Australia Looks to Avoid a Panama Repeat in China Port Showdown
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is confronting a fresh diplomatic dilemma with China: How to fulfill a pledge to regain control of a strategic port without jeopardizing improved relations with his country's largest trading partner.
Ahead of an election earlier this month, Albanese promised to return to Australian control the Port of Darwin from Chinese company Landbridge Group. It was awarded a 99-year lease in 2015 by the Northern Territory government in a move that sparked criticism from an array of politicians in Australia and in the US, which uses a nearby military training facility.
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‘It's Harry's team now': Brook makes instant impact in England's new era
It is just three games, one series, played at home against one of the few major cricketing nations ranked even lower than them. But if it would be unwise to get carried away with England's clean sweep of West Indies there was no mistaking what we witnessed along the way: green shoots, tender and fragile but undeniable, desperately needed signs of renewal after a period of atrophy. The genesis of a new team, under fresh leadership, with fresh emphases and impetus. It has been overdue. From the miseries of the last World Cup to the indignity of this year's Champions Trophy, England's recent 50-over record is dire. Between the start of that World Cup and this summer they played 26 games and won only seven, along the way playing bilateral series against West Indies, Australia, West Indies again and India and losing them all. Advertisement Related: Jamie Smith's rapid response to West Indies fireworks sets up ODI sweep for England After Matthew Mott was appointed coach and Jos Buttler took over the captaincy in the middle of 2022 results nosedived: even Buttler's best year in the job, 2023, was worse than any of the seven his predecessor, Eoin Morgan, spent in charge, and of his last 15 games England won only three. Mott left last July and has since been replaced by Brendon McCullum, while Buttler stepped down in February saying he had 'just reached the end of the road'. His team looked knackered and almost as miserable as those who had to watch them. Not any more. 'It's a new era,' Harry Brook said after the first game at Edgbaston last week. 'We're trying to forget about the past.' And the sooner that happens the better. There are still long-term relics of the last era in Adil Rashid, Joe Root and Buttler himself, the only players to feature in this series with as many as 30 ODI appearances (and between them that trio has 522). Meanwhile players about whom Buttler and Mott never seemed able to make up their minds have been backed. Advertisement The big call is the promotion of Jamie Smith, who after his debut played 10 of 17 games under Buttler and whose record as opener is short and unexceptional. The decision left even the player himself 'a little bit surprised' but his 28-ball 64 at the Oval on Tuesday, in just his third innings there, showed his potential and the position is his for the foreseeable future. 'He's going to have a good go at it at the top in one-day cricket,' Brook says. Will Jacks, a player more used to opening, has dropped down the order to No 7. Despite his obvious ability after his debut in 2023 Jacks played just 15 of England's next 35 games and when they awarded their central contracts that year was not only snubbed but found out about it 'on Twitter like everyone else'. Now he has been told to make himself at home. 'This is Harry's team now,' Jacks said. 'It's just about bringing a lot of energy. It's a fresh start.' But if there is a degree of novelty about the team selection, the real innovations have been in the field. Brook is a young captain at 26, and quite inexperienced with just 29 ODIs, and 44 50-over games in all, to his name, but he is clearly confident in his judgments. The results look certain to be entertaining and have the potential, glimpsed over the past few days, to also be successful. He likes to position himself near the bowler – the stopclocks permanently adopted last year make it hard for a captain to be anywhere else while effectively communicating, and England still received two time warnings in Tuesday's third game – but at times he fielded not at a traditional mid-on or mid-off but behind the bowler's arm. He likes to leave gaps that batters can exploit, but not in the places they are used to finding them. Advertisement 'I like to try and get a little bit funky with fields and try to mix it up a bit, get the batters thinking,' Brook said. 'He might not always be the most intelligent away from cricket but he understands the game exceptionally well,' Root said affectionately (and it is telling too that Root, in Cardiff, and Buttler, with a free-hitting cameo at the Oval, produced their best batting displays in the format for some time). 'I think that's what will make him a really good leader. He might see the game slightly differently, and he might do things differently, but it asks different questions of a batter. There was a phase in the game where we had quite unusual fields, but they found it hard to rotate. It built pressure. It led to wickets.' ODIs are often seen as something of an afterthought, and the next serious test in the format is a World Cup in late 2027. Attention now switches to T20s, with three games against West Indies starting in Durham on Friday and a World Cup looming next February. For Brook it is another fresh and unfamiliar challenge but England's new captain has already inspired that most vital of all sporting commodities: hope.
