UK economy bounced back from pandemic much faster than previously thought, revised GDP figures show


Daniel O'Boyle
Fri, 1 September 2023 

The UK economy bounced back from the Covid-19 pandemic much more quickly than previously thought, official statistics revealed today, with new revised figures adding 1.7% to the country’s GDP for the fourth quarter of 2021 (PA)

The UK economy bounced back from the Covid-19 pandemic much more quickly than previously thought, official statistics revealed today, with new revised figures adding 1.7% to the country’s GDP for the fourth quarter of 2021.

However, what this means for the current size of the economy and its direction of travel is unclear, as revised statistics covering more recent quarters will not be published until 30 September.

Given that the new estimates of 2021’s GDP are higher, and that unrevised figures show that growth has been close to flat since then, the statistics could mean the economy today is bigger than previously thought, throwing doubt on the narrative of slow UK growth.


However, it could also be that existing estimates of GDP this year is accurate and the economy declined, possibly entering a recession, this year.

The revisions dealt with estimates of business expenditures in 2020 and 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The ONS said that recent surveys suggest that manufacturing business’ costs in 2020 and 2021 were higher than past estimates. In addition, manufacturing and mining companies also held more stock than first thought.

Both of these led to what the ONS called a “brighter picture” for GDP.

The ONS estimate of GDP for the fourth quarter of 2021 is now 1.7% higher than it was before the revision. That would mean the economy was back ahead of pre-pandemic levels before 2021 was over, a stark difference from the past data which said the UK had still not returned to pre-pandemic GDP in the second quarter of this year.

The new data brings the UK closer to its global peers in terms of its recovery from the pandemic, reaching pre-pandemic levels faster than France and Italy. However, the ONS noted that other countries may revise their own data as well as improved information comes in.

“Producing estimates of GDP in unprecedented times, when much of these data we need to produce complete national accounts are not available for a couple of years after the event is clearly a challenge,” the ONS said. “We are among the first of our international colleagues to update our initial estimates with more detailed data.”

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt hailed the revised figures.

“The fact that the UK recovered from the pandemic much faster than thought shows that once again those determined to talk down the British economy have been proved wrong,” he said.

UK

‘Real risk of new generation of pension inequality if action not taken’

Vicky Shaw, PA Personal Finance Correspondent
Fri, 1 September 2023 



There is a “real risk” of a new generation of pension inequality emerging if further action is not taken, according to new research.

Government, employers and the pensions industry need to act, the report from consultants LCP (Lane Clark & Peacock) said.

The Government should take further steps to reduce the inequalities which arise following the birth of a child, including effective policies on shared parenting and greater provision of support for childcare for the youngest children, the report said.


Employers should also do more to tackle the wide range of underlying causes behind pay gaps and review the support given to new parents, it added.

Firms should also support workers with caring responsibilities in later life, with a focus on flexible working and allowing employees to undertake a period of intensive caring without losing their ability to return to paid work at a later stage, researchers said.

Pension schemes and providers should also equip women and men to better understand their pensions and be empowered to make more informed choices, they urged.

Laura Myers, a partner at LCP and one of the report’s authors, said: “Our research suggests that there has been welcome progress in some aspects of the gender pension gap, notably the reduction in inequality in state pensions.

“But there is a real risk of a new generation of pension inequality if action is not taken.”

Kim Brown, chair of the industry-wide Pensions Equity Group, said: “It is vital that government, employers and the pensions industry work together to tackle the multiple causes of pensions inequality. Only in this way can we make sure that all people can look forward to retirement with confidence.”

The report cautioned: “Given that pension outcomes may be determined by labour market experiences over a period of 40-50 years, even improvements in gender pay equality in the last decade or so would only have a limited impact on those retiring in the next 10 to 20 years.

“It is likely therefore that historic inequalities in the labour market experiences of men and women are likely to have a persistent impact on pension outcomes at retirement for many years to come, even if progress is made going forward.”

