Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

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Redrow Approval granted for phase two of Dry Street housing development
 ESSEX Police has announced an investigation into alleged child sex abuse in the 1980s and 1990s, following a year-long Yellow Advertiser investigation into claims of an establishment cover-up.

The probe is being led by Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh, who was introduced to three whistleblowers last month during a meeting the YA helped to arrange.

The Chief Constable and Essex Police Commissioner Nick Alston will release a formal statement later today outlining the nature and scale of the investigation into abuse involving as many as 60 youngsters in Shoebury and other parts of Essex.

Mr Alston thanked the YA for its ’important’ role in the investigation.

He said: “You have helped us into this place and I am grateful for it.”

Officers will investigate claims that police and civil servants failed to properly investigate suspected paedophiles or adequately protect alleged victims during the 1980s and 90s. They will also more urgently look into whether known victims remain at risk today as a result of past failures.

Three whistleblowers were put in touch with Essex Police following a series of YA meetings, where they were able to describe an alleged ’pattern of institutional abuse’ across the county.

They came forward after the YA published a series of exclusive reports about alleged historic abuse.

The allegations have been made by a retired NHS manager, a serving probation officer and the former manager of a child sex abuse treatment centre.

Mr Alston described the claims as ’chilling’.

He said police would have to test the whistleblowers’ accounts, but commented: “It’s an overwhelmingly credible scenario. The circumstantial evidence is apparently strong.”

In a statement confirming the investigation, due to be published later this morning, Essex Police said: “At the meeting, serious concerns were raised about alleged sexual offences committed against children, particularly boys in local authority or foster care, during the 1980s and 1990s.

“Further deep concerns were raised about the safeguarding and support provided for a large number of young people who may have been victims of serious abuse.

“In the relevant period there were a number of investigations and prosecutions, and two convictions were secured.

“However, the concern of these professionals, who were working in the area at the time, was that those investigations may not have been sufficiently thorough.”

Mr Alston said: “Without the Yellow Advertiser having had the confidence to build that relationship with those professionals, and to trust me to do the right thing here, we would not be making this announcement. So thank you for taking the initiative on this. Thank you for trusting us.”

http://www.yellowad.co.uk/article.cfm?id=111211&headline=EXCLUSIVE:%20Police%20to%20probe%20historic%20child%20sex%20%27cover-up%27%20allegations,%20thanks%20to%20YA%20investigation§ionIs=news&searchyear=2016&_ga=2.34741857.1791025789.1565485826-167577981.1565485826

Output: Redrow Homes has been granted approval for detailed panning on the second phase of the Dry Street housing project after most of the planning committee abstained from voting. This phase of the controversial development involves the build of 192 homes on the 325-property estate and 600 sqm of new retail space. Only two councillors backed the plan. Ward councillor Kerry Smith, who raised residents' concerns with the committee, said, “In my view, this was not yet a safe application to approve. There were serious questions that needed to be answered.”


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Media Companies make up four of 11 in Disney accelerator programme
 The Walt Disney Co. is launching its fourth annual incubator program, announcing 11 technology and media companies — including Epic Games, Brit + Co and Samba TV — that will receive funding and other support under the 2017 Disney Accelerator program.

As in years past, Disney’s hope is that some of the young blood can be transfused into the Mouse House’s veins. The 2017 Disney Accelerator companies are again a diverse bunch, spanning video games, eSports, artificial intelligence, location-based virtual reality, online learning, messaging commerce, real-time entertainment, and robotics.

Disney is making equity investments in each of the 11 companies, but it is not disclosing the amount of the funding. The participating companies retain rights to all the intellectual property they develop while part of the Disney Accelerator.

Under the program, the companies will receive guidance from top Disney execs, entrepreneurs, investors and other entertainment and tech leaders, and will have access to a co-working space at Disney’s creative campus in L.A. The program concludes with a Demo Day in 2017 featuring presentations from all 11 firms.

Disney points to a few breakout wins from companies in prior Accelerator programs, some of which continue to work with the media conglomerate. Those include Sphero, which in 2015 released the best-selling BB-8 app-enabled “Star Wars” droid toy and this year brought out the Ultimate Lightning McQueen toy from Pixar’s “Cars” franchise; Atom Tickets, the movie-ticketing app startup that worked with Disney/Lucasfilm on “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” ticketing and exclusive merchandise promos; and Imperson, which has developed AI-powered chatbots for several Disney franchises, including most recently for Walt Disney World’s Pandora: The World of Avatar attraction.

“The Disney Accelerator has provided The Walt Disney Company incredible opportunities to connect with and be inspired by many talented entrepreneurs from all over the world,” Michael Abrams, Disney’s senior VP of innovation, said in announcing the 2017 program. “This year, more than ever, we are working with companies with the potential to help define the future of media and entertainment together with Disney.”

The 2017 Disney Accelerator companies are:

Ambidio: a company that developed a technology for creating a continuous sound field with a sense of depth and dimension through any device with stereo speakers.

a company that developed a technology for creating a continuous sound field with a sense of depth and dimension through any device with stereo speakers. aXiomatic: an eSports ownership group backed by leading sports team owners that holds a majority stake in Team Liquid, a top eSports team in the U.S. and Europe with 60 pro players, coaches, and analysts competing in nine games, and a minority stake in Super League Gaming.

an eSports ownership group backed by leading sports team owners that holds a majority stake in Team Liquid, a top eSports team in the U.S. and Europe with 60 pro players, coaches, and analysts competing in nine games, and a minority stake in Super League Gaming. Brit + Co: digital media company that aims to inspire, inform and entertain women through content, online classes, and products.

digital media company that aims to inspire, inform and entertain women through content, online classes, and products. Epic Games: creators of Unreal Engine technology, which is used by video-game developers worldwide for games and experiences across PC, console, mobile, virtual reality and augmented reality platforms. Epic is known for creating the “Unreal,” “Gears of War” and “Infinity Blade” series of games, and newer titles such as “Fortnite,” “Paragon” and “Robo Recall.”

creators of Unreal Engine technology, which is used by video-game developers worldwide for games and experiences across PC, console, mobile, virtual reality and augmented reality platforms. Epic is known for creating the “Unreal,” “Gears of War” and “Infinity Blade” series of games, and newer titles such as “Fortnite,” “Paragon” and “Robo Recall.” Hoodline: local news and content discovery platform that uses machine learning to distribute geo-tagged and relevant content from hundreds of media partners into websites or mobile apps.

local news and content discovery platform that uses machine learning to distribute geo-tagged and relevant content from hundreds of media partners into websites or mobile apps. Kahoot!: game-based learning platform with more than 50 million monthly active users in 180 countries.

game-based learning platform with more than 50 million monthly active users in 180 countries. ProductionPro: develops a tool for storytellers and creators focused on improving creative collaboration in film, TV, and theater production, by pulling scripts, research, designs, and continuity together to empower creative decision-making.

develops a tool for storytellers and creators focused on improving creative collaboration in film, TV, and theater production, by pulling scripts, research, designs, and continuity together to empower creative decision-making. ReplyYes: creators of a mobile-enabled e-commerce system that lets customers simply reply “YES” to buy a product and have it shipped to them.

creators of a mobile-enabled e-commerce system that lets customers simply reply “YES” to buy a product and have it shipped to them. Samba TV: a data and analytics company that measures real-time viewership data across broadcast, cable TV, over-the-top and digital media.

a data and analytics company that measures real-time viewership data across broadcast, cable TV, over-the-top and digital media. Savioke: robotics company that develops and deploys autonomous indoor delivery robots that assist workers in busy environments such as hotels, logistics facilities, and apartment buildings. The company’s flagship robot, Relay, has been installed in dozens of hotels worldwide.

robotics company that develops and deploys autonomous indoor delivery robots that assist workers in busy environments such as hotels, logistics facilities, and apartment buildings. The company’s flagship robot, Relay, has been installed in dozens of hotels worldwide. The Void: a location-based entertainment company that fully immerses guests in virtual experiences with friends and family, engaging all of their senses. The Void combines interactive sets, virtual reality, real-time effects, and state of the art technology to bring guests into their experience.

______________________

Output: Disney has launched its fourth incubator programme with eleven companies receiving funding and support. Eleven companies ranging from video games, virtual reality, online learning and robotics, as well as several media companies, have been accepted with each receiving undisclosed equity funding from Disney. Media companies in the programme are; Brit + Co, a female-empowerment media platform; Hoodline an artificial intelligence driven local news, content discovery and tagging tool; ReplyYes, a mobile-enabled e-commerce system that lets customers make purchases by replying "YES"; and Samba TV, a data analytics company that measures real-time viewing figures over broadcast, cable, over-the-top and digital media.


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Dominion dips toe in the water of US offshore wind
 The United States’ offshore wind industry is only on its first legs, and it’s staying small for the time being, with Dominion Energy announcing this week it will partner with DONG Energy to build a 12 MW offshore project off the coast of Virginia Beach.

