Babak Belurs

Sabtu, 02 November 2019

Fracking halted after government pulls support - BBC News

The government has called a halt to shale gas extraction - or fracking - in England amid fears about earthquakes.

It comes after a report by the Oil and Gas Authority said it was not possible to predict the probability or size of tremors caused by the practice.

Fracking has been suspended since a tremor in Lancashire in August.

Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom said shale gas had "huge potential" but the government was "no longer convinced" it could be extracted safely.

Fracking was suspended after activity by Cuadrilla Resources - the only company licensed to carry out the process - at its Preston New Road site in Lancashire caused a magnitude 2.9 earthquake.

Mrs Leadsom said: "After reviewing the OGA's report into recent seismic activity at Preston New Road, it is clear that we cannot rule out future unacceptable impacts on the local community.

For this reason, she said, she had concluded the government should put a moratorium on fracking "with immediate effect".

The government says it will "take a presumption against issuing any further Hydraulic Fracturing Consents" and this will continue unless compelling new evidence is provided.

However, it has stopped short of an outright ban.

Fracking is a process in which liquid is pumped deep underground at high pressure to fracture shale rock and release gas or oil trapped within it.

Assessment by the British Geological Survey in 2013 suggested there were enough resources in the Bowland Shale across northern England to potentially provide up to 50 years of current gas demand.

But research published in August estimated there were only 5-7 years' supply.

The UK's fracking industry, which has said the process could contribute significantly to future energy needs and create thousands of jobs, dismissed the report's findings.

Fierce opposition

Fracking must be halted for 18 hours if it causes a tremor measuring 0.5 magnitude or above.

The government announcement is the second time it has placed a moratorium on fracking.

The first suspension, which lasted a year, was in November 2011 during the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government.

Ms Leadsom said: "Shale gas offers huge potential in the UK, there's no doubt about that"

"There's also no doubt that in our determination to decarbonise, the continued use of gas will be very important for the next several decades so there's no doubt that extracting more natural gas in the UK would be very attractive.

"But we've always been clear we can only do that if it can be done safely and on the advice from the Oil and Gas Authority we're no longer convinced that is the case."

The fracking industry has faced fierce opposition from both communities and environmental groups.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has in the past supported fracking, writing in the Daily Telegraph that the discovery of shale gas in the UK was "glorious news for humanity".

A recent report by the National Audit Office found the UK had spent at least £32.7m supporting fracking since 2011.

Labour has promised to stop the technique if elected in the general election on 12 December.

Labour's shadow business secretary, Rebecca Long Bailey, said: "The next Labour government will ban fracking - whereas the Tories will only call a temporary halt to it.

"You can't trust a word the prime minister says."

Both the Liberal Democrats and Green Party also support a ban on fracking.

All fracking in Scotland has been suspended since 2013 and the SNP recently confirmed a policy of "no support" for the extraction method.

The Welsh Government has also opposed fracking for several years, with a "moratorium" in place since 2015, while there is a planning presumption against fracking in Northern Ireland.

The suspension in England will put pressure on Cuadrilla Resources which has so far invested £270m in the country's shale gas industry.

Cuadrilla Resources has 30 full-time workers but also employs a number of contractors.

A spokeswoman for Cuadrilla Resources declined to comment.

Analysis

By Judy Hobson, environment correspondent, North West Tonight

The government decision will be a blow to Cuadrilla which has been exploring for shale gas in Lancashire for almost a decade. The industry said fracking had the potential to help the country become self-sufficient in gas, creating thousands of jobs.

But fracking causes earthquakes.

To limit the risk, a "traffic light system" was introduced that required fracking to stop following a tremor of 0.5 or more.

This happened several times. But when it triggered a quake of 2.9 in the summer, fracking was halted indefinitely.

Cuadrilla's chief executive Francis Egan said last year if the 0.5 limit wasn't lifted, the industry would be "strangled at birth".

The question for the prime minister is, what happens now? Tens of millions have been spent looking for shale gas.

But opposition to fracking has doubled over the past six years while demand for renewable sources has grown.

Is this a genuine change in policy? Or will shale gas be back on the agenda in the future?

Ken Cronin, chief executive of UK Onshore Oil and Gas, which represents fracking companies, said: "Going forward, we are fully committed to working closely with the Oil and Gas Authority and other relevant regulators to demonstrate that we can operate safely and environmentally responsibly."

But Rebecca Newsom, head of politics at Greenpeace UK said: "If the government reads the science and listens to the strong public opposition then fracking has no future.

"This lesson now needs to be applied to unlock onshore wind and solar, and significantly ramp up offshore wind."

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https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50267454

2019-11-02 06:50:34Z
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Jumat, 01 November 2019

Police find no foul play in case of drowned British backpacker - CNN

Amelia Bambridge was last seen on Police Beach on Koh Rong island in the early hours of October 24.

On Thursday, the Lucie Blackman Trust confirmed to CNN that a body found by police in the ocean close to Thai waters was hers. The group had been in contact with Bambridge's family, its chief executive Matthew Searle said.

