4 h. ago Doctors reveal the phrase that patients say which can nearly '100%' guarantee if they have a 'serious illness'

Medical experts from around the world have revealed on the popular Reddit forum Medicine the phrase that always captures their attention.

Science

11 h. ago Climate crisis threatens the banana, the world’s most popular fruit, research shows

Fourth most important food crop in peril as Latin America and Caribbean suffer from slow-onset climate disasterThe climate crisis is threatening the future of the world’s most popular fruit, as almost two-thirds of banana-growing areas in Latin America and the Caribbean may no longer be suitable for growing the fruit by 2080, new research has found.Rising temperatures, extreme weather and climate-related pests are pummeling banana-growing countries such as Guatemala, Costa Rica and Colombia, reducing yields and devastating rural communities across the region, according to Christian Aid’s new report, Going Bananas: How Climate Change Threatens the World’s Favourite Fruit. Continue reading...

Events

30 h. ago Want to know how the world really ends? Look to TV show Families Like Ours | John Harris

The Danish drama is piercing in its ordinariness. In the real world, the climate crisis worsens and authoritarians take charge as we calmly look awayThe climate crisis has taken a new and frightening turn, and in the expectation of disastrous flooding, the entire landmass of Denmark is about to be evacuated. Effectively, the country will be shutting itself down and sending its 6 million people abroad, where they will have to cope as best they can. Huge numbers of northern Europeans are therefore being turned into refugees: a few might have the wealth and connections to ease their passage from one life to another, but most are about to face the kind of precarious, nightmarish future they always thought of as other people’s burden. Don’t panic: this is not a news story – or not yet, anyway. It’s the premise of an addictive new drama series titled Families Like Ours, acquired by the BBC and available on iPlayer. I have seen two episodes so far, and been struck by the very incisive way ...

Culture

36 h. ago After Blair’s bombshell, will Labour stick with or abandon net zero?

Under pressure from Reform and from the former PM, Keir Starmer is facing a series of tests of his resolve on green policyPopulist politicians are striking a chord with the public in their attack on “the green agenda” because they are right – climate policies are elitist. So says the man standing to be the next leader of the UK’s Green party.“We should all be angry about net zero,” argues Zack Polanski, currently the Greens’ deputy leader. “The poorest people in our society are being expected to step up to tackle the climate crisis. But it’s the government’s fault, not the people’s fault.” Continue reading...

Events

58 h. ago Why did 30 Met officers kick the door down at a teenage tea and biscuits meeting in a Quaker house?

When six young women hired a room to discuss the war in Gaza, the gathering ended with 30 officers storming in to make arrestsWhen six young women gathered in central London to discuss the climate crisis and the war in Gaza, the setting could not have been more appropriate. The building in which they sat was a Quaker meeting house, the home of a movement whose centuries-long history is rooted in protest and a commitment to social justice. On the table were cups of jasmine tea, ginger biscuits and a selection of vegan cheese straws.But the events that brought this apparently convivial gathering to an abrupt end have sparked protests of a different kind and raised questions about how justice is administered by the UK’s largest and most embattled police force. Continue reading...

Society

3 d. ago ‘If I had to choose, I’d prefer the earthquake’: the 2015 disaster left Nepal in ruins, now record rains wreak fresh havoc

Despite attempts to build resilience by improving infrastructure and first response, extreme weather events and US aid cuts have left many feeling vulnerableWhen the monsoon rains came last September, they swept away most of the village of Panauti, in the foothills of the Nepali Himalayas. The Roshi River overflowed after the unprecedented rainfall, triggering landslides and destroying most of the roads and bridges.Peering through the thick blanket of relentless rain “felt like waiting for morning to arrive so we could see the world again”, says Bishnu Humagain. “We lost everything – our home, our agriculture, and all of our belongings.” Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Trump is slashing US spending on climate aid. But all is not lost

Developing countries will be hit hard by the US president’s decision to cut all aid spending on climate projects, writes Nick Ferris. But other countries will fill some of the gap left by the Trump’s retreat, writes Nick Ferris

Politics

5 d. ago Trump administration to stop US research on space pollution, in boon to Elon Musk

SpaceX and Starlink owner may benefit from Trump cuts to projects that could have led to regulations and costsThe Trump administration is poised to kill federal research into pollution from satellites and rockets, including some caused by Elon Musk’s space companies, raising new conflict-of-interest questions about the billionaire SpaceX and Starlink owner.The pollution appears to be accumulating in the stratosphere at alarming levels. Some fear it could destroy the ozone layer, potentially expose some people to higher levels of ultraviolet radiation or help further destabilize the earth’s climate during the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Technology

6 d. ago John Virgo makes Jim Davidson feelings clear after Big Break host 'cancelled'

The World Snooker Championship commentator fronted the popular BBC show alongside controversial comedian and presenter Jim Davidson in the 1990s

Politics

6 d. ago Aviation industry is ‘failing dramatically’ on climate, insiders say

Professionals call for a fundamental transition including controlling flight numbersThe aviation industry is “failing dramatically” in its efforts to tackle its role in the climate crisis, according to a newly formed group of aviation professionals.They say they are torn between their passion for flying and their concern for the planet and are calling for a fundamental transition of the industry, including controlling flight numbers. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago The tourist attractions with the longest queue times revealed

A study by Just You found travellers can waste up to 20 hours standing in queues at some of the world's most popular tourist attractions - but which have the longest lines?