The current capacity of the United States wind energy industry sits at an impressive 82 gigawatts (GW), but almost none of that capacity is offshore — only the 30 megawatt (MW) Block Island Wind Farm sits off the coast of America, and that only started generating electricity last December. Various policy shifts might be seeing this trend begin to fade away, with governments along the east coast looking to open up potential locations for offshore development, but it’s still early days yet. The Long Island Power Authority approved the country’s second offshore wind farm, the 90 MW South Fork Wind Farm, earlier this year, while late last year Danish wind energy giant partnered with New England transmission builder Eversource Energy in proposing a potentially massive 2 GW offshore wind farm.

However, much closer is the news this week that Dominion Energy, one of the country’s largest producers and transporters of energy, has partnered with DONG Energy to construct a small, 12 MW offshore wind farm 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach — which could be the country’s first mid-Atlantic offshore wind project. Dominion Energy signed an agreement and strategic partnership with DONG Energy to construct two 6 MW wind turbines, with initial work on the newly named Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project to begin immediately, with completion expected for the end of 2020.

12 MW might sound small — and it is — but it is just the first phase in what could become a much larger project, generating up to a potential of 2 GW of energy across a much larger locale leased by Dominion Energy from the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project will act as a first step and demonstration, while providing experience and data for a possible larger-scale development in the future.

“Virginia is now positioned to be a leader in developing more renewable energy thanks to the Commonwealth’s committed leadership and DONG’s unrivaled expertise in building offshore wind farms,” said Thomas F. Farrell, II, Dominion Energy’s chairman, president and chief executive officer. “While we have faced many technological challenges and even more doubters as we advanced this project, we have been steadfast in our commitment to our customers and the communities we serve.”

“Today marks the first step in what I expect to be the deployment of hundreds of wind turbines off Virginia’s coast that will further diversify our energy production portfolio, create thousands of jobs, and reduce carbon emissions in the Commonwealth,” said Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe.

“Hampton Roads has the ideal port assets and talented workforce to attract and house the offshore wind business supply chain to support not only Virginia’s commercial wind area, but also wind farms under development in Massachusetts, New York, and Maryland. Today’s announcement advances our efforts to build a new Virginia economy that is cleaner, stronger, and more diverse.”

“DONG Energy is the energy supplier in Europe that has come the farthest in the transition to renewable energy, and we are excited to bring our expertise to America,” added Samuel Leupold, executive vice president and CEO of Wind Power at DONG Energy.

“This project will provide us vital experience in constructing an offshore wind project in the United States and serve as a stepping stone to a larger commercial-scale partnership between our companies in the future. We see the tremendous potential in the Mid-Atlantic for emission-free, renewable wind generation and we are excited to help the Commonwealth in reaping the benefits of wind power.”

Sign up for Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Former Tesla Battery Expert Leading Lyten Into New Lithium-Sulfur Battery Era — Podcast: I don't like paywalls. You don't like paywalls. Who likes paywalls? Here at CleanTechnica, we implemented a limited paywall for a while, but it always felt wrong — and it was always tough to decide what we should put behind there. In theory, your most exclusive and best content goes behind a paywall. But then fewer people read it! We just don't like paywalls, and so we've decided to ditch ours. Unfortunately, the media business is still a tough, cut-throat business with tiny margins. It's a never-ending Olympic challenge to stay above water or even perhaps — gasp — grow. So ... Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here I don't like paywalls. You don't like paywalls. Who likes paywalls? Here at CleanTechnica, we implemented a limited paywall for a while, but it always felt wrong — and it was always tough to decide what we should put behind there. In theory, your most exclusive and best content goes behind a paywall. But then fewer people read it! We just don't like paywalls, and so we've decided to ditch ours. Unfortunately, the media business is still a tough, cut-throat business with tiny margins. It's a never-ending Olympic challenge to stay above water or even perhaps —— grow. So ...

Output: Dominion Energy is testing the water of US offshore wind by partnering with DONG Energy to build a 12 MW plant off the coast of Virginia Beach. The current capacity of US wind energy is 82 GW but most of that comes from onshore turbines, with only 30 MW coming from Block Island Wind Farm. Dominion and DONG's plans to build a small 12 MW offshore wind farm 27 miles off the coast will be the first mid-Atlantic offshore wind power scheme in the US.


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Measles spreads across Europe as fewer children are vaccinated
 Story highlights Measles deaths have been reported in Italy, Romania, Germany and Portugal in the past year Cases are up drastically in Italy

CNN —

Thirty-five people have died of measles across Europe in the past 12 months, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, warning that vaccination remains crucial to stopping the spread.

In the most recent case, a 6-year-old died in Italy on June 22. The boy’s doctor confirmed that he had not been vaccinated against measles and died of the disease.

Another measles death and over 3,300 cases of measles have been reported in Italy alone since June 2016.

Measles is a highly infectious disease transmitted through the measles virus. It can spread from person to person by breathing contaminated air or touching an infected surface. Symptoms may begin with a high fever, cough, runny nose or red and watery eyes. After three to five days, a rash will usually appear. Measles can be serious and cause severe complications such as pneumonia or encephalitis. The disease most often affects children, especially those younger than 5.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reported that cases of measles in Europe have jumped by 50% in just the first five months of 2017, compared with the total number of measles cases during all of 2016.

There has been a particularly large increase in measles cases in Italy: 3,232 cases from January through June this year, compared with 478 in the same time period last year.

“Italy has had suboptimal (vaccine) coverage for many years now,” said Dr. Rob Butler, program manager of the Vaccine-Preventable Diseases and Immunization Program of the WHO Regional Office for Europe. He added that vaccine coverage for measles in Italy has fallen every year since 2012.

Butler said this is in part due to the rise of anti-vaccine movements across Europe and a sense of complacency among parents.

A measure approved by the Italian parliament, and to be implemented in September, requires 12 vaccinations, including the measles vaccine, in order for a child to enroll in a government-run school. Parents who violate the law can also be fined. Italy previously required only four vaccinations for school enrollment, not including measles.

The disease is not confined to Italy. In the past 12 months, Romania has reported 31 measles deaths, the most in Europe. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reports that from June 2016 to May 2017, Romania had 3,922 measles cases, making up 42% of all European cases.

Last week, the Romanian Ministry of Health said that the measles outbreak is under control and that there is enough vaccine to cover the population. Romania has also implemented broad vaccination campaigns, though much of the population lives in areas that are hard to reach.

Germany and Portugal have both reported one measles death in the past 12 months. Germany had 950 measles cases from June 2016 to May 2017, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said, but Portugal’s numbers were incomplete.

Germany implemented legislation this month that requires all kindergartens to notify health authorities if parents have not submitted their children’s vaccine counseling records to the school.

The WHO recommends that 95% of a country’s population should be vaccinated for measles to ensure that the virus will not continue spreading, and every eligible child should receive two doses of the measles vaccine. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a measles vaccine recommendation for all travelers to several European countries, including Italy, Romania and Germany.

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“Every death or disability caused by this vaccine-preventable disease is an unacceptable tragedy,” Dr. Zsuzsanna Jakab, the regional director for Europe, said in the WHO statement.

“We are very concerned that although a safe, effective and affordable vaccine is available, measles remains a leading cause of death among children worldwide, and unfortunately Europe is not spared. Working closely with health authorities in all European affected countries is our priority to control the outbreaks and maintain high vaccination coverage for all sections of the population.”

Output: The World Health Organisation has confirmed 35 people have died of measles across Europe in the past 12 months and has warned that vaccination remains critical to stop it spreading. The most recent case was a six-year-old Italian boy who had not been vaccinated and died in June after contracting the disease – Italy has a particularly high incidence of measles. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said cases of measles in Europe surged by 50% in the first five months of 2017 compared to the same period last year, primarily because of the rise of anti-vaccine movements and complacency among parents.


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Australia's financial markets vulnerable to cyber fraud: Austrac
 Australia’s multibillion-dollar financial markets are vulnerable to an increasing risk of cyber-enabled fraud, a new report has found.

Overseas-based crime syndicates are also exploiting Australia’s financial infrastructure to manipulate markets and launder money, the report by Austrac, the government’s financial intelligence agency, found.

Austrac said the risk of criminal exploitation of the nation’s securities and derivatives sector was “at the high end of medium”.

Austrac’s work relied on an analysis of 663 reports of suspicious activity from the corporate sector, made by 68 entities. About half the reports involved suspected fraud.

Austrac warned the shift to online trading had heightened the risk of cyber-enabled fraud, which was increasing in both “volume and the level of sophistication”. About half of all fraud reports involved cyber fraud, it said.

Such fraud could involve hacking an online trading account and using it to conduct trades or siphon off funds.

“In some cases this activity was enabled by fraudsters finding out the answers to the customer’s security questions by trawling through the customer’s social media,” the report found.

Cyber fraud could also involve hacking a business email to send fraudulent instructions to a financial institution to transfer client funds or close a trading position. Roughly one-fifth of the reports to Austrac involved cases of money laundering, and 13% related to insider trading.

Concerns about the financing of terrorism were low, at less than 1%. Only a “very small number” involved politically exposed persons.

Almost a third of the reports named foreign companies or individuals who were trading on Australia’s financial market. The report also identified the use of overseas-based agents and third parties in trading as a “significant vulnerability”.

The report named China, the UK, Hong Kong and Canada as areas of particular risk, the acting Austrac chief executive, Peter Clark, said.

