Eight new locations announced by Chris Huhne first guide to future of nuclear power in UK since Japan’s Fukushima disaster The government has pushed ahead with plans for new nuclear power plants in the UK, as it confirmed a list of eight sites where the next generation of reactors can be built. The eight sites are: Bradwell, Essex; Hartlepool; Heysham, Lancashire; Hinkley Point, Somerset; Oldbury, south Gloucestershire; Sellafield, Cumbria; Sizewell, Suffolk; and Wylfa, Anglesey. All are adjacent to existing nuclear sites. It is the first major announcement on the future of nuclear power in the UK since the Fukushima disaster in Japan. The energy and climate change secretary, Chris Huhne, had signalled last month that plans for new reactors in the UK were on track after an initial report on Fukushima from nuclear chief inspector Mike Weightman ruled out the need to curtail the operation of stations in the UK. The plans for new nuclear power plants are part of a series of national policy statements on energy that were published on Thursday, following public consultation. They will be debated and voted on in parliament, but ministers are hopeful that, with a pro-nuclear majority in the Commons, they will win. The energy minister, Charles Hendry, said: “These plans set out our energy need to help guide the planning process, so that if acceptable proposals come forward in appropriate places, they will not face unnecessary hold ups.” Nuclear power is one of the issues that divided Conservatives and Liberal Democrats when they entered government, with the coalition deal allowing Liberal Democrat MPs to abstain. Huhne, a Liberal Democrat, has since given his backing to new reactors. Nuclear power Chris Huhne Energy Energy industry Liberal-Conservative coalition guardian.co.uk
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Attack on publisher apparently in retaliation for Sun coverage of LulzSec hacking coverage Hackers attacked servers used by News International to publish some of its digital content at 2am on Thursday morning, apparently in retaliation for coverage in the Sun of the activities of the LulzSec hacking collective. A senior source within News International confirmed to the Guardian that third-party architecture was affected for a couple of hours by a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, in which hundreds or thousands of machines make repetitive demands on an internet server. The computers used for the attack were mainly based in Russia, but that does not mean that the people behind it were based there. However, the attack did not delay the publication of the newspaper, and only caused delay in some of the digital publication, the source said. “We haven’t linked it to any particular coverage … the infrastructure that was affected isn’t linked to The Sun.” Newspaper groups are on high alert at the moment for DDoS attacks from hacker groups as the issue has risen to prominence following the arrest on Tuesday of a man in Essex who has been charged with offences relating to attacks on websites. Some hackers take offence at what they see as biased coverage. No group appears to have claimed responsibility for this latest attack. Hacking Internet Computing LulzSec News International Newspapers & magazines News Corporation National newspapers Newspapers Charles Arthur guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Attack on publisher apparently in retaliation for Sun coverage of LulzSec hacking coverage Hackers attacked servers used by News International to publish some of its digital content at 2am on Thursday morning, apparently in retaliation for coverage in the Sun of the activities of the LulzSec hacking collective. A senior source within News International confirmed to the Guardian that third-party architecture was affected for a couple of hours by a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, in which hundreds or thousands of machines make repetitive demands on an internet server. The computers used for the attack were mainly based in Russia, but that does not mean that the people behind it were based there. However, the attack did not delay the publication of the newspaper, and only caused delay in some of the digital publication, the source said. “We haven’t linked it to any particular coverage … the infrastructure that was affected isn’t linked to The Sun.” Newspaper groups are on high alert at the moment for DDoS attacks from hacker groups as the issue has risen to prominence following the arrest on Tuesday of a man in Essex who has been charged with offences relating to attacks on websites. Some hackers take offence at what they see as biased coverage. No group appears to have claimed responsibility for this latest attack. Hacking Internet Computing LulzSec News International Newspapers & magazines News Corporation National newspapers Newspapers Charles Arthur guardian.co.uk
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As many as 10000 people have been evacuated from the North Dakota town of Minot as water from began spilling over the Souris River’s levees. The river is all but certain to inundate thousands of homes and businesses during the next week. (June 22)
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Unions at Saab demand payment by Monday or they will start legal action that could end in bankruptcy for cash-strapped Swedish carmaker Saab said on Thursday it could not pay wages to employees because it had not yet obtained the necessary short-term funding to do so. Unions said the troubled carmaker had until Monday to pay their wages or they would start a legal process that could end in bankruptcy for the company, owned by Netherlands-based Swedish Automobile. IF Metall and Unionen said they would send a formal demand for payment if their members did not receive their wages. “Then the company has seven days to react,” said IF Metall representative Veli-Pekka Saikkala. “After that there are two alternatives. Either we see that the situation can be solved, or we demand that Saab is put into bankruptcy.” The cash-strapped carmaker is scrambling for funds to restart production after it was halted for most of April, May and June because it could not pay suppliers. Swedish Automobile and Saab are in talks with various parties to obtain short-term funding, including options such as a sale and leaseback of Saab’s real estate. “There can, however, be no assurance these discussions will be successful or that the necessary funding will be obtained,” Saab said. Swedish Automobile this month agreed a rescue package for Saab from two Chinese car companies, Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co and Pangda, that would solve longer-term financing problems if approved by authorities in China and Europe. Saab spokeswoman Gunilla Gustavs said it was not possible to say when salaries would be paid: “That depends on when and if we can secure short-term funding, for example through the real estate deal. “This is really bad news and we are working intensely to do something about it. There are no guarantees but we are not giving up.” Saab said the Trollhattan factory in southern Sweden would remain idle until at least the end of next week, while the company holds talks with suppliers. The Swedish government declined to comment. Saab Automotive industry Sweden guardian.co.uk
