Canada port strike resumes after union members reject wage agreement

By Nia Williams

July 18, 2023

A commuter Seabus passes idle shipping cranes towering over stacked containers during a strike by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada (ILWU) at Canada's busiest port of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, July 11, 2023. 

REUTERS/Chris Helgren/File Photo

July 18 (Reuters) - Dock workers at ports along Canada's Pacific coast rejected a tentative four-year wage deal agreed with their employers last week and returned to the picket line, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) said on Tuesday.

The ILWU represents some 7,500 dock workers, who walked off the job on July 1 after failing to reach a new work contract with the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA), which represents the companies involved.

In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, the ILWU said its members had voted down the recommended terms of settlement because they did not believe the terms would protect their jobs.

"With the record profits that the BCMEA's member companies have earned over the last few years the employers have not addressed the cost of living issues that our workers have faced over the last couple of years as all workers have," the ILWU said in its statement.

The 13-day strike, which ended last Thursday, upended operations at two of Canada's three busiest ports, the Port of Vancouver and the Port of Prince Rupert, which are key gateways for exporting the country's natural resources and commodities and bringing in raw materials.

A strike resumption could trigger more supply-chain disruptions and risk worsening inflation.

Federal government mediators helped negotiate the deal reached last week. The office of Canada's federal labor minister, Seamus O'Regan, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Pierre Poilievre, leader of Canada's opposition Conservative Party, criticized O'Regan for failing to solve the dispute.

"He claimed he'd gotten a deal to end the strike. Now it's back on with massive costs to consumers, workers and business," Poilievre said on Twitter.

Reporting by Nia Williams in British Columbia; Editing by Sandra Maler and Leslie Adler

Peru's mining zones back protests, which Boluarte calls 'threat to democracy'

By Marco Aquino

July 18, 2023

Demonstrators participate in a march called by Peru's General Workers Union against President Dina Boluarte's administration, in Lima, Peru, March 9, 2023. REUTERS/Alessandro Cinque/File Photo


LIMA, July 18 (Reuters) - Residents of Peru's key mining areas are expected to support protests due to kick off this week against the government of President Dina Boluarte, who on Tuesday denounced the planned demonstrations as a "threat to democracy."

Communities along the main mining corridor in Peru - the world's No. 2 copper producer - have voiced their backing for the protests, which begin Wednesday, NGO leaders said.

Mining output was heavily impacted in January and February during an earlier round of protests following the ouster of former President Pedro Castillo, who was arrested after illegally attempting to dissolve Congress.

"We know some delegations (from mining communities) are going to arrive (in Lima), and they will also mobilize in their communities like at the beginning of the year," said Jose de Echave, head of environmental NGO CooperAccion, which monitors mining conflicts.

The mining corridor, which crosses poor, largely Indigenous communities in Peru's south, transports copper from mines such as MMG Ltd's (1208.HK) Las Bambas, Glencore's (GLEN.L) Antapaccay and Hudbay's (HBM.TO) Constancia.

'VIOLENCE NOT ALLOWED'

Peru's government has warned that authorities will react to protests, called by unions and left-wing groups, with "legitimate use of force."

The initial round of protests were Peru's deadliest in decades, with human rights groups denouncing "extrajudicial killings" by security forces.

The protests call for Castillo's release, Boluarte's resignation, the closure of Peru's unpopular Congress and a new constitution. Boluarte said in a speech on Tuesday that the government is "not able to resolve" such demands.

Boluarte added that the protests represent "a threat to democracy" and that "acts of violence are not going to be allowed."

Her government has placed the military along the mining corridor and enacted states of emergency suspending constitutional rights such as freedom of assembly and freedom of movement as a way of blocking the protests, de Echave said.

Economy Minister Alex Contreras also said on Tuesday that maintaining the peace was key for Peru's economy.

Organizers of the demonstrations, which have been dubbed "the third takeover of Lima," have said protesters are largely coming from Peru's poorer south, rather than the more economically prosperous capital.

Editing by Daniel Wallis

Women's World Cup set for lift-off with interest at all-time high

The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup will feature an expanded field of 32 teams for the first time in the tournament's history. | REUTERS


BY ANDY SCOTT
AFP-JIJI
Jul 18, 2023

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – The first 32-team FIFA Women's World Cup kicks off in Australia and New Zealand on Thursday, with the United States favored to win an unprecedented third consecutive title in a landmark month for women's soccer.

It has been a rapid expansion for a tournament that started in 1991 and featured only 16 teams as recently as 2011, then 24 in France four years ago when the U.S. women retained the trophy.

That reflects a dramatic rise in interest in women's soccer over the last decade beyond its traditional heartland of the United States, and a swarm of European sides will be aiming to snatch their title.

Australia's Matildas, led by prolific Chelsea forward Sam Kerr, will hope to make the most of their home advantage and go all the way to the final in Sydney on Aug. 20.

This World Cup is not just bigger in terms of the number of competing nations.

FIFA has tripled the prize money compared with 2019 and the total pot, which also covers compensation for clubs releasing players, is up from $50 million four years ago to $152 million.

