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GB Energy will be headquartered in Scotland and have £8.3bn in capital to invest – and [I] understands that among its first commitments will be a pledge to order a cluster of nuclear plants called small modular reactors (SMRs).
[…]
Asked about the timeline last week, Mr Miliband told Sheffield MP Clive Betts: “Our manifesto made it clear that we support new nuclear, including at Sizewell, and we also support the SMR programme.

“Part of our challenge is to examine the legacy left to us by the last government, but he [Mr Betts] should be in no doubt about my absolute support for the SMR programme. It is important, and we will strive to keep to the timetable set out.”

While renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and tidal will have their place in meeting the UK’s future demand, the nuclear sector appears to have won the argument that the 24/7 power it provides must be in the mix in order to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050.
[…]
Proponents argue these mini-reactors are cheaper, easier to manage and safer than a much larger site such as Sizewell in Suffolk or Hinckley Point in Somerset.

In theory, once the first SMR proves to be a success, they can be prefabricated at scale, driving down cost. Future governments would then have the flexibilty [sic] to have them dotted all over the country in their hundreds, or even thousands, in order to meet their energy needs.

Rolls-Royce has said it hopes to build its first SMR for around £2bn and then subsequent reactors could cost as little as £1bn.

By comparison, the final cost for Hinckley Point could be as much as £46bn.

[I] understands Mr Miliband is set to order two sets of three SMRs, though they will not be operational until 2030 at their earliest.

Rolls-Royce also has memorandums of understanding in place with Estonia, Turkey and the Czech Republic.

“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a real turning point in how nuclear was seen for the positive,” said Mr Evans, [Rolls-Royce director of corporate and government affairs.] “I spend a lot of time talking to overseas governments, who are all looking to do SMRs.

“The energy security argument is really strong at the minute, I’ve definitely seen a shift and a change.”

Challenges remain, however. Nuclear plants have often gone way over budget and faced years of delays, while critics remain unconvinced that concerns over safety and disposal of nuclear material have been overcome.
[…]
A new report shared exclusively with [I] by lobby group the Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP) claims that every £1 in public investment in the net zero transition will be worth £2.65 from the private sector and create an extra 168,000 jobs.

NPP argues that the North of England, which produces nearly half of the UK’s electricity, and is home to half the country’s most carbon-intensive clusters, is “uniquely vulnerable” to a botched transition to net zero.

"How do the algorithms of Facebook and Instagram affect what you see in your news feed? To find out, Guardian Australia unleashed them on a completely blank smartphone linked to a new, unused email address.

Three months later, without any input, they were riddled with sexist and misogynistic content..."

Lab-grown pet food is to hit UK shelves as Britain becomes the first country in Europe to approve cultivated meat.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have approved the product from the company Meatly.

It is thought there will be demand for cultivated pet food, as animal lovers face a dilemma about feeding their pets meat from slaughtered livestock.

Research suggests the pet food industry has a climate impact similar to that of the Philippines, the 13th most populous country in the world. A study by the University of Winchester found that 50% of surveyed pet owners would feed their pets cultivated meat, while 32% would eat it themselves.

The Meatly product is cultivated chicken. It is made by taking a small sample from a chicken egg, cultivating it with vitamins and amino acids in a lab, then growing cells in a container similar to those in which beer is fermented. The result is a paté-like paste.

A World War Two veteran has finally received his medals, nearly 80 years late.

Now 98 and living in Watchet, Somerset, George Lewis served with the Royal Tank Regiment from 1944 to 1947.

But he never received his medals, with Mr Lewis suggesting they may have been lost in the post.

Presented with the medals on Saturday afternoon, he said: "After all this time, to get those two medals, that was wonderful."

The journey towards Saturday's ceremony began when neighbour Valerie Norman contacted her brother, who served in the same regiment as Mr Lewis.

Her brother passed on the story to the Regimental Association, which provided the medals.

He was finally presented with the War Medal 1939-45 and the France and Germany Star at an event at the Royal British Legion Club in Watchet by the deputy lieutenant of Somerset Brigadier Richard Toomey.

Mr Lewis said: “It was a shock as much as anything. You imagine after all this time that they wouldn’t be able to find anything about you but they had a complete record.

“It seems like an awful lot of fuss to go to when what I did doesn’t seem like much, but it is nice to know that they respect what we did for people.”

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/25421967

The first “multibank” in London, distributing everything from basic foods to baby products and toiletries, will be officially launched this week, amid continued concerns about levels of poverty as the school summer holidays begin.

The opening of Felix’s Multibank, which has the backing of former prime minister Gordon Brown and London mayor Sadiq Khan, is the latest in a growing network of multibanks.

Brown said the new project was opening at a time when the country’s approach to the problem of destitution would change. There have been continued calls from within Labour for Keir Starmer to take stronger action on child poverty.

Brown said: “The London Felix Multibank is the fourth of six that will be opened by the end of this year across Britain. It is opening at a time of transition from a Britain where child poverty has risen dramatically to one where we wish to see child poverty falling.

"There is no evidence of a large rise in suicides in young patients attending a gender identity clinic in London, an independent review has found."

"Prof Appleby's review concludes "the data do not support the claim".

And he added that the way the issue had been discussed on social media was "insensitive, distressing and dangerous".

"A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said decisions on children's healthcare must follow the evidence at all times."

My condolences to anyone else here that works in IT today 😔

Five supporters of the Just Stop Oil climate campaign who conspired to cause gridlock on London’s orbital motorway have been sentenced to lengthy jail terms by a judge who told them they had “crossed the line from concerned campaigner to fanatic”.

Roger Hallam, Daniel Shaw, Louise Lancaster, Lucia Whittaker De Abreu and Cressida Gethin were found guilty last week of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance for coordinating direct action protests on the M25 over four days in November 2022.

Hallam received a five-year sentence on Thursday, while the other four were each sentenced to four years.

The sentences are thought to be the longest sentences even given in the UK for non-violent protest, exceeding those given to the Just Stop Oil protesters Morgan Trowland (three years) and Marcus Decker (two years and seven months) for scaling the Dartford Crossing.

Fantastic news, imho.
Personal statements just felt like an extra thing that might cause your application to fail.
I'm 99% sure none of the technical degrees I applied for read mine, and I wouldn't blame them at all.

49.5% to 50.5%

Sorry about daily mail link not found a different source yet.

I find The National frequently embarassing as a Scottish person. Enjoying seeing them squirm here.

Hi, I wanted to ask if somebody knew which exam is necessary in order for a foreign person to work in UK. Specifically a software developer.

I’ve seen there are two kind of exams:

1. General IELTS exam
2. Academic IELTS exam

Do you know which one is needed?