The eco guide to plastic bags | Lucy Siegle
Here’s how to change your shopping habits when one-use disposable bags are taxed in England from 5 October The disposable shopping bag’s moment has come – 5 October marks the introduction of a long-awaited bag tax in England, which should put a massive dent in the 8bn plastic bags a year dispensed by supermarkets. In […]
An old broom sweeps clean
Stock Gaylard, Dorset The oak fair is for those interested in timber, woodcraft, the countryside and conservation In the great gathering of craftsmen, artificers and artisans at the Stock Gaylard oak fair, the one who first caught our eye was Terry Heard, bent over his ingeniously fashioned wooden bench specially adapted to the broomsquire’s traditional […]
Real-time shark tracking apps to be trialled at NSW beaches
Swimmers could soon use technology to monitor sharks in a bid to halt a wave of recent attacks at the state’s beaches this summer Related: ‘Sharks don’t like to eat people’: attack statistics contradict untested theories New South Wales swimmers could soon be able to monitor sharks with real-time tracking apps. Continue reading… Source: Guardian […]
Driver tries to scare off spider using lighter, sets gas station on fire
Video footage shows driver’s panic as flames spread from his gas tank to the pump after ill-judged attempt to get rid of the arachnid A motorist scared of spiders gave himself a double shock when he accidentally set a gas station on fire trying to get rid of one using a cigarette lighter. The man […]
The Observer view on corporate cheats | Observer editorial
We need tougher regulations to deal with global companies who dangerously go their own way “If only everything in life was as reliable as a Volkswagen” ran the slogan of one of VW’s most iconic ad campaigns. Last week’s revelations that VW deliberately and illegally cheated emissions tests will rightly do irreparable damage to a […]
As cobras and vipers spread their deadly venom, it’s getting harder to save lives
With a quarter of a million fatalities every year, health organisations are struggling to cope. Now antivenom supplies are also under threat In the late 1970s, a 50-year-old farmer was working in his fields in the Hausa region of west Africa when was he was bitten on the ankle by a snake, probably a carpet […]
Hopeful buyers think Volkswagen’s ocean of troubles might get them a showroom discount
Bargain hunters expect VW to do the right thing on emissions and cut prices at the dealerships Warren Marvelley was in a hopeful mood on Saturday. He and his wife, Jane, have set their hearts on buying a new VW Golf and believe the time is ripe to buy one. The decision may seem odd, […]
We’re all birders now: the joys of an encounter with a winged stranger
A birdwatcher and writer explains why the rare sighting of an American flycatcher species in Kent caused such excitement Birds on passage beautifully stitch the world together. The swallows that bred yards from my front door in the Fens this summer may now be gracing a pond on a friend’s farm in southern Zambia – […]
Take vehicles that fail diesel test off the streets to protect public health
Car industry and the government need to prove that cars can deliver clean emissions for the sake of public health As the emissions cheating scandal runs into its second week, we could be witnessing the death throes of diesel in Europe. The VW revelations will draw much-needed attention to the dreadful health impacts resulting from […]
UK tried to block tougher EU car-emissions tests
Environment department has urged British MEPs to vote against real-world inspections of vehicles The British government sought to block EU legislation that would force member states to carry out surprise checks on the emissions of cars, raising fresh questions over ministers’ attitude to air pollution and their conduct in the Volkswagen scandal. A document obtained […]