Combustion test methods
Determination of content
Rubber
Raw materials
Synthetic rubber
Chemical analysis and testing
Acrylonitrile
Nitrile rubber
Link: BS ISO 24698-1:2018 Rubber, raw. Determination of bound acrylonitrile content in acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR) Combustion (Dumas) method
Source: BSI Standards
Performance evaluation
Carbon dioxide
Thermal-electric power plants
Fuels
Combustion
Link: BS ISO 27919-1:2018 Carbon dioxide capture Performance evaluation methods for post-combustion CO$d2 capture integrated with a power plant
Source: BSI Standards
Next year Sri Lanka will have enjoyed 10 uninterrupted years free from the misery of armed conflict. Whatever your view on how Sri Lanka has progressed since, that very fact alone is one to cherish. I know how deep the scars from decades of conflict run. When I visited last year I heard first-hand from the families of disappeared persons. It was a stark reminder of how much all communities in Sri Lanka have suffered.
I was delighted to be coming back to Sri Lanka. This will be my second in 12 months as Minister for Asia and the Pacific, and it would be all too easy to simply look forward to England’s tour of Sri Lanka, and what a timely celebration that series will be of the enormous goodwill in the UK for Sri Lanka, its people and its culture.
But I want to use this opportunity to take a hard look at the distance Sri Lanka has travelled since the war ended, and the path ahead. In my conversations with the government I will be commending the progress made on the commitments it made to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in 2015 and 2017, while urging greater and faster progress where they have not been met.
First, it is important to recognize the positives. The UK did just this at the September session of the UNHRC in Geneva, along with the co-sponsors of Resolution 34/1, Germany, Macedonia and Montenegro.
The Office on Missing Persons (OMP) has begun its work. We stand with everyone able to show the courage and determination to advance the Office’s work, and I am looking forward to meeting some of the Commissioners while I am in Colombo.
There has also been progress on returning private land in the north to its owners, with further commitments to return more land that today is still occupied by the military. The UK has been supporting this effort. In Muhumalai, in the Kilinochchi district, I heard last year from families benefiting from land returns and the work of the HALO trust, a UK-funded de-mining charity. Just this August we announced a further £1.4 million to support further de-mining and resettlement; a tangible demonstration of our continued commitment to supporting the people of Sri Lanka.
But I must be candid with you: the pace of progress on a number of key issues remains much slower than we had hoped for. I know, not least from the UK’s experience in Northern Ireland, that it is not easy dealing with the legacy of conflict between communities. Time helps, but time alone does not heal all wounds. And as time passes, lack of progress in delivering key steps can undermine communities’ confidence in reconciliation efforts. It can lessen the positive impact of good work that is done too.
So what will I be focusing on specifically when in Colombo this week?
Finding the truth is fundamental. The experience of countries that have recovered – or are recovering – from conflict around the world is that this is essential to restoring real confidence among communities, between citizens and the armed forces, and between voters and governments. To this end, I would like to see much more progress on national accountability and truth-seeking mechanisms that Sri Lanka committed to in 2015.
The Prevention of Terrorism Act is something I am regularly asked about by the diaspora and others here in the UK. We would like to see it replaced, as part of wider security sector reform, with a new Counter-Terrorism Act which meets international standards. I am glad that the UK has been able to share its experiences in this area.
There is also an ongoing process to consider reform to important provisions of the Constitution, including devolution of political authority. I hope that a way forward can be found on this central issue.
Some ask why any of this should matter to the UK. There are also those who like to represent the Geneva resolution in particular as interference by the international community in Sri Lanka’s domestic affairs. This is unfortunate and unfair. The UK, along with many other friends of Sri Lanka, continues to warmly endorse the government’s principled decision to co-sponsor a resolution that provides a valuable framework for peacebuilding and reconciliation.
Progress here will help us discuss much more: from post-Brexit trade, education, to the Commonwealth, security in the Indian Ocean, and tackling serious organised crime.
Next March the UNHRC will assess the progress Sri Lanka has made. In Colombo I will be urging the government to drive forward its reconciliation efforts with a clear plan for delivery, and offering the UK’s steadfast support for their efforts.
Sri Lanka still has an historic opportunity to take the steps necessary to build enduring stability and prosperity. I firmly believe this is the future that the vast majority of Sri Lankans want, whether they be at home or overseas, and we all have a part to play in achieving that shared goal.
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Link: Press release: Mark Field: Why does reconciliation in Sri Lanka matter to the UK?
Source: Gov Press Releases
Today the government has announced borrowing restrictions will be removed enabling councils to play a key role in delivering the homes their communities need.
In the latest measure by the government to make the housing market work, the Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap for council house building will be lifted.
This gives councils the tools they need to deliver a new generation of council housing – up to an estimated 10,000 additional homes a year.
Councils in areas of high affordability pressure have already been invited to bid for a share of £1 billion extra borrowing to build much needed homes.
Today’s move recognises that councils see the borrowing cap as the greatest barrier to building new homes.
The interest in bidding for a share of the £1bn borrowing increase also showed that they are ready and willing to deliver the homes their communities need.
Removing the borrowing cap entirely is also likely to diversify the house building market, with councils being better able to take on projects and sites that private developers would consider too small.
