Iran water: What’s causing the shortages?
Getty Images Experts fear a long drought could jeopardise the recovery of Lake Urmia Protests in Iran against a range of grievances – including a severe lack of water and power blackouts – have drawn attention to the country’s wider water problems. Experts have raised concerns about the situation for many years, so what’s to […]
Welsh farmers ‘fighting to survive’
BBC Farmers have brought in emergency water tankers Farmers in Wales are warning that they could be fighting to survive if the summer’s dry weather continues. Many say the grass they feed their cows effectively stopped growing weeks ago, prompting concerns about the food available to herds in the longer term. The weeks of scorching […]
Retail sales plummet as pandemic takes hold
Getty Images Scotland’s major shopping streets have been eerily quiet during lockdown Scotland’s high streets took a massive hit last month as the full effects of the coronavirus pandemic took hold, according to a regular survey. Total sales plummeted year-on-year by 40.3% – the biggest fall recorded since the SRC-KPMG retail sales monitor began in […]
Families opt for staycations to fight rising costs
BBC Ms Mason said she enjoys the “guaranteed” good weather in Somerset Families say they prefer holidaying in the UK to avoid rising costs and soaring temperatures abroad. Some holiday parks have a huge spike in last-minute bookings for August after a slow start to the summer. Derrick Jones, from Hoburne Blue Anchor caravan park […]
Concerns over tightening of Covid pub restrictions
Pacemaker Representatives from across the hospitality industry have raised concerns as Covid-19 restrictions are expected to be tightened this week. Now the government has announced pubs in England and Scotland must close at 22:00. The NI Executive is due to meet this week to decide what restrictions to put in place. Some bars have raised […]
The women who make argan oil want better pay
Frida Bank Samira Chari says that extracting the argan seeds is the only job she can find Whether it is being drizzled on salads or turned into face creams, Morocco’s argan oil is the latest culinary and cosmetic must-have. But with sales soaring around the world, concerns remain about the pay and conditions of the […]
Eight ways to stay happier this year, according to science
Getty Images Why not try these science-backed tips to get more happiness in your life? Some people are born to be happier than others. But whether you’re the kind of person who sings in the shower and dances in the rain, or of a more dour inclination, contentment isn’t just something that happens to us. […]
Rouhani condemns US ‘psychological warfare’
What is the Iran nuclear deal? Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has hit out at the United States over its reinstatement of economic sanctions. He described the measures, which came into effect overnight, as “psychological warfare” which aimed to “sow division among Iranians”. The sanctions take aim at various sectors, with further punitive action planned against […]
Ocado sales hit as workers return to the office
Getty Images Ocado has reported a fall in sales as customers return to pre-pandemic shopping habits and costs increase. In the three months to the end of February, retail sales for the online grocer fell 5.7% to £574.7m. It said the return to the office by workers and the “euphoria” of going back out to […]
Double jab for football matches and PM’s crime ‘blitz’
Reuters “A game of two jabs” says the Sunday Mirror, reporting on government proposals to only allow fans who are fully vaccinated against coronavirus to watch professional football matches in England. The paper says the plans would apply to the Premier League champions down to the bottom of League Two, “raising fears of financial meltdown” […]