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Create your Premier League dream team

Wed, 2016-08-03 15:57

You may have a game plan for your ideal Premier League team, but every player comes at a price. Using real market value, create your dream team from the European leagues’ top 50 and see how your squad plays out

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Cliffs and teeming clefts in the coastal landscape

Wed, 2016-08-03 14:30

Aberaeron, Ceredigion The route was almost deserted, so the sensation of being watched was unexpected

Even on the open slopes above the cliff, the air was hot and humid, making the steeper sections of the coast path seem more of a trudge than usual. South of Aberaeron, in west Wales, the route was almost deserted – so the sensation of being watched was unexpected.

As I struggled past a tangled mass of gorse, I realised that I was being observed by a stonechat perched on a bracken frond. My plodding approach hadn’t alarmed him enough to make him retreat and as I returned his gaze I realised that at least three others, perhaps a family, were nearby. They began to exchange the sharply characteristic calls that sound uncannily like two pebbles being tapped together, and which give the species its name.

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Wealthier homes contain more bugs, research shows

Wed, 2016-08-03 09:01

US study overturns perceptions about poorer homes by showing higher income houses host up to 200 different species of flies, spiders, beetles and ants

Homes in wealthier areas harbour more bugs, containing up to 200 different species of flies, spiders, beetles and ants, according to new research. The vast majority are not pests although dust mites and book lice were also common.

The finding is the latest demonstration of the “luxury effect” which has shown that richer neighbourhoods are more biologically diverse in plants, birds, bats and lizards, largely thanks to the greater number and variety of plants in gardens and parks. But it is the first time the effect has been shown for arthropods, either inside or outside homes.

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When nature puts on a happy face: Hawaiian volcano erupts into smile

Wed, 2016-08-03 04:12

The Kilauea volcano’s lava looked like a smiley face but stars, craters and spiders have also resembled the popular symbol for happiness

An erupting volcano in Hawaii was all smiles last week – and no, it wasn’t a Disney animation.

The lava of Kilauea, a shield volcano on Hawaii’s biggest island, appeared to form a smiley face as it erupted. The volcano has been active since 1983, with lava emerging from the Pu‘u ‘O‘o vent. As the smile appeared, lava from the volcano reached the Pacific Ocean for the first time in three years, according to CNN.

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Environmental records shattered as climate change 'plays out before us'

Wed, 2016-08-03 01:00

Temperatures, sea levels and carbon dioxide all hit milestones amid extreme weather in 2015, major international ‘state of the climate’ report finds

The world is careening towards an environment never experienced before by humans, with the temperature of the air and oceans breaking records, sea levels reaching historic highs and carbon dioxide surpassing a key milestone, a major international report has found.

Related: Anthrax outbreak triggered by climate change sickens dozens in Arctic Circle

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The new green grid: utilities deploy ‘virtual power plants’

Wed, 2016-08-03 00:11

Yale Environment 360: By linking together networks of energy-efficient buildings, solar installations, and batteries, a growing number of companies in the US and Europe are helping utilities reduce energy demand at peak hours and supply targeted areas with renewably generated electricity

The tens of thousands of tons of natural gas that surged into the Southern California sky late last year were supposed to have fueled the region’s power plants and heated its homes. Instead, the massive leak at the Aliso Canyon storage site left California electricity providers racing to replace the lost supplies to avoid blackouts and recurring outages in the coming months.

But Los Angeles area utilities aren’t solely seeking more fossil fuels to fill the gap in natural gas. They are also turning to “virtual power plants”: sprawling networks of independent batteries, solar panels, and energy-efficient buildings that are tied together and remotely controlled by software and data systems. The goal of these virtual power plants is to collectively reduce customers’ energy demand at peak hours and provide renewable energy supplies in targeted areas. This would allow utilities to offset some of the needs for power from conventional sources and avoid disruption on the grid.

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Leslie Jesch obituary

Tue, 2016-08-02 23:46

My father, Leslie Jesch, who has died aged 90, was a leading authority on the application of solar energy and a pioneer in the development of renewables internationally, and especially across Europe.

He was born László Jesch in Budapest, the son of László Jesch, an electrical engineer and college principal, and his wife Ilona (nee Láng), who before she married had supported her large family by making the popular Hungarian food tarhonya, a sort of egg-based pasta. From the Benedictine monks who educated him he developed a deep appreciation of European history and culture, and he learned several languages.

