Japanese anti-nuclear candidate wins election at site of world's biggest atomic power station
Ryuichi Yoneyama, the newly elected governor of Niigata, says he will not restart Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power station shut down after Fukushima An anti-nuclear candidate has been elected in a region of Japan that houses the world’s biggest atomic power station, striking a blow to Tokyo Electric Power’s attempts to restart the plant in the wake of […]
Use of strongest antibiotics rises to record levels on European farms
Medicines classified as ‘critically important in human medicine’ appear to be in frequent use, says European Medicines Agency Use of some of the strongest antibiotics available to treat life-threatening infections has risen to record levels on European farms, new data shows. The report reinforces concerns about the overuse of antibiotics on farms, following revelations from […]
Taking shelter from the blinding sheets of rain: Country diary 100 years ago
Originally published in the Manchester Guardian on 17 October 1916 Grey clouds, like wisps of smoke, raced yesterday across a sullen, leady sky, and the roaring woods scattered their bronzed leaves for the savage wind to play with. Then the scud came, rain wind-driven in blinding sheets, forcing the cattle under the lee of the […]
A long-distance traveller on a refuelling stopover
A bar-tailed godwit on the mudflats may be on her way from the Arctic to sub-Saharan Africa. But she’s a lightweight compared to her New Zealand cousins A long-billed, long-legged wader stands on the edge of the mud, waiting for the tide to recede so she can begin to feed. Nothing about her stands out: […]
In their clamour for shale gas, ministers forgot the climate agreement | Letters
No amount of spin or legal obfuscation can reconcile the UK government’s clamour for shale gas with its obligations as enshrined in the Paris climate change agreement. Consequently, when the UK’s communities secretary, Sajid Javid, gave the go-ahead for fracking in Lancashire (Report, 7 October), he was making a clear statement that the government has […]
This new technology could save the troubled nuclear power industry
Small nuclear reactors, funded by investors like Bill Gates, are emerging in the US as cheaper, safer alternatives to traditional nuclear power plant designs The future of the nuclear industry may happen somewhere on scenic but relatively isolated land that’s about 100 miles southwest of Yellowstone National Park. Amid the 890-square-mile Idaho National Laboratory campus, […]
Oil review – scorchingly ambitious with plenty of renewable energy
Almeida, LondonAnne-Marie Duff time travels from 1800s Cornwall to 70s Libya in Ella Hickson’s remarkable new play about empire, energy and parenthood The old idea that women dramatists tend to shun the epic form has emphatically been given the lie in recent years. After Lucy Prebble’s Enron, Lucy Kirkwood’s Chimerica and Beth Steel’s Labyrinth, we […]
Vietnam floods: deaths reported, tens of thousands of homes destroyed
Local authorities mobilise army and police to rescue trapped residents in central Vietnam following torrential rain At least 11 people have died and several more are missing in heavy flooding in central Vietnam, state media said on Saturday, with tens of thousands of homes completely submerged by water. The communist government has ordered local authorities […]
Hunted to the brink, but Africa’s reviled vultures are vital in fight against disease
Wildlife photojournalist of the year exposes the plight of the endangered scavenger Vultures are rarely viewed as the poster boys and girls of the natural world. They have repulsive eating habits and are strikingly ugly. Nevertheless, they play a critical role in maintaining the ecological health of many parts of the world. Vultures consume animal […]
Scott Morrison and the budget just got lucky with the price of coal
The treasurer said it was China, rather than then treasurer Wayne Swan, who saved Australia from the global financial crisis. Who will he credit this time? The old adage in sport is that it’s better to be lucky than good, and it applies as well to being a treasurer. Regardless of whether or not you […]