Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes in the Costa del Sol as storms are set to bring fresh misery to parts of southern Spain.
Georgia, known as @georgiasjournal on TikTok, said she "needs answers" after her recent holiday to Tenerife went drastically wrong. It was totally different to what she expected
Forecaster warns of travel chaos, increased chance of accidents and power cuts as temperatures plunge to below freezing and snow sweeps across parts of country
Large Burmese pythons are known to eat alligators in Florida’s Everglades region. But sometimes the opposite is true. The accompanying footage, captured Nov. 28, shows a large gator swimming across a pond with a giant python in its
People are being advised of a ‘danger to life’ from flying debris as well as from large waves at the coast.
Wintry conditions will return for some Brits
Spoiler: it looks pretty grim for most of the UK.
A ROAD closure is in force for a Herefordshire road just off the A49 after it was hit by flooding.
Conditions could be wild in the next few days
Yellow and amber weather warnings are in place across Spain
Turtle may have grown toxic from consuming contaminated algae
An 80-page report has examined floods which happened in quick succession last winter
STORY: Facing down what could be the most difficult winter since the start of Russia's invasion, some Ukrainians are rushing to install new generating capacity. These solar panels on a residential building in Kyiv will help keep the heat on and power flowing for about 1,000 families, said Valerii Pyndyk, who heads the building's housing association board. :: November 21, 2024Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, with at least 11 major missile and drone strikes since March.:: Kyiv, Ukraine:: November 28, 2024About half of Ukraine’s generating capacity was knocked out and distribution networks were also damaged. Estimates from the Kyiv School of Economics puts physical damage and financial losses at more than $56 billion. Analysts say coping strategies include more electricity imports from Ukraine's Western neighbors...and purchases of generators and alternative energy sources like solar panels and batteries.In Kyiv, daily blackouts of eight hours are common and people plan their days around power availability.That's led some residents and businesses to seek generating capacity outside the central system. Once the lights go out, the immediate fix for many is to turn on generators... a temporary solution, analysts said.And one that drives up costs, said this Kyiv business owner. He says using the generator means one kilowatt hour is nearly five to six times more expensive than usual.Serhiy Kovalenko is the CEO of Yasno, which supplies electricity and gas to more than 3.5 million consumers and up to 100,000 businesses.The company provides options that include solar panels and accumulating batteries and inverters.Kovalenko said demand is high and they've installed up to eight megawatts of alternative energy options this fall.That's enough to supply around a dozen enterprises, the company said. Kovalenko said they expect to install between 30 to 35 megawatts in the new year. Official data shows that about 1.5 gigawatts of new solar capacity has been installed... but given Ukraine's needs and the scale of wartime damage, such changes are only the beginning. Dozens of financial programs supported by Kyiv's Western allies have been launched to shift Ukraine's energy mix to a cleaner and more sustainable model. Legislative changes were also introduced to simplify equipment purchases and imports.Pyndyk said the cost of the solar panels on his building was about $23,000, with the government and Kyiv municipality helping offset about two thirds.Pyndyk says they plan to install more panels on other buildings next year.
Strong winds and heavy rain are set to batter Essex this week as the Met Office has issued 39-hour weather warning
Lake effect snow piled up around homes in Copenhagen, New York, on Monday, December 2.Video from X user Tom Fulmer shows snow piled up on trees, a car, and the front doorstep of a home in Copenhagen on Monday.The National Weather Service said moderate to locally heavy lake effect snow would continue through Tuesday across the western Southern Tier with significant accumulations. Credit: Tom Fulmer via Storyful
STORY: In rural Japan a gunshot rings out. A bear slumps in a cage."This brown bear got too close to a human community. It wasn't right here but over that way in the middle of the town and on the roads close by. In this kind of situation, we have no choice other than to trap them." Bears are making their way closer to homes, and putting people’s lives at risk. Keeping the townspeople safe often falls on the shoulders of a dwindling band of aging hunters, like 75-year-old Haruo Ikegami. "I'm often the first one that gets there when they're caught like this, and I always say, 'oh come on, you're already in there?' I can't bear it."Once a common sight among the trees, hunters like Ikegami are now older, and fewer in number than before. :: RUNNING OUT OF TIMEJapan’s population is both aging and shrinking.As of 2020, about 60% of gun license-holders, like Ikegami, are over 60. And in areas where bears roam, some residents wonder what will happen when these hunters can no longer do their job. In the town of Naie, Tatsuhito Yamagishi has accused the local government of taking hunters for granted."They say we should train new hunters, but there's nothing specific on how we should do this. Who's going to hold the training sessions and the workshops? In a few years' time when we (hunters) are all over 70 years old, will there even be anybody left who could teach people how to hunt bears, even if they wanted to?"Naie’s local government declined to comment on the dispute with Yamagishi, but said officials were taking steps to address the bear problem.Japan’s environment ministry says it subsidizes local governments to train officials and conduct bear drills.But the country’s reliance on recreational bear hunters could become unsustainable, according to the hunters themselves, officials, residents and experts Reuters spoke to. :: BOLDER BEARSBoth black and brown bears’ habitats have been expanding, in part because of depopulation in rural areas, experts say.Some believe this, and less managed farmland, may be making bears more daring.And the animals appear to be raising cubs closer to human settlements, causing them to fear people less than before.All this has contributed to an increase in human-bear incidents.In the twelve months through March 2024, 219 people were attacked. Six fatally. More than 9,000 black and brown bears were trapped and culled over that period, according to Japan’s environment ministry.84-year-old Katsuo Harada carries scars from over 20 years ago, when a bear sank its teeth into his skull.'It was like it was gnawing on a raw radish, scraping and crunching. I passed out at the sound and I don't know what happened beyond that."Harada is now part of a group that helps keep problematic wildlife at bay."I feel that I have to protect the people living here. Whenever I set a trap, you saw today there are four locations, I'm driven forwards by the thought that if I hadn't laid the traps, somebody could have been killed." One common way to trap bears is by using a large cage with bait, like a deer carcass, salmon or honey. The trap is designed so that the creature steps on a metal plate when it goes near the bait, triggering the door to close. The local authorities then make a call on what to do with the animal and may involve licensed hunters to kill it. The trapped bear is looked after and fed until it is culled.As an alternative solution, some companies are turning to technology.This “Monster Wolf” robot growls, barks and emits threats. Costing about $2,500, it is triggered by a sensor and powered by solar energy.It has shown some success, but Yamagishi explains that it takes years for humans to learn how to trap bears and insists their expertise will remain indispensable. :: DWINDLING FRONT LINEResponding to the increase in attacks, the Japanese government this year proposed relaxing rules around gun use to make it easier to shoot bears in urban areas.But hunters say it’s hard to find new recruits because the job is expensive, unappealing, and exhausting.Some get 8,000 yen, or about $50 from local governments for a bear cull. This might cover expenses and fuel, Ikegami says, but little else. A system is needed, they suggest, where hunters are paid enough to support a family. Because if the younger generation doesn’t take up the torch, the last line of defence will soon be gone.
'Water emergencies' have been extended in two holiday hotspots
The Met Office has issued a three-day weather warning for strong winds and heavy rain for Suffolk.
Four flood warnings remain in place across Oxfordshire following Storm Bert.
Weather experts are warning of possible disruption as a result of "strong and gusty" winds.
Strong winds and heavy rain could cause disruption in the south west this weekend.
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