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Raccoon, mongoose and cabbage among invasive species banned from UK

Tue, 2016-08-02 23:24

New EU regulation blacklists 37 non-native plant and animal species in a bid to tackle threats to native wildlife and economic losses

The north American raccoon, an Asian hornet and an American cabbage are among 37 invasive species that will be banned from being brought into the UK from Wednesday when a new EU regulation comes into effect.

The continent-wide rules now make it illegal to import, keep, breed or grow, transport, sell or use, or release into the environment without a permit the listed invasive, non-native plant and animal species. But the ban will no longer apply when then UK leaves the EU.

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Farmers and migrant workers: how has Brexit affected you?

Tue, 2016-08-02 22:54

If you are a farmer or migrant worker employed on a farm we’d like to hear from you

We’re interested in hearing from farmers who are concerned about the effect losing season workers from Europe could have.

If you are a seasonal worker or a farmer who employs overseas workers we’d like to hear from you. How has Brexit affected you? If you have travelled from Europe to work on a farm in the UK we’d like to hear your experiences too. You can share your stories with us by filling in the form below. We’ll use some of your contributions in our ongoing reporting.

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UK's carbon footprint rises 3%

Tue, 2016-08-02 21:23

Greenhouse gas emissions increased slightly between 2012 and 2013, official figures show

The “carbon footprint” for the pollution caused by UK consumption has increased slightly, official figures show.

The amount of greenhouse gases linked to goods and services consumed by UK households, including emissions from the foreign manufacture of imported products, rose by 3% between 2012 and 2013, the most recent data shows.

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Are local efforts to save coral reefs bound to fail?

Tue, 2016-08-02 20:59

Two recent reports on the state of the world’s coral reefs appear to contradict each other. But which is right?

Over the last six weeks, scientists have published two major reports on coral reef resilience that appear to contradict each other. The first - “Bright spots among the world’s coral reefs” was produced by 39 scientists led by Professor Josh Cinner of James Cook University in Australia and drew on data from 6000 reef surveys from all over the world. Cinner et al concluded that those reefs that were sustainably managed had a much better chance of withstanding bleaching impacts related to global warming and periodic climate events like El Niño. The second however suggested remote coral reefs not subject to human stressors like overfishing or pollution were faring no better than those close to populated areas and that ecosystems management made no real difference to the overall health of reefs. So which is right?

“Coral reef degradation is not correlated with local human population density,” by Professor John Bruno and co-author Abel Valdivia of the University of North Carolina was published on 20 July. It suggests that contrary to prevailing scientific opinion, local pressures do not act synchronously with global stressors (most notably warming) and that their impact on reefs is negligible. According to Valdivia “Widespread arguments that coral reef degradation is mostly caused by local factors are unsupported. We found the problem is better explained by global impacts such as climate change.”

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Mark Rylance heads list of artists calling for end to BP cultural sponsorship

Tue, 2016-08-02 20:43

Oscar-winning actor among 214 signatories of an open letter demanding cancellation of oil firm’s new five-year arts sponsorship deal

Hundreds of figures in the arts and science, including Oscar-winning actor Mark Rylance, artist Conrad Atkinson, composer Matthew Herbert and author Naomi Klein, have called for BP’s new five-year sponsorship deals with some of Britain’s leading cultural institutions to be cancelled.

Rylance, who is the former artistic director of Shakespeare’s Globe theatre and star of Steven Spielberg’s new film The BFG, heads a list of 214 signatories to a letter in the Times claiming that BP uses art sponsorship to help develop its interests in oil extraction, which must be reduced to avoid rapid climate change.

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Giant sinkhole takes huge chunk of Australian back yard – video

Tue, 2016-08-02 16:52

Dramatic footage from Channel Nine shows a widening sinkhole swallowing a good portion of a back yard in Ipswich, Queensland. The house is owned by a retired couple. A century-old mine shaft has been blamed for the sudden emergence of a six- to eight-metre hole filled with water. The mayor of Ipswich, Paul Pisasale, told AAP he had assured Lyn and Ray McKay that their house would not disappear overnight and engineers were confident of fixing the sinkhole. ‘It’s an exploratory shaft that goes down about 100 metres and there’s no need to panic about a neighbourhood falling in, and we will take all the steps to get Lyn and Ray back in their house’

The science behind sinkholes: terrifying and relatively unpredictable incidents

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Better than money – yellow-rattle's priceless gifts

Tue, 2016-08-02 14:30

Blackwater Carr, Norfolk If not wealth for cuckoos, the flowers are indisputable riches for bumblebees

As I write I have a small canvas bag of yellow-rattle seed on my desk. It bulges now like a full purse and the disk-like flattened seeds jangle a little like cash when shuggled about. In fact, if I bought it commercially, it would be the equivalent of £30, which is not bad for two hours’ work.

