Breaking Waves: Ocean News

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.

A New York cemetery was hiding 5.5 million bees underground

admin — Thu, 28 May 2026 08:29:31 +0000

A casual walk through an Ithaca cemetery led to the discovery of a gigantic hidden bee population — roughly 5.5 million ground-nesting bees packed beneath the soil. Scientists believe it may be one of the largest bee aggregations ever documented and say the insects are crucial pollinators for apple orchards and other crops. The bees have likely lived there for more than 100 years, thriving in the cemetery’s undisturbed sandy soil.

Britain ‘sleepwalking into a food crisis’ without urgent action, experts say

admin — Thu, 28 May 2026 05:00:56 +0000

Industry figures warn of national security risk and call for ministers to address impact of extreme weather, inflation and Iran war

Britain is “sleepwalking into a food crisis” caused by extreme weather, inflation and the impacts of the Iran war – and the government is failing to take the threat seriously, food experts have said.

What is killing Sumatra’s elephants? The battle to save one of our rarest animals

admin — Thu, 28 May 2026 05:00:55 +0000

Investigators are still searching for what caused the recent deaths of a mother and her calf, but conservationists say the animal’s shrinking habitat may be the first place to look

The two elephants were found dead in the Indonesian province of Bengkulu, in an area of “production forest” in southern Sumatra. The mother and her calf were lying side by side with their tusks still intact.

Cigarette butts for free food? How one group is asking people to rethink litter

admin — Thu, 28 May 2026 05:00:55 +0000

The WasteBar food truck hopes the eye-catching deal will change people’s attitude to waste in the Netherlands

Using cigarette butts to buy buttery Dutch pancakes? That is the deal one food truck is offering at festivals in the Netherlands as a way to get people thinking about litter.

Cigarette butts are the most common form of plastic waste in the world, with more than 4.5tn butts produced every year. In the Netherlands the estimated figure is in the hundreds of millions.