Varavin88/Shutterstock Back in the summer of 2021, the UK government’s pandemic modellers predicted that there would be a significant COVID outbreak in the autumn. Yet so far, this hasn’t happened. Other countries with good COVID vaccine coverage have also seen their cases fall and then stabilise. So is herd immunity…
cloudtales
Our green royals – saving the planet one helicopter ride at a time | Marina Hyde
The Queen, Charles and William have hit out at those who are all talk on the climate crisis. One has to wonder who they meanI understand why they go out, “but it isn’t helpful to do it in a way that alienates people,” explained Prince Charles of Insulate Britain, in…
How making homes energy efficient could boost the economy and create jobs
How making homes energy efficient could boost the economy and create jobs Brizmaker/Shutterstock Making homes and buildings energy efficient is a win-win for people and the planet. Homes with well-insulated walls and windows need to burn less gas in a boiler to keep warm, reducing household greenhouse gas emissions and…
More accurate way to predict who will develop Alzheimer’s disease – new study
More accurate way to predict who will develop Alzheimer’s disease – new study Orawan Pattarawimonchai/Shutterstock Beta-amyloid and tau are two proteins that serve useful functions in the brain, but in Alzheimer’s disease – the most common form of dementia – they go rogue and destroy brain cells (neurons). This happens…
Breast milk can contain COVID antibodies – good news for babies
Irina Polonina/Shutterstock Although babies and young children are at lower risk of getting very sick with COVID-19 compared to older adults, a small proportion of babies will require hospital care. There has been immense interest among scientists, health-care workers and new mothers especially in understanding whether potentially protective antibodies against…
COVID and flu: how big could the dual threat be this winter?
COVID and flu: how big could the dual threat be this winter? Subbotina Anna/Shutterstock Although COVID infections are currently low or in decline in most western countries aside from the UK, there’s still a long way to go before the threat of the pandemic is over. A big concern this…
New Vetting Process in International Criminal Court Deputy Prosecutor Elections
Click to expand Image Permanent premises of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Netherlands. © 2018 Marina Riera/Human Rights Watch Further leadership changes are underway at the International Criminal Court (ICC) as its member countries approach the December election of the court’s next deputy prosecutors. On October 10, ICC…
Queen ‘irritated’ by world leaders talking not doing on climate crisis
Overheard comment suggests anger at possible no-shows at Cop26 by leaders of countries with worst CO2 emissions The Queen has criticised world leaders’ inaction on addressing the climate crisis, admitting she is “irritated” by individuals who “talk but don’t do”.She made the remarks, which were picked up on a livestream,…
California Activists Sue Marin County Sheriff for Illegally Sharing Drivers’ License Plate Data With ICE, CBP and Other Out-of-State Agencies
Immigrants’ Privacy, Security Threatened by Sheriff’s Practice, Which Violates California Law San Francisco—Community activists in Northern California today sued Marin County Sheriff Robert Doyle for illegally sharing millions of local drivers’ license plates and location data, captured by a network of cameras his office uses, with hundreds of federal and…
A good job for robots, found – dealing with our embarrassing problems
People are less embarrassed asking for items from a robot than a human. Gennady Danilkin/Shutterstock Many TV shows have a scene where a customer attempts to buy a potentially embarrassing product – a pornographic magazine perhaps or a diarrhoea treatment – only to have the assistant loudly check the price…
Most businesses have already been hit by extreme weather, but still aren’t preparing for future climate disruption
Most businesses have already been hit by extreme weather, but still aren’t preparing for future climate disruption Watching news reports of severe flooding in Europe, of devastating wildfires in the US, of melting ice caps at the poles, very few people now would deny that our climate is changing. The…
Fire-ravaged Greek island of Evia hit by floods and mudslides
Experts say loss of forests, which act as natural flood control mechanism, has worsened impact of heavy rain Storms and heavy rain have laid bare the scale of the destruction wreaked by massive fires on the Greek island of Evia, with communities now having to deal with flooding and mudslides.After…