UK Newswire Archive
Charity run by young people needs your votes for the Lottery Good Cauases awards
04-07-2012 16:00
The Young Pioneers Charity run by 16 year old Luke Lancaster has been shortlisted for the lottery good causes award 2012 and the nation has to vote. Our programme, Be Healthy has been shortlisted and needs votes. It is special becuase it is led by young people, for young people.200,000 4 man coffins ordered for Olympics
04-07-2012 13:37
An undercover journalist has reported that 200,000 caskets that can hold 4 to 5 bodies have been ordered for the Olympics. He also reports that predator drones will be hovering over London and training has been given for a mass evacuation of the city.Fareham's BNP Gran Issued ASBO for Being a Nasty Unhinged Racist!
04-07-2012 11:16
Fareham BNP Bigot Margaret Walker sent vile racist abuse to strangers through Royal MailFree Event: Bristol Censorship and Surveillance Campaign Training
04-07-2012 10:55
this is a bristol indymedia story
Training that will equip activists to help stop the Snoopers' Charter and Mass Internet Blocking. Briefings will be followed by practicing how to talk to your MP and other activities.
Open Rights Group needs your help to defeat the latest attacks on internet freedom! We need to convince MPs that they should oppose new proposals for more surveillance and censorship. So we're running these training sessions that will help you learn about two of the biggest current digital rights issues and practice how to discuss them with your MP. We'll be covering two big topics:
1. The “Snoopers’ Charter” - aka the Communications Data Bill - was announced in the Queen's speech and is about to be published by the government. The bill will create new powers to intercept and collect information about who you talk to online. Your communications via Google, Facebook or Skype will now be open to what may be a large number of government officials. We want to see the powers to collect and access communications data tightened up, not extended ever further.
2. Internet censorship. The government is considering whether Internet Service Providers should have to block websites that contain 'adult content' by default, with an 'opt out' for uncensored access. That would mean an infrastructure of censorship that could, through mistakes, abuse or mission creep, lead to more and more content being blocked for people in the UK. Our research on mobile Internet censorship recently showed how often the wrong websites can be filtered, for example. We want to prevent this further move towards private policing of the internet and free speech, and recommend better ways to help parents manage their children's Internet access.
You can help stop these proposals. And we are here to help you!
You don't need any previous knowledge of the issues or experience talking with your MP.
The training event will last for around four hours. First we will give you a good background briefing on the issues and an overview of the campaigns. Then we will do some practical training on how to speak to your MP, and cover other campaigning ideas too.
Join us and become a digital rights champion!
11-4pm Watershed, Saturday July 7th, Bristol
http://www.openrightsgroup.org/
Smash EDO: Events and weapons inspection on July 16th
04-07-2012 10:50
We've got a few things coming up in the weeks leading up to the weapons inspection on the 16th.NCN High Pavement students plan boycott
04-07-2012 08:55
Students at New College Nottingham's High Pavement campus are planning a boycott of classes and demonstration tomorrow (Thursday 5th July). They are angry about proposed changes to the student timetable and the manner in which NCN Principal and CEO, Amarjit Basi, is implementing them. The protest is planned to last from 9am to 12pm at the Chaucer Street campus.
The students have made this statement:
Due to the proposed changes of timetable at high pavement. We are planning an official boycott of college next Thursday, hopefully with the backing of the student union, that would involve turning up to college at normal time, but not going to lessons. Instead, we're going to stand outside with signs and banners in order to make Amarjit realize we're serious
-WE DO NOT want to be on separate lunch breaks to our friends
-WE DO NOT want longer college days with more lessons
-WE DO NOT want any more people in the college as it's full to bursting as it is.
-WE DO want Adams and City students to receive a good education, just not at High Pavement
Students have said that they feel insulted by Mr Basi's moves which some feel are "compromising the quality of our education environment and resources by pushing, cramming and cattle hoarding us in one campus" and there are reports that heads of departments have been sacked as part of the changes.
As one student concludes, "colleges are not for the profit of the owners, nor are they are a source of employment. They are for educating people, and we are those people."
Durham Miners Gala Sat 14th July 2012
03-07-2012 19:52
The Durham Miners Gala this year promises to be the largest for decades. Already 100K strong recently, the addition of the Labour leader Ed Miliband is likely to tip the numbers higher still if the weather permits. The bands, speeches, marches, banner, Gala field, funfair etc all allow for a great family day out where old and new comrades meet and greet.Bristol 'City Slackers' - media shy politicians named & shamed
03-07-2012 17:57
Conservative 5/14 (36%), LibDems 9/32 (28%), Labour 5/22 (23%) & Green 0/2 (0%).
