[News] from [guardian.co.uk]
[News > Politics > Defence policy]
Aircraft carriers may not be built, says navy head
Richard Norton-Taylor
guardian.co.uk, Friday 18 September 2009 22.18 BST Article history
The head of the navy today conceded that the decision to build two large aircraft carriers could be overturned. Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope said that although contracts had been signed to build HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, next year's defence review could cause those plans to change. He was speaking on board HMS Illustrious in the presence of the weapons procurement minister, Lady Taylor, who said plans to build a second carrier are "still active".
George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, appeared to cast doubt on the Conservatives' commitment to build the carriers, saying he did not know what the "break clauses" were in the contracts.
Greenpeace predicted that the new carriers would cost £5bn to build, compared with the latest official estimate of £3.9bn. It said operating the carriers, equipping them with F35 strike aircraft, and deploying ships to protect the carriers at sea, could bring the total bill for the project to more than £33bn.Stanhope said the navy was bracing itself for cuts under the defence review. "Alongside the other two services we will have to make some difficult decisions," he said, adding that a balance needed to be struck between the number of ships and submarines the nation could afford and the range of capabilities they offered. "Once capabilities are lost, they can't be plucked from a hat," he added.
One compromise is to cut the number of F35 aircraft. Some navy chiefs believe there are cheaper options and that cheaper carriers could be built as platforms for helicopters and unmanned drones. They also point to the need for fast ships to cope with the growth in piracy.
[News > UK news > E coli]
E coli fears lead to closure of fourth farm
Sarah Boseley
guardian.co.uk, Friday 18 September 2009 21.51 BST Article history
A fourth children's petting farm was closed tonight as health experts investigated a potential link with three people who have been infected with E coli.
World of Country Life farm, in Exmouth, Devon, was shut on the advice of East Devon District Council and the Health Protection Agency (HPA). The agency said it was "acting on information that potentially linked the farm with three individuals with confirmed E coli O157 infection". The farm has closed voluntarily while the local authority, the HPA and its partners conduct an investigation.
Earlier, White Post farm in Nottinghamshire shut its gates on HPA advice after a second case was confirmed of a particular strain of E coli 0157. The HPA said that it was conducting a full epidemiological investigation.
The closure follows an outbreak in Surrey that affected 49 people and resulted in some children suffering kidney failure.
The HPA has announced an external inquiry into the outbreak at Godstone farm in Surrey, which will examine not only the source of the infection, but also the agency's handling of the crisis. This week the HPA's chief executive, Justin McCracken, apologised to parents after acknowledging that two early cases reported to the agency appeared to have been overlooked. Had staff acted promptly, fewer children would have become ill.
Among the children who became seriously ill are two-year-old twin boys who suffered kidney failure. All the children are now recovering.
Horton Park children's farm in Epsom, the sister farm to Godstone, closed voluntarily because of "unsatisfactory" hygiene arrangements, even though no E coli cases had been reported., because of "unsatisfactory" hygiene arrangements.
"The hygiene arrangements were found to be unsatisfactory and the HPA advised the local authority that the farm should be closed immediately while these defects were rectified," said a spokesperson for the agency.
A spokeswoman for Horton Park said the decision to close the farm was made because of the perceived "slight risk" of more children contracting E coli.
E coli is found in human and animal intestines. It is most often caused by food contamination, or by person-to-person spread. Only about one in 50 cases is caused by petting animals on a farm.
The HPA said it was aware of two other cases of E.coli linked to White Post farm, although they were different strains of the bug. "Where there are different strains of E. coli involved, as there are in this case, there is uncertainty about whether there is a shared source of infection," the agency said in a statement. "The HPA has advised closure of the farm on a precautionary basis to protect the public health while the investigation continues."
The total number of cases now linked to Godstone Farm stood yesterday at 49, the HPA said. The number has been rising because of the long incubation period of the infection.
[Environment > 10:10 > climate change campain]
Lib Dem party calls on its local councils to join 10:10 campaign
A motion calling on all Liberal Democrat councils to cut emissions 10% by 2010 will be put before the party's annual conference next week
Felicity Carus
guardian.co.uk, Friday 18 September 2009 17.15 BST Article history
The Liberal Democrat leadership plans to mandate all its local councils to cut their carbon emissions by 10% in 2010.
A motion proposing the carbon reductions will be put before the party's annual conference in Bournemouth next week and, if passed, will be the first formal policy commitment by any political party in response to the 10:10 climate change campaign. Nationwide the Lib-Dems control 26 local authorities and hold 4,083 council seats.