In June, Pensions Minister Laura Trott said there was “no easy solution” to the pensions gender gap.

Speaking about the pensions gender gap, she said previously: “It’s something that I’ve always been committed to… and I think that the things the Government have done recently in terms of childcare support will help address it because the pensions gap is largely a function of the pay gap at times.

“It’s a multi-faceted problem, there’s no easy solution, but when you measure something I do think you tend to focus on it more.”

Figures recently released by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) showed that between 2018 and 2020, a median average woman aged 55 to 59 had £94,000 on average built up in private pension wealth, while an equivalent male had £145,000.

The new state pension was introduced in 2016, with the aim of providing a clearer, simpler and more sustainable system for the future.

The Government has said it is supporting proposals to expand automatic enrolment, which has already brought millions of people into workplace pensions.

A Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) spokesperson said: “The success of automatic enrolment has transformed the UK pensions landscape and brought millions of women into pension saving for the very first time.

“We recently published the first official measure of the gender pensions gap, which will help track the collective efforts of government, industry and employers to close it and ensure women can look forward to the retirements they’ve worked so hard for.”

Phil Brown, director of policy at People’s Partnership, provider of the People’s Pension, said: “This latest report is a reminder of how closing the gender pensions gap is the responsibility of government, employers and the pensions industry.

“This is largely a labour market problem, rather than solely a pensions problem and the gap will only be closed if labour market inequalities are adequately resolved.

“Barriers to auto-enrolment play a role in the gap, as does the high cost of childcare, which causes women to reduce their working hours, hitting their pension pot.”

Hetty Hughes, manager, long-term savings policy at the Association of British Insurers (ABI), said: “It’s crucial that efforts to address the gender pension gap are prioritised and, alongside our members, we’ve been driving efforts to bridge the gap. This research reinforces our view that far more needs to be done, and more urgently, if we’re going to level-up women’s pensions.

“Planned changes to automatic enrolment and the Law Commission’s review into pension sharing on divorce are both welcome developments, but more support is needed.

“The report rightly highlights the multifaceted causes of the gender pensions gap, all of which require different solutions. One such solution is improving people’s understanding and engagement with their pensions, which is why we are working with providers on the ‘pension attention’ campaign which launches its second year this September.”

World’s first solar powered hybrid truck tested on public roads


Anthony Cuthbertson
Mon, 4 September 2023 

Scania is testing the world’s first hybrid truck with a solar panel covered trailer on public roads in Sweden (Scania)

Swedish truck giant Scania has unveiled a first-of-its-kind hybrid lorry covered in dozens of solar panels that are capable of providing up to 10,000 kilometres of range annually.

The next-generation vehicle has already been successfully tested on public roads, with Scania hoping to develop the technology for use in commercial transport fleets.

“Never before have solar panels been used to generate energy to a truck’s powertrain like we do in this collaboration,” said Stas Krupenia, who heads Scania’s research department.


“This natural energy source can significantly decrease emissions in the transport sector.”

The energy produced by the solar panels provide the truck with a driving range of up to 5,000 kilometres per year in Sweden, though this would double in countries with more sunshine like Spain.

The researchers who created the concept believe future versions could double the solar energy generation to improve the range even further by making use of new perovskite solar cells.

“Our research towards efficient and light solar cells will be truly important, especially when it comes to applying them in future trucks,” said Erik Johansson, a professor of physical chemistry at Uppsala University in Sweden who was involved in the project.

“This is an exciting project where academia and industry together try to decrease the climate impact from truck transports. The results from this unique truck will be very interesting.”

The hybrid truck forms part of a push by companies and institutions around the world to research ways to transition away from fossil fuel-powered vehicles towards more sustainable solutions.

Last year, Dutch startup Lightyear showcased a solar-powered car capable of travelling hundreds of kilometres on a single charge.

