Environment news

• ‘Pesticide cocktails’ polluting apples across Europe, study finds

  29-01-2026 13:38
  Pan Europe found several pesticide residues in 85% of apples, with some showing traces of up to seven chemicalsEnvironmental groups have raised the alarm after finding toxic “pesticide cocktails” in apples sold across Europe.Pan Europe, a coalition of NGOs campaigning against pesticide use, had about 60 apples bought in 13 European countries – including France, Spain, Italy and Poland – analysed for chemical residues. Continue reading...
  
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• Valium, health checks and fabric slings: the complex logistics of moving 30 beluga whales

  29-01-2026 13:11
  Canada has reached a tentative deal for 30 belugas in an amusement park to be shipped to four aquariums in US‘It’s heartbreaking’: how 30 captive beluga whales have become pawns in row over animal crueltyBefore boarding the plane, the travellers will be given a dose of Valium to calm their nerves. For some, it will be the first time they’ve flown. Others have logged thousands of miles over the Pacific Ocean. Like most weary and anxious passengers, they will be offered min
  
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• US leads record global surge in gas-fired power driven by AI demands, with big costs for the climate

  29-01-2026 12:00
  Projects this year expected to triple global gas capacity, forecast finds, as concerns grow over impacts on planetThe US is leading a huge global surge in new gas-fired power generation that will cause a major leap in planet-heating emissions, with this record boom driven by the expansion of energy-hungry datacenters to service artificial intelligence, according to a new forecast.This year is set to shatter the annual record for new gas power additions around the world, with planned and under-co
  
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• Baltimore bridge collapse: crew members from ship still held by US two years on

  29-01-2026 12:00
  Despite no criminal charges being brought against them, four officers have been detained since the MV Dali struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, killing six workersSeveral crew members of a ship that collided with a bridge in Baltimore almost two years ago are still being held in the US by federal authorities despite the fact that no criminal charges have been brought against them.In the early hours of 26 March 2024, the MV Dali departed the port of Baltimore bound for Sri Lanka. While navigating
  
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• Does Antarctica really have the bluest sky in the world?

  29-01-2026 07:00
  Light scattering creates the shade we see when we look skyward, and studies show the process varies around the worldOn holiday the sky may look a deeper shade of blue than even the clearest summer day at home. Some places, including Cape Town in South Africa and Briançon in France, pride themselves on the blueness of their skies. But is there really any difference?The blue of the sky is the product of Rayleigh scattering, which affects light more at the blue end of the spectrum. The blue
  
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• Country diary: Rowdy or charming, there’s no one way to wassail | Anita Roy

  29-01-2026 06:30
  Wellington and Wiveliscombe, Somerset: This movable pagan feast can be celebrated very differently, but it’s all to thank the apple trees and fire up their sapOld apple tree, we wassail thee,
  And hope that thou wilt bear
  Hatfuls, capfuls and three bushel bagfuls
  And a little heap under the stairs!We are standing around a little crab apple tree by the side of Wiveliscombe village hall, singing our hearts out between the car park and the high street. It’s Old Twelfth Night, and in the
  
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