Civil Engineering in the papers today - Tuesday 30th September 2008

Their findings suggest that the government's proposed expansion of nuclear energy would encounter least opposition if new nuclear plants were cited near to existing facilities - The Guardian

Stunned airlines and British businesses rounded on the Tory party yesterday after David Cameron pledged to scrap a third runway at Heathrow in favour of a north-south high-speed rail link. British Airways, the most vocal backer for expanding Britain's biggest airport, accused the Tories of endangering the economy and ignoring the calls of the business community for a new runway - The Guardian

The government's renewable power strategy is "ineffective and very expensive", according to a damning review by the International Energy Agency. A study of 35 countries, including all major industrial nations such as the US, Germany and China, puts the UK near the bottom of the class on green energy - The Guardian

The first solar panels have been installed on top of the papal audience hall in the Vatican. Workers began putting photovoltaic cells on the roof of the hall to convert sunlight into electricity yesterday - The Guardian

Boris Johnson is embroiled in a £1.4bn funding row with the government that could leave millions of commuters facing increased delays and overcrowded stations on London's underground network. The mayor of London has written to the chancellor, Alistair Darling, to demand a bail-out and prevent large partsof the capital's tube network from falling into disrepair - The Guardian

The countryside must be built on to provide cheaper homes for young families, Caroline Fkint, the housing minister, has said. She gave warning that a lack of available housing meant that younger and lower-paid people could no longer afford to live in the countryside - The Daily Telegraph

All landlords letting business premises from tomorrow will have to pay for the cost of showing they are marketing "green" buildings. New EU regulation require that offices and factories that are being built, refurbished or sold or let to new tenants must carry certificates showing energy efficiency when the lighting, heating and ventilation systems are on - The Daily Telegraph

The fire that engulfed the Cutty Sark last May, resulting in £10M damage, was caused by a piece of electrical equipment that was left on over the weekend, The Times has learnt. The Metropolitan Police are expected to say today that a dust extractor was the cause of the blaze when it publishes the results of its investigation - The Times

Indian iron ore exporters yesterday warned that demand from steel mills in China had fallen sharply over the past month and that Chinese buyers were defaulting on contracts with suppliers. With coal reportedly piling up in China's eastern ports, the news of steel defaults will fuel concerns about the likely impact on global commodity prices of a slowing Chinese economy - The Financial Times

Eurostar, the cross-Channel train operator, is considering replacing some of its trains with the world's newest high-speed train design as it seeks to boost reliability and expand into new markets. A senior figure involved told the Financial Times the operator might buy the new AGV train unveiled this year by Alstrom Transport instead of carrying out the mid-life refurbishment the 15-year old trains would soon be due to undergo - The Financial Times