Scotsman – News in brief – 12/07/06
TONY Blair yesterday declared that
Nuclear power is the future
and opened the route to a new generation of
nuclear power stations - but only in England and not in ScotlandThe
government's heavily trailed Energy Review yesterday confirmed expectations that ministers have set aside their objections to new nuclear plants and international energy giants will be granted permission to build up to ten new reactors south of the Border, thereby effectively formalising a cross-Border energy divide. Just over two years ago an earlier policy review declared that nuclear power would not be a viable option for Britain's future energy needs. However the 215-page study released yesterday found that nuclear power "is a potentially economic source of electricity" that produces only low levels of carbon dioxide, which gas scientists blame for global warming.Planning rules are to be simplified to make it easier to get permission to build new plants but changes to planning rules will apply only south of the Border and Scottish ministers can still veto any new stations in Scotland. Jack McConnell, the First Minister, claimed last night that way was now clear to a nuclear-free Scotland. He said, " (We) welcome the emphasis the review puts on renewables. Scotland has vast potential to exploit energy sources like marine and wind power," and " I have no doubt Scotland's most important contribution to the UK's energy future can and will be through renewables." - Jack McConnell In addition to nuclear power the review also plots a route for an increased proportion of British electricity to be produced from wind, wave and solar power. At present renewable sources account for less than 5 per cent of UK electricity, but the new government target is set at 20 per cent. The Executive hopes to bring forward new planning measures that will shorten the time frame for windfarms to become operational. Deputy first minister, Nicol Stephen, said: "I am determined to reduce the time taken to process applications for renewables developments." The Prime Minister, accused by environmentalists of being fixated on nuclear power, emphasised that the review was about the delivery of a balanced "mix" of energy production. Mr Blair said "People will focus on nuclear. We've had nuclear power in this country for half a century. We've got to replace them, but we've got to do more of the rest of the stuff." There will be a new planning regime in England and the Scottish Parliament is processing similar changes, but the Scottish Executive has promised that the new rules will not be used to fast-track new nuclear power stations and has said it will oppose any new nuclear stations until the issue of disposing of nuclear waste has been resolved.
IDENTITY cards have not been included in the government's definitive account of Britain's counter-terrorism strategy, fuelling speculation that Tony Blair's controversial scheme is in serious trouble. The Home Office admitted that the timetable for the entire project could slip, after the omission of ID cards from anti-terrorism strategy came to light raising more doubts about its future. The United Kingdom's Strategy report released this week by the Home Office's Countering International Terrorism lists all of the ways the government is responding to threat of extremism. While there are plans for "biometric" visas and passports, the proposed ID card system has been given no mention in the strategy, despite claims by the Prime Minister and the Home Office that ID cards would enhance national security. Phil Booth, national co-ordinator of the No2ID campaign said, "Clearly ID cards play no part in the thinking of the Counter-Terrorism and Intelligence Directorate, despite all the national security claims made during the passage of the Identity Cards Bill through Parliament."
Dr Piers Sellers, an Edinburgh University ecology graduate, will space walabove Earth today with his safety equipment tethered by the very finest of 21st century space-age technology - a strip of duct tape. The latches on his jetpack will be held in place as he manoeuvres outside the space shuttle to test tile-repair techniques on the ¤244 million mission by the adhesive tape which costs ¢10 a roll.His jetpack, nicknamed SAFER (Simplified Aid For Extra-Vehicular-activity Rescue), and worn by all astronauts during a space walk, allows the wearer to propel themselves to safety in an emergency, for example, if a tether or foot restraint holding the astronaut in place breaks. On Monday, while on a space walk, two of the connectors on his jetpack came loose at different times and fellow astronaut Mike Fossum had to tether the device to Dr Sellers to keep it from flying away. He was secured by two 85ft safety tethers and NASA's mission managers have said that he was never in danger but have advised him to cover the troublesome joints on the jetpack with tape just in case. Dr Piers Sellers said, "Tomorrow, we're not called upon to get into any tight corners as far as we know yet, so the fact we'll have a little bit of tape - and as we'll be out in the open - means we'll be good to go."
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