ReWilding the West: Remembering Rod Coronado
03-07-2012 17:38
Support The Spanish Miners Benefit - Fri 13th July
03-07-2012 16:04
Insurrectionary action update (Global)
03-07-2012 13:48
[in no particular order, a few recent reports of anarchist attacks....] "Cell of Revolutionary Action for the Destruction of the State – Autonomous Cells for Immediate Revolution – Praxedis G. Guerrero" (CAR-PGG) responsibility claim for explosive packages to Greek embassy (Mexico) // railroad sabotage in Montreal by "Invisible Committee for the End of Their History" against capitalist conference (Canada) // direct actions during the No Border camp in Stockholm (Sweden) // "Anarchist Revolutionary Group Antifascist Action" claims responsibility for bombing radio station Diavlos in Rodopi (Greece) // claim for attack on Nea Dimokratia offices in Athens (Greece) // explosive attacks on police station in Santiago (Chile) // bombs on the construction site of a new prison in Marche (Belgium) // Van loaded with explosives driven into Microsoft’s Athens HQ (Greece) // Communique for sabotage of Duke Energy trucks, Bloomington (USA) // insurrectionary news from Munich (Germany) // solidarity with the insurrection in Montreal (Canada) from Atlanta (USA) // Police cars attacked, Denman Island (Canada) // words of solidarity with the Cleveland 5 anarchists stung by the FBI (USA) // COUNTER INFO SOURCES = 325, ActForFreedomNow, WarOnSocietyKeir Starmer QC invites Drax power station protesters to appeal
03-07-2012 12:30
Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer QC said he had concerns about the safety of the convictions following the Drax power station protest in 2008.Phone and Twitter Blockade of EDO Today
03-07-2012 10:54
Phone and twitter blockade of EDO. The one last month was a real success so we're having another one! You can participate from wherever you are. Call EDO on +44 (0) 1273810500 and tweet EDO's parent company @ITTExelis with questions and comments about their trade. There are examples of sample tweets you can copy and past from the last time at the bottom of this email or -even better- come up with some new ones. Please hashtag your tweets #SmashEDO
Activists occupy roof of G4S HQ - photos
02-07-2012 21:39
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2012/07/497595.html Free Documentary | The Missing Billions | #ukuncut (24mins)
02-07-2012 18:26
Faslane Peace Camp and Trident Ploughshares Tresspass at Faslane Naval Base
02-07-2012 15:00
Seven activists from Faslane Peace Camp and Trident Ploughshares entered Faslane naval base this morning with four members of the group slipping past guards and reaching points up to 100 yards inside the base.New Health Risks Associated with Opencast Mining
02-07-2012 14:55
The June Review of Developments affecting Opencast Mining from the Loose Anti Opencast Network provides new evidence that Surface Mine workers in the USA contract 'Black Lung' disease. Secondly it reviews recent developments in Carbon Capture and Storage in the UK and lastly updates what the situation is on prospective and actual opencast sites in England.
THE LOOSE ANTI OPEN-CAST NETWORK
NEW HEALTH RISKS FOR THOSE LIVING NEAR CURRENT AND PROPOSED OPENCAST MINES?
PR 2012-2 2/7/12
Issues relating to proposed opencast sites were locally newsworthy items in the last month. In addition to the news items relating to various proposed and potential sites listed below, there was news in other areas that could have a potential effect on the future of opencast mining in the UK. Firstly there were two developments relating to Health Issues and Opencast Mining. The World Health Organisation declared that Diesel Emissions were Carcinogenic, themselves causing forms of lung cancer. This is not good news for those living near, or have the prospect of living near, opencast sites where usually all the heavy machinery used to mine and transport the coal is diesel driven.
The health news gets even worse, for a second reason, with a new health study of surface coal miners in the USA finding, for the first time, that ‘Black Lung’ disease or Pneumoconiosis is associated with surface mining as varying degrees of incidence of this disease were observed in miners working at different sites. Dust from silica was mainly to blame and silica dust has long been a controversial issue when it comes to opencast mining in this country.
LAON both suggest that all those currently opposing opencast applications ask the Environmental Health Officer who is advising the Planning Authority considering the Application to review this new evidence to see if any planning application for a new opencast mine can now be considered ‘safe’ for the local population. LAON will also be passing this information on to a group of MP’s who we know are opposed to opencast mining to see if a review of health guidance on opencast mine applications and guidance on current mitigation procedures can be initiated in light of this new evidence. References for both of these news items of are given below.