It is a vast hike on the $15 million offered in 2015, and confirmation that it is a boom time for women's soccer.

Big crowds at club and international matches, particularly in Europe, are more evidence that the game is at an all-time high.

TV blackout averted

Nevertheless, the prize pot still pales in comparison with the $440 million dished out at the 2022 men's World Cup in Qatar.

Meanwhile, a standoff over the sale of broadcast rights in the biggest European countries — Germany, the U.K., France, Italy and Spain — was only resolved last month.

The threat of a TV blackout was averted late in the day after FIFA president Gianni Infantino had openly criticized the amount of money being offered by broadcasters.

Australia captain Sam Kerr will be tasked with leading the cohost to the Aug. 20 final in Sydney.

 | AFP-JIJI

"FIFA is stepping up not just with words but with actions. Unfortunately, this is not the case of everyone across the industry. Broadcasters and sponsors have to do more in this respect," Infantino said in March, adding that global soccer's governing body was receiving offers amounting to just 1% of what was being paid for the men's tournament.

In Japan, a deal to avoid a blackout was only reached last week.

"It is actually terrible business if you are not tuning in," said Megan Rapinoe, the veteran superstar of the U.S. team and a cultural icon who transcends the sport. "You are missing out on a large cultural moment. This is the premier women's sporting event in the world bar none and this is a paradigm shift globally, not just in the U.S."

It will be the 38-year-old's last World Cup after she announced she plans to retire at the end of this season.

Knee-injury plague

Rapinoe was one of the U.S. stars who led their fight for equal pay, resulting in a landmark collective-bargaining deal last year, meaning the country's men and women would evenly share World Cup prize money paid by FIFA.

The buildup to this tournament also saw Canada's national team, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic champion, threaten to strike in a row over pay, funding and contractual issues.

Meanwhile, France players rebelled over conditions in their national team setup, and a change of coach followed.

That meant some of France's top names would be at the tournament after all, having threatened to pull out, but the World Cup will still be marred by the absence of numerous leading players because of serious knee injuries.

England captain Leah Williamson and star striker Beth Mead have been ruled out, as have prolific Dutch forward Vivianne Miedema, French forwards Delphine Cascarino and Marie-Antoinette Katoto, and American duo Catarina Macario and Mallory Swanson.

Spain's Alexia Putellas, the reigning Ballon d'Or winner, will be there, fit again after spending nine months out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
England leads charge

Together with Australia, European sides will be the chief threat to a U.S. team bidding to become the first to win three Women's World Cups in a row.

European champion England will lead the charge, together with Spain, Germany, Sweden and 2019 runner-up the Netherlands.

U.S. star Megan Rapinoe will be appearing in her final Women’s World Cup before retiring at the end of this season. | AFP-JIJI

"The expectations are really high and yes, we have a dream," England coach Sarina Wiegman said.

England will play its first game against Haiti — one of a raft of World Cup debutants — in Brisbane on July 22, while the U.S. begins its trophy defense the same day against another debutant in Vietnam.

The tournament kicks off Thursday with New Zealand facing the Norway of 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg in Auckland, and Australia playing Ireland in front of a sellout crowd of more than 80,000 in Sydney.

Australia call out FIFA over Women's World Cup prize money but are 'taking positives'

The Australian women's team say they are 'taking the positives' from the situation after they slammed FIFA over equal prize money for the Women's World Cup

Cameron Winstanley 

18 JUL 2023
The Matildas have called out FIFA over equal World Cup prize money (Image: Getty Images)


Australia Women’s team are ‘taking the positives’ after they called out FIFA over equal pay for the Women’s World Cup prize money.

The Matildas previously released a video just four days before their opening World Cup fixture against the Republic of Ireland calling on FIFA and football bodies to continue to invest in the women’s game and ensure the tournament continues to leave behind a legacy.

Australia and New Zealand will co-host this summer’s World Cup which kicks off on Thursday with New Zealand playing Norway and Australia taking on Ireland.

But the build-up to their home tournament from the Aussies has been dominated by calls for equal prize money between the men and women’s World Cups

READ MORE: Women's World Cup warm-up match abandoned after 20 mins for being 'overly physical'

The total prize money for this year’s Women’s World Cup is £84.1million, a 300% increase from the 2019 edition, but it still remains substantially lower than the £336.4million pot for the men’s tournament in Qatar.

While still far behind the men’s prize money, The Matildas have acknowledged the positive steps made over the past four years.


Alanna Kennedy claims The Matildas are 'taking the positives' from equal prize money row 

(Image: Sky Sports News)

During their press conference ahead of the Ireland clash, Manchester City’s Alanna Kennedy said: “I mean the argument is fair in some cases, but I think for us it’s just trying to shed a light on the positive side and how we can continue to elevate our voice and the talent that we have and have people support it.

“You’ll always get the ‘No one’s watching women’s football,’ those things are just water off a duck’s back

Chelsea's Sam Kerr will star for Australia at the World Cup 

(Image: Future Publishing via Getty Imag)

“For us, it’s not true, we’ve sold out our game and there’s so many people coming to watch. You always have to take the positives out of it rather than look at it from a negative lens.”