“Australia has a very large and liquid financial market,” he said.

“It’s the second largest market in the Asia-Pacific in terms of trading. So you would expect that a lot of the countries that are of interest to us are in this region – that’s no surprise.”

Launching the report on Wednesday, the justice minister, Michael Keenan, said protecting financial markets from crime was “not just a matter for government”.

He said the private sector needed to take steps to address the vulnerabilities.

But he rejected suggestions that the Australian Securities and Investments Commission lacked the resources to police the sector. A review last year found the corporate regulator was under-resourced and suffering from cultural dysfunction.

Keenan said the federal government had “some pretty serious firepower” to combat corporate crime, pointing to its investment in the serious financial crime taskforce, which brings Asic, intelligence agencies and law enforcement together.

“They are having great success,” Keenan said.

“I mean about $200m in tax liabilities, over $100m in criminal proceeds – that is some pretty serious firepower that we have brought to the fight against fraud and corruption and people who are doing the wrong thing.”

The report found complex ownership structures were being used to cloud the identity of those committing insider trading, market manipulation and money laundering.

Australians were also using foreign entities to obscure their identity to commit illegal activity.

Output: Australia's financial markets are at significant risk from cyber fraud attacks, according to Austrac, the government's financial intelligence agency. It added that foreign crime syndicates are seeking to exploit the country's financial infrastructure to manipulate the markets and launder money. The agency said the risk to Australia's securities and derivatives industry was "at the high end of medium." Typical fraudulent activities include hacking an online trading account and using it to conduct trades or siphon off funds.


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UCLA to create global platform for delivering online degrees
 UCLA Global Online is expected to enrol its first intake of students in 2018 and will offer degrees and certificates at the master’s level with entry requirements that mirror the existing requirements for the university.

Despite the university’s global brand, Wayne Smutz, founding dean of UCLA Global Online, said the university has yet to conquer the online learning market.

“One of our challenges will be how do we make that work internationally”

“We have a lot of research activities around the globe that we do that make us international,” he told The PIE News. “Our brand is very strong internationally but we don’t really deliver education internationally.”

He pointed out that while other prestigious universities in the US deliver MOOCs and online short courses, universities of that calibre are not fully-fledged in the online learning market for full degrees.

“In the last year, we’ve seen a real opening up of the international space to online around the world,” he said.

“And while it’s not completely open there are hints that that door is starting to crack and I think that makes the timing right to become more internationally-oriented.”

The platform will incorporate programming from UCLA’s traditional academic curriculum alongside practical education through the university’s continuing education arm, UCLA extension, which Smutz also heads up.

“We have those two different kinds of content that we’re going to provide,” he said.

“My view is we want to give people choice, because that’s what the internet allows you to do. We want to provide them with lots of choice within a single platform.”

The practical application of the curriculum also gives students the ability to expand their professional networks, said Smutz.

“One of our challenges will be how do we make that work internationally, and we’re thinking about that,” he commented.

The platform aims reach 10,000-15,000 students in the space of five years, and the subjects offered are expected to reflect the biggest industries in Los Angeles.

“We want to be able to use Los Angeles and its prestige in many different areas to attract people to what we have to offer,” he said, nodding to the importance of entertainment, business and engineering industries to the city.

Output: The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has begun development of a platform for online degrees and master's level certificates to be rolled out internationally next year, with courses tapping into the significance of the entertainment, business and engineering industries in Los Angeles, according to Wayne Smutz, founding dean of UCLA Global Online. The move is part of the university's attempt to enter the massive open online course market with full-length degrees, and the aim is to enrol 10,000-15,000 students globally over the next five years.


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Automakers likely wasting billions on connected-car bets
 DETROIT -- The auto industry is betting billions of dollars in a global game of roulette involving connected, autonomous, shared and electric vehicles.

While some "traditional" automakers such as General Motors and Ford Motor Co. are hedging their bets to keep their seats at the table, newcomers out of Silicon Valley such as Tesla Inc. are going all-in to disrupt the game.

No one playing knows whose strategy will pay off in the end, but one thing is certain: Not everyone can be a winner.

"There are going to be billions and billions of dollars lost in bets that were put in the wrong place," John Hoffecker, global vice chairman of consulting firm AlixPartners, said Tuesday during an Automotive Press Association meeting in Detroit.

The ongoing gambles and challenges facing the automotive industry are the focus of AlixPartners' new "Global Automotive Outlook" covering connected, autonomous, shared and electric vehicle (CASE) trends, creating a "new automotive ecosystem."

Hoffecker expects a handful of companies to essentially "win" in this new world, while others will be forced to adopt technologies from the leading companies or risk losing their seat at the table. He said companies that are able to quickly and successfully adapt to the emerging technologies, while navigating traditional industry problems, will ultimately be the most successful.

"The big winner in the future is going to be this person who can figure out how to change their organization into more of a consumer electronics kind of business than what we've seen," he said. "Where they think about their business in one-, two-, three-year cycles; not four-, eight-, 10-year cycles."

The report includes research around emerging trends as well as a survey of 2,000 adult consumers in the U.S. covering shared mobility services.

Output: The automotive industry is gambling, and likely wasting billions of dollars, on connected cars and electric vehicles, because only a handful of companies will "win" in the emerging market, while others will need to adopt technologies from leading rivals, according to consulting firm AlixPartners. Some traditional carmakers such as General Motors and Ford are "hedging their bets" while newcomers from Silicon Valley, such as Tesla, are putting all their resources into disrupting the industry, AlixPartners said.


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Webtool unveils first battery-powered ROV hydraulic system
 Edit page New page Hide edit links

Webtool EHP350 powerpack and DFC1 Cutter (photo: Webtool)

Hydraulic cutting tools specialist, Webtool, has announced the industry’s first battery-powered, high pressure hydraulic power pack, enabling smaller and inspection class ROVs access to the Webtool range of hydraulic wire rope and softline fibre rope cutters, at Offshore Europe 2017. In addition, the stand will feature the Webtool Cable Retrieval Tool (CRT200), developed in consultation with international certification body and classification society, DNVGL, and the Webtool portable, softline, deck emergency cutter for offshore vessels.

The lightweight, battery powered power pack gives electric ROVs a Webtool cutting capability for softline ropes and guidewires. Called EHP350, it is designed to be used with Webtool wire rope and softline at water depths up to 1,000 metres.

“The Webtool electro-hydraulic power pack is an important advance in broadening the scope for our cutters to be deployed on all-electric, smaller ROVs,” says Keith Elliot, engineering director, Allspeeds Ltd. “It allows up to 20 cuts on a single charge of the power pack’s high capacity, rechargeable battery.”

Cable and Umbilical Retrieval

The Webtool CRT200 is designed for cable and umbilical retrieval, and decommissioning projects. It allows the safe and controlled recovery of cable up to 8-inch diameter. The hydraulically operated gripper is the first Cable Retrieval Tool developed in consultation with international certification body and classification society, DNV GL.

Softline Deck Emergency Cutter

The Webtool portable softline emergency cutter is transported in a self-contained “sack truck” containing a hydraulic accumulator and manifold with lockable control panel and a removable cutter. During deployment, the cutter and its frame are lifted off the sack truck and placed over the fibre rope. In the event of an emergency, the cutter, connected to the control panel via a hose, is activated to cut the rope instantly.

Webtool Hydraulic Cutting Systems

Webtool hydraulic cutters for steel and fibre ropes are being used on a growing number of subsea and topside applications. Recent projects have included well intervention emergency disconnection packages, fibre rope winch emergency disconnection and decommissioning projects involving multiple Webtool cutters acting simultaneously.

Output: Webtool has unveiled its first battery-powered hydraulic system for remotely-operated vehicles (ROVs). The high-pressure hydraulic power pack, called EHP350, gives electric ROVs a cutting capacity for softline ropes and guidewires. It is designed to be used with Webtool wire rope and softline, at water depths of up to 1,000 metres.


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Data shows 85% of mobile app users in China use WeChat
 More than three-quarters (84.5%) of all mobile phone messaging app users in China will use WeChat this year, according to research by eMarketer.

eMarketer predicts WeChat users in China to top 494 million

eMarketer’s latest forecast of worldwide mobile messaging revealed more than 494 million people in China are expected to use the app at least once per month.

Output: Almost 85% of all mobile phone messaging app users in China will use Tencent's WeChat in 2017, according to data compiled by eMarketer. The firm found that some 494 million people make use of the app at least once every month. “WeChat is by far the most advanced mobile messaging app worldwide in terms of its functionality and the services it offers users and businesses,” said eMarketer's Cathy Boyle.


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Redrow Redrow work placement undergrads help bring sensory garden to dementia patients
 The sensory garden’s swing sign donated by Sign Build

Sign Build, which specialises in producing signs for the housebuilder industry, were part of the project that will help patients suffering with dementia.

Alongside the garden, there is also a suite that allows the patients to take part in arts and crafts. The students, who were undergraduates that were on work placements with Redrow, were not given any money for the project, and instead had to contact firms that were willing to help for free.

Sign Build were the company that offered its services to the project, by providing a number of swing and banner signage for the sensory garden.

Director at Sign Build, Mark Cowin, says: “When we were approached by the Redrow team, we didn’t hesitate in getting involved.