The 10:10 campaign – which is supported by the Guardian – is an initiative launched this month to encourage people, businesses and organisations to reduce their carbon footprint by 10% by the end of next year. Nearly 18,000 people have joined the 10:10 campaign, including Gordon Brown and the cabinet as well as the Tory front bench and the Lib Dem leader, Nick Clegg. Over 700 businesses are also on board including Royal Mail and Tottenham Hotspur.
"The 10:10 campaign shows what can be achieved if the political will is there. Cutting emissions by 10% within 2010 is ambitious but realistic," said Simon Hughes, the Lib Dem spokesman for energy and climate change.
The motion, which will be voted on by the conference on Tuesday, will also call on all party members to sign up personally including elected representatives in Westminster, Cardiff, Holyrood and Brussels. Hughes has already called on the speaker of the house, John Bercow, to sign parliament up to the campaign but the motion will go a stage further by calling on the government to make a national commitment to cut UK emissions by 10%.
If the motion is passed next week, 10:10's organisers hope that Labour and the Tories will follow suit at their party conferences this autumn. The campaign manager, Daniel Vockins, said: "This lays down the gauntlet for the other political parties, and is a much higher target than local councils are currently committed to and hopefully lays the groundwork for deeper cuts ... This is exactly the kind of ambition we need to see from all political parties now."
Some Lib Dem led councils have already signed up to 10:10 including Camden, Cambridge, Eastleigh, Islington, Oldham, Richmond and Southwark. Sheffield and Bristol are also considering signing up. Alexis Rowel, a Camden councillor said the campaign is gaining real momentum among councils. "There is a big, inspiring effect going on here and also a grassroots push from residents. In the four years that I have been councillor, there has been nothing more significant than getting councils to sign up to 10:10."
Around 25 out of 434 UK councils have already signed up, but as well as cutting their own emissions as organisations, the Hughes conference motion also targets businesses, organisations and residents within local authorities. "Effective action on climate change is also about individuals and communities," he said.
What you can do
1. Help 10:10 reach its 20,000th sign-up by pledging your own cut at 1010uk.org. If you've signed up already, persuade a friend or relative (better still, lots of them) to join.
2. If you run a company, help 10:10 enlist its 1,000th business by signing up yours. If you work for a company write to your boss and ask them to join.
3. Help 10:10 spread its message more widely by offering financial support at 1010uk.org/donate
[News > Politics > Defence policy]
Aircraft carriers may not be built, says navy head
Richard Norton-Taylor
guardian.co.uk, Friday 18 September 2009 22.18 BST Article history
The head of the navy today conceded that the decision to build two large aircraft carriers could be overturned. Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope said that although contracts had been signed to build HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, next year's defence review could cause those plans to change. He was speaking on board HMS Illustrious in the presence of the weapons procurement minister, Lady Taylor, who said plans to build a second carrier are "still active".
George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, appeared to cast doubt on the Conservatives' commitment to build the carriers, saying he did not know what the "break clauses" were in the contracts.
Greenpeace predicted that the new carriers would cost £5bn to build, compared with the latest official estimate of £3.9bn. It said operating the carriers, equipping them with F35 strike aircraft, and deploying ships to protect the carriers at sea, could bring the total bill for the project to more than £33bn.Stanhope said the navy was bracing itself for cuts under the defence review. "Alongside the other two services we will have to make some difficult decisions," he said, adding that a balance needed to be struck between the number of ships and submarines the nation could afford and the range of capabilities they offered. "Once capabilities are lost, they can't be plucked from a hat," he added.
One compromise is to cut the number of F35 aircraft. Some navy chiefs believe there are cheaper options and that cheaper carriers could be built as platforms for helicopters and unmanned drones. They also point to the need for fast ships to cope with the growth in piracy.
[News > UK news > E coli]
E coli fears lead to closure of fourth farm
Sarah Boseley
guardian.co.uk, Friday 18 September 2009 21.51 BST Article history
A fourth children's petting farm was closed tonight as health experts investigated a potential link with three people who have been infected with E coli.
World of Country Life farm, in Exmouth, Devon, was shut on the advice of East Devon District Council and the Health Protection Agency (HPA). The agency said it was "acting on information that potentially linked the farm with three individuals with confirmed E coli O157 infection". The farm has closed voluntarily while the local authority, the HPA and its partners conduct an investigation.
Earlier, White Post farm in Nottinghamshire shut its gates on HPA advice after a second case was confirmed of a particular strain of E coli 0157. The HPA said that it was conducting a full epidemiological investigation.
The closure follows an outbreak in Surrey that affected 49 people and resulted in some children suffering kidney failure.