The cap will be lifted as soon as possible, with further details confirmed in the Budget.
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Link: Press release: Government announces new generation of council housing
Source: Gov Press Releases
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has welcomed the news of the election of the new Iraqi president and prime minister, and of the successful elections in the Kurdistan Regional Government.
The Foreign Secretary said:
I congratulate President Barham Saleh on his election by the Iraqi Parliament, and his nomination of Adel Abdul Mahdi to form the next government as Prime Minister. On behalf of the British Government, I must also express my gratitude to Prime Minister Abadi and President Masum both for their service to Iraq and for the crucial and successful collaboration with the UK in our joint determination to defeat Daesh.
I would also like to congratulate the people of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on a successful parliamentary election. The formation of an effective Kurdistan Regional Government that delivers for all the people in the region will be a welcome step.
I look forward to working with the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government to deliver stability, security and prosperity for all Iraqis.
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Link: Press release: Foreign Secretary congratulates Iraq on election of President and Prime Minister
Source: Gov Press Releases
A man who murdered his friend with a martial arts weapon has today had his sentence increased after the Attorney General, Geoffrey Cox QC MP, referred his sentence to the Court of Appeal for being too lenient.
Kerr Somers, 29, and Nathan Jones, 39, had been out drinking in Bristol together when they got into a fight. After leaving the pub, Somers returned home, armed himself with the sword, and hid in a hedge that he knew Jones would pass. Somers then snuck up behind Jones and stabbed him with such force that the sword penetrated all the way through his body. He later claimed that he had acted in self-defence.
Somers was originally sentenced at Bristol Crown Court in July to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 18 years. Today, after the Attorney General’s referral, the Court of Appeal increased his minimum term to 21 years.
Commenting on the increase, the Attorney General said:
“Somers’ brutal attack on Nathan Jones was just the latest in a series of violent offences. The Court of Appeal’s decision today ensures greater public protection from this dangerous individual.”
Link: Press release: Sword-wielding Bristol murderer to spend longer in prison
Source: Gov Press Releases
The UK is flying out shelter kits to protect people who have been forced to flee their homes following the recent earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia, as well as solar lanterns and water purifiers, International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt announced today.
A flight is due to leave from Doncaster Sheffield Airport early on Thursday (4 October), transporting life-saving UK aid supplies from the Department for International Development (DFID) to the disaster zone.
There are currently over 70,000 people who been left homeless as a result of the disaster in Indonesia, and the shelter kits will protect thousands of displaced families.
Ms Mordaunt also announced an additional £1 million today to be made available to support immediate relief efforts on the ground. This takes the current level of immediate direct UK support to the disaster response up to £3 million.
This is on top of substantial existing UK funded support through partners on the ground, including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) and UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).
International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said:
It is essential we get vital UK aid supplies – including shelter kits – to those affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia as quickly as possible. This is extremely challenging given the devastation.
The UK is a leader in providing emergency humanitarian assistance when disaster strikes and our expertise will help greatly. Through our partners, and directly, we are providing funds to support the vulnerable survivors of this catastrophe.
The UK stands side-by-side with the people of Indonesia who remain in our thoughts at this terrible time. We will help, in the immediate aftermath and in the long term too.
The UK, through DFID, is initially expected to send:
In addition to the new UK aid money, the DFID-backed UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated $15 million to the Indonesia earthquake response. DFID provided 20% of all contributions to the Fund in 2017. The $15m will allow UN agencies and humanitarian organisations to rapidly scale up aid operations providing shelter, clean water and health.
A team of five UK humanitarian experts left London for the region earlier this week, and are now helping to coordinate the humanitarian response on the ground. A further team member will arrive today, and the UK will keep its support under constant review.
The UK has also offered the use of HMS Argyll, currently located in Singapore, to support the humanitarian relief effort. The Government of Indonesia has thanked the UK Government for this offer, but said that this is not needed at this time.
In addition to the support the UK has made available in response to the disaster, the UK is already supporting the response on the ground through our existing contributions to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).
The IFRC and Indonesian Red Cross has almost 300 specialist volunteers and staff carrying out search and rescue missions and providing emergency health assistance on the ground.
ECHO, which DFID contributes to, has made €1.5 million available to support the relief effort.
Footage of British explorer and ex-Army officer Levison Wood talking about how the water purification kits work is available here.
Limited filming opportunities are available at Doncaster Sheffield Airport. Media outlets should contact the DFID Press Office to enquire about these using the contact details below.
The UK is a longstanding supporter of the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), operated by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and in 2017 our contributions represented 20% of the fund. In 2017 the UK was its top donor, providing $102.6 million (£76 million).
DFID provides £73 million in core funding per year to the Red Cross Movement. This constitutes £63 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross, £9 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and £1 million to the British Red Cross. Our core funding is unearmarked and can be used flexibly for rapid responses.
The UK Government supports ECHO through its contribution to the EU Budget. This constituted £190 million in 2016, the latest figure available.
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Link: Press release: UK aid sending shelter and water purifiers to help people left homeless by Indonesian disasters
Source: Gov Press Releases
EU Energy and Environment Committee takes evidence on Tuesday 23 October at 1.00pm
Link: Minister quizzed on BEIS readiness for a ‘no deal’ Brexit
Source: Parliamentary News