The cause is magnificent; a sensory garden can be priceless area and the facility is first class ”

“The cause is magnificent; a sensory garden can be priceless area and the facility is first class.

“As a company, we provide ourselves in assisting causes, anywhere we can help and get involved, we’ll look to, particularly for projects like the sensory garden.”

The facilities will aim to stimulate the dementia patients, by interacting with all five senses—taste, touch, sound, smell, and sight. An effect of dementia is losing interest in activities that were once a favourite, and the sensory garden aims to the inspire the patients, and add joy back into their lives

If you have an interesting story or a view on this news, then please e-mail news@signlink.co.uk Follow Genevieve on:

Output: Undergrad students on work placements with Redrow were involved in a project to provide facilities to stimulate dementia patients at Deeside Community Hospital in North Wales. The students were not given any money for the project, but instead had to contact firms that would help for free to create a sensory garden and an art and craft suite. Sign Build, which produces signs for the house builder industry, was one of the firms that got involved in the project.


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Audi A8 to provide 'level 3' autonomy skipped by rivals
 The self-driving future has a ratings scale. The classifications begin at zero, where you're constantly in charge of all the car's acceleration, steering and braking. Basically a car without cruise control. It ends with Level 5, where the car that doesn't even need a steering wheel or a driver. Currently, if drivers want semi-autonomous features they're getting a Level 2 experience. Like Tesla's Autopilot or Cadillac's Super Cruise, the car can drive itself in specific situations (usually on the highway) but require the human behind the wheel to pay attention and take over at a moment's notice.

At its first tech summit, Audi introduced the new A8 with Level 3 autonomy. It's the first production vehicle that'll let the driver actually stop paying attention while the car drives itself. It's also a big deal for the automaker and drivers that really need to update their Facebook status while commuting. Here, the company is making a bet that other companies have decided to pass on.

Most automakers see Level 4 as the next logical step for their vehicles. At that stage, the car is is almost totally in control all of the time without any human interaction and will only stop itself if there's a system failure or the conditions dictate that the human behind the wheel needs to take control.

A Level 3 vehicle can also drive itself without the driver paying attention. But not all the time and usually only in certain circumstances. Still, that's a huge leap from what's currently on the road and requires constant supervision by the driver. But before you start planning on napping while driving to work, this level of autonomy still requires the driver to take over if the system gets confused or fails.

It's that last bit that's had automakers like Volvo and Ford publicly state that they will go directly to Level 4. The argument against a Level 3 vehicle being sold to the general public is about safety. If a driver becomes too dependent upon the car's autonomy, they're less likely to intervene when the system fails. While Elon Musk has called out these automakers for withholding what he perceives are additional safety features that would ship with a Level 3 car, it's likely that Tesla will jump to Level 4. Musk has even noted that Level 5 autonomy will be available in approximately two years.

Audi's system seems to address some issues around Level 3 driving with Driver Ability Detection. This brings the car to a stop if it determines that the driver is not attentive and able to take control of the vehicle after 10 seconds of audible and visual warnings. At that point, the vehicle turns on the hazard lights and alerts Audi. Also it's not Level 3 everywhere, just in heavy traffic going slower than 37 miles per hour.

Even then, Audi's Traffic Jam Pilot feature requires that the vehicle is on a divided highway with a barrier or at least a median between the vehicle and opposing traffic. Basically it's the road most people drive everyday to work. It's a very specific circumstance that many people deal with everyday and during that time, the A8 will drive for you and, I can't believe I'm saying this, you can text your friends while behind the wheel or even watch TV as noted by Audi.

The biggest obstacle to the vehicle being able to deliver on all its technical promises is regional regulations. While an A8 can drive itself without the driver paying attention, where it's being driven will determine whether it's allowed to. That's going to be true for many vehicles in the future. Just because a car delivers Level 4 or even Level 5 automation, it doesn't mean lawmakers are going to let it actually happen on the roads under their watch.

So if you live in a state or country that allows Audi's flagship luxury sedan to take care of the heavy lifting while you're commuting, count yourself lucky. The automaker may be going all in on Level 3, but it hinted at the ability to update the new A8 to Level 4 capabilities via a software update -- if the hardware can handle it.

Regardless of how lawmakers initially react to the new car's technology, Audi is moving forward. The company will further fine-tune its AI and algorithms in anticipation of an autonomous world. The A8 isn't so much a bet as an investment for Audi, as it levels up in the world of self-driving vehicles.

Output: Audi has unveiled its latest A8 model, which offers the level three autonomy shunned by some other automakers. Self-driving cars have a ratings scale, from zero when the driver is in full charge of the vehicle's acceleration, steering and braking, to level five for a car that does not need a driver. The Audi A8 is the first production vehicle that lets the motorist stop paying attention while the car drives itself. Most carmakers are looking to level four as the next step for their autonomous vehicles, when the car is almost totally in control all of the time.


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UK supreme court awards equal pension rights to same-sex spouse
 A gay former cavalry officer has won a legal battle to provide his husband with equal pension rights in a landmark discrimination case at the supreme court.

The unanimous judgment, which could benefit thousands of couples, will ensure that should John Walker die first, his partner will have access to an income of about £45,000 a year for life. It may also impose unexpected liabilities on pension funds.

Lawyers for the human rights organisation Liberty, which represented Walker, argued that a same-sex husband should enjoy the same pension rights as a widow. Under current law, Walker’s husband would receive only about £1,000 a year.

Walker, 65, has been with his husband, a former computer executive who is 52, since 1993. The Civil Partnership Act 2004 came into force in December 2005. They entered into a civil partnership in January 2006, which was later converted into marriage.

Delivering the judgment, Lord Kerr said: “The salary paid to Mr Walker throughout his working life was precisely the same as that which would have been paid to a heterosexual man. There was no reason for the company to anticipate that it would not become liable to pay a survivor’s pension to his lawful spouse.”

To deny his partner access to the funds would amount to discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, he added, even though the pension rights were earned before the Civil Partnership Act came into force.

Kerr said: “Mr Walker’s husband is entitled to a spouse’s pension calculated on all the years of his service with Innospec [the chemicals company where he worked], provided that at the date of Mr Walker’s death, they remain married.”

The judges’ decision was based on an EU framework directive from 2000 guaranteeing gender equality under employment law. An employment appeal tribunal and the court of appeal had previously declared that the 2010 Equality Act permitted firms to restrict benefits generated by periods of service before 2005.

Welcoming the decision, Walker said: “I am absolutely thrilled at today’s ruling, which is a victory for basic fairness and decency. Finally this absurd injustice has been consigned to the history books – and my husband and I can now get on with enjoying the rest of our lives together.

“But it is to our government’s great shame that it has taken so many years, huge amounts of taxpayers’ money and the UK’s highest court to drag them into the 21st century. In the years since we started this legal challenge, how many people have spent their final days uncertain about whether their loved one would be looked after? How many people have been left unprovided for, having already suffered the loss of their partner?

“What I would like from Theresa May and her ministers today is a formal commitment that this change will stay on the statute books after Brexit.”

Emma Norton, Liberty’s lawyer who acted for Walker, said: “We are delighted the supreme court recognised this pernicious little provision for what it was – discrimination against gay people, pure and simple.

“But this ruling was made under EU law and is a direct consequence of the rights protection the EU gives us. We now risk losing that protection. The government must promise that there will be no rollback on LGBT rights after Brexit – and commit to fully protecting them in UK law.

“How else can John be sure he and others like him have achieved lasting justice today?”

The Department for Work and Pensions has warned that giving retrospective effect to the EU framework directive would impose costs on pension schemes.

A government spokesperson said: “We are reviewing the implications of this judgment in detail and will respond in due course.

“The rights of same-sex couples have been transformed for the better since 2010, including the introduction of same-sex marriage and legislation to ensure that pensions are built up equally for all legal partnerships.”

Output: A landmark discrimination case at the UK’s supreme court has seen a gay man win equal pension rights for his husband. The unanimous judgment means that if John Walker dies first, his partner will have an income of approximately £45,000 per year for life. Current law would entitle him to just £1,000 per year. The ruling, which could affect thousands of couples, could impose unanticipated liabilities on pension funds. The decision was based on a 2000 EU framework directive which guaranteed gender equality under employment law.


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Trillion-tonne iceberg detaches from Larsen C ice shelf
 A giant iceberg twice the size of Luxembourg has broken off an ice shelf on the Antarctic peninsula and is now adrift in the Weddell Sea.

Reported to be “hanging by a thread” last month, the trillion-tonne iceberg was found to have split off from the Larsen C segment of the Larsen ice shelf on Wednesday morning after scientists examined the latest satellite data from the area.

The Larsen C ice shelf is more than 12% smaller in area than before the iceberg broke off – or “calved” – an event that researchers say has changed the landscape of the Antarctic peninsula and left the Larsen C ice shelf at its lowest extent ever recorded.

“It is a really major event in terms of the size of the ice tablet that we’ve got now drifting away,” said Anna Hogg, an expert in satellite observations of glaciers from the University of Leeds.

