- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Thousands march for Palestinians ahead of Oct 7 anniversary
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Toddler crushed to death in migrant Channel crossing
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
- Child 'trampled to death' in asylum seekers' Channel crossing: minister
- Gauff fights back to set up Beijing final against Muchova
- Guardiola claims Premier League won't delay season for Man City
- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
UK govt launches flagship green energy plan
Britain's new Labour government launched its flagship green energy infrastructure plan on Tuesday, announcing a multi-billion-pound partnership with the business arm of the royal family to develop offshore wind farms.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is establishing a publicly owned body called Great British Energy to spearhead funding in domestic renewable energy projects as the UK weans itself off fossil fuels.
"There is a massive prize within our reach, and make no mistake the race is on to get there," Starmer said of his pledge to ensure Britain's energy "independence".
His government has allocated £8.3 billion ($10 billion) of public money over the next five years as Labour aims to meet Britain's climate change targets.
It also wants to bring down the price of energy by reducing reliance on foreign imports of oil and gas.
GB Energy will also seek to attract private investment, and the government announced a first tie-up with the monarchy's land and property holdings company that aims to leverage private investment of £60 billion.
The Crown Estate is an independently run business whose profits go to the government, which passes on a small portion to the monarchy to support official duties of the royal family.
It is one of Europe's biggest property empires, owning vast swathes of Britain's seabed with a huge commercial potential in developing offshore wind power generation.
The Crown Estate estimates that its GB Energy partnership will lease enough offshore land to produce up to 30 gigawatts of new energy, enough to power almost 20 million homes, by 2030.
The UK currently produces only 14 gigawatts of energy through offshore wind, according to government data.
- 'Clean energy superpower' -
The government was introducing its legislation to establish GB Energy into parliament on Thursday.
The company is the bedrock of Labour's pledge made before its landslide general election victory against the Conservatives on July 4 to make Britain a "clean energy superpower".
Labour, in power for the first time since 2010, is committed to meeting the UK's legal obligation of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
It also wants to decarbonise Britain's electricity grid by 2030, although experts have said the ambitious target will be difficult to meet.
Starmer's government has already ended a ban on new onshore wind farms in England that the Conservatives imposed in 2015.
The government is introducing a separate bill to widen the investment powers of the Crown Estate, giving it more scope to borrow for investments including offshore wind projects.
It has also proposed boosting investment in sustainable aviation fuel plants across the country.
Profit from the Crown Estate more than doubled last year to a record £1.1 billion, driven by a short-term boost from offshore wind farms, according to annual accounts published on Wednesday.
The government says GB Energy will have five key functions, including leading projects and building supply chains. It will not produce its own power.
New technologies it will invest in include carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, wave and tidal energy.
The public financing of the body will be funded through windfall taxes levied on oil and gas companies.
British customers' energy bills have soared since key producer Russia launched a full-scaled invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022.
Labour maintains the party's net-zero energy plans will save households £300 a year on their bills.
But the Conservatives' energy spokeswoman Claire Coutinho called GB Energy "nothing but a gimmick that will end up costing families, not cutting bills".
O.Johnson--AMWN