United Kingdom

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/35043623

Some things really haven't changed

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[...] A coalition of 72 freedom of expression and human rights organisations [published] a letter to the UK’s Prime Minister, Sir Kier Starmer, urging him to secure the release of writer, media publisher and UK citizen Jimmy Lai.

Earlier this week, Jimmy Lai’s long-running national security trial resumed for closing arguments after being delayed twice last week due to poor weather and concerns over Jimmy Lai’s health, which has deteriorated significantly over the last year. Aged 77, Jimmy Lai has been held in solitary confinement for almost five years and faces a potential life sentence if convicted.

During yesterday’s closing arguments, a representative of Jimmy Lai’s defence team addressed the judges, stating ‘It is not wrong to support freedom of expression. It is not wrong to support human rights‘.

In the joint letter, led by Reporters Without Borders, the coalition calls on the UK government to act swiftly to secure Jimmy Lai’s humanitarian release on medical grounds, so he can be reunited with his family and receive necessary medical care.

For further background information on Jimmy Lai, please refer to the PEN International Case List.

[...]

Source: Focus on Labour Exploitation.

Full Net Zero Technology Outlook report.

Original Article by Government Office for Science, Republished under Open Government Licence v3.0.

Developed by the Government Office for Science, the Net Zero Technology Outlook sets out a ‘best estimate’ of the technology mix needed in key emitting sectors to reach net zero by 2050, and identifies the research and development (R&D) needed to get there.

In support of the government’s Clean Energy Superpower Mission, this Outlook offers an independent analysis of the technologies the UK must prioritise by 2050 to deliver on its net zero commitments. It is a tool for policymakers and the research community, pinpointing where targeted R&D investment can have the greatest impact and accelerate progress. By providing clear, evidence-based insights, the report equips decision-makers with the confidence to make informed choices that will shape the UK’s net zero future.

By showing the way forward on research and technology around net zero, the Outlook supports the government’s mission to back homegrown energy technology to grow the economy, create jobs, boost skills, and strengthen energy independence.

Government Chief Scientific Adviser Professor Dame Angela McLean said:

The UK faces one of the most important challenges of our time – climate change – and we need brilliant ideas and innovations to help tackle it. The Net Zero Technology Outlook is our best estimate of the future when it comes to the technology, research and development needed to reach net zero. I hope policymakers and researchers alike will use this report as a guide for their work to help ensure the best possible outcome on our path towards that target.

The report covers 18 sub-sectors within 5 major emitting sectors:

• industry
• transport
• heat and buildings
• agriculture, land use and waste
• power

For each sub-sector, the uncertainty and current technology and market readiness level of technologies that might be part of the mix in 2050 have been assessed. Some sub-sectors include ‘wildcard’ technologies: novel and nascent technologies that are highly uncertain but potentially transformative.

The analysis drew on more than 20 interviews and a peer review exercise with around 45 experts from the research community, as well as input from relevant government departments. Relevant information from established scenario modelling, policy documents, and industry sources was also incorporated.

The report also sets out R&D challenges for 3 cross-cutting technology strands: greenhouse gas removals and carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and biomass. R&D needs for each sector are categorised by technology development, delivery and policy support.

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/36401278

Euro zone businesses saw new orders increase in August for the first time since May 2024, helping overall activity expand at the fastest pace in 15 months despite persistent weakness in exports.

The HCOB Eurozone Composite PMI [Purchasing Manager Index] rose to 51.1 in August of 2025 from 50.9 in the previous month, beating market expectations of a slowdown to 50.7 to mark the sharpest pace of expansion in the bloc's private sector output since May of the previous year, according to a flash estimate.

[A PMI is diffusion index that summarizes whether market conditions are expanding, which is indicated by a number >50 - or contracting, suggested by a PMI <50.]

The growth was supported by a third straight expansion in the services sector (50.7 vs 51) and an unexpected rebound for manufacturers (50.5 vs 49.8), their first in over three years. New orders at the aggregate level increased for the first time in 14 months, despite a reduction in new export orders.

The signal of new capacity demand drove firms to increase their headcounts for the sixth straight month.

[...]

The UK S&P Global Composite PMI rose also to 53 in August of 2025 from 51.5 in the previous month, ahead of expectations that it would inch higher to 51.6 to set the sharpest growth rate in private-sector business activity in one year, according to a flash estimate. The expansion was carried by the services sector (53.6 vs 51.8 in July), which also rose to a one-year high, to offset a steeper contraction for service providers (47.3 vs 48).

The strong momentum for services in the UK drove new business volumes at the aggregate level to rise the most since October of last year, even though factories recorded the strongest decline ne new work since April, pressured by economic headwinds of higher input costs and a global protectionist swing to goods trade. Input inflation was at the highest since May, with firms citing the burden of higher National Insurance payments and their impact in labor costs.

Looking forward, business expectations for the upcoming year increased.

A group of Jewish tourists were filmed dismantling a landmark cross on a Welsh hillside and using the stones to create a giant Star of David in its place.

The 60ft long cross made from loose stones is believed to have been in place for at least 50 years on the hill below the Great Orme summit in Llandudno, north Wales, a popular tourist spot that is widely known in the local area.

The Ministry of Defence has spent more than £8m compensating survivors of historic child sex abuse committed by military personnel or on military bases since 2017, openDemocracy can reveal.

A Freedom of Information request submitted by this website revealed that 155 civil claims have been successfully brought against the MoD for non-recent child sex offences in the past eight years.

On average, each claim led to a survivor receiving a taxpayer-funded payout of £52,000.

Solicitor-advocate Ahmed Al-Nahhas from Bolt Burdon Kemp law firm in London, which specialises in representing injured service personnel, said openDemocracy’s findings paint “a stark and worrying picture” for the British military.