peter hayes
Sunday 22nd December 2002, 12:52
Here are the latest headlines:
Deal 'reduces pressure on fish stocks'
Many coastal communities will be approaching the New Year with some trepidation. The fishing industry has struggled to stay afloat for several years now but the latest round of EU quotas make grim reading. Officials in Brussels have delivered a 45% cut in North Sea cod catches and will only allow 15 days of fishing a month. They argue that unless something is done to tackle depleted stocks some varieties could disappear altogether.
Massive oil slick moving away from Spanish coast
An oil slick the size of New York City was moving away from the Spanish coast and was not closing in on the already devastated beaches of Galicia, Spain's Deputy Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Saturday. But high winds made it difficult for clean-up ships to suction off the fuel oil spilled from the sunken tanker Prestige, Rajoy said, adding that the nearest slivers of the slick were 18 nautical miles off the Sisargas Islands, just off the coast of Galicia. Spanish media have reported that an oil slick estimated at 800 square km (309 square miles) was encroaching on the northwest coast.
Firm fights back over residents wind farm fears
United Utilities has fought back at residents objecting to plans to create a small wind farm on land near to Clowbridge Reservoir. Locals say the proposals to erect a dozen 200ft-high windmills will ruin the outlook of the countryside where they live. But the company claims the development is an essential part of the Governments renewable energy targets aimed at reducing global warming. Mr Ian Smith a senior business development manager for United Utilities said there was a number of reasons why the wind farm should be given the go-ahead: The nearest property to the proposed site is more than half a mile away, with most of the houses being a mile away.
Beaver comeback suffers blow
The reintroduction of beavers to Scotland received another setback yesterday after deputy environment minister Allan Wilson said he needed more information before he could agree to the proposals. In a letter to the chairman of Scottish Natural Heritage, John Markland, which outlined the process under which ministers have considered the application, Mr Wilson highlighted aspects of the proposed SNH pilot project that required further consideration. He said they included the financing and management of the trial, the potential risks to agriculture, forestry and salmon interests, as well as a thorough assessment of any public health risks.
More information - Scotsman
Dormouse flattens Welsh rugby plans
Plans to build a multimillion-pound academy for future rugby stars on the site of a former prisoner-of-war camp have been stopped by a 2in dormouse. The application by the Wales Rugby Union (WRU) for a site in Bridgend, South Wales, was turned down because the site is already occupied by the dormice, which are among Britain’s most heavily protected animals. One WRU official said: “We don’t seem to be able to win anything these days. Our national side is not what it was and now a tiny dormouse has beaten us.”
EU threatens daily fines over failure to protect boglands
The European Commission threatened Ireland with a daily fine of €21,600 yesterday if it fails to introduce laws to protect distinctive bogs. The Government is facing an EU financial penalty for failing to introduce environmental legislation now four years overdue. A series of other environmental cases have been taken against the Government in recent years, though none has previously progressed this far. Although the Commission successfully pursued the case before in the European Court of Justice and won a judgement against Ireland in September 1999, it gave the Government until now to introduce laws.
Deal 'reduces pressure on fish stocks'
Many coastal communities will be approaching the New Year with some trepidation. The fishing industry has struggled to stay afloat for several years now but the latest round of EU quotas make grim reading. Officials in Brussels have delivered a 45% cut in North Sea cod catches and will only allow 15 days of fishing a month. They argue that unless something is done to tackle depleted stocks some varieties could disappear altogether.
Massive oil slick moving away from Spanish coast
An oil slick the size of New York City was moving away from the Spanish coast and was not closing in on the already devastated beaches of Galicia, Spain's Deputy Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Saturday. But high winds made it difficult for clean-up ships to suction off the fuel oil spilled from the sunken tanker Prestige, Rajoy said, adding that the nearest slivers of the slick were 18 nautical miles off the Sisargas Islands, just off the coast of Galicia. Spanish media have reported that an oil slick estimated at 800 square km (309 square miles) was encroaching on the northwest coast.
Firm fights back over residents wind farm fears
United Utilities has fought back at residents objecting to plans to create a small wind farm on land near to Clowbridge Reservoir. Locals say the proposals to erect a dozen 200ft-high windmills will ruin the outlook of the countryside where they live. But the company claims the development is an essential part of the Governments renewable energy targets aimed at reducing global warming. Mr Ian Smith a senior business development manager for United Utilities said there was a number of reasons why the wind farm should be given the go-ahead: The nearest property to the proposed site is more than half a mile away, with most of the houses being a mile away.
Beaver comeback suffers blow
The reintroduction of beavers to Scotland received another setback yesterday after deputy environment minister Allan Wilson said he needed more information before he could agree to the proposals. In a letter to the chairman of Scottish Natural Heritage, John Markland, which outlined the process under which ministers have considered the application, Mr Wilson highlighted aspects of the proposed SNH pilot project that required further consideration. He said they included the financing and management of the trial, the potential risks to agriculture, forestry and salmon interests, as well as a thorough assessment of any public health risks.
More information - Scotsman
Dormouse flattens Welsh rugby plans
Plans to build a multimillion-pound academy for future rugby stars on the site of a former prisoner-of-war camp have been stopped by a 2in dormouse. The application by the Wales Rugby Union (WRU) for a site in Bridgend, South Wales, was turned down because the site is already occupied by the dormice, which are among Britain’s most heavily protected animals. One WRU official said: “We don’t seem to be able to win anything these days. Our national side is not what it was and now a tiny dormouse has beaten us.”
EU threatens daily fines over failure to protect boglands
The European Commission threatened Ireland with a daily fine of €21,600 yesterday if it fails to introduce laws to protect distinctive bogs. The Government is facing an EU financial penalty for failing to introduce environmental legislation now four years overdue. A series of other environmental cases have been taken against the Government in recent years, though none has previously progressed this far. Although the Commission successfully pursued the case before in the European Court of Justice and won a judgement against Ireland in September 1999, it gave the Government until now to introduce laws.