Latest news with #Blas
The National
10-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Musicians to hold tribute to victims of historic tragedy
More than a century after the shipwreck claimed the lives of 200 Lewis men, Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis and fiddler Duncan Chisholm (pictured) will pay them a moving tribute. The evening will be held during the Blas festival, the annual celebration of Gaelic culture. Fowlis (below) said: 'Working on creating a commemorative piece about the Iolaire tragedy has been the most profoundly moving project for both Duncan and me. 'Since the original commission of An Treas Suaile (The Third Wave) in 2018, ahead of the 100-year commemoration, we have continued to research the stories of the men who were on board the Iolaire, the ship which sank desperately close to Lewis shores in the early hours of January 1, 1919. This event will be an evening of conversation with music and song from our original production.' On December 31, 1918, the servicemen had arrived by rail at Kyle of Lochalsh, ready to board the ferry SS Sheila, owned by David MacBrayne Ltd. The HMY Iolaire (Gaelic for eagle) was then sent across the Minch to assist in taking the men home. In the early hours of New Year's Day 1919, the vessel ran aground on the Beasts of Holm, just 20 yards from the shore, less than a mile from Stornoway Harbour. More than 200 men lost their lives, with every village on the island losing loved ones. READ MORE: 'Absolutely crazy': Scottish jazz artist scores new film by Hollywood director The Isle of Lewis had already suffered greatly during the war with over 1000 men, of the 6712 who went to war, dying during the conflict. Calum Alex Macmillan, chief executive of Fèisean nan Gàidheal, said: 'More than a century later, the loss of the Iolaire remains one of Britain's worst maritime disasters. An Treas Suaile commemorates those who lost their lives and their families who were left behind. It is a privilege for Blas to host this special and moving musical work at this year's festival.' This year, Blas will host around 25 concerts and cèilidhs, with a strong focus on collaboration and partnerships with small arts organisations throughout the region. Since its modest beginnings with just three venues in Strontian, Clashmore, and Strathpeffer 21 years ago, Blas has delivered more than 1350 events featuring 5550 performers and welcoming an audience of more than 130,000. It has contributed at least £8.4 million to the local economy since it began. Other artists performing during the festival – from September 5 to September 13 at venues across the Highlands – include Dàimh, Lauren MacColl, Arthur Cormack, Ingrid Henderson, Ruairidh Gray, Flook, Norrie MacIver, Mischa Macpherson and Eabhal. An Treas Suaile will be performed in Kyle on September 8 and in Ullapool on September 9, as well as at the Nairn Book and Arts Festival on September 4
Telegraph
28-06-2025
- Telegraph
The 17 best restaurants in Pembrokeshire
Caught between the sea and the mountains, Pembrokeshire has access to some of the finest (and freshest) produce in Wales. Here distinctly season-driven restaurant menus sing with local seafood and farm-fresh cheeses, not to mention Preseli lamb and beef, all elevated to new heights with garden-grown vegetables and herbs. In recent years the county has seriously upped its culinary game in a number of slickly modern restaurants, where bold, creative menus are often pepped up with foraged ingredients. And should you prefer a chilled fish shack by the sea or a good old-fashioned country pub, there is of course that too. All our recommendations below have been hand selected and tested by our resident destination expert to help you discover the best restaurants in Pembrokeshire. Find out more below or discover our guide to Pembrokeshire and the best hotels, nightlife, beaches and things to do in the area. Find a restaurant by type: Best all rounders Best for families Best for fine dining Best for walk ins Best for views Best farm-to-table Best all rounders Blas Housed in the minimalist-chic Twr Y Felin hotel, where Welsh architect Keith Griffiths has worked his magic on a former windmill, Blas translates as 'taste'. Snagging a table for dinner at this dark, seductive restaurant means you also get to nose around a fine collection of street art, with silver-screen starlets (Audrey Hepburn and co.) by graffiti artist Pure Evil gracing the charcoal walls in the low-lit bistro. Food is artfully presented, seasonally driven and sprinkled with foraged ingredients: from Solva crab with green tomato, turnip and crispy chicken skin, to butter-soft beef with beetroot, shallot, horseradish and nasturtium. The intimate ambience makes this a romantic date-night pick.
