The noise from wind farms is no more disruptive to sleep than road traffic, researchers have found.Campaigners have previously claimed that low-frequency noises – including ‘infrasound’, or below our hearing range – affect human sleep.Now scientists have analysed 460 sleep nights with 68 participants over five years.The study by Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia, found...
Londoners who spotted swimmers bathing in a busy section of the River Thames on Sunday evening screamed at them to get out before somebody was hurt.Shortly after 7 pm, two women entered the water at Folly House Beach, on the section of the river opposite the Greenwich Peninsula Golf Range.The swimmers – believed to have been tourists – swam around 20 metres from the shore, leaving...
In April 2023, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) of the United Kingdom blocked Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The CMA was concerned that the takeover would reduce innovation and choice for gamers in the U.K. Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have appealed the CMA’s decision; the case is ongoing. The CMA’s decision was based on several...
The Met Office is not ruling out that there will be more heatwaves this summer.Forecasters say there is a “greater than normal chance of heatwaves” between the middle and the end of July.Sunday was the joint hottest day of the year, with temperatures reaching 32.2C in Coningsby, Lincolnshire.This matched the previous high set on 10 June in Chertsey, Surrey.Temperatures are set to cool...
The excellent Glastonbury clean-up is underway as thousands return home after a weekend of music.About 1,000 volunteers picked up litter on Monday morning to restore the 800-acre site at Worthy Farm to its normal state when revellers don’t populate it.It is thought that 210,000 people attended the festival from Wednesday until Sunday, headlined by Arctic Monkeys, Guns N’ Roses and...
Petrol prices in the UK have fallen 24% in a year and are now 45p-a-litre cheaper. This compares to a fall of 15% in the US, 12% in France, and 10% in Germany. However, the UK still has some of the highest petrol prices in Europe, with only Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands having higher prices. Here is a table comparing petrol prices in some major countries as of June 2023: CountryPetrol...
MPs, campaigners and activists are increasingly concerned that savings rates are failing to keep pace with the rapid rise in borrowing costs, putting the behavior of the UK’s biggest banks in the spotlight. There are a few reasons why UK banks are taking so long to pass higher interest rates on to savers: Competition: Banks compete with each other for customers and only want to offer...
The future of UK fossil fuels is at stake in a test case that the Supreme Court will hear on Wednesday. Sarah Finch is challenging the drilling of four oil wells in Horse Hill, Surrey, on climate change grounds. She argues that Surrey County Council did not consider the full climate impacts of oil burning when it granted planning permission. The case is being closely watched by campaigners and...
On Thursday, after a massive search operation, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed the worst news: the five people on board the Titan submersible had died after debris was found near the wreck of the Titanic. The vessel had suffered a “catastrophic implosion”. The U.S. Navy had detected a sound consistent with an implosion when communications were lost with the Titan an hour and 45 minutes...
On June 7, 2023, the UK government announced that it would host the first global summit on artificial intelligence safety. The meeting will be held in London later this year. It will bring together leaders from government, industry, and academia to discuss the risks and opportunities of AI and how to ensure that AI is developed and used safely and responsibly. The summit is part of the UK’s...