FIFA have previously pledged to equalise World Cup prize money for both tournaments by the next Women’s World Cup in 2027.

The 2023 tournament is also the first time that women’s national teams have been given dedicated training bases, with FIFA mandating that all players will receive a minimum amount of money, resources and conditions throughout the tournament.

James Webb telescope reveals 3 possible 'dark stars' — galaxy-sized objects powered by invisible dark matter

By Robert Lea published about 3 hours ago

Three early galaxies discovered by the James Webb Space Telescope could actually be titanic stars powered by a dark matter heart.

Three objects seen by the JWST in December 2022 and identified as galaxies may actually be huge stars powered by dark matter (Image credit: NASA/ ESA)

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) may have found evidence of a strange and elusive type of star that only existed in the very early universe, when invisible dark matter was one of the only available fuel sources.

New research suggests that three of the earliest objects identified as galaxies by the JWST aren't galaxies at all, but rather "dark stars" — immense, ultrabright hypothetical objects that are powered by dark matter rather than nuclear fusion. If the theory is correct, then this could finally help scientists better understand dark matter, the universe's most mysterious component.

Related: James Webb telescope discovers the 4 oldest galaxies in the universe

"These things are atomic matter that is powered by dark matter, and one supermassive dark star could be as bright as an entire galaxy containing normal fusion-powered stars," astrophysicist Katherine Freese, an astrophysicist at the University of Texas at Austin and lead author of a new study published July 11 in  the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, told Live Science.

Explosive annihilation


A map of gas and dark matter in a merging galaxy, with blue and green light indicating a gravitationally massive heart of dark matter at the galaxy's center. (Image credit: NASA Goddard)

According to theory, dark stars are enormous in comparison to "ordinary" stars that exist in the universe today, like the sun. Dark stars are hypothesized to have widths hundreds of times greater than the sun's. These stars, composed mostly of hydrogen and some helium, existed in protogalaxies when the universe contained mostly those two elements; heavier elements hadn't yet been forged by nuclear fusion in stars. However, about one thousandth of a dark star’s mass would be made of a secret fuel source  —  dark matter.


Dark matter, which is all but invisible because it doesn't interact with light, makes up an estimated 85% of the matter in the universe. Theory suggests that when two dark matter particles collide, they may "annihilate" each other, turning their combined mass into a shower of energetic gamma-ray radiation.

"If dark matter is self-annihilating, then the annihilation products could get stuck inside this hydrogen cloud,” that makes up dark stars, Freese said. “And what that means is you're taking all of the energy that used to be in the mass of the dark matter and dumping it into this cloud," Feese said.

Freese added that while "everyday" stars depend on high temperatures, dark matter annihilation could occur at any temperature.

"Dark matter annihilation doesn't care about the temperature," Freese said. "So you have dark matter annihilation throughout the entire [width] of the dark star. And the surface temperature is relatively cool. Because of that, there's no ionizing photons or other stuff coming off preventing the accretion of more matter."

In contrast, when normal stars have acquired enough mass to start nuclear fusion, the radiation that they pump out pushes away the gas envelope that surrounds them, preventing them from accreting more matter and thus growing further.

This means that, while dark stars may start out with a mass about the same as the sun, the objects can accrete more and more matter, growing to be a million times as massive as the sun, and a billion times as bright, Freese added.
Dark star, or ancient galaxy?

Given their huge size, dark stars would appear as more spread-out objects rather than as point-like objects, like modern-day stars. This is how three ancient objects detected by the JWST — namedJADES-GS-z13–0, JADES-GS-z12–0, and JADES-GS-z11–0 — could have been misidentified as galaxies, according to the new research. These candidate dark stars date to between 320 million and to 420 million years after the Big Bang.

But, the dark matter annihilation process can't continue forever. Dark stars sit in the dark-matter-rich centers of protogalaxies, which merge together continuously to form proper galaxies, and eventually, this moves dark stars away from their dark matter fuel.

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"As dark stars get displaced from the dark-matter-rich center, the dark stars start collapsing," Freese explained. "This will trigger fusion in the smaller ones, creating ordinary fusion-powered stars [which are all created from collapsing clouds of gas]. The bigger ones will collapse immediately into black holes."

This means that dark stars don't exist in the universe today, Freese added. However, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when in the 13.8-billion-year history of the universe that dark stars would have ceased to be.

Confirming the existence of dark stars via these JWST observations would be huge, but Freese pointed out that she and the team aren't quite there yet. This confirmation would require either looking at these candidate dark stars for much longer to build a more complete picture of their light output, or waiting for magnified observations that better reveal the light emissions of these objects, which could allow scientists to identify whether the objects have pure hydrogen and helium compositions, as would be expected from dark stars.

"The dark star idea has been hanging in there for many years, and it would be extremely exciting to me to have this proven correct," Freese concluded.

Amazing fossil hints mammals hunted dinosaurs three times their size

A small mammal from the Cretaceous Period appears to have been preserved by volcanic debris while attacking a dinosaur three times its size

By Chen Ly
18 July 2023

Illustration showing the mammal Repenomamus robustus attacking the dinosaur Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis

Michael Skrepnick

Small mammals that lived around 125 million years ago may have preyed on dinosaurs three times their size, a strange fossil unearthed in China suggests.