At 5,800 sq km the new iceberg, expected to be dubbed A68, is half as big as the record-holding iceberg B-15 which split off from the Ross ice shelf in the year 2000, but it is nonetheless believed to be among the 10 largest icebergs ever recorded.

The huge crack that spawned the new iceberg grew over a period of years, but between 25 May and 31 May alone, the rift grew by 17km – the largest increase since January. Between the 24 June and 27 June the movement of the ice sped up, reaching a rate of more than 10 metres per day for the already-severed section.

But in the end it wasn’t a simple break – data collected just days before the iceberg calved revealed that the rift had branched multiple times. “We see one large [iceberg] for now. It is likely that this will break into smaller pieces as time goes by,” said Adrian Luckman, professor of glaciology at Swansea University and leader of the UK’s Midas project which is focused on the state of the ice shelf.

The Larsen-C rift opening over the last 2 years from #Sentinel1 pic.twitter.com/MT9d3HAw1M — Adrian Luckman (@adrian_luckman) January 31, 2017

Unlike thin layers of sea ice, ice shelves are floating masses of ice, hundreds of metres thick, which are attached to huge, grounded ice sheets. These ice shelves act like buttresses, holding back and slowing down the movement into the sea of the glaciers that feed them.

“There is enough ice in Antarctica that if it all melted, or even just flowed into the ocean, sea levels [would] rise by 60 metres,” said Martin Siegert, professor of geosciences at Imperial College London and co-director of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change & Environment.

But while the birth of the huge iceberg might look dramatic, experts say it will not itself result in sea level rises. “It’s like your ice cube in your gin and tonic – it is already floating and if it melts it doesn’t change the volume of water in the glass by very much at all,” said Hogg.

Following the collapse of the more northerly Larsen A ice shelf in 1995 and Larsen B in 2002, all eyes have turned to Larsen C.

But Siegert is quick to point out that the calving of the new iceberg is not a sign that the ice shelf is about to disintegrate, stressing that ice shelves naturally break up as they extend further out into the ocean. “I am not unduly concerned about it – it is not the first mega iceberg ever to have formed,” he said.

Andrew Shepherd, professor of Earth Observation at the University of Leeds, agreed. “Everyone loves a good iceberg, and this one is a corker,” he said. “But despite keeping us waiting for so long, I’m pretty sure that Antarctica won’t be shedding a tear when it’s gone because the continent loses plenty of its ice this way each year, and so it’s really just business as usual!”

Luckman said that while the Larsen C ice shelf might continue to shed icebergs, it might regrow. Nevertheless previous research by the team has suggested that the remaining ice shelf is likely less stable now that the iceberg has calved, although it is unlikely the event would have any short-term effects. “We will have to wait years or decades to know what will happen to the remainder of Larsen C,” he said, pointing out that it took seven years after the release of a large iceberg from Larsen B before the ice shelf became unstable and disintegrated.

Q&A How significant is the release of the Larsen C megaberg? Show In terms of size, it’s fairly big. This is a 5,800 sq km iceberg - that’s twice the size of Luxembourg, or roughly the area of Delaware. While that doesn’t make it the largest iceberg on record - that gong goes to an iceberg that broke away from the Ross ice shelf in 2000 - it is one of the biggest. It is also exciting for the technological advances that have allowed scientists to regularly track the development of the rift, monitoring its growth down to 1km resolution. But in terms of its impact, the event is less dramatic: the iceberg itself won’t result in a sea level rise, and scientists say there is no evidence its formation is down to climate change. But, they note, the release of the iceberg might make the rest of the Larsen C ice shelf less stable. Collapse of the Larsen C ice shelf would remove buttressing from glaciers, meaning they could flow faster into the sea, eventually resulting in sea level rises. Only time will tell what the full impact of the birth of the new iceberg will be. Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback.

What’s more, Luckman stressed that while large melt ponds were seen on Larsen B prior to its collapse - features which are thought to have affected the structure of the ice shelf - those seen on Larsen C are far smaller and are not even present at this time of year.

And while climate change is accepted to have played a role in the wholesale disintegration of the Larsen A and Larsen B ice shelves, Luckman emphasised that there is no evidence that the calving of the giant iceberg is linked to such processes.

Twila Moon, a glacier expert at the US National Ice and Snow Data Center agrees but, she said, climate change could have made the situation more likely.

“Certainly the changes that we see on ice shelves, such as thinning because of warmer ocean waters, are the sort [of changes] that are going to make it easier for these events to happen,” she said.

Luckman is not convinced. “It is a possibility, but recent data from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography actually show most of the shelf thickening,” he said.

The progress of the rift, and the loss of the iceberg, has been carefully followed by analysis of radar images from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 mission, which provides data from the region every six days.

“Before we would have been lucky if we had got one satellite image a year of an event like this, so we would not have been able to watch it unfold,” said Hogg, pointing out that the radar system allows data to be collected whatever the weather and in the dark, while technological advances mean more data that can be downloaded than for previous satellites.

The news of the giant iceberg comes after US president Donald Trump announced that the US will be withdrawing from the 2015 Paris climate accord – an agreement signed by more than 190 countries to tackle global warming. “Truly I am dismayed,” said Moon of the move.

Now at the mercy of the ocean currents, the newly calved iceberg could last for decades, depending on whether it enters warmer waters or bumps into other icebergs or ice shelves.

Output: A 5,800 sq km iceberg has broken off from the Larsen C ice shelf in the Antarctic peninsula and is now floating in the Weddell Sea. Last month, satellite data revealed the trillion-tonne iceberg to be “hanging by a thread.” The process, known as “calving,” has left the ice shelf over 12% smaller, changing the entire landscape of the peninsula. Despite the size of the iceberg, scientists believe that it will not result in rising sea levels. There is no evidence that climate change was responsible for the formation of the iceberg.


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Critic of renewables to head UK energy cost review
 An academic who is a vocal critic of the price of renewable power is the government’s preferred choice to head a review of the financial cost of energy in the UK.

Dieter Helm, an economist at the University of Oxford, has been chosen by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to carry out the review, the Guardian has learned. The Conservative manifesto promised that the resulting report would be the first step towards “competitive and affordable energy costs”.

Theresa May is among those in the government taking an interest in the cost-of-energy review, which will examine how power prices can be kept down while meeting the UK’s carbon targets and keeping the lights on.

But the choice of Helm, author of a new book on the slow demise of oil companies in the face of energy trends, will be controversial in some quarters because of his criticism of wind and solar power.

While acknowledging that renewables are remaking the energy landscape, the professor of energy has criticised the cost of today’s windfarms and solar technology, calling them “expensive” and highlighting the “sheer cost” of electricity generated from renewable sources.

Helm has also suggested the existing generation of green energy is not enough to significantly cut emissions. “Current renewables like wind turbines, rooftop solar and biomass stand no serious chance of making much difference to decarbonisation. It’s simply a matter of scale,” he wrote in the Spectator magazine.

Instead, Helm believes funding should be directed at next generation renewable technologies, such as more efficient solar panels. He also backs emerging technologies such as smart grids and battery storage.

Hannah Martin, head of energy at Greenpeace UK, said: “Dieter has a well-known preference for gas and has historically failed to grasp the full potential of renewables.

“At a time when the costs of offshore wind and solar are plummeting this review needs somebody with the vision to grasp the opportunities offered by clean energy to provide jobs, lower bills and slash carbon pollution.”

Other figures believed to have been in the frame for the job included Lord Turner, the former chair of a government advisory body, the Committee on Climate Change, who recently told the Guardian that Tory policy on onshore wind power was endangering cheap energy in the UK.

However, concerns that the review might be tilted against renewables could be allayed by Helm’s choice of colleagues to work on the report.

The Guardian understands that he will be aided by a former boss of the National Grid, Steve Holliday, who is a proponent of decentralised energy including batteries, and Richard Nourse of Greencoat Capital, an investment fund supporting clean energy.

Rounding out the proposed team would be Jim Gao, an engineer at an artificial intelligence company, Deepmind, owned by Google, which has been an enthusiastic supporter of renewables.

The review will look at all aspects of the energy industry and how they contribute to the cost of electricity, such as new technologies including the rollout of smart meters in millions of homes and the increasing number of electric cars drawing power from the grid.

At the heart of the review will be the challenge of addressing the energy trilemma: balancing the UK’s binding carbon targets with affordability and security of supply.

The Conservative manifesto said the review would “be asked to make recommendations as to how we can ensure UK energy costs are as low as possible, while ensuring a reliable supply and allowing us to meet our 2050 carbon reduction objective. Our ambition is that the UK should have the lowest energy costs in Europe, both for households and businesses.”

The review is due to report its findings to the business secretary, Greg Clark, in the autumn, and is expected to inform the government’s long-term approach to power generation.

Helm is also a strong critic of the cost of nuclear power, saying that just to get to the “starting line” of building a new atomic power station in the UK involves a “lengthy, complex and expensive process”.

He has also questioned whether any more new nuclear power plants will be built in the UK after Hinkley Point C in Somerset, which the public spending watchdog recently described as a “risky and expensive project”.

The new energy minister, Richard Harrington, has said the government is still committed to a new generation of nuclear power stations but Helm’s review could provide a justification for abandoning that ambition on cost grounds.