Reservations for the Lightyear One require a €150,000 down payment (Lightyear)

Described as the “world’s most efficient and sustainable” vehicle, the Lightyear One is already available for pre-order and is expected to be the first four-wheeled solar-powered car capable of carrying more than one passenger to make it to market.

“Our road tests confirm that we’re on track to producing the most aerodynamic five-seater to date,” the firm stated in a release posted to its website.

“As our world moves to more sustainable energy sources, Lightyear is driving the development of clean mobility in the automotive industry.”

Marjorie Taylor Greene claims Burning Man disaster was an ‘act of God’ and trapped revellers are ‘brainwashed’

Marjorie Taylor Greene, Fellow Right-Wing Zealots Blame God for Burning Man Floods

Miles Klee
Mon, September 4, 2023 

For days, heavy rains have mired the annual Burning Man festival in thick mud in the remote desert of Black Rock City, Nevada, stranding tens of thousands of attendees who nonetheless struggled to keep the party going. At least one person has died, and organizers announced yesterday that the traditional closing ceremony — in which the titular effigy is set ablaze — would be postponed from Sunday to Monday.

But as burners conserved food and water, preparing to begin an exodus as conditions allowed, two Republicans in congress said their misery was a message from a vengeful deity.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, never one to pass up a chance to talk conspiracy theories, appeared on Alex Jones‘ InfoWars show Sunday night and said at one point, “I want to talk about Burning Man for a minute.” Jones interrupted to allege that festival-goers had staged a “mock sacrifice” before the weather turned dangerous. Greene replied, “God has a way of making sure everyone knows who God is.”

Despite chalking the disaster up to divine fury, however, Greene then proceeded with another angle, positing that burners “were probably being brainwashed that climate change is the cause of all of it, it’s the root of all evil, and it’s going to destroy the Earth. And they’re feeling the panic.” She further speculated that Burning Man attendees would now go home to evangelize on the importance of fighting the human-made climate crisis.

“I believe this is the left’s new lie that they’re going to put on the American people,” she said. “This is what they’re brainwashing people to believe.” Greene did not explain how the political left might have colluded with God in order to produce unexpected rainfall that benefited their agenda.

Also on Sunday night, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah took to his account on X (formerly known as Twitter), which he has previously used to threaten the nation of Japan, to imply that the floods were nothing less than “God’s judgment.” The post linked to a tabloid article describing some of the more offbeat activities at Burning Man, including “group orgasm sessions, daily whippings and naked oil wrestling.” Of such pursuits, the senator grumbled, “This isn’t healthy.” Shortly before that, Lee had quote-tweeted far-right Daily Wire host Michael Knowles‘ comment that “one should endeavor to avoid traveling to the desert for week-long bacchanalian orgies that culminate in the worship of giant burning idols.” Lee wondered how many may have “had a ‘road to Damascus’ moment” at this year’s Burning Man, making a biblical reference to the conversion of Paul the Apostle to Christianity.

On Saturday, Andrew Torba, founder of the far-right social platform Gab, took a break from pressuring X owner Elon Musk to develop more antisemitic policies and fell for a podcaster’s hoax about a virus outbreak at Burning Man. He took it as further evidence that the festival was being punished for devil worship. “Wow God unleashed a plague and a flood of rain over the satanic ritual ‘burning man’ in the desert that all of the elites attend?” he tweeted. “You don’t say.” No such plague has circulated among attendees.

Last but not least, Jeff Clark, a former assistant attorney general indicted in Georgia last month along with 18 others, including Donald Trump, for an alleged conspiracy to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election, weighed in with his own moralizing take. Commenting Sunday on a post from former solicitor general Neal Katyal, who had hiked out through the mud to escape Burning Man, Clark called the festival a “neopagan ritual.”

“Pray that these folks come to the light & realize that the only path is through and to our Lord,” Clark wrote. “We are all fallen and need God, and to repent as a Nation.”