A handful of fossils from China have shown that mammals from the Cretaceous Period, such as the carnivores Repenomamus giganticus and Repenomamus robustus, may have dined on infant dinosaurs and scavenged dinosaur carcasses.

Now, Jordan Mallon at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa and his colleagues have described the first fossil that appears to show the cat-sized R. robustus actively hunting a much larger dinosaur.

The fossil, which was discovered in the Lujiatun fossil beds in Liaoning province in China, captures the moment that the mammal seemingly took on Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis, a plant-eating, bipedal, beaked dinosaur – just before the two were buried by debris during a volcanic eruption.



Fossil showing the entangled skeletons of Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis and Repenomamus robustus
Gang Han

The intertwined skeletons show the mammal with its front paws grasping the dinosaur’s mouth, its jaw clamped down on its ribs and their hindlimbs entangled.

Mammals may have hunted down dinosaurs for dinner, rare fossil suggests







This image provided by the Canadian Museum of Nature shows entangled dinosaur and mammal skeletons. The scale bar equals 10 cm. The unusual fossil from China suggests some early mammals may have hunted down dinosaur meat for dinner. The fossil shows a badger-like creature chomping down on a beaky dinosaur three times its size. The research published on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, adds to growing evidence that even when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, some mammals were biting back.

 (Gang Han/Canadian Museum of Nature via AP)

NEW YORK – An unusual find in China suggests some early mammals may have hunted dinosaur for dinner.

The fossil shows a badgerlike creature chomping down on a small, beaked dinosaur, their skeletons intertwined. The find comes from a site known as “China’s Pompeii,” where mud and debris from long-ago volcanoes buried creatures in their tracks.

“It does seem like this is a prehistoric hunt, captured in stone, like a freeze frame,” University of Edinburgh paleontologist Steve Brusatte, who was not involved with the study, said in an email.

The fossil, described Tuesday in the journal Scientific Reports, shows two creatures from around 125 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period.

Even though the mammal is much smaller, researchers think it was attacking the dinosaur when they both got caught in the volcanic flow, said study author Jordan Mallon, a paleobiologist at the Canadian Museum of Nature. The mammal is perched on the dinosaur, its paws gripping the reptile's jaw and a hind limb while its teeth plunge into the ribcage.

“I’ve never seen a fossil like this before," Mallon said.

That mammals ate dinosaur meat had been proposed before: another fossil showed a mammal died with dinosaur remains in its gut. But the new find also suggests that mammals may have actually preyed on dinosaurs several times their size, and didn’t just scavenge ones that were already dead, Mallon said.

“This turns the old story on its head,” Brusatte said. “We’re used to thinking of the Age of Dinosaurs as a time when dinosaurs ruled the world, and the tiny mammals cowered in the shadows."

The study authors acknowledged that there have been some fossil forgeries known from this part of the world, which Mallon said was a concern when they started their research. But after doing their own preparations of the skeletons and analyzing the rock samples, he said they were confident that the fossil — which was found by a farmer in 2012 — was genuine, and would welcome other scientists to study the fossil as well.

The mammal in the fossil duo is the meat-eating Repenomamus robustus, about the size of a house cat, Mallon said. The dinosaur — Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis — was about as big as a medium-sized dog with a parrotlike beak.

This species was a plant eater, but other dinosaurs were meat eaters or ate both. In the end, dinosaurs were probably still eating mammals more often than the other way around, Mallon said.

“And yet we now know that the mammals were able to fight back, at least at times," he said.
___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

UN Secretary General embraces calls for a new UN agency on AI in the face of ‘potentially catastrophic and existential risks’

By Brian Fung, CNN
Updated  Tue July 18, 2023

CNN —

The United Nations should create a new international body to help govern the use of artificial intelligence as the technology increasingly reveals its potential risks and benefits, according to UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

The UN has an opportunity to set globally agreed-upon rules of the road for monitoring and regulating AI, Guterres said Tuesday at a first-ever meeting of the UN Security Council devoted to AI governance.

Just as the UN convened similar bodies to manage the use of nuclear energy, boost aviation safety and meet the challenges of climate change, Guterres said, the UN has a unique role to play in coordinating the international response to AI.

Already, the UN has been deploying artificial intelligence in its own operations to monitor ceasefires and identify patterns of violence, he added, and UN peacekeeping and humanitarian operations are also being targeted by hostile actors using AI for malicious purposes, “causing great human suffering.”

“The malicious use of AI systems for terrorist, criminal or state purposes could cause horrific levels of deaths and destruction, widespread trauma and deep psychological damage on an unimaginable scale,” Guterres warned. “Generative AI has enormous potential for good and evil at scale. Its creators themselves have warned that much bigger, potentially catastrophic and existential risks lie ahead. Without action to address these risks, we are derelict in our responsibilities to present and future generations.”

