Latest news with #SouthernEngland
Washington Post
5 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Runaway dog clears 8-foot fence, runs 100 miles, is rescued in shipping harbor
It was around 6 a.m. when two men in a boat spotted what they thought was a seal struggling through the rough waters of a natural harbor in southern England. As their vessel drew closer, though, they realized it was a dog fighting against the current. 'I was absolutely gobsmacked,' said Gary Bennett, the captain of the 60-foot ferry, which transports oil workers to a nearby island. 'You don't see a dog swimming in the main shipping channels ever.'
BBC News
28-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Who owns Thames Water and why is it in so much trouble?
Thames Water has been fined a record £122.7m and been told it has "let down its customers and failed to protect the environment" by the water regulator company has huge debts and is struggling to fix leaks, stop sewage spills, and modernise outdated serves about a quarter of the UK's population, mostly across London and parts of southern England, and employs 8,000 people. Why was Thames Water fined so much? Ofwat ordered Thames Water to pay a fine following two investigations into its company has been hit with a £104.5m penalty for breaches of rules connected to its sewage heavy rainfall, water operators can release untreated waste into rivers and seas to prevent homes regulator Ofwat said its findings suggested three quarters of Thames Water's storm overflows were spilling "routinely and not in exceptional circumstances".Additionally, Thames was fined £18.2m because of multi-million-pound payments to its shareholders in 2023 and 2024. Ofwat called these "undeserved" given the company's money from Ofwat's fines will ultimately go to the Treasury, but no firm decision has been made about what it will be used has estimated it could be fined up to £900m over the next five years for leaks and sewage spills which would hinder efforts to attract new investment. What did the regulator say about Thames Water's dividends? The Ofwat fine marks the first time a water company has faced a penalty because of its payments to shareholders, which are called dividends. The regulator highlighted Thames Water's payment of £37.5m made in October 2023 and £131.3m in March 2024, which it said "broke the rules".The regulator said the shareholder payouts did "not properly reflect the company's delivery performance".Thames Water said the dividends "were declared following a consideration of the company's legal and regulatory obligations." How did Thames end up with so much debt? Many UK water companies have large debts, but Thames Water's problems are the Thames was privatised in 1989, it had no debt. But over the years it borrowed heavily and its total debt - which includes all of its borrowings and liabilities - now stands at £22.8bn, according to latest financial debt pile increased sharply when Macquarie, an Australian infrastructure bank, owned Thames Water, with debts reaching more than £10bn by the time the company was sold in said it invested billions of pounds in upgrading Thames's water and sewage infrastructure while it owned the company, but critics argue that it took billions of pounds out of the company in loans and dividends. What does all this mean for customers? No matter who eventually owns or runs Thames Water, customers will see no impact on their services. Taps will still run and toilets will still Thames has said it needs to increase its bills to fix problems, with the average annual bill rising by almost a third to £639 in April. Consumer groups argue people shouldn't have to pay more because the company has been badly Sir Adrian Montague, Thames Water's chairman, warned that without bigger price rises, the company cannot guarantee safe and resilient water supplies that can cope with climate change and population growth. Who owns Thames Water now? Thames Water is privately owned by a group of pension funds and investment firms. The biggest shareholders include:Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (Canada) - 32%Universities Superannuation Scheme (UK) - 20%Abu Dhabi Investment Authority - 10%China Investment Corporation - 9%Other investors include funds from Canada, Australia, and the Netherlands. Could Thames have fallen under government control? Earlier this year, Thames secured £3bn in emergency funding, which it said would give it the space needed to complete a restructuring of its debts and attract a cash injection from prospective new proposals had to be approved by the High Court after a group of creditors opposed it, arguing the 9.75% interest rate on the loan was too group then appealed against the High Court's decision, but this was the funding deal had not been approved, Thames faced the possibility of a temporary nationalisation, under a measure known as a Special Administration Regime. Will Thames now be bought by a US company? Thames Water is in discussions with US investment group KKR about a cash injection of up to £ is one of the world's largest private equity firms with $160bn of investments globally. The firm is already a shareholder in another UK water provider, Northumbrian deal being completed is also dependent on lenders to the company accepting a discount on the billions they are owed. Some junior lenders could see their entire loan being written said in March there was no certainty that a binding proposal would emerge, and any deal would need to be approved by regulators. Why was Thames Water privatised? The entire water and waste sector was privatised under Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government. At the time, Thatcher wrote off the industry's £5bn debt, leaving companies with a clean slate, and gave them £1.5bn in public the time, the UK was under pressure to meet European water quality standard standards. Thatcher wanted the billions of pounds of investment need to do this to come from the private sector and, by extension, companies' customers."If we want environmental improvement, it will cost money," said Mrs Thatcher in 1988. "It will be the people who want those improvements in water who will have to pay."However, critics say that privatisation has not worked as water firms have taken on too much debt while failing to invest in infrastructure.
