A group of 16 pro-nuclear countries, including France, Poland, and the Czech Republic, has called on the EU to provide more support for nuclear energy in its policies to meet climate commitments. The EU is divided over nuclear energy, with this year's debate deepening on whether low carbon nuclear power should count towards renewable energy goals. The disagreements intensified after Germany, Europe's largest energy consumer, shut down its last nuclear reactors last month. Proponents of nuclear energy, which generates baseload CO2-free electricity, argue that it is a way for countries to phase out fossil fuels.
Data from the UK's Insolvency Service has shown that insolvencies in England and Wales fell by 15% YoY but remain higher than pre-pandemic levels, with 1,685 companies registered insolvent in April. Non-seasonally adjusted figures showed a third fewer insolvencies than in March. While the business climate remains tough, trade body R3 said the impact of the Bank of England's interest rate rises had yet to be felt by firms as many had short-term fixed-rate borrowing costs. The BoE said it estimated that only part of its past interest rate rises had been felt by the economy.
The UK and EU have agreed to improve cooperation on migration, with new working arrangements between British agencies and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency. Details and operationalisation of the new agreement will be discussed by UK and EU teams.
Inter Milan are on track to reach the final of the Champions League after winning 2-0 against local rivals AC Milan in the first leg of their semi-final tie. Goals by Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan put Inter in a good position heading into the second leg, which will also be held at the San Siro. Stefano Pioli's AC Milan team improved in the second half but face a tough task in overturning the two-goal deficit. They will be boosted by the return of Rafael Leao, who has recovered from injury and will play a key role.
UK detects bird flu in two poultry workers - health agency
Reuters
23-05-16 17:12
Two poultry workers in England have tested positive for avian influenza virus after working on an infected poultry farm, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Both people were asymptomatic and have since tested negative. The UKHSA said there was still no evidence of “human-to-human transmission” and the level of risk to human health had not changed.
American jailed for spying by China is a veteran pro-Beijing advocate who rubbed shoulders with senior Chinese officials, CNN reporting shows
CNN
23-05-16 16:25
John Shing-Wan Leung, 78, an American citizen, has reportedly been sentenced to life in prison by a Chinese court. Leung was found guilty of spying, however, it was not known that he had been detained until the verdict was delivered. Searches on Chinese state media reports reveal that John Leung is the head of several pro-China groups in the US and has ties with senior Chinese officials. Leung is linked with the National Association for China’s Peaceful Unification (NACPU), Washington DC-based pro-China and Taiwan-focused lobby group, designated a foreign mission in 2020 by the Trump administration. China’s Foreign Ministry said the designation was unjustified.
The Nova Scotia College of Nursing has received 10,526 applications since easing licensing regulations for out-of-province and some international nurses. The college introduced a fast-track to help speed up applications for nurses trained across Canada and in seven other countries where practices are similar to those in Nova Scotia. Deputy registrar Douglas Bungay said the new policy had surpassed the college’s expectations, and temporary and full-time staff have been employed to deal with the number of applications. Those in good standing can be licensed in Nova Scotia by passing a single national nursing exam, which can save months off the registration process. The new process began for Canadian nurses on March 29, and for those registered in the Philippines, Nigeria, India, the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand from May 1.
A survey by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority showed the number of Britons failing to meet credit commitments or miss payments on domestic bills rose from 4.2 million to 5.6 million in the six months to January 2023 due to recession. Research highlighted the "real impact" of inflation, said Sheldon Mills from the FCA. Experts also warned households are facing the "convergence of higher living costs and higher interest rates" pushing personal finances "right to the edge and sometimes over". The watchdog has urged lenders to provide tailored support for those struggling to meet payments.
Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss will say during her visit to Taiwan on August 18 that the West must stand firm against China and offer unwavering support to the independent state. This follows a period of strained relations between Britain and China in recent years, including the increasingly aggressive foreign policy stances taken by China's government. Truss disagrees with the engagement model currently favored by the UK's conservative government, which seeks to engage economically and avoid national security threats. The statement by Truss follows similar calls by the US government in light of China's human rights abuses in Hong Kong and its occupation of Taiwan.
The United Kingdom (UK) has revealed two poultry workers who showed no symptoms of bird flu during testing have tested positive for the disease. The H5 strain of the virus was detected in the workers, who were believed to have caught it from sick birds at a farm, according to the Health Security Agency. Poultry farms in the UK were ordered to house all birds inside from November 2021 until mid-April 2022 following outbreaks on dozens of them. It is the first human bird flu cases since January, when a patient was infected in the south of England.
Toronto’s financial district, which powers the core of the city, is facing a “structural shift” amid new hybrid work patterns and concerns about the future of the area. Fewer commuters into the area are reducing revenue for transit agencies, while the district’s lack of appeal for office destinations may reduce high-end property tax revenues. Furthermore, some people are being deterred from coming into the area, making some businesses feel less safe and retail jobs at risk. Those living in the area are demanding action from local officials including more attractive transit options and lively streets at night.
