BBC Regular meet-ups with children at a Portadown primary school have provided “a lifeline” for some elderly residents of nearby retirement housing. A scheme that started four years ago brings Primary Two pupils at Bocombra Primary School together with elderly residents living in apartments at Quarry Gardens. The five- and six-year-olds meet with their “friends”…
Saudi Arabia plans to plant 10 billion trees, rehabilitating 74.8 million hectares across deserts under the Saudi Green Initiative nationwide. Image: earth.com In a country where nearly 95 per cent of the land is desert, sand is not just terrain; it is culture. Bedouin life, camel routes, oases and long crossings have shaped Saudi…
The row between Europe and Washington about what you can do online just ramped up. On Christmas Eve, the White House imposed visa bans on five public figures in Europe. It’s all about what European officials describe as the regulation of online harm and what America’s authorities consider censorship. “If you spend your career fomenting…
Getty Images Great white sharks in the Mediterranean Sea are in danger of disappearing, with illegal fishing contributing to their decline. This is according to research by US scientists, working in partnership with UK charity Blue Marine Foundation. They say some of the most threatened species – including great white sharks – are being sold…
The inscriptions on the rolled-up piece of lead are hardly visible to the unaided eye. (Image credit: Archeology in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (AIM-V)) The discovery came from a place no one expected to yield anything remarkable. During routine excavation work for an extension to Rostock’s town hall, archaeologists lifted an unassuming, tightly rolled strip of lead…
Essex & Suffolk Water Monisha Gower, of Essex & Suffolk Water, said Suffolk’s long-term water security was under threat A water company boss says plans for two new reservoirs and a water recycling plant in Suffolk are essential to safeguarding the county’s supply for “generations”. Essex & Suffolk Water provides water to about 1.8 million…
Divers captured footage of octopuses off the coast of Cornwall this year. A wildlife charity has proclaimed 2025 as “the Year of the Blooming Octopus” following the sighting of record numbers off the southwest coast of England. In its annual marine review, the Wildlife Trusts says octopus numbers were this summer at their highest level…