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Harry Potter author unveils free, collaborative website for which she has written extensive background material JK Rowling has written extensive new material about the world of Harry Potter for her new venture, Pottermore , she revealed at a press conference launching the collaborative website. From Professor McGonagall’s love for a Muggle as a young woman, to how the Dursleys met; from new information about Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff houses, to details about wand wood, the fresh Potter background from the author already stretches to 18,000 words, with more to come. The material will be used on the new, free Pottermore website, a collaborative project for fans set in the Harry Potter universe. “I wanted to give something back to the fans that have followed Harry so devotedly over the years, and to bring the stories to a new generation,” Rowling revealed. “I hope fans and those new to Harry will have as much fun helping to shape Pottermore as I have. Just as I have contributed to the website, everyone else will be able to join in by submitting their own comments, drawings and other content in a safe and friendly environment. Pottermore has been designed as a place to share the stories with your friends as you journey through the site.” For the moment, Pottermore will be restricted to the world of the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, but all the books will be added in due course. The site is intended to bring the storyline to life for users, with new illustrations and interactive “moments” which can be navigated through. Users start out by choosing a magical username, and as they move through the chapters of the book they will be sorted into houses, choose wands and experience life at Hogwarts, just like Harry. Points can be won for houses by casting spells and mixing potions. The website will open to a lucky million users early on 31 July – Harry’s birthday – with its full launch to all users in October. It will also sell the long-awaited ebook versions of the Harry Potter books directly to users from October as well as digital audiobooks. “This is free,” added Rowling, who has sold more than 450m copies of the Potter books worldwide. “You don’t have to pay to get extra materials, you don’t have to buy a single thing. That was really important to me. This was about the ‘give-back’.” Although Rowling said it was “impossible to overstate what Harry Potter means to me”, Pottermore will be the only way fans will be able to get fresh material from Rowling about Harry’s world. “I’m pretty sure I’m done on the novel front,” she said. JK Rowling Harry Potter Children and teenagers Games Alison Flood guardian.co.uk
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In a speech televised from the White House East Room, President Barack Obama said conditions in Afghanistan are right to start drawing the war there to a close. Still he acknowledged the huge challenges that remain. (June 22)
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Lady Gaga attends a press conference, ahead of her appearance at the MTV Video Music Aid event, where she expressed her dedication to helping the Japanese people recover from the tsunami disaster. (June 23)
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Article by WorldNews.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. Julius Cavendish, from Kabul, has just reported in “The Independent” how the battle of Nuristan was anything but an area that U.S.-NATO forces withdrew from, and in doing this, Afghani insurgents easily overrun the province and raised their flag of the Islamist movement. Recall several months when Nuristan fell to U.S.-NATO troops, it was dismissed as an unimportant region and a minor skirmish. However, U.S. soldiers who fought in the region now claim a ferocious battle ensued. According to one account, fighting was so severe that two detachments and a number of helicopters and air-strikes were called in. Another soldier claimed once…
Continue reading …Prince William’s Birthday: Duke Turns 29, Plans To Be At Work (PHOTOS, POLL)
June 23, 2011 No Comment
A very special HuffPost Style Happy Birthday goes out to Prince William, who turned 29 on Tuesday. “Good Morning America” reports that the prince will be at work and may even be pulling a 24-hour shift, which means he’ll be celebrating quietly and not necessarily on his date of birth. Dickie Arbiter, the Queen’s press secretary during William’s childhood, told cameras, that growing up, “William’s birthdays were very much like any other child’s. Diana gave him birthday parties with his schoolmates at Kensington Palace. They set up various photo calls. I remember the very first one when William was 1. It was in the royal garden at Kensington Palace. There’s a very famous picture of him looking into a TV camera. So, they kind of protected him from his very early days.” “GMA” adds that the Federers invited Kate and Pippa to Wimbledon finals. Duncan Larcombe, the happy-go-lucky royal correspondent for the UK’s Sun newspaper, remarked, “It’s possible though that it being William’s birthday, [Kate] might decide that PR-wise it’s not a great move if William’s there working on a search-and-rescue unit and she’s eating strawberries and cream.” Anywho, take a look at William throughout the years. And scroll down to watch the report. WATCH:
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