Trump issues travel ban, barring US entry for people from 12 countries
Donald Trump signed a sweeping new proclamation that will bar or partially restrict entry from nearly 20 countries, citing national security concerns. The ban prohibits travel into the US for people from Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Trump also issued travel suspensions for Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela
Trump signs order banning citizens of 12 countries from entering the US
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South Wales Argus
13 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Most new homes must have solar panels and heat pumps under Government proposals
The Energy Department (Desnz) said on Friday that the future homes standard (FHS), which will be published in autumn, is expected to require new residential properties to have solar panels by default. Gas boilers will also not meet the proposed standard, meaning low-carbon heating – such as heat pumps – will also likely become the new default under building regulations. With a significant amount of the UK's carbon footprint coming from gas heating of homes, the FHS will require new housing in England to produce fewer carbon emissions than those built under current regulations. Air source heat pumps use electricity and energy from the air to produce heating and hot water (Alamy/PA) The Government said the measures will also help to slash household energy bills and boost the nation's energy security. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: 'Solar panels can save people hundreds of pounds off their energy bills, so it is just common sense for new homes to have them fitted as standard. 'So many people just don't understand why this doesn't already happen. With our plans, it will.' Desnz calculates that a typical existing UK home could save around £530 a year from installing rooftop solar based on the current energy price cap. Matthew Pennycook, housing and planning minister, said: 'The future homes standard will ensure new homes are modern and efficient with low-carbon heating, while our common-sense planning changes will now make it easier and cheaper for people to use heat pumps and switch to EVs so they can play their part in bolstering our nation's energy security.' Current building regulations do not require developers to add solar panels or heat pumps to new homes. In 2023, the previous Conservative government proposed new build homes would need solar panel coverage equivalent to 40% of the building's floor area. Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband said solar panels can save people hundreds of pounds off their energy bills (PA) But this also allowed for exemptions, which would lead to no solar on many developments, the current Government says. Under the proposed changes, developers who cannot meet 40% coverage will still be required to install a reasonable amount of solar coverage – or other forms of renewable electricity generation, with rare exceptions. Ministers also say the FHS will effectively require low-carbon heating, such as domestic heat pumps installed into new builds. The previous Conservative government faced criticism for rowing back on its proposals to ban the sale of new gas boilers by 2035. While the Government is not planning to introduce such a ban, citing concerns around cost, Desnz confirmed on Friday that FHS proposals include mandating minimum criteria for energy efficiency which mean newly built homes have to install greener heating systems. Recent changes to planning rules aimed at removing barriers to heat pump installations came into force on May 29, enabling households to install a heat pump within one metre of their property's boundary without having to submit a planning application. The first quarter of 2025 saw a record number of applications to the boiler upgrade scheme, which provides households with up to £7,500 off the cost of a heat pump, seeing a 73% jump from the same quarter last year. Charles Wood, deputy director of policy (systems) at Energy UK, said: 'This change, alongside wider reforms to planning processes and network connections, will reduce bills for people in new build properties while also giving the industry confidence to invest in increased manufacturing and installer training as demand increases, creating jobs and bringing down technology costs for everyone.' The UK is legally committed to reaching its net zero target by 2050, meaning the UK must cut carbon emissions until it removes as much as it produces, in line with the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.
