Russia snub at the show July 14, 2014 THE RUSSIAN deputy Prime Minister suggested members of the Russian delegation at the Farnborough Airshow should leave, after the UK government did not offer invitations to Russian delegates. Dmitry Rogozin tweeted: “I suggest that our delegation halts participation in the Expo and goes back home.” He was responding to the fact that some Russian delegates [...]
The wrong renewables: Why relying on offshore wind will prove a costly error July 14, 2014 Politicians everywhere have to decide between satisfying long-term national needs and achieving short-term electoral rewards. It is hard to imagine a more worrying sign of this conflict – as a report from the National Audit Office (NAO) last month helped highlight – than the present policy confusion in the UK over renewable energy. On the [...]
UN calls on European nations to accept more Syrian refugees July 11, 2014 The UN refugee agency United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has asked European nations to accept more Syrian refugees, saying that they have welcomed a “minuscule” number of them so far, while the countries neighbouring Syria have reached "saturation point". The number of refugees who have fled Syria is set to exceed 3m [...]
National Grid warns UK could import 90pc of its gas by 2035 July 9, 2014 A failure to invest in UK gas production could see dependency on imports rise to 90 per cent by 2035, National Grid warned today. The forecast from the power network comes amid growing fears about the UK’s energy security, with the spare margin between demand and supply set to narrow to a mere two per [...]
How to defeat Isis: We already have a playbook for beating these extremists July 6, 2014 MUNICH – As the Fourth of July comes and goes, I have been jokingly told by friends that I share a trait found more often in East Asian cultures; that of ancestor worship. One of my sons is named after both Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, so fervently do I believe in the civic religion [...]
USA races ahead to be world’s largest producer of oil and gas July 4, 2014 The USA now leads the world in the production of oil and gas overtaking both Saudi Arabia and Russia in the last six months, according to research from Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BoAML). US oil production has surged by 70 per cent since it bottomed out in 2008, while liquefied natural gas output has [...]
Iran will limit uranium enrichment but deal remains unlikely, officials say July 3, 2014 Iran has agreed to reduce the number of its uranium enrichment centrifuges during negotiations in Vienna, but officials say the concession will not be enough. The talks, which involve Iran, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, are aimed at helping the world powers come to an agreement on Iran's contested nuclear [...]
Maria Sharapova doesn’t know who Sachin Tendulkar is: Here’s why that shouldn’t be a surprise July 3, 2014 Tennis star Maria Sharapova has managed to cause a storm among fans of cricketing great Sachin Tendulkar. At a press conference following Sharapova's third round victory on Saturday, a reporter pointed out that Tendulkar was also in attendance. When asked if she was aware of the player, Sharapova fessed up: "I don't." Cue outrage from [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 02 July 2014 July 1, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Facebook faces experiment probe A UK data regulator is investigating whether Facebook broke data protection laws when it allowed researchers to conduct a psychological experiment on users of the social network. The Information Commissioner’s Office said it was probing the experiment and planned to ask Facebook questions after widespread outrage when it was [...]
Russian hackers Energetic Bear attack energy companies in the US and Europe July 1, 2014 Energy companies in the US and Europe are being attacked by a group of Russian hackers known as “Energetic Bear”, according to cybersecurity researchers. In an interview with Bloomberg, security firm Symantec said the attackers are aiming at “strategically important” energy companies such as petroleum pipeline operators, grid operators and electricity generation firms. The group, [...]