The National
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Gaelic group Sian hit the road ahead of new album launch
Originally brought together by the Blas festival in 2016, to celebrate the work of female bards, Sian comprises three of today's most exquisitely gifted Gaelic singers – Ceitlin Lilidh, Eilidh Cormack and Ellen MacDonald – accompanied by in-demand multi-instrumentalist Innes White. With direct connections among the singers to Lewis, Skye and North Uist, their arrangements match deep feeling for tradition with stunning, boldly imaginative harmony work, which has seen them likened to The Staves and even Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The first single from the album, Seo a' Bhliadhna, was released on Friday – a traditional lament with connections to the Isle of Skye and Raasay, and particularly the MacLean family. READ MORE: Labour has 'given up' on by-election amid SNP-Reform contest, says John Swinney Seo a' Bhliadhna features guest musicians James Lindsay and Charlie Stewart. The album is produced by Sian's Innes White and Innes Strachan (Niteworks, LUSA), and was recorded and mixed by Iain Hutchison at GloWorm Recording. The release date for the full album is yet to be announced. Cormack said: 'Seo a' Bhliadhna is a beautiful lament, closely connected to the Isle of Skye and Raasay song tradition. 'The composer tells of love and loss in a terrible year – grieving not only her brother and sister, but the man she loves, the golden-haired hunter. 'We wanted to approach the song with respect and care, and I hope listeners can feel that in the arrangement.' MacDonald added: 'The reason I love Sian so much is that you can do so much with just voices. 'You can come up with really cool sounds with just voices.' Ahead of the album release, Sian will tour Scotland throughout this month, performing new material live for the first time. The tour begins tomorrow night in Arisaig's Astley Hall. Tour dates: June 2, Arisaig, Astley Hall; June 3, Inverness, Eden Court; June 4, Isle of Skye, An Crùbh; June 5, Isle of Raasay, Isle of Raasay Distillery; June 6, Glasgow, The Reeling; June 11, Edinburgh, Traverse Theatre. Click here for tickets.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
China Hits Oil Output Record
In January, China's National Energy Administration said it was eyeing stable oil production of over 200 million tons in 2025. Two months later, oil production in the world's largest importer of the commodity hit an all-time high of 4.6 million barrels daily, per official data. China is taking 'Drill, baby, drill' to heart. It was Bloomberg's energy columnist Javier Blas who cited the Chinese official oil production data. He also pointed out the rather ironic fact that while U.S. shale producers were hunkering down amid falling oil prices despite Trump's passion for drilling, Chinese state energy majors were boosting local production consistently, reversing a downward trend in that production that had begun a decade ago—despite predictions that China's oil demand is about to peak any day now. Earlier this year, CNPC said it was likely that demand for fuels in China peaked two years ago. The suggestion was based on a 1.9% in crude oil imports in 2024 to just over 11 million barrels daily. This was the first decline in imports of crude oil to China in two decades—but domestic production rose. The National Energy Administration reported in January that total oil and gas production in China last year topped 400 million tons of oil equivalent for the first time ever, 'playing a "ballast" role in ensuring the stable production, supply and prices of oil and gas in the country.' Crude oil output specifically reached 213 million tons, equal to a daily average of about 4.3 million barrels. This was close to an all-time high, and, per the figures cited by Bloomberg's Blas, the all-time high has now been reached, EV proliferation and was, of course, EVs that prompted all the oil demand peak predictions. It wasn't just CNPC. It was pretty much every forecaster in the industry that saw China's oil demand peak as imminent. And then, just this month, CNPC again forecast that demand for oil in China would rise by 1.1% this year, driven primarily by petrochemicals. There could be some disruption in the sector because of the tariff war, which is set to affect U.S.