I find it intriguing to discover how a suite of old names once did link yellow-rattle to manmade coin. In Somerset Rhinanthus minor was known simply as “money” and in Leicestershire as “money-grass”. I love most, however, a wry Lanarkshire coinage: “gowk’s sixpences” – “cuckoo’s sixpences”. It was probably intended to suggest the idea of fool’s gold, but for me it carries a different set of associations.

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Mushroom handplanes and wooden surfboards: the surf companies tackling ocean waste – gallery

Tue, 2016-08-02 14:00

Ocean waste is a serious problem for companies emotionally and physically connected to the sea, but that connection also gives them a strong incentive to find solutions, said the founder of outdoor clothing company Finisterre in a recent Guardian debate. Here we profile some of the companies doing just that

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UN tries to hide involvement in deleting Australia from its climate report

Tue, 2016-08-02 12:59

Federal environment department says Unesco sought and was granted heavy redactions in freedom of information documents

The United Nations has tried to cover up its involvement in the Australian government’s successful attempt to have all mentions of the country removed from a report on climate change and world heritage sites, freedom of information documents show.

In May, Unesco published a report with the UN’s environment program, Unep, and the Union of Concerned Scientists about the impact of climate change on world heritage sites, which were also major tourist attractions.

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Drone footage shows significant land clearing in Queensland – video

Tue, 2016-08-02 07:38

Exclusive: Drone footage and satellite imagery collected by WWF shows what it says is the clearing of thousands of hectares of native vegetation on one property in central Queensland, Corntop. The state is considering tightening native vegetation laws but many farmers, including the owners of Corntop, have been vocal in their opposition

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Shifty shades of grey (and yellow) wagtails | Brief letters

Tue, 2016-08-02 04:22
Women reclaiming the streets | Benefits of livestreaming arts performances | Bird identification | Donald Trump’s ‘sacrifice’

I was surprised that Lauren Elkin’s article (Reclaim the streets, Review, 30 July) about women walking and exploring city streets did not mention Rebecca Solnit. The article also prompted a memory of Michael Dibdin’s novel Vendetta, set in Italy, in which he wrote: “The men, old and young, massed in groups, using the public spaces as an extension of their living rooms, but the women Zen saw were always alone and on the move. They had right of passage only, and scurried along as though liable to be challenged at any moment, clutching their wicker shopping baskets like official permits.”
Janet Ruane
Leamington Spa

• Peter Bradshaw (A play of two halves, G2, 28 July) missed one of the major benefits of livestreaming of arts performances in cinemas for those of us not living in London. We can watch high-quality theatre, opera and concerts without the added costs of travelling to London.
Simon Dunning
Duddon, Cheshire

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Yorkshire Dales expand into Lancashire in national parks land grab

Tue, 2016-08-02 03:43

Extension seen by some as further erosion of Red rose county by white, with fears larger protected area may create pitfalls for farmers and landowners

It is more than 500 years since the House of Lancaster won the ultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses, but the Yorkies have finally wrought their revenge. On Monday, despite protests by farmers in the red rose county, a lovely little corner of Lancashire found itself subsumed by the Yorkshire Dales, after the national park increased in size by 24%.

Under reforms unveiled by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), 1% of the newly enlarged Yorkshire Dales is now actually in Lancashire’s Upper Lune valley, with a much larger chunk snaffled from Cumbria. The park now includes Leck Fell, near Kirkby Lonsdale, which hitherto stood proudly as Lancashire’s highest point, providing extensive views towards Morecambe Bay, the Forest of Bowland – and the Lake District, which itself expanded by 3% on Monday under the Defra plans.

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Luc Hoffmann obituary

Tue, 2016-08-02 02:58
One of the greats of 20th-century nature conservation who was a co-founder of the World Wildlife Fund

Luc Hoffmann, who has died aged 93, was one of the last surviving greats of 20th-century nature conservation. As co-founder of the World Wildlife Fund, along with men such as Julian Huxley, Peter Scott and Max Nicholson, he helped turn conservation from a parochial, insular pursuit into a truly international movement.

In the era following the end of the second world war, which saw an unprecedented loss of natural environments and their wildlife, Hoffmann fought to ensure that many unique and precious locations and species were saved from oblivion. These included the Camargue, between Arles in France and the Mediterranean sea, and the Coto Doñana, on the Atlantic coast of Andalucía, in Spain.

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