| Mushroom pickers warned over illegal haul Mushroom pickers inspired by celebrity chefs to forage for their own food in local woodland are being warned they could be risking prosecution. telegraph.co.uk |
'Gas bag' One hundred years since six men and a cat tried to cross Atlantic bbc.co.uk |
Force threatens to axe all PCSOs Lancashire Police is considering axing all of its 427 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) to save money. bbc.co.uk |
US energy secretary warns of 'Sputnik moment' in green technology race Steven Chu says US must invest urgently in research and innovation to keep pace with China and other countriesThe United States faces a "Sputnik moment" in the global clean energy race and risks falling far behind advances by China and other countries, the US energy secretary, Steven Chu, warned today.Hours before the opening of the United Nations climate summit in Cancún, Chu said that the US urgently needed to invest in research and innovation – much as it responded to the Soviet Union's launch of the world's first space satellite in 1957 – if it wanted to remain a leader of innovation."We face a choice today. Are we going to continue America's innovation leadership or are we going to fall behind?" Chu said in a speech to the National Press Club in Washington.Chu, a Nobel prize winner in physics, said his own career had been shaped by the orbit of that first space satellite. But, he said, over the last 15 years the US had steadily been losing ground to China and India in research and hi-tech manufacturing.For the first time last year, the majority of US patents were awarded to inventors based outside America.Meanwhile, China had emerged as the world's largest producer of wind and solar power, and was breaking ground on 30 new nuclear reactors. It now has the fastest high-speed trains in operation, with running speeds of 220mph.Gao Guangsheng, a senior Chinese official for climate change policy, told a conference in California this month that China was gearing up for even bigger investment in clean energy technology in its next five-year plan.Gao went on to tell the conference, which was hosted by California's governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, that China had reached its goal for wind power 10 years ahead of schedule."We set up a concrete conception of low carbon development," he said. But he doubted America could profit from China's example: "I am afraid China's experience of green development may not be useful for the United States because of different domestic situations."Chu, however, in his speech today said the US could recapture its leadership position with investment in research and incentives for clean energy manufacturing."America still has the opportunity to lead in a world that essentially needs a new industrial revolution," he said. "But time is running out."In his two years as energy secretary, Chu has served as Barack Obama's top salesman for clean energy technology, directing some $80bn (£51.3bn) of last year's economic recovery package to investment in advanced batteries, plug-in cars, and the smart grid.He also touted the government's efforts to build research hubs for clean technology. "What I am trying to tell the American public is that this is an economic opportunity," he said. His comments echoed those of David Cameron at the weekend. Writing in the Observer, Cameron said: "I passionately believe that by recasting the argument for action on climate change away from the language of threats and punishments and into positive, profit-making terms, we can have a much wider impact."US domestic policyUnited StatesEnergyEnergyEnergyUnited NationsChinaSuzanne Goldenbergguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Freedom of Information Act gives protection to royal secrets The Royal Family and the Royal Household were exempted from direct requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The Royal Household was not included in the Act’s definition of a public authority, so members of the public are unable to access information held in the Royal Archives. Public bodies can be asked to release information that may include details about the Royal Family, but protection also covers communications between public bodies, such as government departments, and the Royal Family or Royal Household. timesonline.co.uk |