Breaking Waves: Ocean News

‘They’re a private company, run for profit!’: fury in Kent at South East Water’s outages

admin — Thu, 28 May 2026 17:01:53 +0000

Water company blames increased demand amid extreme heat, but customers want answers about lack of storage reservoirs

“Spitting, fuming, angry and powerless” is how Pat Prestage describes her emotions after a water outage that has affected thousands of homes in Kent during a May heatwave.

Should I get air conditioning in the UK – and can it be green?

admin — Thu, 28 May 2026 15:58:55 +0000

As summers become hotter, air conditioner sales are booming. If you’re looking to invest, here’s what to consider

When a heatwave struck the UK this week, Jon Connorton, a software developer, began monitoring temperatures inside his east Hampshire terrace house. With some rooms reaching close to 40C, it was time to deploy the air conditioner. “We just wheel it out in emergencies,” he said. “We were having trouble sleeping.”

Water-related deaths rise to 11 amid UK heatwave

admin — Thu, 28 May 2026 15:53:56 +0000

Bodies of two teenagers recovered by emergency workers following separate incidents in Kent and Oxford

The number of water-related deaths during the UK’s recent heatwave has risen to 11 after the bodies of two teenage boys were recovered in Kent and Oxford.

Emergency workers recovered the body of a 14-year-old boy from the River Thames near Donnington Bridge, Oxford, at about 5.30pm on Wednesday. Thames Valley police said the boy’s family had been informed and that his death was being treated as “unexplained but not suspicious”.

Mosquitoes can become attracted to insect repellant, study suggests

admin — Thu, 28 May 2026 15:22:55 +0000

The insect may learn to associate the chemical Deet with a ‘blood meal’, researchers say

It is a spray used worldwide to protect humans from mosquito bites, but now research suggests Deet can become attractive to the insects if they associate it with feeding.

Diphtheria is a disease of poverty that has no place in modern Australia. When we talk about Closing the Gap, this is the gap | Donna Ah Chee

admin — Thu, 28 May 2026 15:00:26 +0000

For those of us working in Aboriginal health, the outbreak doesn’t come as a surprise. We must invest in housing that keeps remote communities safe

The diphtheria outbreak should shock Australia. Not simply because a disease once considered virtually eradicated has returned, but because of where it is spreading and why.

‘Flavour is under siege in this country’: how food in America lost its taste

admin — Thu, 28 May 2026 14:00:23 +0000

In the last century, industrialized farming has killed off delicious food – but a brigade of chefs, breeders and farmers are fighting to bring it back

Bill Tracy is clearly not one to brag, but after a while, it seems he just can’t help himself. “I did come up with something absolutely amazing actually,” he says softly. “Really quite amazing.”

Tracy has spent the last 40 years in the fields of Wisconsin as one of the US’s leading sweetcorn breeders, tasting up to 300 ears a day in search of the perfect corn that might one day sizzle on barbecues across the country.

‘Hidden datacentre tax’ costing Irish households millions, report says

admin — Thu, 28 May 2026 13:01:49 +0000

Datacentres used 22% of country’s electricity last year, pushing up household bills, study suggests

Energy demand by datacentres in Ireland has added hundreds of euros to household electricity bills in a pattern that could be replicated across Europe, according to a report.

Blair’s fossil fuel ideas ‘bizarre’ in face of energy and climate crises, experts say

admin — Thu, 28 May 2026 12:41:02 +0000

Energy specialists say abandoning net zero and increasing oil and gas drilling would cause more instability for Britons

UK politics live – latest updates

Abandoning net zero and drilling for more oil and gas in the North Sea would be a massive setback for the UK and would not help the economy, leading experts have said in response to claims by the former prime minister Tony Blair.

Ministers in talks over shelving carbon tax on fertiliser to curb UK food inflation

admin — Thu, 28 May 2026 12:39:47 +0000

Exclusive: Package of measures discussed with farmers, including pause on duty due to come into effect next year

Ministers are in discussions about suspending a carbon tax on fertilisers, due to come into effect early next year, in an effort to curb food inflation.

The move would be part of a package of measures, including the suspension of import tariffs on a range of foods including bread, biscuits and bananas.

The race for oil: will Jamaica be the next country to drill and what does that mean for its green pledges?

admin — Thu, 28 May 2026 12:00:20 +0000

With early tests suggesting the presence of crude oil, the Caribbean island has begun to debate whether it could justify becoming a producer

Jamaica is closer than ever to drilling for oil. Tests on samples from the seabed off the Caribbean island’s south coast earlier this year identified hydrocarbons, which suggest the presence of crude oil below ground.