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UK's most hazardous building still leaking radioactive water, MPs warn
Britain's most hazardous building could leak radioactive water until the 2050s as clean-up operations at Sellafield struggle to progress quickly enough, MPs have warned. In a report published on Wednesday, the Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) criticised the speed of decommissioning work at the former nuclear power plant, citing examples of 'failure, cost overruns and continuing safety concerns'. Although the committee noted there were 'signs of improvement', PAC chairman Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said Sellafield continued to present 'intolerable risks'. He said: 'As with the fight against climate change, the sheer scale of the hundred-year timeframe of the decommissioning project makes it hard to grasp the immediacy of safety hazards and cost overruns that delays can have. 'Every day at Sellafield is a race against time to complete works before buildings reach the end of their life. Our report contains too many signs that this is a race that Sellafield risks losing.' The PAC said those risks were underlined by the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo (MSSS), which the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) described to the committee as 'the most hazardous building in the UK'. The MSSS has been leaking radioactive water into the ground since 2018, releasing enough water to fill an Olympic swimming pool every three years, and is likely to continue leaking until the oldest section of the building has been emptied in the 2050s, around a decade later than previously expected. Pointing to the fact that Sellafield Ltd had missed most of its annual targets for retrieving waste from buildings, including the MSSS, the committee warned: 'The consequence of this underperformance is that the buildings are likely to remain extremely hazardous for longer.' The NDA has acknowledged that the leak is its 'single biggest environmental issue', and a spokeswoman said managing it and retrieving waste from the MSSS was 'our highest priority'. She added: 'As the report says, the leak in the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo is contained and does not pose a risk to the public. Regulators accept that the current plan to tackle the leak is the most effective one.' Sir Geoffrey said: 'It is of vital importance that the Government grasp the daily urgency of the work taking place at Sellafield, and shed any sense of a far-off date of completion for which no-one currently living is responsible. 'Sellafield's risks and challenges are those of the present day. 'There are some early indications of some improvement in Sellafield's delivery, which our report notes. Government must do far more to hold all involved immediately accountable to ensure these do not represent a false dawn, and to better safeguard both the public purse and the public itself.' Sellafield ceased generating electricity in 2003 and, in addition to work cleaning up the site, now processes and stores nuclear waste from power plants around the UK. In the longer term, the Government plans to create an underground geological disposal facility (GDF) to store nuclear waste for the thousands of years it will take to become safe. But the committee said delays in creating the GDF, which is now not expected to be done until the late 2050s, meant more costs for Sellafield as it required more storage facilities. NDA chief executive David Peattie said he welcomed the PAC's scrutiny and would consider how best to address its recommendations. He said: 'We take the findings seriously and the safety of the site and the wellbeing of our people will always be our highest priorities. 'As the committee has noted, Sellafield is the most complex and challenging nuclear site in the UK. We are pleased they recognise improvements in delivering major projects and that we are safely retrieving waste from all four highest hazard facilities. 'With the support of our employees, their representatives, community and stakeholders, we remain committed to driving forward improved performance and continuing to deliver our nationally important mission safely, securely and sustainably.' As well as criticising delays in clean-up operations and calling for an overhaul of how the site functions, the PAC expressed concern that there was a 'sub-optimal culture' at Sellafield. The committee pointed to the 16 non-disclosure agreements signed by Sellafield Ltd in the last 16 years, and called on the NDA to publish information about the prevalence and perception of bullying in its annual report. The NDA spokeswoman said: 'We're committed to an open and respectful culture and we've taken decisive action to enable this, including strengthening our whistleblowing policy. 'Evidence shows the improvements are working and the report acknowledges the improvement in staff survey results over recent years, but we are never complacent and will continue to strive to ensure the NDA group is a place where everyone feels respected and empowered to raise issues, knowing that they will be acted upon appropriately. 'As the report notes, it is one of the conditions of Sellafield's nuclear site licence to have a robust process for reporting safety issues and the independent nuclear regulator has given the site a green rating of compliance.' A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: 'We expect the highest standards of safety and security as former nuclear sites are dismantled, and the regulator is clear that public safety is not compromised at Sellafield. 'We continue to support the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority in its oversight of Sellafield, while driving value for money. 'This is underpinned by monthly performance reviews and increased responsibility for overseeing major project performance, enabling more direct scrutiny and intervention. 'We have zero tolerance of bullying, harassment and offensive behaviour in the workplace – we expect Sellafield and the NDA to operate on this basis, investigate allegations and take robust action when needed.'
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Rents to surge £900 to pay for Labour reforms
Are you a landlord planning to raise rents because of the reforms? Get in touch money@ Labour's rent reforms will add almost £900 a year to the average tenancy, a report has warned. Nearly half of Britain's buy-to-let landlords (44pc) plan to increase rents in response to the controversial Renters' Rights Bill, according to research by housing lender Landbay. The landmark legislation, due to kick in this autumn, will limit landlords to just one rent increase per year capped at the 'market rate' – the price that would be achieved if the property was newly advertised to let. Landbay said property owners were planning to increase rent by an average of 6pc, which would add £74 to the average monthly rent, or £888 a year. The survey also found that the majority of landlords (89pc) intended to raise rents in the next 12 months. More than a third (40pc) planned to increase rents by 3pc or more over the next 12 months, while over one in 10 (11pc) said they did not intend to put up rents at all. The Renters' Rights Bill will introduce new protections and rights for the 11 million private tenants in England by reforming the current system of renting. An end to fixed-term tenancies, longer notice periods, and restrictions on rent increases will give tenants more rights and landlords less control over how they manage their property and buy-to-let business. The bill is currently being scrutinised in the House of Lords. The Government aims for the reforms to receive Royal Assent by summer 2025, with implementation expected between October and December this year. The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) argued that the bill could force landlords out of the sector and push up rents if it is passed in its current form. Chris Norris, of the NRLA, said the 6pc rent increase figure was consistent with the NRLA's estimates that the Renters' Rights Bill would trigger rent rises of 3pc to 4pc above inflation. He added: '[The bill] is likely to affect tenants directly in many more ways than landlords. 'You have the prospect of tenancies becoming more risky, harder to end – and you have to wait longer to claw back arrears. 'Landlords will be pricing in that risk when setting rents.' A recent survey by Pegasus Insight showed that 37pc of landlords planned to sell a property in the next 12 months while just 6pc said they intended to buy. Rents in England rose by 1pc in May to £1,226, the highest level since October 2024, according to letting agent software firm Goodlord's rental index. William Reeve, Goodlord's chief executive, said: 'Although the pace of year-on-year increases is starting to slow… ongoing supply issues coupled with landlord jitters ahead of the Renters' Rights Bill means that rents remain on track to rise for the foreseeable future.' The Government was approached for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