Rhyl Journal
14 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Most new homes must have solar panels and heat pumps under Government proposals
The Energy Department (Desnz) said on Friday that the future homes standard (FHS), which will be published in autumn, is expected to require new residential properties to have solar panels by default. Gas boilers will also not meet the proposed standard, meaning low-carbon heating – such as heat pumps – will also likely become the new default under building regulations. With a significant amount of the UK's carbon footprint coming from gas heating of homes, the FHS will require new housing in England to produce fewer carbon emissions than those built under current regulations. The Government said the measures will also help to slash household energy bills and boost the nation's energy security. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: 'Solar panels can save people hundreds of pounds off their energy bills, so it is just common sense for new homes to have them fitted as standard. 'So many people just don't understand why this doesn't already happen. With our plans, it will.' Desnz calculates that a typical existing UK home could save around £530 a year from installing rooftop solar based on the current energy price cap. Matthew Pennycook, housing and planning minister, said: 'The future homes standard will ensure new homes are modern and efficient with low-carbon heating, while our common-sense planning changes will now make it easier and cheaper for people to use heat pumps and switch to EVs so they can play their part in bolstering our nation's energy security.' Current building regulations do not require developers to add solar panels or heat pumps to new homes. In 2023, the previous Conservative government proposed new build homes would need solar panel coverage equivalent to 40% of the building's floor area. But this also allowed for exemptions, which would lead to no solar on many developments, the current Government says. Under the proposed changes, developers who cannot meet 40% coverage will still be required to install a reasonable amount of solar coverage – or other forms of renewable electricity generation, with rare exceptions. Ministers also say the FHS will effectively require low-carbon heating, such as domestic heat pumps installed into new builds. The previous Conservative government faced criticism for rowing back on its proposals to ban the sale of new gas boilers by 2035. While the Government is not planning to introduce such a ban, citing concerns around cost, Desnz confirmed on Friday that FHS proposals include mandating minimum criteria for energy efficiency which mean newly built homes have to install greener heating systems. Recent changes to planning rules aimed at removing barriers to heat pump installations came into force on May 29, enabling households to install a heat pump within one metre of their property's boundary without having to submit a planning application. The first quarter of 2025 saw a record number of applications to the boiler upgrade scheme, which provides households with up to £7,500 off the cost of a heat pump, seeing a 73% jump from the same quarter last year. Charles Wood, deputy director of policy (systems) at Energy UK, said: 'This change, alongside wider reforms to planning processes and network connections, will reduce bills for people in new build properties while also giving the industry confidence to invest in increased manufacturing and installer training as demand increases, creating jobs and bringing down technology costs for everyone.' The UK is legally committed to reaching its net zero target by 2050, meaning the UK must cut carbon emissions until it removes as much as it produces, in line with the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.
South Wales Guardian
15 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Trump bid to ban foreign Harvard students temporarily blocked by judge
Mr Trump's proclamation, issued on Wednesday, was the latest attempt by his administration to prevent the nation's oldest and wealthiest college from enrolling a quarter of its students, who account for much of Harvard's research and scholarship. Harvard filed a legal challenge the next day, asking for a judge to block Mr Trump's order and calling it illegal retaliation for Harvard's rejection of White House demands. Harvard said the president was attempting an end-run around a previous court order. A few hours later, US District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston issued a temporary restraining order against Mr Trump's Wednesday proclamation. Harvard, she said, had demonstrated it would sustain 'immediate and irreparable injury' before she would have an opportunity to hear from the parties in the lawsuit. Ms Burroughs also extended the temporary hold she placed on the administration's previous attempt to end Harvard's enrolment of international students. Last month, the Department of Homeland Security revoked Harvard's certification to host foreign students and issue paperwork to them for their visas, only to have Ms Burroughs block the action temporarily. Mr Trump's order this week invoked a different legal authority. If Mr Trump's measure were to survive this court challenge, it would block thousands of students who are scheduled to come to Harvard's campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for the summer and autumn terms. 'Harvard's more than 7,000 F-1 and J-1 visa holders — and their dependents — have become pawns in the government's escalating campaign of retaliation,' Harvard wrote in a court filing on Thursday. While the court case proceeds, Harvard is making contingency plans so students and visiting scholars can continue their work at the university, president Alan Garber said in a message to the campus and alumni. 'Each of us is part of a truly global university community,' Mr Garber said on Thursday. 'We know that the benefits of bringing talented people together from around the world are unique and irreplaceable.' Harvard has attracted a growing number of the brightest minds from around the world, with international enrolment growing from 11% of the student body three decades ago to 26% today. Rising international enrolment has made Harvard and other elite colleges uniquely vulnerable to Mr Trump's crackdown on foreign students. Republicans have been seeking to force overhauls of the nation's top colleges, which they see as hotbeds of 'woke' and antisemitic viewpoints. Mr Garber says the university has made changes to combat antisemitism. But Harvard, he said, will not stray from its 'core, legally-protected principles', even after receiving federal ultimatums. Mr Trump's administration has also taken steps to withhold federal funding from Harvard and other elite colleges that have rejected White House demands related to campus protests, admissions, hiring and more. Harvard's 53 billion dollar (£39 billion) endowment allows it to weather the loss of funding for a time, although Mr Garber has warned of 'difficult decisions and sacrifices' to come.