By 2026, the UN should develop a legally binding agreement banning the use of AI in completely automated weapons of war, Guterres said. He also pledged to bring together an advisory council that will develop proposals for regulating AI more broadly by the end of the year, and teased a forthcoming policy brief with recommendations for governments on how to approach the technology responsibly.

Leading Tuesday’s meeting was UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who called for international governance of AI to be tied to principles upholding freedom and democracy; respect for human rights and the rule of law; security, including physical security as well as the protection of property rights and privacy; and trustworthiness.

“We are here today because AI will affect the work of this council,” Cleverly said. “It could enhance or disrupt global strategic stability. It challenges our fundamental assumptions about defense and deterrence. It poses moral questions about accountability for lethal decisions on the battlefield…. AI could aid the reckless quest for weapons of mass destruction by state and non-state actors alike. But it could also help us stop proliferation.”
Tensions with China on display

The Chinese government, meanwhile, argued that UN rules should reflect the views of developing countries as it seeks to prevent the technology from becoming “a runaway wild horse.”

International laws and norms around AI should be flexible to give countries the freedom to establish their own national-level regulations, said Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun, who also blasted unnamed “developed countries” for trying to achieve dominance in AI.

“Certain developed countries, in order to seek technological hegemony, make efforts to build their exclusive small clubs and maliciously obstruct the technological development of other countries and artificially create technological barriers,” Zhang said. “China firmly opposes these behaviors.”

Zhang’s remarks come on the heels of reports that the US government may seek to limit the flow of powerful artificial intelligence chips to China.

An official representing the United States at the meeting did not directly address the Chinese government’s accusations but added that “no member state should use AI to censor, constrain, repress or disempower people” — a possible veiled reference to China’s use of technology to surveil ethnic minorities.
Tech industry weighs in

The meeting also included some voices from the tech industry.

Addressing the security council via teleconference, Jack Clark, the co-founder of the AI company Anthropic, urged member states not to allow private companies to dominate the development of artificial intelligence.

“We cannot leave the development of artificial intelligence solely to private sector actors,” Clark said. “The governments of the world must come together to develop safe capacity and make further development of powerful AI systems a shared endeavor across all parts of society, rather than one dictated solely by a small number of firms competing with one another in the marketplace.”

Target workers can now wear shorts

By Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN
Published  Tue July 18, 2023
New York 

CNN —

Target has changed its dress code to allow more of its approximately 440,000 US-based workers to wear shorts as extreme heat makes retail and other jobs harder.

It’s one small way companies are adjusting to the brutal new reality of climate change. In the United States, millions of people in the Southwest and South face dangerously high temperatures. Some places, such as Texas and Arizona, have experienced a weeks-long heat wave.

Previously, Target allowed employees who worked outdoors to wear shorts.

The company recently changed its policy to allow the majority of store workers to wear shorts. (Target did not say which workers could not wear shorts.)

Target’s uniform standards ask employees to wear solid color pants, capris, skirts or shorts in good condition.

Target says it has other policies for employees who work in extreme heat, including frequent water and rest breaks.

Under the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act, employers are responsible for providing workplaces free of known safety and health hazards, including protecting workers from heat-related hazards.

A 2021 NPR analysis of federal data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics found the three-year average of worker heat deaths has doubled since the early 1990s

Jaguar Land Rover expected to build a new electric battery ‘giga-factory’ in Somerset

Tuesday 18 July 2023 

Thousands of new jobs will be created by the expected development in Somerset.

Credit: PA


Car giant Jaguar Land Rover is expected to announce plans to build a new electric battery ‘giga-factory’ in Somerset.

Thousands of new jobs will be created by the expected development.

The car firm’s owners Tata is set to confirm the news on Wednesday after weeks of speculation.

Jonathan Reynolds, shadow business secretary, said: “Labour welcomes any investment in British jobs and industry and decisions like these vindicate Labour’s advocacy of an industrial strategy in place of scattergun announcements.

“In spite of the Government’s cack-handed approach to industry and our economy this shows the strength of the UK automotive industry

“Labour has been clear the public and private sector working together is the only way we can transition industry to keep the jobs of the future on our shores for decades to come.

“That’s why a Labour Government will go further with a proper industrial strategy, investing in eight gigafactories and delivering clean energy by 2030.

“Our plans for the car industry will deliver 80,000 additional jobs and billions in economic growth ensuring announcements like this aren’t a one-off but the basis for a growing economy with good jobs in our industrial heartlands.”

UK government declares a 'nuclear revival' as a public body launches to support industry and boost energy security

Article by Kerry Hebden

THE UK government has announced that the newly launched Great British Nuclear (GBN) will drive a rapid expansion of new nuclear power plants across the country at an “unprecedented scale and pace”, as it strives to reduce dependence on volatile fossil fuel imports and grow the economy. 

While this is an encouraging “vote of confidence” for the industry – the nuclear sector is estimated to generate around £7.1bn (US$9.3bn) in tax revenues while supporting around 211,500 jobs – those in opposition argue that the time and resources could be better invested in renewables to secure low emissions energy for the nation. 

GBN is a public body tasked with helping to deliver on the government’s commitment to provide 25% of the UK’s electricity from nuclear energy by 2050.  