Politics

7 d. ago Two Britons to challenge UK’s ‘weak’ response to climate crisis in Strasbourg court

Doug Paulley and Kevin Jordan say their lives being ruined, and lack of effective strategy infringes their human rightsTwo men who say they are being failed by the UK’s flawed response to climate breakdown are taking their case to Europe’s top human rights court.Doug Paulley and Kevin Jordan say their lives have been ruined by the rising temperatures and extreme weather caused by the climate crisis, and that the government’s response fails to respect their human rights. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Dog Names 2024: Here are the 10 most popular adorable dog names in the world

As pup ownership has surged over the last few years, these are the names that might cause most confusion if you shout them in your local park.

Politics

7 d. ago Trump cuts will increase devastation after disasters, expert warns: ‘It is really scary’

Layoffs and funding cuts to Fema and Noaa will hamstring emergency managers, warns professor Samantha MontanoThe Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to disaster management will cost American lives, with hollowed-out agencies unable to accurately predict, prepare for or respond to extreme weather events, earthquakes and pandemics, a leading expert has warned.Samantha Montano, professor of emergency management at Massachusetts Maritime Academy and author of Disasterology: Dispatches from the Frontlines of the Climate Crisis, said the death toll from disasters including hurricanes, tornadoes and water pollution will rise in the US unless Trump backtracks on mass layoffs and funding cuts to key agencies. That includes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), whose work relies heavily on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), which is also being dismantled. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Trump cuts will lead to more deaths in disasters, expert warns: ‘It is really scary’

Layoffs and funding cuts to Fema and Noaa will impact how they predict and respond to disasters, warns professor Samantha MontanoThe Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to disaster management will cost lives in the US, with hollowed-out agencies unable to accurately predict, prepare for or respond to extreme weather events, earthquakes and pandemics, a leading expert has warned.Samantha Montano, professor of emergency management at Massachusetts Maritime Academy and author of Disasterology: Dispatches from the Frontlines of the Climate Crisis, said the death toll from disasters including hurricanes, tornadoes and water pollution will rise in the US unless Trump backtracks on mass layoffs and funding cuts to key agencies. That includes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), whose work relies heavily on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), which is also being dismantled. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago How the climate crisis threatens Indigenous traditions in Canada: ‘It’s not the way it used to be’

Shorter winters and thinning ice are imperiling cultural activities in the north, including hockey, broomball and huntingJanelle Oombash stands on the smooth ice of an outdoor rink, keeping score and watching the time as two teams of teenagers run across the ice, whacking a ball with sticks under the afternoon sun. Outside the rink, a bonfire crackles, keeping spectators warm as they watch the game.Broomball has been played for more than a century in northern Ontario. The game is similar to hockey, but players use a ball instead of a puck and wear specialized shoes rather than skates. Now 31, Oombash started playing the game at age 11. Her dad is a coach and taught her to play. “It’s a big sport. Everybody plays broomball or hockey,” she said. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago WhatsApp will stop working on three popular phones within HOURS

With more than two billion users around the globe, WhatsApp is one of the world's most popular apps. But within just a few hours, the Meta-owned platform will stop working on three popular phones.

Politics

7 d. ago John Virgo makes feelings clear on Jim Davidson after Big Break star 'cancelled'

The World Snooker Championship commentator fronted the popular BBC show alongside Davidson in the 1990s

Politics

9 d. ago Scientific societies to do climate assessment after Trump administration dismissed authors

Two groups join forces for peer-reviewed research after key contributors on Congress-mandated report dismissedTwo major US scientific societies have announced they will join forces to produce peer-reviewed research on the climate crisis’s impact days after Donald Trump’s administration dismissed contributors to a key Congress-mandated report on climate crisis preparedness.On Friday, the American Meteorological Society (AMS) and the American Geophysical Union (AGU) said that they will work together to produce over 29 peer-reviewed journals that will cover all aspects of climate change including observations, projections, impacts, risks and solutions. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Puerto Rico drops climate lawsuit after DoJ sues states to block threats to big oil

Territory’s voluntary move comes as Trump administration makes good on pledge to end lawsuits against oil and gasPuerto Rico has voluntarily dismissed its 2024 climate lawsuit against big oil, a Friday legal filing shows, just two days after the US justice department sued two states over planned litigation against oil companies for their role in the climate crisis.Puerto Rico’s lawsuit, filed in July, alleged that the oil and gas giants had misled the public about the climate dangers associated with their products. It came as part of a wave of litigation filed by dozens of US states, cities and municipalities in recent years. Continue reading...

Society