Did Philip II bring invasive fish to Spain?
Chris Baraniuk Features correspondent Alamy A northern pike swimming in a lake in Germany (Credit: Alamy) A 16th Century king brought several fish species to Spain. But is he responsible for their current environmental impacts? One dead carp. The king was displeased. For months he had waited in tender anticipation. But all that made it […]
Is there a good alternative to peated compost?
Getty Images Harvesting peat is highly unsustainable – but gardeners love it. Could we replace it with something better? In a greenhouse in Nottinghamshire, Barbara Wright is growing peat. Well, not peat exactly. Wright’s company, BeadaMoss, is growing sphagnum moss – the main component of natural peat extracted from northern peatlands for use in gardens […]
Why it’s time to talk about poo
Lina Zeldovich Features correspondent Epic Cleantec Epic Cleantec’s Garden in San Francisco, where it uses its organic soil amendment product to plant lush greenery (Credit: Epic Cleantec) The nutrients in human waste are drifting into our oceans and landfills instead of back into soils. But there are much better uses for human poo than flushing […]
How whiskey is shaped by the weather and climate
Chris Baraniuk Features correspondent Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert/Alamy Temperature and humidity can vary greatly between the north and south of Japan, helping to contribute to the variety in the country’s whisky (Credit: Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert/Alamy) Temperature, humidity and air pressure all can affect the production and taste of whiskey. Distillers are hoping to harness these elements to make […]
Zelensky to meet Vance as Trump pushes for Ukraine peace talks at security summit – live updates
What is the current situation on the Ukrainian front?published at 07:23 Greenwich Mean Time 07:23 GMT Intense fighting continues almost three years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion. Russia currently controls around 20% of Ukraine, mainly in the east, including parts of Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as Crimea, which was annexed in […]
Former Tesco boss Dave Lewis to advise on supply chain crisis
Reuters Sir Dave ran Tesco until late last year Boris Johnson has appointed former Tesco chief executive Sir David Lewis to advise it on how to fix the supply chain crisis that has led to petrol and other shortages. It comes as the Office for National Statistics found one in six UK adults said they […]
Cardiff activists urge concrete actions
Wales is being asked to make a “big shift” in its actions to cut carbon emissions. The UK’s climate advisers have set a new target for the next 30 years. Wales specifically needs to cut numbers of sheep and cattle, plant more trees and encourage heavy industry to clean up. The Welsh Government said it […]
The pitfalls of India’s biometric ID scheme
Getty Images More than a billion Indians have a biometric-based identification number More than a billion Indians now have the biometric-based 12-digit personal identification number called Aadhaar, which means foundation in Hindi. What started as a voluntary programme to tackle benefit fraud has now grown into the world’s most ambitious, and controversial, digital identity programme. […]
UK’s ‘unhealthiest’ High Streets revealed
Alamy Fast food outlets in Blackpool, which has the third most unhealthy High Street in the UK The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) ranked High Streets with more payday lenders, bookmakers, tanning salons and fast food outlets the worst. Grimsby led the unhealthy High Street list ahead of Walsall and Blackpool, while Edinburgh, Canterbury […]
Trump announces three-way talks on Ukraine war in Munich
President Donald Trump has announced that US, Russian and Ukrainian officials will meet at a security conference in Munich on Friday for talks on how to end the war in Ukraine. “Russia is going to be there with our people,” the US president said. “Ukraine is also invited, by the way, not sure exactly who’s […]