Forbes
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Inspired By ‘Ocean With David Attenborough'? How To Make His Message Real
David Attenborough stands at the coast in Southern England. Few legends walk among us, but Sir David Attenborough, the world-famous natural historian and beloved voice of nature documentaries, is undeniably one of them. On May 8, he celebrated not only his 99th birthday but also the premiere of a new documentary he narrates, 'Ocean with David Attenborough', in Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall in London. In the United States, it will only be released on National Geographic on June 7 for World Oceans Day, then it will be available to stream globally the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Official artwork for the Ocean with David Attenborough documentary. However, conversations have already started in the various online forums and social media platforms. Daniela V. Fernandez, founder of Sustainable Ocean Alliance and Seabird Ventures, shared that seeing the documentary wrecked her. And not because it told her something she didn't already know, but because of the helplessness she felt watching it. Her message was clear: 'This film is a call to wake up. To rise. To disrupt. To refuse to be complicit. Because if we don't, we'll be the generation responsible for letting the ocean die on our watch.' Attenborough delivers a powerful message: "I now understand the most important place on Earth is not on land," he said. 'And we must open our eyes, what is happening right now below the waves. If we save the sea, we save our world.' A bait ball in the open ocean near Azores. The documentary shows the devastating impact of global heatwaves, coral bleaching and industrial fishing, including bottom trawling, through close-up, explicit footage produced by Silverback Films and Open Planet Studios. Luke McMillan, an ocean campaigner working for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation, shared that 'the footage was extraordinary, at times even terrifying.' However, he fears whether the documentary itself will be capable of mobilizing the masses to demand urgent action. "I fear we're lost, because if Sir David can't move the needle, what hope is left for the rest of us trying to," he wrote. Dave Powell, producer of 'Your Brain On Climate' podcast, feels hopeful. "Attenborough's stuff always works. Not for getting people out on the streets. But for hardening the values that allow all of the other campaigns, mobilisations, and the rest of it to fall on fertile ground," he wrote. Attenborough emphasizes in the documentary that the solution is to designate at least a third of the world's oceans as fully protected marine areas (MPA) with clear no-take zones. The documentary features insights from a team of experts, including Dr. Enric Sala, founder of National Geographic Pristine Seas. His team's latest peer-reviewed study, which I wrote about in February, discusses the benefits of MPAs. The study results from three years of work by scientists from National Geographic Pristine Seas and contributors from the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) network of 6,600 dive centers and resorts across more than 180 countries. Coral reef with two divers. Turning existing recreational dive sites into fully protected marine reserves could increase average marine life (biomass) by 113%. If governments designate only 1% of the ocean areas used for recreational scuba diving as highly protected MPAs, the global biodiversity score could rise by 5%. Just imagine what protecting 30% of the ocean could mean. While MPAs can significantly boost conservation, there is another side to consider. No-take zones may restrict access to the primary source of food and income for many coastal communities. So, the real challenge is safeguarding ecosystems without sidelining locals. Dr. Drew Richardson, CEO of PADI Worldwide, said in an email interview that PADI considers the 'Ocean' both a stakeholder and partner. Its health and well-being are inherent and imperative. Since PADI celebrates its 60th anniversary, Dr. Richardson recounted the achievements of PADI's Adopt the Blue program, which established 2,750+ underwater dive sites as hubs for local ocean monitoring, a critical precursor to becoming marine protected areas. To date, 32% of these sites have received official MPA Status, and an additional 7% arepending. Furthermore, PADI's Dive Against Debris program removed over 2.6 million marine debris items and freed over 37,000 aquatic animals from entanglement. However, he considers PADI's 30 million certified divers the most powerful opportunity to drive positive change for the ocean. "We believe that by helping more people experience the wonder of the underwater world, they will also be more passionate about protecting it," he said. Take Maputo Dive Center as an example. It is the first Mozambican-owned and operated PADI Dive Center in the country. Through its 'Zero to Hero' training program, the center trains locals with no diving experience to become certified dive professionals and marine conservationists. It is a significant step toward building long-term skills, offering alternatives to fishing-based livelihoods and keeping tourism revenue in the country. A diver is taking a photo of the coral reef. In Vanuatu, Big Blue Divers and PADI certified the first ever ni-Vatuan female PADI Professionals in 2024. She now works in a dive center that helps monitor dugong and nudibranch populations. With 425 marine protected areas and five natural UNESCO World Heritage Sites along its coasts and islands, Japan has become a global hub for regenerative diving, said Kristin Valette Wirth, global brand and membership officer at PADI, in an email interview. She highlighted one of PADI's ambassadors, Hiroshi 'Kuma' Sato, who leads multiple non-governmental organizations focused on seagrass bed restoration, underwater cleanups and marine habitat protection. Divers are swimming about coral reefs at the Japanese coasts. New Zealand's Poor Knights Islands is widely recognized as the country's most successful MPA, said Wirth. It protects over 9,300 miles of the Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea coastline, safeguarding the habitat of 85% of New Zealand's known marine wildlife. Dive!Tutukaka, the primary dive operator for Poor Knights, actively mentors and trains local Māori to become dive guides, boat captains and stewards of this coastline. A portion of every dive fee directly supports the ongoing conservation efforts. When I asked Dr. Richardson if he had one message to share with viewers after they watch Ocean with David Attenborough, what would it be, he said, "Take action and know that no constructive difference is insignificant, and making a difference is an individual choice. Individual actions taken by one billion can scale into a positive change."