-Chinese trade in petrochemical feedstocks, notably propane and ethane, but if the war ends soon enough, that demand projection should remain valid. But even with peak demand—if it is indeed imminent—China will continue to boost its domestic oil production because it is a matter of energy security for Beijing. Despite all the wind and solar, and the EVs, and despite the battery storage push that has accompanied China's energy transition push. Energy security still depends on oil—and gas—and the Chinese leadership knows it. Thanks to that knowledge, China has become one of the top ten oil producers in the world, vying with Iraq for the number-five spot, per Bloomberg's Blas. What this means is something that will have implications for oil price forecasts. Greater domestic production means a lower need for imports, and that means the effect of China's import data on international prices should, at some point in the not-too-distant future, cease to have the dramatic effect it does now. Of course, China will not cease to be a major importer of crude anytime soon. Its domestic production is very far from covering even half of its demand for crude. Last year, China's total oil demand reached 16.68 million barrels daily, per OPEC calculations. Compared to this figure, a domestic daily average of 4.3 million barrels is, while not negligible, not exactly an example of self-sufficiency, either. Yet this domestic average is growing. There are constraints to this growth, of course. For one thing, most of China's additional output, per Blas, comes from mature conventional fields discovered decades ago. Shale exploration is challenging for geological purposes, but the majors are keeping at it and reporting results. Earlier this year, Sinopec reported that it had added 1.3 billion in new oil and gas reserves from two shale fields in eastern China. Adding the reserves does not automatically mean utilizing them, but it certainly suggests an intention to do so, despite the challenges, such as the fact they are located at depths of between 3,000 meters and 4,650 meters. With some state help, however, the challenge should be overcome. China is essentially doing with oil and gas what it did with wind and solar. Where U.S. drillers are accountable to their shareholders, Chinese state drillers are accountable to the government, whose responsibility, in turn, is to provide the financial support that would make projects viable—exactly as it did with wind and solar. For China, 'Drill, baby, drill' is state policy and the country's track record in transition technology suggests that it will squeeze out every last drop of every field worth exploiting. After all, those demand peak projections are very far from set in stone. By Irina Slav for More Top Reads From this article on
Russia Today
20-02-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Zelensky lied to Trump about Ukraine's mineral reserves
Ukraine has vastly and deliberately overstated its rare-earth mineral reserves in an attempt to win the favor of US President Donald Trump, Bloomberg columnist and commodities expert Javier Blas suggested in an op-ed released on Wednesday. He warned that Trump's fixation on a resource extraction deal with Ukraine is an 'illusion' and 'folly.' The saga of the potential resource deal with the US began in November last year, when Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky presented his 'victory plan' for the conflict with Russia. The road map included the prospect for a special agreement with Western countries, including the US, 'on the joint protection of critical resources available in Ukraine, joint investment, and subsequent use of the corresponding economic potential.' The offer piqued Trump's interest, who demanded the 'equivalent of $500 billion worth of rare earths' from Ukraine in exchange for US assistance to the embattled nation. However, according to Blas, the narrative about Ukraine brimming with rare-earth resources seems to be based on a hoax. He suggested that the Ukrainians, 'desperate to find a way to engage Trump... miscalculated [by] presenting the then-incoming president a 'victory plan' in November that talked up – way, way up – the potential of the country's mineral resources.' He went on to say that Ukraine 'has no significant rare-earth deposits other than small scandium mines,' suggesting that Trump conflated 'rare-earths' with the broader category of 'critical minerals' – which Ukraine does have, but not to the tune of $500 billion. Blas also remarked that Ukraine once produced significant amounts of iron ore and coal before the conflict, adding that some of the mines are now controlled by Russia. 'What Ukraine has is scorched earth; what it doesn't have is rare earths,' he said. He noted that this is not the first time the US has made this type of mistake, recalling that in 2010, the Pentagon declared Afghanistan to be the 'Saudi Arabia of lithium,' with the total amount of untapped mineral deposits in the country estimated at $1 trillion. This later turned out to be 'a complete fantasy,' he said. Earlier reports suggested that the US and Ukraine discussed a deal under which Washington would be granted 50% ownership of Ukraine's rare-earth minerals as reimbursement for continued military aid. However, Zelensky reportedly declined to sign an agreement, with several unnamed officials describing it as a 'colonial agreement.' Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has suggested that the US is trying to take advantage of the Ukrainian leadership's willingness to 'sell the country by auction.'