The other major news stories which have a bearing on the future of opencast mining in the UK are to do with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). If it was proved that it was commercially viable to operate such a system and apply it to coal fired power stations, then new coal fired power stations would be built and the demand for coal would increase, perhaps dramatically. We may then face a flood of applications for new opencast coal sites, given the prohibitive costs, estimated in a Daily Mail news article in 2009, of £1bn to open a new deep mine.
This is why recent news on this front is interesting. One the one hand, Ayrshire Power has withdrawn its proposal to build a new coal fired power station at Hunterston in Scotland, which was to be fitted with unproven CCS technology to remove some of the CO2. Meanwhile, in England, progress is being made with the ‘Don Valley Power Project’, an ambitious, expensive (£5bn) plan to build a CCS power plant near Hatfield Colliery in Yorkshire and then pipe the CO2 gas 200 miles to depleted oil fields in the North Sea to both store the gas and recover more oil. Big companies, including BOC and Samsung have now taken a share in the scheme, which is now starting public consultations on the route of the proposed pipeline. It’s called the ‘Don Valley Power Project’, since eventually the hope is that power stations at other sites, such as Drax, Ferrybridge and Tata Steel will be connected to the pipeline. However, this scheme has already bankrupted one company, Powerfuel and it is dependent on gaining public funding. However, if at all successful, it raises the risk of increasing the demand for coal and for more opencast coal site applications for that 500m tonnes of coal that is estimated to be less than 500m away from where thousands of people live. LAON will be watching developments. References for both these news items are below.
NEWS ON ENGLISH SITES CURRENTLY UNDER CONSIDERATION FOR JUNE 2012
The way to read each entry is as follows:
Site Name, Location, Planning Authority, Position in the Planning System (either Scoping Inquiry, Application Submitted, Application Approved) and the name of the Applicant / Operator.
BIRKLANDS, (nr .Marley Hill, Gateshead), (Gateshead) (Application) (Hall Construction Services)
‘Opencast, the threat returns’ (local action group) (no date)
Not a news story, but an on line petition that can be signed to show opposition to open casting at this proposed 275,000 tonne site. See
http://www.savebirklands.org.uk/
BRADLEY (nr. Consett) (Co Durham) (Judicial Review) (UK Coal)
No news on if and when the Judicial Review will begin. The Planning Inspectorate has yet to decide on whether it is to contest the Judicial Review
DEARNE LEA, WEST CLAYTON (S.E. of Huddersfield) (Kirklees Council) (Application) (George Harrison Ltd)
‘Skelmanthorpe Action Group urges Kirklees Council to refuse Clayton West mining plan’, (Huddersfield Examiner, 8/6/12)
A local campaign group joins those objecting to this Application as it would not bring any benefit to the local area and result in massive disruption. See
‘Plans for opencast mine given short shrift by council’ (Yorkshire Post, 14/6/12)
Wakefield Council confirms its opposition to the proposed opencast mine at the Dearne Lea site. Kirklees Council’s decision now expected towards the end of the year.
To contact the Skelmansthorpe Action Group see:
http://www.skelmanthorpeaction.org.uk/contact.html
For more details on the Application and the possibility to make a comment up to: http://www2.kirklees.gov.uk/business/planning/application_search/detail.aspx?id=2012/91131
FERNEYBEDS, WIDDRINGTON STATION (8 miles NW of Ashington) (Northumberland County Council) (Scoping Inquiry) (Banks Group)‘Widdrington villagers split over new opencast application’ (The Journal 20/6/12)
Ironically, given the title of the article, it only relays the opinion of one local person who supports the Application. See
‘Chairman gives blessing to opencast site proposals’ (News Post Leader, 27/6/12)
Another story, almost a repeat, of the local person, Brenda Fordy-Scott, Chairman Widdrington Residents Association giving support to Bank’s Application.
GEORGE FARM (nr. Smalley, Derbyshire) (Derbyshire County Council) (Application) (LEM Resources)
The Smalley Action Group has now set up a petition where you can register your objection to the Application. See
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Smalley-opencast/
HALTON LEA GATE (c 5 miles SW of Haltwhistle) (Northumberland County Council) (Public Inquiry) (HM Developments)
HM Developments plan to mine 140,000 tonnes of coal
Awaiting the result of a Public Inquiry on this application, held in May 2012
HILLTOP PROJECT (nr. Clay Cross, Derbyshire) (Derbyshire County Council) ( Scoping Inquiry) (Provectus Remediation)
Provectus Remediation have indicated that they are intending to submit a plan to mine 130,000 tonnes of coal from a 30 hectare site over a 30 month period.