Of course, when it comes to repenting himself, Clark is less enthusiastic, having pleaded “not guilty” to his criminal charges in Georgia as he seeks to have the trial delayed. We’ll have to wait and see whether that court of law is any more merciful than the Almighty.

More from Rolling Stone

• Burning Man 2023: How Rain Brought Black Rock City Together

• Burning Man Shut Down Due to Heavy Rain, Stranding Attendees

Russia arrests mathematician on terrorism charges minutes after his release from prison


Associated Press
Mon, 4 September 2023 

MOSCOW (AP) — Authorities in Russia arrested a mathematician on terrorism charges Monday after he had just completed a prison sentence for hooliganism, the latest step in a years-long Kremlin crackdown on political opponents.

Azat Miftakhov, 30, was detained minutes after his release from a penal colony over 900 kilometers (559 miles) east of Moscow, according to Russian media reports. His lawyer, Svetlana Sidorkina, told Russian state news agency Tass that Miftakhov was charged with justifying terrorism and refused to plead guilty.

Miftakhov was arrested in 2019 and accused of attacking a Moscow office of the Kremlin's ruling United Russia party, allegations he rejected. At the time, he was a postgraduate student pursuing an advanced degree in math and professed anarchist views. He accused authorities of torturing him in detention.

A Moscow court convicted him of hooliganism in 2021 and sentenced him to six years in prison. Human Rights Watch called his conviction “clearly unjust and unfair.” Memorial, Russia’s oldest human rights group and a co-winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, declared Miftakhov a political prisoner.

With the time he spent in pretrial detention taken into account, Miftakhov was released Monday from IK-17, a penal colony in the Kirov region northeast of Moscow.

Miftakhov's supporters told Russian media that he was taken back into custody minutes after he came out of the facility and barely had time to speak to his relatives waiting outside.

Tass reported Monday that the new charges center around conversations with other inmates during which Miftakhov allegedly expressed support for a 2018 attack on a regional office of Russia's Federal Security Service that killed three officers of the agency, known by the Russian acronym FSB.

Authorities deemed the attack an act of terrorism.

Kremlin critics and political opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin have come under increased pressure from the government in recent years. Many were arrested and sentenced to lengthy prison terms. Others have left the country to avoid being prosecuted.

The number of arrests and raids targeting opposition activists increased exponentially after Russia sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

Australian MPs to lobby US to drop Julian Assange prosecution or risk ‘very dangerous’ precedent for Russia and China


Daniel Hurst 

Foreign affairs and defence correspondent

/The Guardian
Tue, 5 September 2023 

Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Julian Assange’s supporters will urge the US to drop the prosecution of the Australian citizen on the basis the “very dangerous” precedent will be exploited by China and Russia.

Six Australian politicians are expected to focus on freedom-of-speech arguments when they fly to Washington DC later this month to warn against extraditing the WikiLeaks founder from the UK.

Related: Julian Assange: US rejects Australia’s calls to end pursuit of WikiLeaks founder during Ausmin talks

The MPs and senators from across the political spectrum are aiming to help build momentum for the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, to raise the case in bilateral talks with Joe Biden at the White House in late October. The trip is being funded by the Assange campaign.

Assange remains in Belmarsh prison in London as he fights a US attempt to extradite him to face charges in connection with the publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars as well as diplomatic cables.

Greg Barns SC, an adviser to the Assange campaign, said on Tuesday that it was “not an ordinary run-of-the-mill extradition case”. He said freedom of speech was “an important theme in the US”.

“You’ve got China chasing journalists around the world, and you’ve got the Russians who have recently arrested journalists,” Barns told Guardian Australia.

“You’ve now got China using the Assange case as a sort of moral equivalence argument. So the message [of the Australian delegation] is going to be: this is very dangerous for journalists around the world and a race to the bottom that’s going on.”

China’s foreign ministry spokesperson has discussed the issue at the daily press conference in Beijing at least five times since early last year, including to say Assange should not “stand trial for telling people the truth”.

