The House of Lords has launched an inquiry into “dunkelflaute” – multi-day periods of low wind and solar output – as the UK grid takes a larger share of variable renewables. Peers will examine how National Grid ESO plans to maintain security of supply during extended calm, overcast conditions, including the roles of long-duration storage, interconnectors and dispatchable plant. Civil and electrical engineers can expect scrutiny of network resilience assumptions, capacity adequacy margins and the cost–risk balance for backup infrastructure.

EU antitrust regulators have issued a formal statement of objections to MMG’s planned acquisition of Anglo American’s Brazilian nickel business, focusing on low-carbon ferronickel output from the Barro Alto mine and processing plant. The European Commission warns MMG, controlled via China Minmetals and SASAC, could reroute Barro Alto ferronickel to affiliated Chinese stainless steel producers, cutting volumes available to EU buyers. For smelters and alloy producers in Europe, the case signals closer scrutiny of supply concentration and long-term offtake structures in critical nickel feedstocks.

Financial author and forecaster Harry Dent blames the latest asset bubble on unprecedented US government money-printing, warning that another “couple trillion” dollars of stimulus will be less effective because investors have already seen repeated crisis rescues. He labels gold’s surge from about $1,600 to roughly $5,600 in three years as “the fastest, most extreme bubble in history”, far above its long-term trend. Dent expects a severe deflationary downturn would drag gold down alongside commodities and equities, though with smaller percentage losses.