Provincial Police Chief Chuon Narin also confirmed to CNN that the body recovered belonged to Bambridge.

On Friday, Cambodian National Police told CNN that they had completed an autopsy overseen by a British consular official. Police found that Bambridge died by drowning and said there were no signs of foul play.

The Bambridge family is now working to bring her body back to the United Kingdom, police said.

Police launched a large-scale search after Bambridge, from Worthing, West Sussex, failed to check out of the hostel she had been staying at.

She had been last seen at a beach party, and her handbag -- containing her wallet, phone and bank cards -- was discovered on a nearby beach, while her passport was found at the hostel, according to the UK's PA news agency.

Around 150 people were involved in the search for her, and about 100 people had been questioned over her disappearance, Narin told CNN on Wednesday.

Police and soldiers search for Bambridge in a forest on Koh Rong island on October 29.

On Wednesday, Bambridge's sister Georgie Bambridge said her sister wanted to live life to the fullest. It was Amelia's first time traveling alone, and she was "excited to go but had a little bit of nerves," Georgie said.

The last time they spoke was on October 23, when Amelia messaged her sister to say how amazing her trip was.

"She wanted to explore the world, to live a full life with no regrets," Georgie said.

Bambridge was last seen on Police Beach on Koh Rong island in the early hours of October 24.

Journalist Yuthana Kim contributed to this story from Phnom Penh.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/31/asia/backpacker-amelia-bambridge-cambodia-intl-hnk-scli/index.html

2019-11-01 10:25:00Z
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Trump Wades Into U.K. Election, and Farage Might Benefit - The New York Times

LONDON — For Americans, there was nothing particularly unusual about President Trump calling in to a London radio show on Thursday for a freewheeling conversation about British politics, Queen Elizabeth II and impeachment. Mr. Trump does that kind of thing regularly on “Fox & Friends.”

But when the president did it on the second day of campaigning for Britain’s general election, and the radio show in question is hosted by Nigel Farage, an insurgent political figure who is seeking to be a major player in that election, his intervention was bound to raise hackles in Britain’s political establishment.

“Donald Trump is trying to interfere in Britain’s election to get his friend Boris Johnson elected,” the Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said on Twitter.

Mr. Trump heaped praise on Mr. Johnson, the prime minister, while disparaging Mr. Corbyn. Yet the biggest beneficiary was Mr. Farage, who has been uncharacteristically quiet during the recent weeks of upheaval in British politics and abruptly inserted himself back in the national conversation.

An experienced talk-show host, Mr. Farage managed to draw out Mr. Trump on his meeting with the queen in London in June (“I don’t think she’s ever in anything that’s bad,” he said), and his efforts to broker a White House meeting between the parents of a British teenager killed in a crash and the American woman who drove the car.

He did all this on the same day Mr. Trump was confronted with a House of Representatives vote in Washington authorizing an impeachment inquiry. Mr. Trump’s comment on that? “The Democrats are desperate,” he said.

Mr. Trump’s remarks were arguably a boon to Mr. Corbyn. He has set out to portray Mr. Johnson as a handmaiden of the American president. Even Mr. Trump’s praise for the prime minister came with a stinging caveat.

While Mr. Trump called Mr. Johnson a “fantastic guy,” with whom he had a “great friendship,” the president claimed that the agreement Mr. Johnson recently negotiated with the European Union for Britain to depart the bloc could hamper a future trade agreement between the United States and Britain.

“We want to do trade with the U.K. but to be honest with you, this deal, under certain aspects of the deal, you can’t do it.” Mr. Trump said to Mr. Farage, who is also the leader of the Brexit Party and favors leaving the European Union without any deal. “You can’t trade. We can’t make a trade deal with the U.K.”

Mr. Johnson has promoted Brexit by saying it would open the door to a lucrative new deal with the United States — one that he would be well-placed to negotiate because of his warm relationship with Mr. Trump.

The president did not explain why Mr. Johnson’s deal with Brussels would hinder one with Washington. It apparently has to do with technical provisions known as Geographical Indications. Trade experts split on how much of a hurdle they pose, but the details mattered less than the theatrics.

As Mr. Johnson and Mr. Corbyn took to the campaign trail to begin framing their messages, Mr. Trump threw the spotlight on Mr. Farage, whose party could inflict damage on both Labour and Mr. Johnson’s Conservatives.

“I’d like to see you and Boris get together because you would have some real numbers,” Mr. Trump said to Mr. Farage, who has proposed aligning with the Conservatives but has been rebuffed by Mr. Johnson.

“I have enough to do over here without having to worry about the psychology of two brilliant people over there, frankly,” Mr. Trump added. “I wish you two guys could get together. I think it would be a great thing.”

Mr. Trump saved most of his vitriol for Mr. Corbyn, who has painted the president as a predatory rival, eager to use trade negotiations to gain access for American companies to Britain’s National Health Service.

“He’d be so bad, he’d take you in such a bad way,” Mr. Trump said, “He’d take you into such bad places.” Noting that he had never met Mr. Corbyn, he added, “I’m sure he’s a lovely man, but he’s of a different persuasion.”