It was announced as part of the government’s Powering Up Britain plan but was only officially inaugurated this morning, after a launch event scheduled for last week was cancelled at the last minute. 

Headed by Gwen Parry-Jones, and Simon Bowen, GBN’s first priority is to support the rollout of small modular reactors (SMRs), a type of advanced nuclear reactor, via a technology selection process. SMRs are currently being developed by the likes of General Electric and Rolls-Royce, the latter of which received an £85m investment last year for its SMR business, from Qatar's sovereign wealth fund. 

From today, companies can register their interest with GBN to participate in a competition to secure funding support to develop their products. As a first step in this process, interested parties will be required to respond to a selection questionnaire. Once this stage is complete, GBN said it will enter into detailed discussions with successful applicants as part of what government referred to as the “invitation to negotiate” phase. 

Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps is expected to announce the winners of the competition in autumn. Shapps, who said he was “proud to be turbocharging” the nuclear revival added: “Today, as we open Great British Nuclear and the competition to develop cutting-edge small modular reactor technology, which could result in billions of pounds of public and private sector investment, we are seeing the first brush strokes of our nuclear power renaissance to power up Britain and grow our economy for decades to come. 

“By rapidly boosting our homegrown supply of nuclear and other clean, reliable, and abundant energy, we will drive down bills for British homes and make sure the UK is never held to energy ransom by tyrants like Putin.” 

Large gigawatt-scale nuclear power plants have not been forgotten, the government said, adding that it remains committed to Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C projects.  

Julia Pyke, joint managing director for Sizewell C said: It’s great to see the growing ambition for nuclear which underlines the key role it will play in a future ‘net zero’ energy system. Today’s announcement is also another big vote of confidence in Sizewell C, which will continue the transformation in British nuclear construction started by Hinkley Point C.” 

Money better spent elsewhere

News of the nuclear push has angered environmental campaigners and academics who have dismissed the announcement, arguing that nuclear has been showered with money and support for decades without ever working well enough to pay its way. Instead, resources would be better spent on renewables. 

Doug Parr, chief scientist for Greenpeace UK, said that no number of SMRs will fix the government’s lacklustre effort to address issues of delayed connections, smart local grids, and home efficiency.  

He added: “As the government tries to whip up investment for the latest generation of reactors, it is striking how many of the nuclear industry’s speculative claims are being repeated by ministers as fact. The hype seems to have been enough to convince our government that nuclear’s last gasp is in fact a new dawn, but at their radioactive cores SMRs remain the same bad bet. SMRs have no track record, but initial indications are that the familiar problems of cost overruns and delays will be repeated, and the accumulation of unmanageable waste will continue.” 

The view was echoed by Steve Thomas, an emeritus professor of energy policy at the University of Greenwich, who said: “SMRs are a long way from being commercially ready and at best will be as uneconomic as existing technology and at worst won’t even be technically feasible. The answers to reaching net zero with electricity are already available – energy efficiency and renewables. This announcement will only divert time and resources from these.” 

Funding, but not new

Along with officially launching GBN, the government also announced today that up to £157m in grant funding would be available to back up its “nuclear revival”. 

There will be up to £77m to accelerate advanced nuclear business development in the UK and support advanced nuclear designs to enter UK regulation, and a further £58m for the development and design of a type of advanced modular reactor (AMR), that operates at higher temperatures than SMRs. As a result, they could provide high temperature heat for hydrogen production and other industrial uses alongside nuclear power. 

These do not appear to be new grants however, and instead form funding packages which have been publicised before, such as the AMR Research, Development and Demonstration Programme, which is part of the £385m Advanced Nuclear Fund announced in 2020. 

Phase B of this scheme is already closed to applications, and winners have been announced. These include: Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation UK in Warrington, which will receive up to £22.5m to further develop the design of a high temperature micro modular reactor, a type of AMR suited to UK industrial demands; National Nuclear Laboratory, also in Warrington, is set to receive up to £15m to accelerate the design of a high temperature reactor; and National Nuclear Laboratory in Preston , which will get up to £16m to continue the development of sovereign coated particle fuel capability, a type of robust advanced fuel which is suitable for high temperature reactors. 

Eight winning projects will also share £22.3m from the Nuclear Fuel Fund (NFF) to develop new fuel production and manufacturing capabilities in the UK. These include: more than £10.5m to Westinghouse Springfields nuclear fuel plant in Preston; more than £9.5m to Urenco UK in Capenhurst Chester; more than £1m has been awarded to Nuclear Transport Solutions; and more than £1.2m will go to MoltexFLEX, a UK molten salt reactor developer based in the North West. 

Article by Kerry Hebden

Staff Reporter, The Chemical Engineer

'Dark day' for UK as illegal migration bill passes parliament

Even Former PM Theresa May told the UK parliament the bill would “consign more people to slavery” as it passed through both houses.

The New Arab Staff
18 July, 2023

Protesters gathered in Westminster as the bill passed the House of Lords [Getty images]

The UK government’s notorious plans to render irregular arrival by boat to the shores of the British Isles are now set to become law after the House of Lords relented on key amendments to let the legislation pass on Tuesday.