The local MP, Natasha Engel has now announced her opposition to any proposed opencast mining application for the Hilltop Project site. Hilltop Action Group: Support from Local MP and Councillors, June 2012 . See
To keep in touch with the protest campaign, go to
HOODSCLOSE Whittonstall (Northumberland County Council) (Application) (UK Coal)
UK Coal hopes to extract 2.2m tonnes of coal and 500,000 tonnes of fireclay over a seven year period. The Scoping Inquiry state began soon after August 2009 with an application following in 2010. This is still a live application.
‘Protesters step up Whittonstall opencast mine fight’, (The Journal, 28/6/12)A decision on this Application takes a step closer now that UK Coal plc has submitted the additional information NCC asked for. The Whittonstall Action Group is to hold a public meeting in the village church on 7/7/12 to explain why they still oppose the Application. See
http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2012/06/28/61634-31277826/?
You can find further information and make a make a comment here:
You can also contact the Whittonstall Action Group here:
http://www.whittonstallactiongroup.co.uk/who.php
THE JAMES BRIDGE COPPER FOUNDRY / PHOENIX 10 (Walsall) (Walsall Metropolitan Council / Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership) (Expression of Interest) (Parkhill Estates).
No new information is available about this possible site.
SHORTWOOD FARM (Trowell, nr Nottigham, Nottinghamshire) (Application) (UK Coal)
UK Coal have applied to mine 1,275,000 tonnes of coal over a 5yr period on a Greenfield site.
‘Rallying call on mine plan’, (Nottingham Post, 20/6/12)
Article reminds local people that they only have a few days in which to lodge an objection to UK Coal’s Shortwood Farm proposal. So far 114 objections have been lodged with Nottinghamshire County Council, with 6 letters in favour of the Application.
To send a letter opposing this application, go to:
http://www.trowell.org.uk/shortwood-open-cast-mining-application-letter-writing-campaign/out
To find out more about the Application see:
http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/planningsearch/plandisp.aspx?AppNo=ES/2569
MARLEY HILL COLLIERY RECLAIMATION (Sunnyside, Gateshead (Co Durham also affected), (Scoping Enquiry) (UK Coal)
No recent news about this proposed development to mine approximately 1m tonnes of coal
WELL HILL FARM, STANNINGTON (nr Morpeth) (Northumberland County Council) (Application) (Hargreaves Services)
No new information is available about this possible site.
‘Hargreaves looks to open surface mines in the North East’ (Hargreaves Web Site, 15/2/12)
Hargreaves has submitted plans for its first English Opencast site. It plans to extract 130,000 tonnes of coal. See
For more information on this application and the possibility of making a comment go to
REFERENCES FOR HEALTH ISSUES
‘Diesel exhausts cause cancer’, (Coal Action Scotland / Indymedia Scotland, 13/6/12
Coal Action Scotland, who have long campaigned for more research into the health issues related to opencast mining have published this press release that links the recent WHO classification of Diesel Engine Exhaust as Carcinogenic with health issues related to opencast mining. Seehttp://www.indymediascotland.org/node/27613?device=mobile
For a link to the publication of the WHO monographs and other information on this see
http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/iarcnews/2012/mono105-info.php
Research from the (USA Government) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention : Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR): June 15, 2012 / 61(23);431-434 “Pneumoconiosis and Advanced Occupational Lung Disease Among Surface Coal Miners” — 16 States, 2010–2011”See
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6123a2.htm?s_cid=mm6123a2_x
REFERENCES FOR BRITISH DEVELOPMENTS IN CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE
AYRESHIRE POWER
‘Plans for carbon-capture power station abandoned’ (BusinessGreen / Guardian, 27/6/12) @
DON VALLEY POWER PROJECT
‘Gas firms stake in power station’, (Sheffield Star, 14/6/12) @
http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/business/gas-firm-s-stake-in-power-station-1-4642619
‘Crucial milestone’ in bid to build vast CO2 Pipe’, (Yorkshire Post, 19/6/12) @
The Loose Anti-Opencast Network (LAON) has been in existence since 2009. It functions as a medium through to oppose open cast mine applications, through which any person / group can communicate ideas, information, requests for information and possibly concerted actions if we find a target. In addition feel free to invite any other person / group who oppose opencast mining applications, to join the network so that it grows. At present LAON links individuals and groups in N Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Northumberland, Co Durham, Leeds, Kirklees Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Walsall.
You can read our 1st press release on the Coal Action Network Site here:
http://coalaction.org.uk/?p=721
If you have news about developments at any of the above sites, or you have news of any new sites not included in this list then please contact Steve Leary at infoatlaon@yahoo.com, which is also LAON’s contact address.