Make car makers, not drivers, pay for the diesel crisis, experts say
German and French governments have already required that manufacturers fix vehicles spewing high levels of toxic pollution but UK is ‘doing nothing’ The diesel-fuelled air pollution crisis should be solved by making motor companies recall and upgrade the dirty cars they sold, experts said on Wednesday. Current UK plans are focused on making diesel drivers […]
Decomposable shoe set to be released by Adidas later this year
Woven from Biosteel fibres, a material designed to mimic spider silk by a German biotech company called AMSilk, Adidas is set to release a fully biodegradable running trainer later this year with performance characteristics equivalent to their regular shoes. We covered the news in an edition of Circulate on Fridays at the beginning of the […]
Egypt’s real treasure: diving with sharks in the Red Sea
Egypt’s diving is spectacular, and could help revive the country’s tourism industry – but only if the value of its marine life is recognised and protected To say the Egyptian economy, much reliant on tourism, has seen a turbulent time of late, would be a woeful understatement. As you travel along the Red Sea coast […]
The end of coal: EU energy companies pledge no new plants from 2020
Companies from every EU nation except Poland and Greece sign up to initiative in bid to meet Paris pledges and limit effects of climate change Europe’s energy utilities have rung a death knell for coal, with a historic pledge that no new coal-fired plants will be built in the EU after 2020. The surprise announcement […]
Rare red panda triplets born near Sydney – video
A trio of red pandas have made their public debut at Symbio wildlife park, south of Sydney. They were born to first-time mother Kesari and father Pabu on Christmas Eve, weighing about 100g each. The pups are all male and the Symbio team will be announcing their names, once decided, over the coming days Continue […]
'Spider bite' double amputation likely to be mistaken identity, says arachnologist
Expert says white-tail spider unlikely to be responsible for amputation of Melbourne man’s legs A Melbourne man’s double amputation is likely to have been misattributed to a white-tail spider bite. Terry Pareja underwent emergency surgery at Wimmera Base hospital in Horsham, Victoria, to have his right leg amputated. He was then airlifted to the Alfred […]
After the flood: 'No tourists please. Help welcome'
On a journey through northern New South Wales and southern Queensland, Warren Murray meets locals contending with the aftermath of Cyclone Debbie Light to moderate traffic is easing along the Pacific motorway connecting the Gold Coast and the Tweed, with no particular sign of storm damage or delays. But in Chinderah, just inside New South […]
Clear air plans won't punish drivers of older diesel cars, PM promises
Theresa May ‘very conscious’ that past governments encouraged motorists to buy diesel cars, as increased charges for polluting vehicles loom large Theresa May says she will not punish drivers of older diesel cars who were encouraged to buy the polluting vehicles under the Labour government. A crackdown on the vehicles to tackle poor air quality […]
Ken Livingstone says he expects to be expelled by Labour – Politics live
Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen Is Corbyn right about life expectancy “falling”? Lunchtime summary 4.47pm BST Open Britain, the group campaigning for a “soft” Brexit, thinks it is significant that Theresa May told Sky News earlier that she does not expect to sign a UK-EU trade deal within two years. […]
Diesel vehicles will disappear sooner than expected, says EU industry chief
European parliament backs tougher rules and €30,000 per vehicle fine for carmakers to prevent repeat of VW emissions scandal Diesel vehicles will disappear from roads much faster than expected, according to the European Union’s industry commissioner. Elżbieta Bieńkowska spoke after the European parliament backed tougher rules to prevent manufacturers selling cars that produce far more […]