If nuclear and renewables fell out of favour in future government policy, that would leave gas as the only large-scale option for new power, given ministers are committed to phasing out coal.

Although Helm told the Guardian he had not been appointed to the role, it is understood he is the government’s preferred choice.

While a round of price hikes by energy suppliers last winter led to calls for a cap on prices, the average household bill of £1,160 in 2016 was below 2008 levels because of energy efficiency measures and falling energy demand.

The Committee on Climate Change also concluded this year that British households’ energy costs were not high compared with the rest of Europe.

A BEIS spokesman said: “As committed to in the industrial strategy green paper, we will commission a review to ensure energy costs are as low as possible while meeting our climate change targets. No decision has been taken on who will undertake this review.”

Output: An outspoken critic of the price of renewable power has been chosen by the UK government to lead a review of the nation's energy costs. Dieter Helm, an economist at the University of Oxford, has been selected by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to head the review, which is being seen as the first step towards implementing the Conservative manifesto commitment to establish “competitive and affordable energy costs”. Helm has criticised the costs associated with wind power and biomass, and argued that funding should be targeted at next generation renewables including more efficient solar panels.


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Fracking shown to contaminate water with radioactive waste
 Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

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The vast amount of waste water produced by fracking can contaminate rivers, lakes and other waterways with radioactive material and hormone-affecting chemicals, according to new research.

The study tested sediments and groundwater downstream of a treatment plant in Pennsylvania that was designed to make the water used as part of the fracking process fit for release into the environment.

The scientists, from Pennsylvania State University and other academic institutions, discovered that despite this process there were “high loads of chloride, barium, strontium, radium and organic compounds” in the Conemaugh River watershed.

Stream sediments in Blacklick Creek, just downstream from one treatment plant, were found to contain about 200 times the level of radium upstream of the plant.

The highest concentration of radium found was just 14 per cent below the level at which it would have to be treated as radioactive waste in some US states.

However the researchers said the risks of the pollutants discovered were “difficult to assess”.

Writing in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, the scientists said: “Large quantities of oil-and-gas wastewater with high loads of chloride, barium, strontium, radium, and organic compounds have been discharged into the Conemaugh River watershed.

“Stream sediments in Blacklick Creek immediately downstream of centralised waste treatment plant number one were found to contain [radium] levels that were about 200 times greater than activities measured in upstream and background sediments.

“Elevated concentrations of radium and other alkaline earth metals have now been detected in reservoir sediments about 19km farther downstream of this plant.

“Despite several other sources of contaminants such as coal bed methane, coal mine drainage, and flue gas desulfurization releases that can impact surface water quality, we document multiple lines of evidence that indicate the legacy of unconventional oil-and-gas wastewater disposal has impacted stream sediments and porewater [groundwater] on a watershed-scale.”

They said while the amount of fracking wastewater was “relatively small” compared to the volume of the stream it “nonetheless had a measurable impact”.

“Risks posed by the pollutants buried in the sediment and porewater of the Conemaugh River Lake are difficult to assess,” the paper added. The watershed is not used as a source of drinking water, the researchers added.

Fracking involves forcing water and other substances, which can include radioactive ones, into cracks in porous rocks that contain significant amounts of fossil fuels.

It has become common in the US, accounting for more than half of oil production and two-thirds of gas production.

In the UK, the Conservatives have said they want to see a fracking ‘revolution’ in the hope of providing a noticeable boost to the economy.

But the party’s general election manifesto said this could only be done “if we maintain public confidence in the process, if we uphold our rigorous environmental protections, and if we ensure the proceeds of the wealth generated by shale energy are shared with the communities affected”.

Environmentalists argue that developing fracking in Britain is a mistake because it is opening up another source of fossil fuels when the country should be looking to reduce emissions. Supporters argue that gas produced in this way is ‘greener’ than coal or oil.

The Conservative think tank Bright Blue has argued the priority should instead be to promote cheap renewable energy, like wind and solar.

Output: Waste water produced by fracking can contaminate waterways with radioactive material and hormone-influencing chemicals, according to US research. The study tested groundwater and sediment downstream of a Pennsylvania plant that treated water used in fracking and prepared it for release into the environment. Despite the treatment, water in the Conemaugh River contained high quantities of barium, chloride, organic compounds, radium and strontium. The highest concentration of radium identified in the study was just 14% below the level categorised as radioactive waste in some states.


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Arctic tundra contaminated by toxic mercury from industry
 A research team led by UMass Lowell Prof. Daniel Obrist recently returned from two years in the Alaskan tundra where the scientists identified gaseous mercury as the major source of mercury pollution in the region. Credit: UMass Lowell

Vast amounts of toxic mercury are accumulating in the Arctic tundra, threatening the health and well-being of people, wildlife and waterways, according to a UMass Lowell scientist investigating the source of the pollution.

A research team led by Prof. Daniel Obrist, chairman of UMass Lowell's Department of Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, found that airborne mercury is gathering in the Arctic tundra, where it gets deposited in the soil and ultimately runs off into waters. Scientists have long reported high levels of mercury pollution in the Arctic. The new research identifies gaseous mercury as its major source and sheds light on how the element gets there.

"Now we understand how such a remote site is so exposed to mercury," Obrist said. Although the study did not examine the potential impact of global warming, if climate change continues unchecked, it could destabilize these mercury deposits in tundra soils and allow large amounts of the element to find its way into Arctic waters, he added.

Obrist recently completed two years of field research in the tundra, tracking the origin and path of mercury pollution. Working from an observation site in Alaska north of Brooks Range, he and an international group of scientists identified that gaseous mercury in the atmosphere is the source of 70 percent of the pollutant that finds its way into the tundra soil. In contrast, airborne mercury that is deposited on the ground through rain or snow - a more frequent focus of other studies - accounts for just 2 percent of the mercury deposits in the region, Obrist's team found.

The new research is the most comprehensive investigation on how mercury is deposited in the Arctic. The full results of the study, which was supported by the National Science Foundation, appear in the July 13 edition of the prestigious academic journal Nature.

Mercury is a harmful pollutant, threatening fish, birds and mammals across the globe. The dominant source of mercury pollution in the atmosphere is hundreds of tons of the element that are emitted each year through the burning of coal, mining and other industrial processes across the globe.

This gaseous mercury is lofted to the Arctic, where it is absorbed by plants in a process similar to how they take up carbon dioxide. Then, the mercury is deposited in the soil when the plants shed leaves or die. As a result, the tundra is a significant repository for atmospheric mercury being emitted by industrialized regions of the world.

"This mercury from the tundra soil explains half to two-thirds of the total mercury input into the Arctic Ocean," Obrist said, adding that scientists had previously estimated mercury runoff from tundra soil supplies 50 to 85 tons of the heavy metal to Arctic waters each year.

Exposure to high levels of mercury over long periods can lead to neurological and cardiovascular problems. The results are being felt by Arctic people and wildlife.

"Mercury has high exposure levels in northern wildlife, such as beluga whales, polar bears, seals, fish, eagles and other birds," Obrist said. "It also affects human populations, particularly the Inuit, who rely on traditional hunting and fishing."

Obrist will present the team's research at the International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant, which will be held Sunday, July 16 through Friday, July 21 in Providence, R.I. The event is the largest scientific conference on mercury pollution, involving nearly 1,000 participants from research institutions, governments and other agencies.

Obrist hopes to continue to investigate whether gaseous mercury is also a dominant source of pollution in other remote lands. Scientists, regulators and policymakers need a better understanding of how the uptake of gaseous mercury in plants and soils is affecting the environment, including the world's forests, he said.

The research findings underscore the importance of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the first global treaty that aims to protect human health and the environment from the element's adverse effects, Obrist said. Signed by the United States and more than 120 other countries, the pact will take effect next month, with the goal of reducing mercury emissions caused by industrialization and other human activities.

More information: Tundra uptake of atmospheric elemental mercury drives Arctic mercury pollution, Nature (2017). nature.com/articles/doi:10.1038/nature22997 Journal information: Nature

Provided by University of Massachusetts Lowell

Output: Huge quantities of toxic mercury are accumulating in the Arctic tundra, threatening people, waterways and wildlife, according to a study by US scientists. The research identifies gaseous mercury as the cause of 70% of such contamination. The airborne mercury deposited by rain or snow, which has been the major focus of previous studies, was found to account for just 2% of deposits. The leading causes of mercury pollution in the atmosphere are coal burning, mining and other industrial processes. Climate change could further unlock soil deposits of the element in the tundra, causing it to enter Arctic waters.


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Telemedicine Is Wide-Reaching But Doesn’t Always Replace Doctor’s Touch
 About Capitol Desk Capitol Desk delivers the latest in health care policy and politics from Sacramento and around the state. Have an idea? Let us know.

Two years ago, Kimberly Griffiths’ week-old daughter, Avery, suddenly became very ill. “She was turning blue and had very labored breathing,” said Griffiths, who rushed her child to the ER in rural Sonora, Calif.

Doctors there were stumped, and the nearest pediatric specialist was 100 miles away in Sacramento.

Fortunately for Avery, the ER doctors were able to make a two-way, online video connection to consult with a UC-Davis neonatologist, who viewed high-resolution images of the infant and her vital-signs monitor. The specialist suspected a congenital heart condition and prescribed a drug that stabilized her breathing.

