Hundreds of environmental activists were on a secret "blacklist" used by construction firms in an attempt to disrupt high-profile protests against road building and other developments.

Files on more than 200 campaigners were held alongside a list of more than 3,000 construction workers who had raised legitimate health and safety concerns or belonged to a trade union.

Held over four weeks, six fellows from Commonwealth countries Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, spent time learning about the cement industry in the UK.

A further aim was to showcase how environmental performance can be improved by developing constructive working relationships between industry, regulators and local communities.

Despite the brisk winter weather, President Christina Paxson, Providence Mayor Angel Taveras and more than 30 others gathered Wednesday morning for the topping-off ceremony of the Building for Environmental Research and Teaching.

The ceremony took place outside of the renovated building, the former Hunter Laboratory, and included a series of speakers who were involved in the construction and planning process of the building. It also featured the harnessing of the final structural beam, which was signed by the attendees before being set in place. While the scheduled completion date for the renovation of the building is not until fall of 2013, the ceremony celebrated a landmark moment in the $35 million project.

The Port of Tyne is planning to spend £180m building new facilities creating 900 new construction jobs at its south bank estate in South Tyneside.

Plans involve developing infrastructure for the handling, storage and transportation of imports of wood pellets which are an important source of bio-energy for power stations.

The port’s main Riverside Quay at Tyne Dock will also be extended.

CONSTRUCTION work has been completed on the South West Inverness Flood Relief Channel - the final phase of the £16 million Inverness South West Flood Relief Scheme.

The scheme has been designed to protect 600 homes at risk of flooding on the south side of the city.

Environment and Planning Minister Sylvan Richards has pledged to make changes to the Island’s building code to promote energy efficiency.

Speaking before a panel discussion on the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification in Bermuda, the Minister said such initiatives can help save money in the long term.

“Operating costs of a building should be just as much a consideration as the original design and construction costs,” Mr Richards said. “LEED is a great way to encourage that, but changing the building codes will help even more, and we intend on making this our new reality.”

Over the period 2007-2013, Life+ will provide €1.7 billion for co-funded projects across the EU which are linked to nature conservation, environmental technology and the communication of environmental matters. Ireland’s allocation for this year is €4m approx, subject to suitable projects being submitted and approved.

FORTUNES are mixed for many Welsh business people and the construction industry is no exception.

Some people are nervous about what 2013 will bring, but at Constructing Excellence in Wales (CEW) we prefer to take a more positive but realistic view of the opportunities ahead. Not because we can see a recovery around the corner, but because we know there are opportunities for Welsh construction to achieve a sustainable recovery by working collaboratively and generating long term value.