China has also argued the extradition bid “is a mirror” that “reflects the hypocrisy of the US and the UK on ‘press freedom’”.

The state-affiliated Global Times has regularly covered the case, including publishing an op-ed titled: “Can the Assange question tip toward a more independent foreign policy for Australia?”

Barns said: “The US is likes to preach democratic standards and human rights standards around the world. And yet, because of this case, it’s allowed the Chinese to be able to say, ‘Well, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.’”

He said the cross-party trip to the US – whose delegates include the former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce and the independent MP Monique Ryan – was “very timely” because it was a month before Albanese’s state visit to the US.

“There’s a very clear message being sent that this is not simply a matter where Australia would politely request that some action be taken – this has now gone beyond that,” Barns said.

Julian Assange’s brother Gabriel Shipton, says Anthony Albanese should appeal to Biden personally for ‘goodwill between friends’. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

“There is no better ally of the United States in the region and, in that context, this is not a big ask.”

Assange’s brother, Gabriel Shipton, said the prime minister should tell Biden that “this is an issue for us back at home; we need some goodwill between friends on this”.

Shipton said he spoke often with Assange’s wife, Stella. “He’s doing OK, all things considered,” Shipton said.

“He’s got the support of his family, the visits from Stella, the phone calls – that’s his lifeline, keeping him going, his connection to the outside world. If he’s extradited, that all gets taken away.”

In Brisbane in July, the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, pushed back at the Australian government’s complaints that the pursuit of Assange had dragged on too long.

Blinken said Assange was alleged to have “risked very serious harm to our national security”.

But Joyce said it set “a very dangerous precedent” for an Australian to be sent to a third country to be tried, despite not being a citizen of that country or being there at the time of the alleged actions.

Ryan said the US had “always been a leader on free speech” and Americans felt strongly about the first amendment.

“Australia is an excellent friend to the US and it’s not an unreasonable request to ask the US to cease this extradition attempt on Mr Assange,” Ryan said. “He is a journalist; he should not be prosecuted for crimes of journalism.”

Other members of the delegation include the Greens senators David Shoebridge and Peter Whish-Wilson, the Liberal senator Alex Antic, and the Labor MP Tony Zappia.

“We’ve just come from voting different ways in the Senate and we’re coming together to unite on Julian Assange,” Shoebridge said at a joint press conference. “And I think that shows the unifying power of this campaign in Australian politics.”

The delegates are expected to meet with members of the House and the Senate, officials from the US departments of justice and state and media freedom groups.

Online gambling firm In Touch Games has licences to operate in Britain suspended

Lucas Cumiskey, PA
Sat, 2 September 2023 


Online gambling firm In Touch Games has had its licences to operate in Britain suspended by the industry regulator.

The Gambling Commission suspended the firm’s operating licences as it carries out a review under section 116 of the Gambling Act 2005.

It said it suspects the operator failed to follow licence conditions related to money laundering, fair and transparent terms and practices, and reporting key events.


In Touch Games operates 11 websites including bonusboss.co.uk, cashmo.co.uk, drslot.co.uk, jammymonkey.com and slotfactory.com.

The regulator’s website now lists all these trading names as “inactive”.


In February, the commission said the firm had been fined £6.1 million for social responsibility and money laundering failings.

The business’s social responsibility failures included not interacting with a customer until seven weeks after they had been flagged for erratic and extended play, and accepting a customer’s word that they earned £6,000 a month without verifying it until they were flagged for gambling during unsociable hours.

Anti-money laundering failures included not having appropriate policies, procedures and controls and not sufficiently considering or implementing the regulator’s money laundering and terrorist financing risk assessment or guidance.

It was the third time In Touch Games faced regulatory action. In 2019 it paid a £2.2 million settlement for failures and in 2021 it was fined £3.4 million and warned over further failures.

According to Companies House, In Touch Games Ltd’s accounts are “overdue”, as its figures for up to July 29 2022 were due by April 29 2023.

