Breaking Waves: Ocean News

In today’s newsletter: Nearly a year after ​disposable vapes​ were outlawed, new figures suggest the policy has delivered only modest gains while creating new challenges Good morning. They seemed to come from nowhere: millions of multicoloured plastic contraptions, each producing a plume of sweet-smelling steam. Love them or loathe them, vapes are now an inescapable part of life in the UK – 5.4 million adults are now vaping daily or occasionally in Great Britain, according to ONS figures. To advocates, vapes and e-cigarettes contribute a massive public health benefit by helping people to avoid the toxins and tar that come with tobacco smoking, a major cause of cancer and other health conditions. But detractors caution that they can be equally as addictive, with long-term health outcomes still being studied. Vapes have also been an environmental mess – with millions of single-use devices made from plastic and cheap lithium-ion batteries thrown into landfill. Middle East | Iran has warned the US that it is prepared to confront any ground assault, accusing Washington of secretly planning a land attack while publicly seeking talks. Politics | Keir Starmer will launch Labour’s local elections campaign by saying that a vote for Reform UK will put at risk progress his government is making on the cost of living, arguing that Britain’s values are being tested in a volatile world. UK news | A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a car struck several pedestrians on one of Derby’s busiest streets. Religion | Pope Leo has said God ignores the prayers of leaders who wage war and have “hands full of blood”, in an apparent rebuke to the Trump administration. UK news | The NHS is set to miss key targets to shorten waiting times for help at A&E, cancer care and planned hospital treatment, leaving millions of patients facing persistently long delays. Continue reading...

Two kona low storms dumped up to 50in of rain on Oahu, flooding fields and submerging equipment Eddie Oroyan’s farm was thriving when the storms hit. He and his wife had started LewaTerra Farm last year on a gorgeous stretch of land on the north shore of Oahu. They were delivering vegetables to customers in the community, selling at farmer’s markets and to local restaurants. Then, on the week of 10 March, a first kona low storm hit the island, bringing copious amounts of water, flooding their land and wiping out crops. Nearly all their papayas were gone. And the tomatoes didn’t survive. But the couple quickly began cleaning, replanting and tying down crops, confident that they would get back on their feet shortly. Continue reading...

Peaches, strawberries and grapes were almost always found to be contaminated with ‘forever chemicals’ in the analysis Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox A first-of-its-kind analysis has identified Pfas pesticide residues on 37% of conventional California produce, with peaches, strawberries and grapes almost always found to be contaminated with the toxic “forever chemicals”. The analysis coincided with the introduction of California legislation that would by 2035 fully ban Pfas from being used as active ingredients in pesticides, and require warning labels and other restrictions in the meantime. Continue reading...

Exclusive: critics warn Reform UK use of trade policy would increase food costs amid cost-of-living crisis Nigel Farage’s farming adviser has called for a doubling of wheat prices by using trade policy, which critics have said would hike food costs during a cost-of-living crisis. Arable farmer and campaigner Clive Bailye has been appointed as a farming and land use adviser for Reform UK. Bailye owns the website The Farming Forum, a social network for farmers, and helped organise the large-scale protests against the Labour government’s introduction of inheritance tax for farmed land. Continue reading...