The HPA has announced an external inquiry into the outbreak at Godstone farm in Surrey, which will examine not only the source of the infection, but also the agency's handling of the crisis. This week the HPA's chief executive, Justin McCracken, apologised to parents after acknowledging that two early cases reported to the agency appeared to have been overlooked. Had staff acted promptly, fewer children would have become ill.
Among the children who became seriously ill are two-year-old twin boys who suffered kidney failure. All the children are now recovering.
Horton Park children's farm in Epsom, the sister farm to Godstone, closed voluntarily because of "unsatisfactory" hygiene arrangements, even though no E coli cases had been reported., because of "unsatisfactory" hygiene arrangements.
"The hygiene arrangements were found to be unsatisfactory and the HPA advised the local authority that the farm should be closed immediately while these defects were rectified," said a spokesperson for the agency.
A spokeswoman for Horton Park said the decision to close the farm was made because of the perceived "slight risk" of more children contracting E coli.
E coli is found in human and animal intestines. It is most often caused by food contamination, or by person-to-person spread. Only about one in 50 cases is caused by petting animals on a farm.
The HPA said it was aware of two other cases of E.coli linked to White Post farm, although they were different strains of the bug. "Where there are different strains of E. coli involved, as there are in this case, there is uncertainty about whether there is a shared source of infection," the agency said in a statement. "The HPA has advised closure of the farm on a precautionary basis to protect the public health while the investigation continues."
The total number of cases now linked to Godstone Farm stood yesterday at 49, the HPA said. The number has been rising because of the long incubation period of the infection.
[Environment > 10:10 > climate change campain]
Lib Dem party calls on its local councils to join 10:10 campaign
A motion calling on all Liberal Democrat councils to cut emissions 10% by 2010 will be put before the party's annual conference next week
Felicity Carus
guardian.co.uk, Friday 18 September 2009 17.15 BST Article history
The Liberal Democrat leadership plans to mandate all its local councils to cut their carbon emissions by 10% in 2010.
A motion proposing the carbon reductions will be put before the party's annual conference in Bournemouth next week and, if passed, will be the first formal policy commitment by any political party in response to the 10:10 climate change campaign. Nationwide the Lib-Dems control 26 local authorities and hold 4,083 council seats.
The 10:10 campaign – which is supported by the Guardian – is an initiative launched this month to encourage people, businesses and organisations to reduce their carbon footprint by 10% by the end of next year. Nearly 18,000 people have joined the 10:10 campaign, including Gordon Brown and the cabinet as well as the Tory front bench and the Lib Dem leader, Nick Clegg. Over 700 businesses are also on board including Royal Mail and Tottenham Hotspur.
"The 10:10 campaign shows what can be achieved if the political will is there. Cutting emissions by 10% within 2010 is ambitious but realistic," said Simon Hughes, the Lib Dem spokesman for energy and climate change.
The motion, which will be voted on by the conference on Tuesday, will also call on all party members to sign up personally including elected representatives in Westminster, Cardiff, Holyrood and Brussels. Hughes has already called on the speaker of the house, John Bercow, to sign parliament up to the campaign but the motion will go a stage further by calling on the government to make a national commitment to cut UK emissions by 10%.
If the motion is passed next week, 10:10's organisers hope that Labour and the Tories will follow suit at their party conferences this autumn. The campaign manager, Daniel Vockins, said: "This lays down the gauntlet for the other political parties, and is a much higher target than local councils are currently committed to and hopefully lays the groundwork for deeper cuts ... This is exactly the kind of ambition we need to see from all political parties now."
Some Lib Dem led councils have already signed up to 10:10 including Camden, Cambridge, Eastleigh, Islington, Oldham, Richmond and Southwark. Sheffield and Bristol are also considering signing up. Alexis Rowel, a Camden councillor said the campaign is gaining real momentum among councils. "There is a big, inspiring effect going on here and also a grassroots push from residents. In the four years that I have been councillor, there has been nothing more significant than getting councils to sign up to 10:10."
Around 25 out of 434 UK councils have already signed up, but as well as cutting their own emissions as organisations, the Hughes conference motion also targets businesses, organisations and residents within local authorities. "Effective action on climate change is also about individuals and communities," he said.
What you can do
1. Help 10:10 reach its 20,000th sign-up by pledging your own cut at 1010uk.org. If you've signed up already, persuade a friend or relative (better still, lots of them) to join.
2. If you run a company, help 10:10 enlist its 1,000th business by signing up yours. If you work for a company write to your boss and ask them to join.
3. Help 10:10 spread its message more widely by offering financial support at 1010uk.org/donate
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