“Without telemedicine, our daughter would have died that night,” Griffiths said. She was relieved that her family’s insurance company reimbursed the cost of the remote services her child received. “Nobody should be denied the health care they need because of where they live,” she said.

Use Our Content This story can be republished for free ( details ).

Use of telemedicine is exploding in California and other states as insurers increasingly cover tests and treatment overseen from afar. Forty-eight states and Washington, D.C., now provide reimbursement for some form of live video in Medicaid’s fee-for-service model.

Since 2015, Kaiser Permanente in California has served more patients each year through telehealth — a combination of online contacts and video conferencing — than through traditional visits. (Kaiser Health News, which produces California Healthline, is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.)

Still, regulators in this state and elsewhere have approached telehealth with caution.

Only a few states in limited circumstances allow insurance companies to count telehealth toward fulfilling their requirements for “network adequacy” — the number of physicians, hospitals and specialists mandated within a region to ensure the right care can be provided in a timely way within an acceptable distance. A plan’s adequacy needs to be approved before it can operate in the state, but the state will work with plans that fall short, according to California regulators.

In California, legislation passed in 2011 recognized telehealth as appropriate care and qualified some types of care, such as live videoconferencing, for coverage by insurers and by Medi-Cal, the state Medicaid program.

But regulators have been “limiting plans from being able to utilize telehealth to its fullest,” said Mario Gutierrez, executive director of the Center for Connected Health Policy in Sacramento, a nonprofit dedicated to integrating virtual technologies into the health care system. (The center’s founder and lead funder is the California Health Care Foundation; California Healthline is an editorially independent service of the foundation.)

Gutierrez said Medi-Cal does not reimburse at all, for instance, for remote monitoring of biometric measures, such as heart rate or blood pressure. Plus, Medi-Cal restricts reimbursement for the use of high-definition images sent online for examination or diagnosis.

Libby Baney, who follows digital health policy for Faegre Baker Daniels Consulting, said regulators’ positions on whether telehealth counts toward “network adequacy” are inconsistent. “The trend in states at the legislative level is to create access to telemedicine as a recognized care setting, and yet you’ve got regulators lagging behind,” she said.

Baney said she believes telehealth services should count toward network adequacy, but only for settings where it is appropriate, such as providing access to specialists in remote areas, and not as a “proxy for traditional in-person care.”

Charles Bacchi, president of the California Association of Health Plans, said that whether to count telemedicine toward network requirements is “a live debate, something we’ve been talking about for a couple of years.” Bacchi is hoping for a change in policy from regulators, so that providers of telehealth already being used by health plans will fulfill network requirements. For now, that’s not the case.

“We cannot in our network filings use those relationships to count as an actual provider … to satisfy our network adequacy requirements,” said Bacchi.

Bacchi said he can’t imagine regulators ever allowing insurers to restrict consumers to using telehealth alone. “We have to, by law, provide face-to-face access.”

For now, most regulators consider telehealth on a case-by-case basis, as a helpful strategy in underserved areas. In an email, the state Department of Managed Health Care, which regulates most of the insurance industry, said it does this when providers are in short supply. “However, plans are not permitted to replace accessible brick-and-mortar providers with telehealth services.”

Meanwhile, some providers continue to see tremendous economic opportunity in telemedicine. They argue it serves busy consumers who value convenience and can fill gaps as insurance plans increasingly rely on narrower networks of providers.

Dr. Henry DePhillips, chief medical officer of Teladoc, the direct-to-consumer “virtual care” giant, said its network of providers includes 3,100 licensed physicians and therapists who are physically present in all 50 states. They have their own more traditional practices and work for Teladoc part time. “If you think about the network adequacy question, these are doctors that are already taking care of Californians today. They’re extending their reach by practicing telemedicine as well, so why would you not include them in the network adequacy scenario?”

Some patients say they prefer to see their doctors virtually, when feasible.

Gabriel Bruce of Richmond, Calif., is able to log on to the Kaiser Permanente website and consult directly with his primary care physician without the hassle of having to visit the doctor’s office.

“I don’t have a car, so I would have to take BART [public transportation] to a part of town that I’m not used to,” said the 19-year-old student. Access to the website could have been a little smoother, said Bruce, but otherwise a recent interaction was a success. “It was very professional, and really convenient,” he said.

Other patients are still wary of telemedicine, fearing it could be used to cut costs and skimp on care. “They just want to reduce their overhead,” said Michael Barnett, 69, of San Francisco. Studies have differed on whether virtual health care actually saves insurance companies money. Telemedicine requires its own infrastructure, plus resources and training to support it, which can be costly for health plans.

Barnett hasn’t used telemedicine, skeptical of the “one-off” kind of encounter he thinks it amounts to. He prefers a doctor’s personal touch. “Your physician should know your history,” he said. “In telemedicine, you’re probably getting someone who doesn’t know much about you. They may have access to it electronically, but it’s likely to be very skimpy.”

In the right setting, there’s nothing wrong with telemedicine per se, said Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California, a statewide consumer advocacy coalition.

But many people — whether it’s a cancer patient receiving chemotherapy or a child with a broken arm — will need hands-on care, he said.

Wright said advocates fought hard for laws in California requiring health plans to provide consumers with timely access to treatment. “We want to safeguard those protections,” he said. “We don’t see telemedicine as replacing the need for those standards.”

Output: Telemedical intervention can span tests and treatments across a range of geographical regions, and is increasingly becoming more accessible with its inclusion in Medicaid’s fee-for-service model. 48 states now provide reimbursement on the scheme. Virtual care is offered as a convenient and less costly option to complement traditional health care. However, telehealth is still being limited to particular circumstances under “network adequacy”, or fulfilling the appropriate amount of healthcare access in any given region provided by an insurer. California, despite passing legislation in 2011 that recognized telehealth as a legitimate source of care that could be covered by insurers, the state Medicaid program has still seen limits placed upon the practice. For example, biometric measures are yet to be included. Telehealth will never fully replace doctors entirely, and will not be a replacement utilized solely for network adequacy requirements, the California Association of Health Plans has said. In terms of personal preference, many Americans prefer having a “doctor’s touch”, with physicians being familiar with patients’ histories and providing hands-on care.


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Input:
Home-Based Palliative Care Gaining Popularity
 LPETTET/Getty Images

En español

Palliative care is specialized medical care for people who have serious illnesses. It focuses on relief from symptoms and stress.

A specially trained team — usually led by a doctor who works alongside a nurse, a social worker and other providers as necessary — provides this care, which does not deal with the cause of a condition. This unit collaborates with a patient’s main medical team to provide extra support during any stage of a serious illness.

The goal of palliative care is to improve quality of life for both the person coping with an illness and the family, including caregivers.

"Palliative care can help caregivers fill in the gaps,” says Andrew Esch, a palliative care physician and a consultant for the nonprofit Center to Advance Palliative Care. “We help with things like pain and symptom management, communicating with patients and coordinating their care with all of their other doctors.”

Benefits of palliative care

Palliative care is based on need, not a prognosis. It can be appropriate at any age and during any stage of a serious illness, whether the condition is chronic, curable or life threatening. Palliative care can be provided alongside curative treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation or surgery.

The illnesses most commonly treated with palliative care are these, according to the New York-based Center to Advance Palliative Care:

Research shows that palliative care improves pain and symptoms, increases family satisfaction with the care loved ones receive and reduces health care costs. It has even been shown to help some patients live longer.

More than 50 million people worldwide need palliative care every year, but only about 12 percent of those who could use it actually receive it, according to the World Health Organization. The result is unnecessary suffering for patients and their families.

What’s involved

Palliative treatment can be provided in a hospital, an outpatient clinic, an assisted living community, a nursing home or at home. Palliative care teams take a holistic, or whole-person, approach to help improve a patient’s quality of life in many areas.

Pain and symptom management. This might include prescribing medication or using other methods to address pain and symptoms like disorientation, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea and shortness of breath.

Emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being. “Not all suffering is physical,” Esch says. Palliative care can help address a person’s mental health in addition to physical symptoms. One-on-one counseling, referrals to a psychologist or other provider, and meetings with a religious or spiritual adviser may be part of palliative treatment.

Practical and logistical support. The palliative regimen might include coordination of transportation services, meal delivery or other individualized support, ranging from financial counseling to finding someone to watch your loved one’s pets during medical appointments.

How to get palliative care

People can start the process by asking their primary care doctor or the physician overseeing their treatment, perhaps an oncologist or neurologist, for a referral to a palliative care specialist.

Online research can also help. The Center to Advance Palliative Care offers a comprehensive, searchable directory of providers. Most hospitals offer palliative care services, but access can still be limited in some areas, including the south-central United States and rural regions, the organization says.

Don’t forget to check in with your loved one about their desires and concerns. AARP’s Prepare to Care: A Planning Guide for Families is a step-by-step guide for creating a caregiving plan, including a checklist of your loved one’s goals and needs. It is available in six versions, including three languages.

