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A ‘certificate of origin’ scheme could counter concerns about renewables supply chains, says Clean Energy Council
The Australian clean energy industry has warned of growing evidence linking renewable energy supply chains to modern slavery, and urged companies and governments to act to eliminate it.
A report by the Clean Energy Council, representing renewable energy companies and solar installers, has called for more local renewable energy production and manufacturing and a “certificate of origin” scheme to counter concerns about slave labour in mineral extraction and manufacturing in China, Africa and South America.

About 2.6 million Uyghur and Kazakh people have been subjected to coercion, “re-education programs” and internment in the Xinjiang region of north-west China, which is the source of 40-45% of the world’s solar-grade polysilicon. A report by the United Nations office of the high commissioner for human rights three months ago found Xinjiang was home to , and the US has listed polysilicon from China as a material likely to have been produced by child or forced labour.
On batteries, there were major issues with the mining of between 15% and 30% of the world’s cobalt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Amnesty International found that children, some as young as seven, were working in artisanal cobalt mines, often for less than $2 a day. Mining conditions were reportedly hazardous, and workers often did not have adequate protective equipment and were exposed to toxic dust that contributed to hard metal lung disease.
On wind energy, there had been rapid growth in demand for balsa wood used in turbine blades that had reportedly led to workers in Ecuador’s Amazon region being subject to substandard labour conditions, including payment being made with alcohol or drugs. The demand for balsa has also reportedly increased deforestation, and affected the land rights of Indigenous people in Peru. Some balsa wood suppliers have more recently provided Forest Stewardship Council certifications, which verifies responsible forest management and fair wages and work environments.

PM’s first major foreign policy speech warns of the creeping authoritarianism of Xi Jinping’s regime
Rishi Sunak has signalled the end of the “golden era” of relations between Britain and China, using his first major foreign policy speech to warn of the creeping authoritarianism of Xi Jinping’s regime.
As police in China in an attempt to contain the highest levels of civil disobedience seen in decades, the prime minister threw his support behind protesters by condemning Beijing’s crackdown, as well as the assault on a BBC journalist.

In a country where the authorities have little tolerance for open dissent, demonstrators against Covid restrictions have turned to more subtle methods.

After a weekend of confrontations between officials and demonstrators, video from two sites in Shanghai and Beijing showed a heavy security presence. Here’s the latest on the situation.

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are Georgia’s fastest-growing ethnic group, according to the 2020 US Census.

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are Georgia’s fastest-growing ethnic group, according to the 2020 US Census.

Dozens of protesters gathered in Hong Kong in solidarity with anti-lockdown demonstrations in mainland China. The protest was held to commemorate the 10 people who died in a fire in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang region, and show solidarity with the protests that took place over the weekend in cities across China against stringent Covid-19 measures.
Hong Kong police warned some protesters for violating a ban on gatherings of groups of 12 or more people and cordoned off the area to record protesters' identities. They were then allowed to leave

Harsh coronavirus controls have prompted an extraordinary outpouring of discontent across the country

The extraordinary outbreak of unrest that spread through China is of a kind that for decades. Protests are , given the limited means for people to express their views, but are usually local incidents based on specific grievances. While there have been larger individual protests in the recent past, these have rapidly sprung up across major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan and Chengdu, and now Hong Kong. They have taken place in prestigious universities too.
They challenge a zero-Covid policy that comes from the very top. And though many protesters are cautious or silent – holding up to express their dissent – some have called for human rights, press freedom and even the departure of Xi Jinping and the Communist party, only weeks after Mr Xi and thus indefinite leadership. Such calls were an incredible act of defiance given the country’s increasingly tight political control.

The regulator seems to think it will be able to spot trouble in time to avoid more costs being piled on to consumers
In the end, , but the very fact it contemplated doing so should serve as a reminder, in case anybody had forgotten during the mild autumn, that the supply crisis hasn’t gone away, that prices are volatile and that all parts of the energy system may be about to be severely tested again.
At the retail end of the energy market, remember, about 29 suppliers went bust between mid-2021 and early 2022, dumping £2.6bn of costs on to consumers even before we count the possible £6.5bn whack from . So you’d think Ofgem, a regulator that admits its pre-crisis approach to suppliers “led to low financial barriers to entry and light regulation of financial risks”, would opt for an abundance of caution in .

Immigration minister confirms 50 cases of diphtheria linked to Manston asylum accommodation. This live blog is closed
A House of Lords committee has delivered of the measures in the autumn statement for adult social care.
Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, announced by 2024-25. But, in an open letter to Hunt and Steve Barclay, the health secretary, the Lords adult social care committee chair, Lady Andrews, said that this was less than the £7bn that Hunt himself said adult social care needed when he was chair of the Commons health committee.
Increasing funding through council tax is a regressive solution, which will not allow for a properly and sustainably funded system. It does not translate as ring-fenced investment dedicated to adult social care. It is likely to create further inequalities from one locality to the next. In short, it is not a long-term plan for funding.
Equally regressive is the government’s decision to delay the long overdue cap on care costs and extension to the means test. Although this is intended to unlock more funding for local authorities and provide them with breathing space, it also reflects the lack of a coherent strategy across adult social care. Delaying one policy to support another will ultimately compound problems; and it certainly does not allow for any priority to be given to choice, control and equality in the provision of adult social care.
I suspect you may have identified a ninth [MP], although it hasn’t been announced, with my colleague, Matt Hancock.

The economic outlook for China is not good however its leaders respond to anti-lockdown protests
For much of the world there has been hope for some time that the worst economic shocks from the Covid pandemic are in the rearview mirror. In China, however, there are important reminders that risks to the world economy still remain.
Three years since the virus first spread, against the Beijing government’s strict zero-Covid policies have reignited concerns in financial markets over the economic costs of the pandemic. Global oil prices have , while the Chinese yuan and stock markets across Asia have taken a hammering.

Lawmakers announced Monday they have formally created the Georgia Legislative Asian American Pacific Islander Caucus. The bipartisan caucus will be made up of members from Georgia's House and Senate ...