Major incident declared as 50-metre-long breach opens up and discharges water on to surrounding land
Ten people have been helped to safety after a sinkhole opened up in a Shropshire canal, pulling in boats and discharging large volumes of water on to surrounding land.
Emergency services declared a major incident after the 50-metre-long sinkhole breached the canal in the West Midlands, leaving boats teetering on the edge of a steep drop or stuck at the bottom of the cavity.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
12/22/2025 - 07:49
12/22/2025 - 06:26
Rich Stockdale says model of ‘regenerative capitalism’ would maximise profits by planting trees, restoring peatlands, and installing windfarms across its estates
The founder of an investment firm buying large estates across Britain to restore woods and peatland has said it is “unashamedly and proudly” capitalist, and plans to make tens of millions of pounds in profit.
Rich Stockdale, the chief executive of Oxygen Conservation, said his model of “regenerative capitalism” was a “force for good” because it would offer investors significant profits by planting trees, restoring peatlands, operating solar farms and holiday homes and installing new windfarms across its estates.
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12/22/2025 - 06:00
Thousands of farms set to go bankrupt as grain farmers in particular hit by trade disruptions caused by price hikes
Donald Trump, having promised to “NEVER LET OUR FARMERS DOWN”, appeared to come through for them this month when he unveiled a $12bn aid package. Industry leaders say thousands of farms will still go bust this year.
While the US president has vowed to increase domestic farm production, and even claimed this formed a “big part” of his plan to lower grocery prices for Americans, many US farmers are grappling with mounting financial issues – compounded by Trump’s agenda.
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12/22/2025 - 06:00
This is the latest in the relentless purge of climate researchers who refuse to be co-opted by the fossil fuel industry
The Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin would no doubt have understood and even appreciated the latest attack by the Trump administration on climate researchers and their work.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, is to be dismantled after more than 50 years at the forefront of global research on climate science and monitoring.
Professor Michael Mann is the presidential distinguished professor and director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media at the University of Pennsylvania, and co-author with Peter Hotez of Science Under Siege; Bob Ward is policy and communications director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science
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12/22/2025 - 04:38
Conservatives claim government’s plan for higher welfare standards for farmed animals could undermine British agriculture
Here is a summary from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of what’s in the animal welfare strategy.
Improved welfare for companion animals by:
-Reforming dog breeding practices to improve health and welfare, preventing animals from becoming unwell and ending puppy farming
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12/22/2025 - 01:01
Milder weather led to a bloom in the invertebrates in south Cornwall and Devon, wildlife charity says
Record numbers of sightings of one of the world’s most intelligent invertebrates over the summer have led the Wildlife Trusts to declare 2025 “the year of the octopus” in its annual review of Britain’s seas.
A mild winter followed by an exceptionally warm spring prompted unprecedented numbers of Mediterranean octopuses to take up residence along England’s south coast, from Penzance in Cornwall to south Devon.
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12/22/2025 - 01:00
Humane slaughter requirements for farmed fish and end to puppy farming also in new package of animal welfare laws
Caged hens will be a thing of the past in England, the government has announced, as it launches a package of new animal welfare laws.
Pig farrowing crates, which campaigners have said are cruel, will also be banned under the welfare changes. These cramped crates are used to stop pigs from rolling over and crushing their young, but once in them sows cannot turn over or move around at all.
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12/21/2025 - 22:13
Magpie on a mince pie anyone?
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12/21/2025 - 13:00
Unexpected arrival is a boon for birdlife in New Zealand, where there are only 500 takahē left
A pair of rare native New Zealand takahē birds who were believed infertile have stunned staff at the world’s largest urban eco-sanctuary, after hatching a “miracle” chick.
The roughly seven-week old chick was discovered inside Zealandia, a fully fenced eco-sanctuary 10 minutes from Wellington’s city centre, in November, but its arrival has been a closely guarded secret to ensure its safety.
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12/21/2025 - 08:00
The first ever mass deployment of mother reef bricks aims to rebuild habitats – and could reshape the North Sea
Allie Wharf’s career unfolded amid conflict. As a senior foreign producer for Newsnight, she reported on Iraq and Afghanistan. Just two years ago, she was filming mass graves in Ukraine.
But burnt out by wars, and after a detour farming ducks in Tanzania, Wharf has now settled on the quiet north Norfolk coast. Here, alongside her life and business partner, Willie Athill, she has embarked on a different kind of mission: the creation of Europe’s largest natural oyster reef.
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