A Gambling Commission spokesperson said: “In accordance with section 118 (2) of the Act the commission has determined to suspend the above operating licence.

“We have made it clear to the operator that during the course of the suspension we expect it to focus on treating consumers fairly and keeping them fully informed of any developments which impact them.

“The suspension does not prevent the operator from allowing consumers to access their accounts and withdrawing funds.

“The suspension takes place immediately.”

In June 2022, Skywind Holdings announced it had acquired Intouch Games Group.

Skywind Group, an online gambling business, has been approached for comment.

The Gambling Commission licenses, regulates, advises and provides guidance to individuals and businesses offering gambling in Britain, including the National Lottery.

The Gen Z rebels planning a Greenpeace counter-attack

Matt Oliver

THE TORY TELEGRAPH
Sat, 2 September 2023 

Greenpeace cites past disasters such as Fukushima and Chernobyl to oppose nuclear power - JOHN THYS/AFP

The dinosaur lay dead, sprawled in front of the Brandenburg Gate, with the words “Deutsche Atomkraft” – German nuclear power – emblazoned on the side of its stomach.

Surrounded by fake nuclear waste barrels, the four metre long sculpture was placed in the centre of Berlin by Greenpeace to celebrate the end of nuclear power in Germany last April.

It was a typically eye-catching demonstration by the 54-year-old campaign group, which is famous for its daring and controversial stunts.


Yet today the charity and its bosses are the ones being labelled dinosaurs, amid a row with younger climate activists over their “old fashioned and unscientific” attitude towards nuclear power.

A petition launched this week by Ia Aanstoot, an 18-year-old from Sweden, calls on Greenpeace to end its opposition to atomic energy, which they say is “no longer morally or politically justifiable”.

The dispute highlights a growing fissure within climate activism, with campaigners split over whether nuclear power should be embraced or reviled as an alternative to fossil fuels.

Greenpeace says it has “always fought – and will continue to fight – vigorously against nuclear power because it is an unacceptable risk to the environment and to humanity”, pointing to past disasters such as Fukushima and Chernobyl.

But that position has put it at odds with younger activists such as Aanstoot, who say it makes no sense to discard what to them is a vital tool – when managed properly – in the fight against climate change.

“Unlike some of the people that run Greenpeace, it’s my generation that will have to live with the consequences of climate change,” says Aanstoot’s open letter, which was published this week.

“In my experience young people tend to be open minded to all solutions, including nuclear.

“Put simply, we trust the science. Our real enemy isn’t nuclear energy, it’s FOSSIL FUELS.”

Sweden's Ia Aanstoot is leading the counterattack against Greenpeace's opposition to nuclear power

The civil war within the net zero has erupted into the open as Greenpeace takes legal action to stop the European Union from classifying nuclear power as “sustainable” for investment purposes, through a scheme known as the “green taxonomy”.

Greenpeace claims that including nuclear power stations in the bucket of energy projects that can qualify for EU state support and green investment funds risks diverting money away from renewable energy schemes, while doing irreversible damage to the environment.

In response, Aanstoot and her allies are raising money to launch a counterattack by hiring their own lawyers and speaking against the charity at a showdown in the European Court of Justice.

Aanstoot, who for years joined the Friday school strikes started by fellow Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, says Greenpeace’s position is outdated and risks making the group “totally irrelevant”.

She became disillusioned with the group’s position on nuclear power after debating with older activists who remained implacably opposed, even as respected organisations such as the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that the push towards “net zero” carbon emissions would be far harder without it.

A 2019 report by the IEA pointed out that nuclear power was the second-biggest source of low-carbon power globally, after hydro-electric, reducing the need for gas power plants or more carbon-intensive alternatives.

It also warned that additional investment of $1.6 trillion would be needed in wind, solar and grid upgrades up to 2040 if the world’s nuclear power plants were phased out of use.