Being prepared can also help you and your loved one as you begin working with a palliative care team. According to the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, an initial consultation might include questions like these:

What needs or services would you like to discuss?

would you like to discuss? What activities or experiences do you want to do or continue to feel you are living well?

do you want to do or continue to feel you are living well? What are your fears or worries about your medical care?

Paying for palliative care

Palliative care is billed like any other medical specialty. Many private insurance companies will cover all or part of palliative care. For more details, contact your insurance representative. Be sure to ask what copays or deductibles may apply.

Medicare may cover palliative care, but with some conditions.

Medicare Part A, which covers hospitalization, pays for palliative care only when it is considered hospice care, a related approach to symptom management for people who are terminally ill (see sidebar). You must have a life expectancy of six months or less and have chosen palliative care over seeking a cure.

Also, Medicare will pay only if you use an approved provider; you can use Medicare’s online Hospice Compare tool to find one near you. If you have Medicare Advantage, ask your plan provider to help you find a provider.

Medicare Part B, which covers doctors’ services and medical tests, can pay for services that fall under standard Part B fee-for-service benefits, such as doctor visits associated with palliative care, whether hospice-related or not.

Medicaid coverage varies by state. The government health program for low-income people, which states administer according to federal guidelines, pays for palliative care, such as doctor visits and medication, that falls within standard benefits. But some states go further — notably California, which requires the managed-care plans that cover most of its Medicaid recipients to offer full coverage for palliative care for people with advanced cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure or irreversible liver disease.

Output: Home-based palliative care is being offered by an increasing number of medical facilities and doctors to help patients receive coordinated care in their homes, rather than in a facility. This type of care generally involved multiple disciplines and providers, including social work, mental health, religious assistance and the usual care of physicians. Palliative care is distinct from hospice care; the former provides curative care as well as end-of-life assistance, giving patients the option to choose the final days of their lives in the location and in the manner of their choosing. Palliative care is provided on a more case-by-case basis, and can offer the capacity for patients to elect to have treatment depending on their quality of life, rather than extending life. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Service is now offering funding for advanced care planning talks, with health insurance plans move slowly towards incorporating palliative care. This approach can improve patient experience, improve the general health of medically-treated populations and reduce the per capita cost of providing health care. Palliative care also offers a much-needed respite for caregivers, who play a crucial but challenging role in the end of life stages of many patients’ lives. Some programs are offering palliative care with a particular care coordination and counseling element for caregivers, with the most prolific provider of palliative care programs being based in California. One issue that could cause barriers to providing palliative care more widely is the lack of reimbursement for palliative care treatment by insurers, with those most likely in need of this type of treatment being covered by Medicare’s fee-for-service model.


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Input:
Siemens, AES create battery energy storage company Fluence
 Two of the biggest names in energy storage development have decided to join forces.

AES, a leader in megawatt-hours deployed, will launch a new company along with global energy systems provider Siemens. The jointly owned venture, dubbed Fluence, will scale up commercial and grid-scale storage deliveries worldwide.

The unprecedented move marks a pre-emptive consolidation of power in a young industry -- and a new competitor for emerging market leader Tesla.

AES started deploying large utility-scale storage a decade ago, making it a seasoned veteran in the new and emerging advanced energy storage world.

The major independent power producer deployed its own projects in PJM’s frequency regulation market, and gradually transitioned to selling its Advancion system to third parties. The company recently completed the largest lithium-ion battery to be deployed date for San Diego Gas & Electric as part of the Aliso Canyon gas leak response.

It could have kept going with the same game plan. But early leaders of emerging markets don’t always retain that lead. With Fluence, AES hopes to solidify its position amid an increasingly bustling competitive landscape.

“We have to massify this product to continue to bring down costs,” said AES CEO Andrés Gluski, in an interview. “On long-duration systems, we think we're the most competitive in the market, but we'll be even more competitive if we’re even larger.”

For more than a century, Siemens has built the heavy-duty equipment that drives the grid, like generators and balance-of-plant devices. In the storage space, it has focused on commercial and industrial development for the last five years with the Siestorage product, and will bring that expertise to the joint venture.

Perhaps more consequential, though, is the company’s global footprint, which includes a sales presence in 160 countries with deep ties to utility, industrial and commercial customers.

“If you look at our energy business, we’re very well connected with all the leading utility players in the world,” said Dan Wishnick, sales and business development manager at Siemens Energy. “It’s a rare customer we haven't touched in some shape or fashion.”

That should open up considerable room to expand on in the seven countries where AES has installed storage so far.

That boots-on-the-ground presence may prove to be Fluence's biggest advantage over the competition, said Ravi Manghani, storage director at GTM Research.

"There are several positives -- close to instantaneous product-to-market capability, and prompt post-sales servicing which can result in improved system uptime and availability to participate in multiple markets," he said.

The two companies will contribute more than 100 staff members to the joint venture, which will be headquartered in the vicinity of Washington, D.C. The new leadership team has not been announced. AES and Siemens will each own half of Fluence, but the new venture will operate on its own, free to focus exclusively on chasing the storage market.

The name was chosen to convey expertise and familiarity with the product.

“Both of our organizations felt a certain fluency in our space, and we wanted to own that and wrap that around us as being people who have worked in energy storage for many years,” said Stephen Coughlin, vice president for energy storage platforms at AES.

The nomenclature also reflects the confluence of two separate organizations into one, and references a technical concept in particle physics, he added.

Siemens has also conducted demonstration research on battery types other than the conventional lithium-ion. The company worked on three flow battery projects in Massachusetts, and served as EPC and integrator on Europe’s first large-scale sodium sulfur battery system.

It has an ongoing integrator relationship with Eos, which is developing a proprietary zinc hybrid cathode battery for long-duration storage. Siemens is conducting a field test of that technology at its campus in Alpharetta, Georgia.

AES has focused exclusively on lithium-ion chemistry, which dominates almost all grid storage capacity today. The scale and bankability of this technology will give it an edge for the near future, but these research efforts could help Fluence to tap niche markets that demand a different solution.

“The market is ever-changing,” Wishnick said. “If you stand still with a particular technology -- I don’t care what business you’re in, you run the risk of not advancing what you’re doing.”

This won’t be the first time Siemens has taken the plunge into an emerging clean technology. The company entered the concentrating solar power space with its $418 million purchase of solar trough company Solel in 2009.

The latter firm fared poorly in competition with cheap solar PV and natural gas. In 2013, Siemens laid off most of the remaining staff after failing to find a buyer for the firm.

Unlike CSP, lithium-ion batteries have surpassed all other competing technologies in their field in terms of market share, and AES has a strong track record in deploying it.

Fluence will chase deals in storage hotspots like the U.S., Australia and Germany, while exploring other markets in Asia and island grids, Wishnick said. Hybrid solar-plus-storage projects are very much on the table, as are storage pairings for wind or gas generators, he said.

Competition has been heating up among battery manufacturers, as market leaders like Tesla, Samsung SDI and LG Chem ramp up their production capacity. As a storage system integrator, Fluence stands to benefit from the downward pressure the gigafactory arms race puts on pricing. The global scale that Fluence aspires to opens up further savings through the bulk purchase of batteries.

If the collaboration succeeds, it will easily be the most geographically distributed grid storage development venture. The two companies together claim 463 megawatts deployed across 48 projects in 13 countries. Competitors will have to consider whether their success lies in owning a particular region, or chasing Fluence into a global theater of operations.

Output: AES and Siemens have teamed up to create energy storage company Fluence. The joint venture aims to scale up commercial and grid-scale storage deliveries worldwide, making it a new competitor for emerging market leader Tesla. AES recently completed the largest lithium-ion battery to be deployed to date, for San Diego Gas & Electric as part of the response to the 2015 Aliso Canyon gas leak.


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Input:
Yardi expands self-storage coverage to 125 markets
 SANTA BARBARA, Calif., July 6, 2017 – Yardi Matrix has expanded its self storage coverage to 125 markets, up from 99. This total represents 26,535 properties, of which 1,398 are some form of new supply, and 1.4 billion square feet of space and encompasses 83% of the U.S. population.

“Matrix is now the largest data set for market intelligence and competitive analysis in the self storage sector. The recent expansion is the latest example of Yardi’s commitment to providing the industry’s leading tools for identifying and executing development, management and underwriting deals,” said Jeff Adler, vice president of Yardi Matrix.

Yardi Matrix is a business development and asset management tool for investment professionals, equity investors, lenders, and property managers who underwrite and manage investments in commercial real estate. Its resources include true ownership, in-place debt, and rental and sales history data, along with a new supply pipeline that includes 1,398 tracked projects. Yardi Matrix covers multifamily, industrial and office property types in addition to self storage. Email [email protected], call 480-663-1149 or visit yardimatrix.com to learn more.

About Yardi

Yardi develops and supports industry-leading investment and property management software for all types and sizes of real estate companies. Established in 1984, Yardi is based in Santa Barbara, Calif., and serves clients worldwide. For more information on how Yardi is Energized for Tomorrow, visit yardi.com.

Output: Business development and asset management software provider Yardi has expanded its self-storage offering from 99 to 125 markets. The Yardi Matrix accommodates 26,535 properties, making it the biggest data set for market intelligence and analysis in the self-storage arena. Yardi Matrix's resources encompass in-place debt, rental and sales history, and true ownership data.