Environment
Scottish parliament bosses urged to rethink using birds of prey to scare off pigeons
Scottish Parliament bosses have been urged to rethink spending £80,000 on using birds of prey to scare away pigeons after their effectiveness was called into question. Hawks and falcons are brought in regularly to fly over the Scottish Parliament building to deter pigeons from making it their home. But MSPs say that the unwanted birds have gotten wise to the scheme and simply wait for them to be taken away by their handler before settling back on the roofs and...
Housing Crisis – Over 11,000 UK homes have been empty for a decade or more
As the hosing crisis deepens with homelessness on the rise, especially in the capital, and other major cities, is has been revealed that over 11,000 dwellings in the UK have stood empty for over a decade. The research, carried out by the Lib Dems, used figures gather from 276 local councils also showed that over 216,000 homes have sat empty for over six months. There have been accusations that some of the wealthiest parts of the UK, in West London...
This may be Donald Trump’s dumbest tweet yet
With barely hours left until the end of the year, Donald Trump may have just tweeted his dumbest tweet of the year yet. There have been quite a few contenders this year, especially this tweet incriminating himself. But the climate sceptic President hell-bent on removing science from government departments as well as removing the USA from the crucial Paris climate change agreement that every other country signed up to against all odds, turned to the topic of global warming with...
“Trapped” Mum-of-three left suicidal & fearing for kids’ lives in mouldy, slug-infested house
A single mum has been left suicidal and fearing for her children's lives after getting 'trapped' living in a mouldy, slug-infested house for almost SEVEN YEARS. Jessica Sparrow-Lewis, 29, has endured years of misery in her rented home which is filled with damp, black mould and exposed wiring that has been deemed a "risk to life". One of the rooms is so cold it is practically uninhabitable, with Jessica's children Freya, nine, Alfie, six, and Arlo, one, are sharing one...
Spectacular aurora light up the sky in the north
Lighting up the night sky with greens and reds, these are the spectacular aurora by a photographer in the world's northern regions. These amazing pictures of the northern lights were taken by astrophotographer Juan Carlos Casado in Greenland, Iceland and Finland. He said: "Auroras are one of the most spectacular natural phenomena that can be seen. Bursting with colour in the night, these aren't fireworks but aurora lighting up the northern skies. "They are global spectacles, in the sense that...
Spikes in air pollution below legal limit leads to an early grave
Being exposed to short term spikes in air pollution even below legal limits leads to an early grave for the elderly, a study warned. When levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone were higher on a particular day, it leads to more deaths two days later. And the risk of a premature death was 25 per cent greater for elderly poor white and minority women than those who were male or white. Previous studies found evidence that short-term exposures...
Charity received a generous gift this festive period of £4 million from mystery donor for the homeless
A charity has received a generous gift this festive period of £4 million from a mystery donor for the homeless across the West Midlands. The anonymous benefactor has stunned staff at the Heart of England Community Foundation with the Christmas donation. The foundation has said it will use £3 million of it to fund major intiatives to help those sleeping rough and without homes in the New Year. The final £1 million will be invested to guarantee a legacy for...
Four out of five Brits don’t care about the environment at Xmas
Four out of five Brits take an Xmas break from caring about the environment a poll has revealed. OVER eight in ten Brits do not even attempt to justify creating extra waste and additional consumption at Christmas time. Two thirds of us commit unofficial 'eco-crimes' - such as throwing used batteries in the bin and not recycling Christmas cards - even though we know we shouldn’t. A poll of 2,000 adults found the UK throws out over 50 million platefuls...
Political instability and weak Government ‘could wipe out some bird and animal species’
Political instability could lead to some bird and animal and bird species being wiped out, warns new research. The study of changes in wildlife over three decades found that low levels of effective national governance are the strongest predictor of declining numbers - more so than economic growth, climate change or even surges in human population. The findings, published in the journal Nature, also show that protected conservation areas do maintain wildlife diversity - but only when situated in countries...