The new legislation, by closing all irregular means of reaching the mainland, will effectively render it impossible to claim asylum in the UK.

According to the bill - a key tranche of Rishi Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats” - asylum seekers will be compelled to make an asylum claim in the first safe country they arrive in rather than coming to the British Isles.

Rights groups, activists and migrants have all expressed their outrage at the landmark new law, which was dubbed as "immoral", "performative cruelty" and a "dark day" for the UK.

Even Former PM Theresa May told the UK Parliament the bill would “consign more people to slavery” after undoing “the good work of the modern slavery act” that was past under her tenure.

‘Contrary to international law’

UN rights chiefs have spoken out stridently against the new law, saying the bill "is at variance with the country's obligations under international human rights and refugee law and will have profound consequences for people in need of international protection".

In a joint statement by UN human rights chief Volker Turk and the UN refugees head Filippo Grandi, both men accused the bill of blocking access to asylum in Britain for anyone who arrives irregularly, having passed through a country - however briefly - where they did not face persecution.

"This new legislation significantly erodes the legal framework that has protected so many, exposing refugees to grave risks in breach of international law," Grandi said.

The 1951 Refugee Convention explicitly recognises that refugees may be compelled to enter a country of asylum irregularly, the pair noted.

"I urge the UK government to renew this commitment to human rights by reversing this law and ensuring that the rights of all migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers are respected, protected and fulfilled, without discrimination," Turk said.

‘Immoral and impractical’

Many analysts also believe the legislation is unlikely to work - either as a deterrent or a practical tool for removing people who do arrive across the channel.

“It is impossible to implement, incredibly expensive and it will create a permanent asylum backlog,” said asylum legal expert Colin Yeo.

“Lots of asylum seekers will disappear into communities. But they’ll still be here, just poor, homeless, vulnerable and exploitable. It’s a terrible piece of legislation,” he said.

Some experts believe that the legislation will even boost the profits of criminal gangs who engage in people smuggling.

“Why do I say criminal gangs are the only ones who will celebrate the passage of Braverman’s ‘illegal migration’ bill?” asked lawyer and campaigner Zoe Gardner.

“Because it empowers them while taking away all legal protections from their victims… You say to the traffickers, we won’t help these people - have at them,” she said.

“People fleeing war and persecution do not have the luxury of waiting around for a visa,” said HRW director Kenneth Roth.

Asylum seeker barge docks in Britain as migration bill becomes law
By Paul Godfrey


A barge destined to accommodate 500 asylum seekers off Britain's south coast docked in Portland, Dorset, on Tuesday ahead of the arrival of its first residents later this month. File Photo by Jon Rowley/EPA-EFE

July 18 (UPI) -- A former gas-field accommodation barge converted to house 500 asylum seekers docked on Britain's south coast Tuesday as the government's controversial drive to "stop the boats" shifted into high gear.

The 10,000-ton Bibby Stockholm cruised into Portland Harbor in Dorset behind a tugboat fresh from a re-fit in Falmouth, Cornwall, just days before the first residents were due to board and hours after the highly contentious Illegal Migration Bill finally cleared the House of Lords.

The barge is one of three the government plans to use to alleviate "unsustainable pressure on the U.K.'s asylum system" and reduce the millions of dollars currently being spent on accommodating asylum seekers in hotels.

The move comes despite opposition from local people who fear the impact of the arrival of 500 mostly single men on a town with a population of just 13,000. Last month, thousands demonstrated, angry that they had not been consulted.

"I think it's right for the public as a whole that we move away from a situation where $7.9 million a day of taxpayers' money is going towards housing these individuals in hotels," said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesperson.

The spokesperson said the government believes it was better to "open specific sites designed to house immigrants that come in, done in a more planned way."

"That's what we are seeking to do with the Bibby Stockholm and that's what we're seeking to do in other parts of the country -- opening up sites to take the pressure off local areas and to reduce the cost," the spokesperson said.

In addition to offering taxpayers "better value" the Home Office said the barge would be "more manageable for communities than costly hotels."

"We continue to work extremely closely with local councils and key partners to prepare for arrival of asylum seekers later this month and minimize disruption for local residents including through substantial financial support," they added.

Charities and campaign groups called the passage late Monday of the migration bill -- which makes arriving in Britain via irregular channels such as small boats illegal -- through the upper house of the legislature "a dark day."

Following an extended battle between the government and Lords, many of whom had fought to amend or block the bill, the government now has the power to detain all asylum seekers on arrival, deport them to their country -- or a safe third country -- and ban them from ever returning or applying for British citizenship.

The government hopes the law will act as a deterrent, drastically reducing numbers from the 45,722 who crossed the English Channel in small boats in 2022. However, the plan hinges on removing people for asylum claims processing to Rwanda, a country the courts have ruled is not safe.

Opposition parties and religious leaders said the law hurt Britain's international image and would not achieve its goals.

Green Party peer Jenny Jones called the law "unworkable, shameful and embarrassing for Britain."

Labor MP Stella Creasy said: "It won't stop the boats. It will damage children's lives. Cruelty might make good telly, but makes terrible legislation."

