than attempting semen collection for use in artificial insemination. " AFP Wikie, swimming with Keijo in 2011, needs to be moved out of Marineland Antibes Female orcas kept captive in marine zoos can be artificially inseminated to breed more calves, which can later be used to attract more visitors and perform in shows. This was quite common until the last decade when laws were passed in countries, including France and the US, banning several breeding practices. However, breeding laws in Japan are less strict and activists believe marine zoo managers there may be interested in purchasing orca semen after the country's only male orca, Earth, died on 3 August. 'Perverse new low' Just over a week after his death, Marineland's trainers were seen stimulating Keijo. Greene adds: "Keijo is inbred, so it's even more concerning that his semen might be used for breeding of captive orcas. " Keijo's mother and father are half-siblings. Managers at Marineland deny this was why Keijo was stimulated. They add the sale of semen is prohibited and any export would need authorisation from the French government. The French ecology ministry say Marineland have also told them there is no intention to collect and export orca semen for breeding purposes. "Regardless of the reasoning, it's sad that this is a priority when Keijo desperately needs to be rescued because his environment is unsafe," says Greene. "The notion that trainers are providing sexual relief to an orca. is a perverse new low in the captivity industry's morally bankrupt practices. " How did we get here? November 2024: Ecology minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher rejects an application from Marineland to move the orcas to a marine zoo in Japan. January 2025: Marineland Antibes holds its last show before closing down. Activist groups call for the orcas to be moved to a proposed whale sanctuary in Canada, but this is rejected by the ecology ministry. February 2025: Pannier-Runacher releases a video on Instagram saying she would speak to colleagues in Spain, Italy and Greece about creating a European sanctuary together. April 2025: An application to move the orcas to Loro Parque is made - something Pannier-Runacher describes as a temporary measure - but it is rejected by Spanish scientific authorities in April. TideBreakers Marineland has been shut since January ahead of a law banning the use of orcas in marine zoo shows Since then there have been no significant developments as to where the pair might end up and no European sanctuary site has been developed for them. There have also been mounting concerns about the conditions at Marineland and whether it is safe for Wikie and Keijo to remain there. Two weeks ago Pannier-Runacher released another Instagram video in which she tried to allay fears about the orcas' welfare and said regular inspections of the pools were taking place. Katheryn Wise, wildlife campaign manager at the charity World Animal Protection, who has been monitoring the situation, tells us: "It is fair to say that the passivity of the French government when it comes to enabling alternatives for these animals, and communicating with organisations involved in developing professional sanctuary alternatives, is insufficient and is leading to unnecessary delays [in rehoming them]. " TideBreakers Wikie and Keijo perform backflips in pools that are to be inspected following a court request

We often think of social media as just a tool — a neutral way to connect with friends, news, and entertainment. But research in cognitive psychology shows that algorithm-driven feeds are far from neutral. By prioritizing emotionally charged content, they exploit our brain’s natural biases toward novelty and outrage. Over time, this can subtly “rewire” how we focus, what we remember, and even how we make decisions.

The question isn’t only what we see online, but how repeated exposure to these patterns shapes our mental habits. Are we losing the ability to pause, reflect, and question — or can awareness of these effects help us take back control of our attention?

Discussion Question:
Do you believe algorithms are reshaping the way we think, or are they simply magnifying tendencies that already existed in human psychology?