This is why Aanstoot argues Greenpeace’s opposition to nuclear power – which she regards as a hangover from the Cold War – is so wrongheaded.

“Greenpeace is a part of an older climate generation,” she says.

“For a lot of them, the anti-nuclear movement is what the climate movement is. I feel differently.”

She shares Greenpeace’s concerns about nuclear waste but argues that the need to prevent catastrophic climate change – and the risks posed if we fail – are far more pressing.

“We’re talking about an entirely different scale of crises,” she argues. “Nuclear waste is very well regulated. My generation, we can figure out the science of how to manage that at a later date. Climate change has to be essentially now or in the next few decades.”

She is just one among a growing cohort of teenage and twenty-something who are banging the drum for nuclear power on social media.

Isabelle Boemeke, a Brazilian model known as “Isodope” to her tens of thousands of followers on TikTok and Twitter/X, calls herself “the world’s first nuclear energy influencer”, dispensing facts about the technology and witty memes to her audience.

Brazilian model Isabelle Boemeke is a 'nuclear energy influencer' who dispenses facts about the technology on social media - ANGELA WEISS/AFP

She has collaborated online with Grace Stanke, a nuclear engineering student who was recently crowned “Miss America 2023” and spends her spare time promoting atomic energy.

Yet activists like these face an uphill struggle. Greenpeace’s objections to nuclear power are deep-rooted, going back to its very foundation in 1971 when a small band of activists set sail in a boat of the same name to try to stop an American nuclear weapons test in Alaska.

Today, the group’s main objections to nuclear remain the risks surrounding waste disposal and a concern that proliferation of fuel could allow easier proliferation of nuclear weapons.

“Our position on nuclear is evidence-based,” says Doug Parr, Greenpeace UK’s chief scientist.

“There are a number of features to nuclear, where the associated hazards are unique and, ultimately, unmanageable.”

Workers are still cleaning up the former site of the Sellafield nuclear plant in Cumbria, built in the 1950s to make weapons-grade plutonium for nuclear bombs. Nuclear waste from the site will remain in storage until at least 2120.

Meanwhile, Hinkley Point C in Somerset, which is under construction, is expected to run until 2083 and will not be fully decommissioned until 2138, when all the spent fuel has been disposed of.

Parr says these long timescales present dangers in and of themselves, putting waste sites at risk of “black swan” events – such as terrorist attacks, serious mishaps or wars – which are impossible to predict and could have devastating consequences.

Hinkley Point C will be able to supply electricity to about six million homes - Anna Barclay/Getty Images Europe

Other experts dispute this, saying spent fuel pools are safe and difficult to reach behind thick steel and reinforced concrete structures.

“If you believe that humans are perfect, institutions are great and nothing can ever go wrong with regulation, you might think there’s nothing wrong with nuclear waste,” Parr hits back. “But we know that’s not true.”

He is also uneasy about the historic link between civil and military nuclear programmes. “That link has not gone away,” Parr adds.

“It’s acknowledged in France, where they’re quite open about the fact that part of the purpose of their civil programme is to ensure they have people who are skilled for their military programme. It is not an emotional thing to be concerned about that.”

Experts point out this uncompromising stance can have perverse consequences. In Germany, where Greenpeace cheered on the early closure of nuclear reactors, the country has compensated by burning larger quantities of coal in its power stations.

“They’re stuck in a lot of fears and dogmas about nuclear power, because I think a lot of them grew up in the anti-nuclear movement,” says Aanstoot. “We have to concentrate on using all the tools at our disposal to get rid of fossil fuels.”

Elon Musk’s SpaceX accused of ‘hijacking’ £5.5bn British satellite deal

Matthew Field
Sat, 2 September 2023 

Viasat has hit back at Elon Musk's 'years-old, unfounded’ claims - (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has been accused of trying to “hijack” the £5.5bn takeover of a British satellite company after demanding US authorities re-run an investigation into the deal.