Mr. Corbyn said Mr. Trump has long had designs on the National Health Service and “knows if Labour wins, U.S. corporations won’t get their hands on it.”

Mr. Trump was generous to Mr. Johnson, praising his efforts to take Britain out of the European Union as quickly as possible. “He’s willing to do what no one else would do,” the president said.

Still his biggest gift was to Mr. Farage, whose Brexit party has been casting around for ways to influence the election. Mr. Johnson had hoped to neutralize the party by negotiating Britain’s departure from the European Union by Oct. 31.

When he failed to win approval in Parliament for the deal with Brussels, he was forced to ask European leaders for a three-month extension, which has exposed him to attacks from Mr. Farage.

Mr. Johnson plans to campaign on that deal as the swiftest route to Brexit. Mr. Farage has called on the prime minister to drop the deal and leave the European Union with what he calls a “clean break.” The Brexit Party is debating how many candidates to field and how aggressively to go after Conservative-held seats.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/31/world/europe/trump-brexit-johnson.html

2019-10-31 20:37:00Z
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Rabu, 30 Oktober 2019

Parties gear up for 12 December election battle - BBC News

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Political parties are readying themselves for a general election campaign after MPs voted for a 12 December poll.

The legislation approved by MPs on Tuesday will later begin its passage through the House of Lords, where it is not expected to be opposed.

Boris Johnson says he is ready to fight a "tough" general election.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the snap poll gave a "once-in-a-generation" opportunity to transform the country.

LIVE: Latest updates as parties prepare for 12 December poll

His shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, said the election wouldn't just be about Brexit - telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It will be about austerity [and] about what's happened to our public service."

But Mr Johnson hopes the vote will give him a fresh mandate for his deal to leave the EU and break the current deadlock in Parliament.

He told Conservative MPs it was time for the country to "come together to get Brexit done", adding: "It'll be a tough election and we are going to do the best we can."

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was "certainly not yearning for general election", but he believed it was "the only way to move the country forward".

The poll comes after the EU extended the UK's exit deadline to 31 January 2020 - although Brexit can happen earlier if a deal is agreed by MPs.

The leaders of the UK's main two political parties will face off for Prime Minister's Questions at midday on Wednesday.

What happens next?

The Early Parliamentary General Election Bill - which prompts the election - will be debated in the House of Lords on Wednesday
If peers make any amendments to the bill, it will head back to the Commons for MPs to approve or reject the changes
Once passed, the bill will receive Royal Assent - when the Queen formally agrees to the bill becoming law
On Monday 4 November, MPs are due to elect a new Speaker to replace John Bercow
Just after midnight on Wednesday 6 November, Parliament will be shut down or "dissolved" - meaning every seat in the House of Commons becomes vacant
Five weeks later, the country will go to the polls for the first December election since 1923

What have the other parties said?

The Liberal Democrats and the SNP both see the election as a chance to ask voters whether Brexit should happen at all.

Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson said the poll was "our best chance to elect a government to stop Brexit".

Asked if she would form a coalition government with Labour or the Conservatives, she said: "I can't be clearer - neither Boris Johnson nor Jeremy Corbyn is fit to be prime minister."

But deputy Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said the party was in discussions with Plaid Cyrmu and the Green Party "to see if we can work with them".

Mr McDonnell also said there would be "no deals, no coalitions" with other parties if Labour failed to win an overall majority.

For the SNP, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said an election was an opportunity for the country to hold another independence referendum.

"A win for the SNP will be an unequivocal and irresistible demand for Scotland's right to choose our own future," she said.

But the Scottish Conservatives claimed voting for their party would keep Scotland in the UK.

Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage welcomed the election, tweeting the deadlock had been "broken" and "Brexit now has a chance to succeed".

But co-leader of the Green Party Jonathan Bartley said the poll should be "a climate election" and focus on environmental issues.

The legislation approved by MPs now must be rubberstamped by the House of Lords.

It would be pretty strange if unelected peers up the corridor from the green benches decided to say no or throw spanners in the works of a decision made by the House of Commons last night.

Unless something very strange happens, we are now on for an election.

Both sides are very, very nervous about what might unfold. And both sides are right to be nervous.

The two main party leaders, in a strange kind of mirror of each other, are happy campaigners, but divisive characters.

Both of them will try to set the agenda, but they can't know where this will all take us.

They can't know if it will be their issues they're able to talk about at length, but that's the glory of elections - it's up to voters to set the terms.

They decide the things they care about, they are interested in and they will put politicians on the spot about.

How did we get here?

On Tuesday Mr Johnson's team tabled a one-page bill proposing a 12 December election to the Commons which needed the support of only a simple majority of MPs.

Labour's amendment to change the date of the proposed election from 12 to 9 December was rejected and MPs voted to back the government's original bill by 438 votes to 20.

More than 100 Labour MPs did not take part or abstained in Tuesday's crucial vote, while 11 voted against an election. A total of 127 Labour MPs, including Mr Corbyn, supported the election.

The bill, approved by MPs, paves the way for the first December election since 1923.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-50230931

2019-10-30 08:40:09Z
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