Spending more than 70 days on travelling by land from Singapore to London, the Last Overland expedition arrived in Ashgabat in their vintage Landrovers. We all enjoyed a ‘full English’ and ‘full Turkmen’ breakfast at British Ambassador’s residence together. It was great to hear the stories of the journey so far. It was then time to see Ashgabat.

The weary travellers, we hope, felt fully refreshed, and with recharged batteries, after visiting the iconic landmarks of Turkmenistan’s capital. Turkmenistan TV channel was also quick to catch the opportunity of filming and interviewing the team while they were being escorted by Ambassador Hugh Philpott, firstly to the iconic wedding palace, then Independence monument, bird-shaped Ashgabat airport and many other interesting sites around the city

Published 11 November 2019

Members of the armed forces lead the nation in commemorating the servicemen and women killed in all conflicts since the First World War.

This year also marks the 75th anniversaries of numerous battles such as D-Day, Kohima, Arnhem and Monte Cassino.

Personnel from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force were present at the Cenotaph on Whitehall, London, as members of the Royal Family and senior politicians laid wreaths after the two minutes’ silence at 11am.

Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter was in attendance at the Cenotaph and laid a wreath alongside the Chiefs of the Royal Navy, British Army and RAF.

Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter said:

Remembrance is our annual opportunity to pay our collective respects to those who died fighting for our country, >to uphold our way of life, our values and our freedom of choice. It is also a time to think about our living veterans >and the responsibility we have to defend those who have defended us.

Our servicemen and women are drawn from society and they will return to society on completion of their service. >They deserve our support and respect, and all of them have huge value to add. We should thank them for their >service and take pride in their selfless contribution to their country.

All three services played traditional music for the service, including the Last Post, played by Buglers of the Royal Marines.

The annual Royal British Legion Veterans’ Parade followed the service, in which thousands of veterans from the Second World War or more recent conflicts marched past the Cenotaph.

Other Remembrance Sunday ceremonies are taking place across the country and around the world, including in countries where the armed forces are currently deployed, such Afghanistan, Estonia and South Sudan. Over the past year UK troops have been deployed on 35 operations in 30 countries around the world.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has activated the government’s emergency Bellwin scheme to reimburse eligible local authorities for the qualifying immediate costs they incur as part of their response to the flooding in Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

Under the scheme, local authorities dealing with the flooding can apply to have 100% of the eligible costs they incur, above a threshold, reimbursed by the government. This could be for items including rest centres, temporary accommodation and staff overtime.

MHCLG’s Resilience and Emergency Division (RED) is supporting local authorities and Local Resilience Forums as they work around the clock on the emergency response and support communities affected by the flooding.

The Environment Agency continue to monitor the flood risk and are working closely with Police, Fire and Rescue, local authorities and partners to reduce the risk of flooding and keep communities safe. On the ground, Environment Agency field teams will continue to operate flood storage areas and pump away flood water.

• Bellwin is a scheme of emergency financial assistance to help local authorities meet uninsurable costs they incur when dealing with the aftermath of an emergency in their area. Each local authority, when a scheme is activated, can claim for eligible costs above a set threshold. Bellwin is regularly activated in times of emergency and made financial assistance available to local authorities in Wainfleet and Richmondshire earlier this year.  

• The public can check their flood risk and keep up to date with the latest situation, or by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188 or following @EnvAgency on Twitter.

Published 9 November 2019

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The UK offshore wind energy sector is world-leading and has seen huge growth in the last few years. Advances in technology have led to a reduction in costs that have allowed the industry to make a significant contribution to reducing UK carbon emissions from energy.

However, it is estimated that the UK will need to see a ten-fold increase in energy production from wind to 75GW if it is to meet its target of net zero emissions by 2050.

Further innovation will be needed to reduce costs and improve the performance of offshore wind farms. Many other countries also have the potential to supply large amounts of energy through offshore wind farms and face the same challenges.

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, has up to £1.5 million to support UK businesses working with partners in the United States on innovative offshore wind technologies. Businesses and research organisations must first express an interest in applying.

Projects

UK projects must work with a US consortium that intends to or has applied to the $40 million US national offshore wind research and development programme managed by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

The aim of the competition is to reduce technical barriers facing offshore wind farms including cutting costs. Project areas in the US programme include:

• array performance and control optimisation
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Competition information

• the competition is open, and the deadline for expressions of interest is at midday on 15 January 2020
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