World

dormouseRepresentative image from Canva In 1902, a small population of edible dormice was released at Tring Park, a private estate in Hertfordshire, as part of a Victorian-era fascination with exotic wildlife. More than a century later, that single introduction has grown into a national problem: by 2018, the Mammal Society estimated around 23,000 edible dormice…

Major retailers said linen shorts and suits were flying off the shelves in Britain WARSAW/LONDON: Scorching summer temperatures have done what decades of dress-down Fridays have failed to do — get men to the office in shorts.Japan’s capital led the way. This year the metropolitan govt’s long-standing no-tie, no-jacket “Cool Biz” campaign took a step…

Qatar has maintained close ties with both sides. Qatar’s prime minister is due to travel to Tehran on Thursday as Doha seeks to restart diplomatic efforts between Iran and the United States, amid rising tensions over Washington’s decision to increase economic pressure on Tehran.Qatar has maintained close ties with both sides. The Gulf state is…

An old iron fitting found among scrap metal in eastern Poland has turned out to be part of a burial that disappeared from the archaeological record long ago. The object, recovered in Hrubieszów, is a shield boss dating to around the 2nd century CE. More unexpectedly, traces of cremated human bone were still preserved within…

Four breeding seasons after a deadly bird flu outbreak forced a colony of Sandwich Terns to leave their nesting ground, the seabirds have returned in record numbers, creating one of England’s largest breeding sites. Monitoring reports published by Rare Bird Alert confirm that Sandwich Terns (Thalasseus sandvicensis) nested at RSPB Pagham Harbour in West Sussex…

Conservationists restoring habitat at a historic estate in Northumberland have rediscovered a hidden population of one of England’s rarest insects, finding the species just 10 minutes into a survey at a site where it had not been recorded for more than 70 years. Dr Dave Wainwright, a senior conservation scientist with Butterfly Conservation, found a…

forever checmicals(Representative image) Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are often called “forever chemicals” because their ultra-strong carbon–fluorine bonds make them stubbornly resistant to breakdown in the environment. They’re prized in industry for repelling water, oil and heat, but that same durability means they persist in soil, water and living tissue long after use. Now, a…

For nearly a decade, a California town fought to seize its privately owned water utility California’s highest court has rejected a key legal argument in a decade-long effort by a Southern California town to take control of its local water system. The California Supreme Court ruled 7-0, August 24, against the Town of Apple Valley,…

Dalton Highway south of the Continental Divide in the summer. Image Credit: Bureau of Land Management The Dalton Highway cuts through some of the most remote country in the United States, running 414 miles from Livengood in northern Alaska to Deadhorse near the Arctic Ocean. Built to support construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, the road…

American Airlines Boeing 777-300ER, PC: Wikipedia American Airlines has narrowed its 24-hour cancellation policy, ending a more generous refund option for passengers who book flights close to departure. Previously, tickets purchased at least 2 days before departure could generally be cancelled within 24 hours for a full refund, regardless of fare type. American’s customer service…