Latest news with #MattWatson
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Mystery over 'unusual' outbreak plaguing iconic Aussie animal
An iconic Aussie animal is at the centre of a mysterious outbreak that has left wildlife rescuers scrambling for answers. Over the past few months, dozens of black swans suffering from a photosensitivity illness have been rushed into care in Western Australia. 'This is significantly higher than usual — we typically see only a handful of cases per season. The cases tend to present during the summer months,' WA Wildlife veterinarian Dr Meg Rodgers told Yahoo News Australia this week. So far the non-profit has tended to approximately 30 birds, however additional cases have been treated for the painful and potentially deadly condition at other wildlife organisations. 'Photosensitivity syndrome refers to a condition in which the skin becomes abnormally reactive to ultraviolet (UV) light,' Dr Rodgers said. 'In affected swans, this results in painful skin damage — including blistering, redness and sloughing of unfeathered areas such as the beak and occasionally the legs and feet.' The symptoms are similar to a sunburn, Matt Watson, WA Seabird Rescue President, told Yahoo. 'It does also seem to have internal impacts too, potentially affecting the liver which slows down the swan's ability to metabolise the required nutrients from their food. If left untreated, it can also lead to secondary infections and dehydration.' The exact cause of the illness, and the reason behind this year's high infection rate, remain unknown. Dr Rodgers said the condition 'may involve the ingestion or topical exposure to photodynamic compounds', which are 'activated by sunlight in unfeathered areas'. The current outbreak could be linked to a range of environmental factors, including toxins, algae or other photoreactive compounds in the swans' habitat, she explained. Numerous sick birds have been rescued near the Swan River, but that hasn't helped experts narrow down the cause. 'There are a large number of swans along the Swan River, but these birds are highly mobile and often move between the River and surrounding wetlands, which complicates tracing the origin of exposure,' Dr Rodgers said. 'Ingestion of or contact with Moreton Bay figs has been suggested as a potential source of these compounds, though further research is required to substantiate this link.' 🦘 Rare victory in fight to protect iconic and critically endangered species 🦢 Sinister threat hiding among pelicans reveals 'horrendous' problem 🐊 Rangers make surprise find after pulling crocodile from popular fishing spot The 'unusual' increase in cases has prompted renewed interest in the seasonal syndrome from researchers. 'While there have been previous investigations, the good survival rates of affected birds and their movement between locations make it challenging to isolate a definitive cause,' Dr Rodgers told Yahoo. 'Discussions are currently underway to facilitate future investigations.' While the majority of the sick black swans have responded well to treatment and been released within six weeks, a handful have died. As the outbreak continues, locals are being urged to keep an eye out for affected birds and call WA Seabird Rescue for help. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Scottish Sun
30-04-2025
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Best first car revealed by expert mechanics as compact hatchback with its own touchscreen – and costs less than £5,000
Plus, two other cheap and cheerful contenders FRONT RUNNER Best first car revealed by expert mechanics as compact hatchback with its own touchscreen – and costs less than £5,000 THE best first car has been revealed by experts as a compact hatchback with its own touchscreen - for under £5,000. Newly qualified drivers will likely be counting the pennies when it comes to their first car - in-part due to already high insurance costs. 2 Experts have recommended the Peugeot 108 as the perfect first car Credit: Alamy 2 It can go from 0-62mph in 13.8 seconds and has a top speed of just under 100mph Credit: Alamy So the Peugeot 108 may well be the perfect option, according to YouTuber @MotorBodies. Speaking to his followers, the car aficionado said: "I mean you need something cheap and affordable. "This Peugeot 108 right here. That's the one." The Peugeot 108 is ideal for those prioritising price over power - with its 1-litre engine producing just 72bhp. It can go from 0-62mph in 13.8 seconds - with a top speed of just under 100mph. @MotorBodies also recommended the Toyota Aygo or Kia Picanto - similarly small-engined vehicles that are cheap to both buy and run. "These are all basically the same cars," the YouTuber added. "These cars here are only a 1.0 litre so they are cheap on insurance and on fuel. "And if you ever get in a ding then parts are really cheap to replace. Pick a car up like this for easily under £5k. "In my opinion, this is the best first car to get." The 10 cheap cars to buy and drive into London to beat the £21.50 a day T-Charge Last year, Matt Watson, the Chief Content Officer at Carwow, an online marketplace for new and used cars, shared his top five starter cars for under £5,000. Speaking to The Sun, he said: "Buying your first car is a rite of passage, but the difficulty in choosing your first car is that it has to do a little bit of everything. "It needs to be in the lowest insurance group to have a chance of returning an affordable quote, while also being easy to drive, practical enough for your needs and cheap to run. "Finding a car that's good value, safe, and not so desperately uncool that your friends insist on still taking the bus are also pretty important factors to consider. "The good news is that there are lots of cars that can fit the bill, with a little bit of online research. "There are great condition options for less than £5,000, making an affordable entry point to the world of car ownership." Top of his list was the Vauxhall Corsa, which he said was "as unthreatening to a new driver as a kitten is to a mountain lion". Matt pointed to a 2015 1.4-litre example with 70,920 miles on the clock for smack bang on the £5,000 budget. Also among his recommendations were the Fiat 500, Ford Fiesta, Renault Clio and Kia Picanto.