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said he "failed to see" how the bill would stop the boats but had given way due to the precedent that the House of Commons was supreme to the Lords.

"This cruel bill will now give the government the green light to flout international law and mistreat refugees to distract from their own failure to fix the problems they created when ministers closed safe routes to asylum," said Best of Britain CEO Naomi Smith.

Barges set to hold asylum seekers reported to have been refused berths

Government plans to house asylum seekers on barges hit choppy waters

The Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge arrives in Portland Port

 (Ben Birchall/PA) / PA Wire

By Robert Dex@RobDexES
1 hour ago

The Government says it is “continuing discussions” following a report that two vessels set to house asylum seekers were unable to find a berth.

Sky News reported plans for one of the cruise ships to house asylum seekers near Liverpool were scrapped after being declined by the port operator while another vessel was refused docking near Edinburgh.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “I’ve seen that reported. For our part, we are continuing discussions both in terms of those who can provide additional accommodation facilities and sites where it can be housed.

“That will continue. We want to open more, obviously Bibby Stockholm has arrived today and will be taking people on board this month.”

The Prime Minister has made dealing with the small boats crossing the channel a priority for his administration.

First look inside former RAF base being turned into asylum seeker accommodation

He said in June the government had acquired two vessels, as well as the Bibby Stockholm barge which arrived in Dorset on Tuesday, in an attempt to cut down on multi-million pound hotel bills for housing people crossing in small boats.

It is not clear how much the government paid for the boats before returning them to the owner.

A Home Office spokesperson said they could not comment on commercial arrangements, but said the government had been looking at a “range of accommodation options which offer better value for the British taxpayer than expensive hotels”.

Around 50 asylum seekers will board the Bibby Stockholm from next week.

A Home Office spokesman said: “The Bibby Stockholm has now arrived at Portland Port where it will be moved around the port to position it for its final berth.

“From next week about 50 asylum seekers will be moved on to the vessel as part of a carefully structured plan to increase the number of individuals on board over the next few months.

“The Government is providing substantial funding to local services including the police and NHS to support them and minimise the impact on the community, and there will be 24/7 security on site.

“The site is designed to be self-sufficient in order to minimise the impact on the local community, with catering, recreational areas and basic health care provision on board.”

Bibby Stockholm: Protests as barge to house 500 asylum seekers arrives in Dorset port


The accommodation barge arrived in Portland Port on Tuesday morning

A barge set to house hundreds of asylum seekers off the coast of England was met by protesters as it arrived in Dorset on Tuesday morning.

The Bibby Stockholm - which is due to accommodate 500 people - was pictured being pulled by a tug into Portland Port, a month behind schedule.

Locals opposed to the plan staged a protest on the quayside as the barge was towed in.

PA

They carried placards reading “refugees welcome”, “no to the barge” and “care for refugees and care for Portland too”. Other branded the Bibby Stockholm a “floating prison” and “prison barge”.

Rishi Sunak under pressure on ‘five key pledges’ amid Rwanda court battle

Plans to accommodate migrants on the vessel - under Rishi Sunak’s bid to “stop the boats” crossing the Channel - have been met with widespread backlash.

Human rights organisations have criticised the “cruelty” of “confining” hundreds of vulnerable people on a barge, and have blamed the Government for creating the current backlog of asylum claims.

Around 51,000 asylum seekers are currently in temporary accommodation such as hotels.

PA

Downing Street has defended the use of barges to house migrants, insisting it is a cheaper alternative to housing them in hotels.

But locals in Dorset have raised concerns about the Portland site being used.

Spencer Flower, the Tory leader of Dorset Council, said in May the authority opposed the plan and had “serious reservations about the appropriateness of Portland Port in this scenario”.

The Home Office said the barge will provide “basic and functional accommodation”, healthcare provision and catering facilities.

Around-the-clock security will be in place onboard “to minimise the disruption to local communities”, the Home Office added.

Meanwhile Dorset Council has been given a £2 million funding package to meet the cost of providing services for the Bibby Stockholm residents.

PA

The Bibby Stockholm will be in operation in Portland for at least 18 months and the Home Office is in discussion with other ports with the aim of deploying more vessels.

Liverpool-based operator Bibby Marine Limited says the 93-metre-long barge has been refurbished since it was described as an “oppressive environment” when it was used by the Dutch government to house asylum seekers in the Netherlands.

The barge’s arrival in Portland on Tuesday came after a night of drama on Monday, in which the Tory frontbench saw off five further changes being sought by the unelected chamber to the Illegal Migration Bill, including modern slavery protections and child detention limits.

The reforms are a key part of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s bid to deter people from making hazardous Channel crossings.

PA

They will prevent people from claiming asylum in the UK if they arrive through unauthorised means.

The Government also hopes the changes will ensure detained people are promptly removed, either to their home country or a third country such as Rwanda, which is currently the subject of a legal challenge.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper on Monday declined to commit on immediately closing migrant barges, if the Labour Party seized power at the next general election.

Instead she said it would work to “rapidly clear” the decisions backlog that has spiralled under the Government before reverting to traditional asylum accommodation.

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