45 h. ago Is a River Alive? by Robert Mcfarlane: a beautiful overture for our dying rivers

There’s been a lot of noise about the state of our rivers these past few years, and quite right too. An Environment Agency report in 2020 revealed that not a single river, lake or stream in England was classified as in “good health” and during last year’s general election campaign, politicians felt the need to compete over what their parties would do to end the scandal of raw sewage entering the water system. There’s no doubt that, for a large section of the public, the issue has touched a nerve.

Events

64 h. ago Schoolgirl found in River Thames ‘likely to have died from effect of cold water’

Kaliyah Coa, 11, was reported missing on March 31 after playing near Barge House Causeway in Woolwich on a school inset day.

Events

3 d. ago 'Arrogant' unqualified instructor who was jailed for leading four paddleboarders to their deaths was sacked from police for insurance fraud

Nerys Lloyd was jailed for 10 years and six months after four people died on the Cleddau River in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, in October 2021.

Events

6 d. ago Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane review – streams of consciousness

An impassioned plea to save our rivers combines poetry and adventureTracking a river through a cedar forest in Ecuador, Robert Macfarlane comes to a 30ft-high waterfall and, below it, a wide pool. It’s irresistible: he plunges in. The water under the falls is turbulent, a thousand little fists punching his shoulders. He’s exhilarated. No one could mistake this for a “dying” river, sluggish or polluted. But that thought sparks others: “Is this thing I’m in really alive? By whose standards? By what proof? As for speaking to or for a river, or comprehending what a river wants – well, where would you even start?”He’s in the right place to be asking. In September 2008, Ecuador, “this small country with a vast moral imagination”, became the first nation in the world to legislate on behalf of water, “since its condition as an essential element for life makes it a necessary aspect for existence of all living beings”. This enshrinement of the Rights of Nature set off similar development...

Politics

8 d. ago Is this river alive? Robert Macfarlane on the lives, deaths and rights of our rivers

As pollution levels hit record highs and fresh water becomes ‘the new oil’, is it time to radically reimagine our relationship to the natural world?If you find it difficult to think of a river as alive, try picturing a dying or dead river. This is easier. We know what this looks like. We know how it feels. A dying river is one who does not reach the sea. A dying river’s fish float belly-up in stagnant pools. Swans on the upper Thames near Windsor now wear brown tidemarks on their snowy chest feathers, showing where they have sailed through sewage. I recently saw a Southern Water riverbank sign badged with a bright blue logo that read “Water for Life”. The sign instructed passersby to “avoid contact with the water. If you’ve had contact with the water, please wash your hands before eating.” In parts of this septic isle, fresh water has become first undrinkable, then unswimmable, then untouchable.How did it come to this – and where do we go from here? The crisis is one of imagination ...

Events

1 week ago Paddleboarding cop's chilling confession heard in accidental phone recording after four killed

Ex-firearms officer Nerys Lloyd owned and ran Salty Dog Co Ltd and led a paddleboarding trip on the River Cleddau in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire where four people died

Events

2 w. ago Small plane crashes into Nebraska river and kills 3 on board

Authorities in Nebraska say three people have died in a small airplane crash into a river

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2 w. ago British skier, 54, dies after plunging into river on Swiss Alps

The man was skiing near Grindelwald in Switzerland when he suddenly lost control and plunged into a river

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2 w. ago British skier, 54, dies after losing control on Swiss piste and crashing into a river

The 54-year-old skier, who has not been publicly named, had been on an authorised run from the 6,800-foot-high Kleine Scheidegg pass toward Brandegg when he veered off the piste.

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3 w. ago Who was Agustin Escobar? The Siemens boss killed with his family in New York helicopter crash

Senior executive, his wife and their three children die along with pilot in Hudson River tragedy

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3 w. ago All we know about the New York helicopter crash and the Spanish family who died

Top Siemens executive among those to have died in Hudson River tragedy

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3 w. ago Hudson River helicopter crash: Tragic New York passenger's close links to FC Barcelona

Merce Camprubí Montal, one of the victims of the helicopter crash in the Hudson River who died along with her family and the pilot, was related to two former presidents of FC Barcelona

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3 w. ago Six people died after helicopter crashed into Hudson River off New York City. Here’s what we know

The family on board were visiting from Spain, officials confirmed

Events

3 w. ago Six people died after a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River off New York City. Here’s what we know

The family on board were visiting from Spain, officials confirmed

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