The Sun
30-04-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
Best first car revealed by expert mechanics as compact hatchback with its own touchscreen – and costs less than £5,000
THE best first car has been revealed by experts as a compact hatchback with its own touchscreen - for under £5,000. Newly qualified drivers will likely be counting the pennies when it comes to their first car - in-part due to already high insurance costs. 2 2 So the Peugeot 108 may well be the perfect option, according to YouTuber @MotorBodies. Speaking to his followers, the car aficionado said: "I mean you need something cheap and affordable. "This Peugeot 108 right here. That's the one." The Peugeot 108 is ideal for those prioritising price over power - with its 1-litre engine producing just 72bhp. It can go from 0-62mph in 13.8 seconds - with a top speed of just under 100mph. @MotorBodies also recommended the Toyota Aygo or Kia Picanto - similarly small-engined vehicles that are cheap to both buy and run. "These are all basically the same cars," the YouTuber added. "These cars here are only a 1.0 litre so they are cheap on insurance and on fuel. "And if you ever get in a ding then parts are really cheap to replace. Pick a car up like this for easily under £5k. "In my opinion, this is the best first car to get." The 10 cheap cars to buy and drive into London to beat the £21.50 a day T-Charge Last year, Matt Watson, the Chief Content Officer at Carwow, an online marketplace for new and used cars, shared his top five starter cars for under £5,000. Speaking to The Sun, he said: "Buying your first car is a rite of passage, but the difficulty in choosing your first car is that it has to do a little bit of everything. "It needs to be in the lowest insurance group to have a chance of returning an affordable quote, while also being easy to drive, practical enough for your needs and cheap to run. "Finding a car that's good value, safe, and not so desperately uncool that your friends insist on still taking the bus are also pretty important factors to consider. "The good news is that there are lots of cars that can fit the bill, with a little bit of online research. "There are great condition options for less than £5,000, making an affordable entry point to the world of car ownership." Top of his list was the Vauxhall Corsa, which he said was "as unthreatening to a new driver as a kitten is to a mountain lion". Matt pointed to a 2015 1.4-litre example with 70,920 miles on the clock for smack bang on the £5,000 budget. Also among his recommendations were the Fiat 500, Ford Fiesta, Renault Clio and Kia Picanto.
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
So Many People Want A Four-Door Jimny That Suzuki Had To Close Order Books After Just Four Days
The rugged little Suzuki Jimny, briefly sold in the U.S. as the Suzuki Samurai, was strictly offered as a two door since its introduction in 1970. Suzuki introduced a four-door in some markets like India, South Africa, and Australia in 2023, and Suzuki finally opened the order books for Japanese-market four-door Jimnys on January 30. It was an instant hit, and the company received so many orders that it had to suspend all further orders after being open for just four days. There were around 50,000 orders placed, but the sole manufacturing plant that produces four-door Jimnys can only produce 1,200 units per month so those 50,000 orders back up production for the next 3.5 years. When the Suzuki Jimny was redesigned in 2018 to look like the adorably rugged offspring of a Jeep Wrangler and a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, the internet went berserk for it. It managed to combine a cute and likeable face with enough off-road machismo to draw affection from all types of people – CarWow video presenter Matt Watson, who has driven hundreds of incredible cars, even bought one for himself. The three-door Jimny is a tiny little truck that has compromised ergonomics, but adding two more doors makes it significantly more appealing to a wider audience, much like the Wrangler's trajectory once Jeep started selling four-door Wranglers. Suzuki Japan issued an apology and explanation on its website, roughly saying, 'The Jimny Nomad has been very well received by many customers and orders have been placed significantly more than the production capacity. Therefore we will suspend orders for the time being.' The sole plant that produces the four-door Jimny Nomade is Suzuki's Gurugram plant in India, and this plant produces all the Jimny Nomades that get exported to countries including Latin America, South Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and now Japan. The Jimny Nomade comes standard with part-time four-wheel-drive with a low-speed transfer case, and it's powered by the same 1.5-liter I4 that produces 103 horsepower and 99 pound-feet of torque as the two-door. It's offered with your choice between either a five-speed manual transmission or, shockingly, a four-speed automatic, and its base price in Japan is 2,651,000 Japanese yen, which converts to about $17,200. The four-door Jimny Nomade costs about $4,500 more than the cheapest two-door Jimny Sierra in Japan. Autocar India clocked a four-door Jimny's 0-to-62 mph time at a pretty friggin' slow 14.59 seconds. Don't worry about how slow it will be on U.S. roads, though, since there are no plans to bring it to the U.S. market. The Jimny Nomade is an adorable, capable, cheap, and now practical little truck that has proven to be very desirable. If Suzuki can increase production and federalize the Jimny Nomade, it would sell like proverbial hotcakes. Until then, I will be busy drooling over Mexican market Jimnys that I occasionally spot on LA roads. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