The Tesla billionaire’s space company has written to a US regulator demanding it “expeditiously review and rescind” a decision to green light a merger between American company Viasat and Britain’s Inmarsat.

SpaceX, which has launched a vast satellite network called Starlink, has claimed Viasat is causing interference with its satellites and breaching its licensing conditions in a long-running row between the two companies.

Viasat has hit back by accusing Mr Musk of creating the risk of orbital collisions by launching thousands of small satellites.

SpaceX previously tried to block the multibillion pound Inmarsat takeover, but it was cleared by regulators.

Though the deal has closed, Mr Musk’s company has now demanded a further review over the transfer of control of Inmarsat’s satellites, which are used for maritime communications and defence.

In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), SpaceX said the acquisition was “contrary to the public interest” because of Viasat’s “blatant disregard” for regulations. It said the regulator had “improperly” failed to consider its claims the first time.

Viasat hit back by saying the complaint “dredges up a years-old, unfounded” accusation. It said the FCC had already found it “qualified to obtain licences” and that its rival’s latest assault was an attempt to “hijack” the takeover.

A Viasat spokesman said: “These are old arguments that have been tried and failed before - the FCC expressly rejected them in clearing the acquisition. And they will certainly fail again.

“Our focus is on integrating Inmarsat’s assets and capabilities into the Viasat family to offer the innovative new services our customers want.”

Mr Musk has previously lashed out at Viasat. In 2020, after Viasast warned about Starlink’s potential impact on space debris, Mr Musk tweeted that Starlink “poses a hazard to Viasat’s profits, more like it”.

The Inmarsat takeover was cleared by regulators in the UK and the US and completed in May, bringing together two major satellite providers as the industry attempts to counteract Starlink’s rapid expansion.

Headquartered in California, Viasat provides satellite broadband, in-flight Wi-Fi and military communications from craft orbiting high above the earth. Hundreds of thousands of people use its satellites for broadband in remote areas.

However, it has suffered a series of setbacks this year after two of its satellites malfunctioned shortly after launch.

Analysts and industry reports have estimated the cost of the two craft to be in excess of $1bn, although if they are a total loss some of this will be covered by insurance.

UK Government ‘in talks with Tata Steel to provide £500m funding package’

Nina Lloyd, PA
Sat, 2 September 2023



The Government is reportedly in advanced talks with Tata Steel to provide a £500 million funding package aimed at safeguarding the long-term future of a key part of Britain’s steel industry.

The deal would secure £1 billion for the group’s Port Talbot steelworks but could lead to as many as 3,000 job losses, according to Sky News.

Under draft plans, the Government would commit approximately £500 million of public funding, while Tata Steel’s Indian parent company would agree £700 million of capital expenditure over a multi-year period, the report said.

The company would reportedly commit to building electric arc furnaces, which offer greener, less labour-intensive ways of producing steel than traditional blast furnaces.

Industry sources close to the negotiations told Sky that as many as 3,000 of the company’s staff based in the UK could lose their jobs.

Port Talbot is thought to employ about 4,000 workers.

A Tata Steel spokesman said in a statement issued to Sky News: “Tata Steel is continuing to discuss with the UK Government a framework for continuity and decarbonisation of steelmaking in the UK amidst very challenging underlying business conditions, given that several of its heavy-end assets are approaching the end of life.

“Given the financially constrained position of our UK business, such significant change is only possible with Government investment and support, as also seen in other steelmaking countries in Europe where governments are actively supporting companies in decarbonisation initiatives.”

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham criticised the reported plans and said the union would be “mounting a significant campaign” to protect jobs.

“This Government could make us the green steel capital of Europe – instead they are choosing to follow a job cuts agenda,” she said.

“Unite will leave no stone unturned in the fight for jobs. We will now be mounting a significant campaign on this issue and we fully expect the Labour Party to make a serious commitment to a better future for UK Steel.”

Tata Steel, the Treasury and the Department for Business and Trade have been contacted for comment.