Environment
End of Democracy? Government upholds fracking appeal
After Lancashire County Council refused to allow permission to take shale gas out of the county, the Government has decided that they will allow it anyway. The council has turned down the request, from shale gas company Caudrilla, because of concerns over traffic and noise pollution. There are also huge concerns about environmental impact and concerns over the power of local councils to stand up to central government. Drilling in the area a few years ago, caused earth tremors and...
Earth hottest for 115,000 years due to climate change, says ex-NASA scientist
A paper written by James Hanson, an ex-Nasa climate scientist, and a number of other leading experts in the field have reported that the earth is now as hot as it has been for 115,00 years. The worrying news is further compounded by their claims that climate change has contributed to this level of heat, not experienced by modern day humans. The problem is that sea levels will rise and huge structural and technological development will be needed to stem...
Police officers wearing cameras have 93% fewer complaints, claims new study
There were concerns that police officers wearing cameras was turning the nation into a nightmarish vision on 1984, however a new study seems to think the initiative has actually helped with police relations with the public. Researchers have said that when members of the public and police staff are both aware they are being filmed, it increases the accountability on both sides. Their behaviour changes when both parties know that their actions are being documented in real time. Due to...
Where is the happiest place in Britain? Hint it’s not London
Ok it is pretty obvious, nobody seems to enjoy living in London, in fact a new study has reported that the capital’s inhabitants have the most anxiety in the UK. The question is where do you go to be happy, blissfully happy all day every day. Well the answer is the Outer Hebrides according to the ONS (Office for National Statistics). It is a long way from Oxford Circus. The research questioned 158,000 people, and asked respondents how satisfied they...
Easier to obtain drugs than get bedsheets at UK prison, says watchdog
With prisons close to capacity, there are concerns that the jail system in the UK is at breaking point. There is also huge concern about the increase in drug use in the penal system, especially “legal highs.” The use of drones to drop off drugs in prisons is a new problem facing prison warders. Now an inspection of HMP Bedford has concluded the prison of “abject failure,” which doesn’t “offer basic levels of decency.” It sounds more like a Victorian...
Hinkley Point Gets The Green Light
After a brief spell of hope, the controversial Hinkley Point nuclear power station has been given the green light. The £18 billion project is being financed by the French and the Chinese, with plans for new power stations to be based on Chinese designs as part of the deal. According to the BBC, the Chinese agreed to take a stake in Hinkley and at Sizewell in Suffolk on the understanding that the UK government would approve a Chinese-led and designed project...
Middlesbrough is ‘worst place to be a girl in England and Wales.’
A new study has ranked Middlesbrough as the worst place to be a girl. Charity Plan International UK took various factors into account to make the decision. They assessed child poverty, educational attainment and teen pregnancy rates. Sadly for Middlesbrough it came top of the list, not an enviable place to be. As expected there appears to be a north/south divide between the best and worst places to be a young female. Poverty could be seen as a major factor...
Humans Have Destroyed 10% of Earth’s Wilderness Since 1992
Humans have destroyed ten per cent of the Earth's wilderness since 1992, according to new research. The study, authored by researchers from Australia’s University of Queensland and published in Cell, revealed that the earth has lost nearly 1.3 million square miles of wilderness (defined as areas that are largely free of human development) in less than 30 years, with most of this loss occurring in South America. This leaves approximately 11.6 million square miles of wilderness left on Earth (accounting for about 23...
Jeremy Corbyn vows to ban fracking and increase renewables
Jeremy Corbyn wants to impose a blanket ban on fracking in the UK if he is elected to become the next PM in 2020. The controversial energy extraction process caused minor earth tremors in the UK in recent years, and the policy was put on the back burner, but has see a resurgence of interest under the Conservative Government. However, the Labour leader is setting a green agenda for his party. He will close all coal-fired power stations, outlaw fracking...