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Mosquito-borne killer disease threatens blackbirds
A mosquito-borne disease freshly arrived in Britain has spread large distances, with scientists racing to understand the risks to wild insects can spread the deadly Usutu virus to blackbirds, raising fears for the famous data shows Usutu has spread across much of southern England in five years, and has been linked to declines in some blackbird are monitoring its spread amid warnings that mosquitoes and the diseases they carry may expand their range under climate change."We've seen that the virus has spread further than we thought it might do, and it's persisted," Dr Arran Folly of the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) told the BBC. Scientists at the APHA in Weybridge, Surrey, have been tracking mosquito-borne diseases in wild birds for decades, amid warnings that climate change is turning Europe into a potential breeding ground for the summers, hotter temperatures and heavy rainfall are creating conditions for the nuisance insects to move into areas that were previously inhospitable to 2020, all results came back clear. Then, after the summer heatwave of that year, Usutu was detected in several blackbirds in Greater London. "Blackbirds specifically are quite susceptible to the virus and since 2020 we've found a decline in blackbirds of approximately 40% in Greater London," said Dr Folly."It gives an indication that in the future we might get other viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes emerging in the UK."Diseases such as Usutu are a growing threat to wild birds, amid a host of other pressures, including habitat loss, climate change and pesticide use. What is Usutu? Usutu virus was first detected more than half a century ago around southern Africa's Usutu RiverIt has since spread around the world, reaching Europe three decades ago, and was picked up for the first time in the UK in 2020Blackbirds are particularly susceptible to the virus, which can also infect horses and, from time to time, virus is regarded as generally of low risk to people, and there have been no human cases reported in the UK to date. The latest data shows that Usutu has spread further than the scientists has now been detected in wild birds across much of southern England, at least as far west as Dorset and as far north as big a risk Usutu poses to wild birds is uncertain. The virus has been linked to mass die-offs of blackbirds elsewhere in Europe, though that doesn't seem to be the case in the blackbird remains one of the commonest garden birds with numbers holding steady in many parts of the country, especially in rural areas, and in the north. To untangle the puzzle – and gather more data on blackbird numbers – the scientists have joined forces with the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO).They are calling for volunteers to count blackbirds in their gardens over the summer months to find out more about the comings and goings of the now blackbirds are breeding and raising their young, frequently seen hopping along the ground and singing from the branches of trees on summer evenings. Lucy Love, a garden birdwatch ambassador for the BTO, knows the blackbirds in her gardens by sight and has grown fond of them."They're beautiful birds – intelligent, friendly and they have the most beautiful song with a lovely melodic tone to it," she explained. "And we cannot lose them – they're a vital part of our ecosystem."
Bloomberg
13-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Australian Family Office to Build 3,000 Homes on UK Golf Courses
One of Australia's richest family offices is drawing up plans to build more than £1 billion ($1.3 billion) worth of housing on land surrounding its UK golf courses, in one of the first major tests of the British government's push to develop the nation's green belt and turbocharge the economy. Bangarra Group has appointed investment firm Fairway Capital to review its Crown Golf portfolio of eight courses spanning about 1,500 acres of greenfield and gray belt land across London and southern England, according to a statement seen by Bloomberg News. The aim is to build 3,000 homes, about a third of which will be classed as affordable.
