winter | Common News Update

Feb162022 by adminNo Comments

More than eight million trees lost this winter in the UK

Science

It is the untold story of the winter storms. More than eight million trees have been brought down and many are now threatened by another two named storms bearing down on Britain.Forest managers warn that already "catastrophic" damage will be made worse by Storms Dudley and Eunice.There are warnings that the heating climate is making our weather more severe and unpredictable, and that management and planting strategies must adapt more quickly.Forest ranger Richard Tanner says that he's never seen a real battlefield, but the west shore of Windermere now reminds him of photographs he has seen."It looks like someone's set off a bomb."All around are the giant root plates of fallen trees, some the size of caravans, studded with rocks torn from the earth."There's three tonnes of tree and then fiv...

Mar192021 by adminNo Comments

Covid: UK death rate ‘no longer Europe’s worst’ by winter

Health

Getty ImagesThe UK death rate during the second wave of the pandemic was not the worst in Europe - but it remained one of the 10 worst-affected countries.By the end of June 2020, the UK had the highest excess mortality in Europe, according to figures from the ONS. But by December it had been overtaken by Poland, Spain, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia.Nevertheless, the UK had one of the highest excess death rates among people under the age of 65 in 2020 at 7.7%. Excess mortality is the number of deaths by any cause that happen over and above the average for that time of year.Meanwhile, the government's separate daily UK coronavirus figures show the number of deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test are continuing to fall. On Friday, the UK reported a further 1...

Dec42020 by adminNo Comments

Even amid new Covid relief efforts, a bleak winter is ahead for small businesses

Finance

Juanmonino | E+ | Getty ImagesIt's going to take more than a second draw from the Paycheck Protection Program to get the most vulnerable small businesses through the winter, tax professionals say.Congress is back to hashing out new relief measures this week. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer backed a bipartisan $ 908 billion stimulus plan on Wednesday, while Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pushed his $ 500 billion package.Both plans allow cash-strapped business owners to take another draw from the Paycheck Protection Program – a forgivable loan program intended for battered businesses.Typically, applicants in the program are eligible for loan forgiveness if they use a minimum of 60% of the proceeds for payroll expenses. Those that fall short may b...

Oct192020 by adminNo Comments

Six Russians charged over hacks targeting Novichok probe, French elections and the Winter Olympics

Technology

The US has charged six Russian hackers over a series of global cyber attacks, including trying to undermine UK efforts to hold Moscow accountable for the Salisbury spy poisoning. Mug shots of the men, aged between 27 and 35, were released on a poster with the words: "Wanted by the FBI". The charging announcement came as Britain accused Russian cyber spies of attacking the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics before they were postponed, and of posing as Chinese and North Korean hackers to target the 2018 games.Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, described the actions of Russia's GRU military intelligence service as "cynical and reckless". Image: It's alleged Russian spies attacked the Olympic Games The UK named the specific group it said was...

Sep112020 by adminNo Comments

UK faces a long winter – but there is still a chance infections spike can be stemmed

Technology

For the first time in many weeks, the official measures of the UK's coronavirus outbreak are all pointing in the wrong direction.The government says the R number in the UK is between 1.0 and 1.2, meaning it is now definitely above 1 for the first time since March. Scotland's R could be as high as 1.5. A large study from Imperial College even suggested that the R was more like 1.7, although like all these figures, there is a good deal of imprecision. The overall trend, from multiple studies, is the thing to watch: from this, we get the clear message that the virus is now spreading fast, albeit still among small numbers.This conclusion is confirmed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey, which tests 10,000 households to get a representative sample of the state of the outbreak. Li...