As a result, Toronto’s authorities are considering what city centres can do to regenerate themselves in the face of remote working. In Chicago, the city is trying to boost civic and public life while encouraging the return of not just workers, but also residents and visitors. Meanwhile New York plans to reimagine commercial districts.
Toronto’s downtown vacancy rate was 16% in the first quarter of 2023, up from 13% a year ago and quadruple what it was before the pandemic. Despite a glut of office space and a shortage of housing, the city’s conversion bylaw prevents most repurposing of office space.
The Palace of Westminster, the seat of British democracy, is at risk of catastrophic destruction due to years of procrastination over its restoration, say members of parliament. The building is crumbling, afflicted by asbestos, leaking and has "dropping masonry", which has led to 44 fire-related incidents since 2016. Lawmakers voted in 2018 to vacate the palace by the mid-2020s, yet some members want to remain. "Further delays are hugely costly to the taxpayer; lack of action is not value for money," said the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee. The renewal cost is high, but "a catastrophic event will destroy" it otherwise, it added.
The seat of British democracy, the UK's parliament building, is at "real and rising" risk of destruction, according to the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee. In a report, the committee warned that the building was "leaking, dropping masonry and at constant risk of fire," as well as carrying a significant amount of asbestos, putting it at risk of catastrophe unless immediate action is taken. The parliament building, which attracts around 1 million visitors annually, has suffered from what the committee called "years of procrastination" over a restoration plan, meaning much of its current restoration consists of "patching up at a cost of about £2m ($2.5m) per week".
Stellantis, which makes cars under brands including Vauxhall, Fiat, Citroen and Peugeot, has warned that Brexit trade rules threaten the UK's automotive sector. The company said it had invested in the UK because it was meeting the strict criteria of the post-Brexit trade deal. However, it is no longer able to meet new rules on where parts are sourced, causing costs to rocket. To cut costs, the firm plans to move production out of the UK unless rules are revised by December. In 2024, 45% of EV components must come from either the UK or the EU to qualify.
The UK has announced it will speed up plans to protect London from flooding and rising sea levels in response to studies that show the increased risk from climate change. The new climate adaptation programme will bring forward the deadline for defences around the city to 2050, rather than the 2065 target it originally set in 2012. The scheme had initially proposed the protection of millions of people and hundreds of billions of pounds' worth of property from the River Thames by increasing defences by up to one metre in sections of the river.
Cryptocurrencies should be regulated as gambling, according to a report by a UK parliamentary committee. Bitcoin, ether and other digital currencies can pose risks to consumers and be used by fraudsters, said the report, which added that existing rules only require them to comply with anti-money laundering safeguards. As cryptocurrencies are not backed by currencies or assets and offer high risk volatility, they present a high risk of investors losing all the money they put into them, it said. About one in 10 UK adults has invested in cryptocurrency, according to official figures.
A stem cell study led by a team at the state-backed Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and published in the journal Nature last year did not receive the required ethical approval, according to the CAS ethics committee office. The researcher involved falsified paperwork during the process of publishing the paper to show the study had ethical approval when it did not, said Yang Weiping, director of the CAS office. The study converted human pluripotent stem cells into eight-cell totipotent embryo-like cells before injecting them into the uterus of mice to develop further. The researcher concerned received a warning, suspension as a postgraduate supervisor for a year, and a cut in some research funding.
China has strengthened ethics oversight on scientific research involving humans in recent years, after Shenzhen scientist He Jiankui announced in 2018 that he had produced the first gene-edited babies. He was handed a three-year jail term for “illegal medical practices”. New bioethics guidelines on human-related research were introduced in March. The study published last month in Chinese journal Science Bulletin, led by Yang of the CAS office, found that failure to obtain approval to conduct research from ethics committees is the main reason scientific papers are retracted worldwide, with 77% of retractions globally and 58% in China made for this reason.
Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss has called China the “biggest long-term threat” to Britain while warning of its growing political and economic influence. Truss is the first former UK prime minister to visit self-ruled Taiwan since Margaret Thatcher's visit in 1990. She hailed the country as “an enduring rebuke to totalitarianism” whose fate was a “core interest” to Europe. China’s relations with Britain and other Western democracies remain in decline, as they dispute issues such as human rights, trade technology, China’s aggressive moves in the South China Sea and its crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong.
The G7 leaders are meeting in Hiroshima for their annual summit, which will focus heavily on the threat China’s economic coercion poses to the seven countries. The use of that coercion – punitive trade measures – has raised concern throughout Asia-Pacific and Europe, with some countries including Japan, Australia and South Korea having faced trade restrictions following disputes with Beijing over issues related to Taiwan and the origins of Covid-19. The G7 is reportedly preparing a statement of concern over such practices and may suggest ways to co-operate – but members are deeply divided over how to manage their business ties with China.
Reports have emerged of damage to a US-supplied Patriot PAC-2 missile defence system being used by Ukraine against Russian air attacks, following a Russian claim that a Kinzhal missile had destroyed a Patriot missile battery. One US official has reportedly said that there were discussions ongoing with Ukraine over how best to repair the system but that it should not have to be removed from the country. It is not yet clear how much damage has been done but the Patriot is widely seen as one of the most advanced US air defence systems.
