Another nail in the coffin of fracking, just as coal comes back on the agenda
Renewable energy might be making most of the headlines these days, but the old fuels are very much still with us as the opening of new, deep coal mine in Cumbria shows.
The Woodhouse Colliery was given the green light by local authorities in March, and central government has now decided not to intervene to block the proposal.
The mine will create 500 jobs but has faced stern criticism due to the obvious environmental concerns. Yet supporters have a good answer: what will be unearthed at the site is coking coal, which is necessary for the production of steel. Work on building the mine will start next year.
There is better news for the environment on fracking, however. A couple of weeks ago, Country Life reported how fracking in Britain was seemingly at an end, with the mothballing of the notorious Cuadrilla site in Lancashire. Not so, the company said a few days later, explaining how they planned to apply for permission to resume operations.
Now, however, it seems that their application looks doomed. The government has called a halt to fracking until it's been proved safe, following earth tremors this summer, and with all the opposition parties eager to impose a total ban, it's hard to see much of a future for this controversial technology.
World's first driverless taxis are now collecting passengers
Would you step into a taxi that had no driver? It's a chilling thought for many, but that future is officially here as the first driverless taxi service has opened for business.
Waymo, a Google-owned technology company, has been testing driverless taxis for a couple of years, but the system is now up and running in the city of Phoenix. Initially, only those who signed up for early trials will be able to hail the cabs, but it's expected that members of the public will be able to do so before long.
As ever with the tech industry, the question of whether we can has trumped the question of whether we should. But we've a feeling it'll be a long time before this technology reaches Britain: can you imagine a driverless taxi coping with a hedgerow-lined country lane, or the cobbled backstreets of one of our medieval cities?
Full story (Daily Mail / TechCrunch)
On This Day in 1918: The Death of Wilfred Owen
The greatest of the poets of the First World War, Wilfred Owen was killed on this day in 1918 while on an operation to cross the Sambre-Oise Canal. His death came exactly a week before the signing of the Armistice; his mother, one of his great influences and supporters, received the telegram with the news on the day of the ceasefire, as the village bells were chiming in celebration.
Bloodsport gangs 'terrorise farms' with illegal hare coursing
The Times reports on a rise in illegal hare coursing in Scotland, with 'organised crime gangs' behind it. 'Barns have been burnt down and lurchers are "ripping shreds" out of sheep during illegal hare coursing,' according to the report in The Times. The rise mirrors the increase in illegal hare coursing in England, with gangs who 'live outside the law' responsible for it, according to a recent report in the East Anglian Daily Times.
Hare coursing was banned in 2005, but used to be enormously popular in Britain in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The biggest event, the Waterloo Cup, eclipsed the popularity of the Grand National at the time.
And finally... baking cookies on the International Space Station
Given that biscuit became widespread mainly to its ability to stay fresh during long sea voyages, you'd think that baking their own cookies wouldn't be high on the priority list for astronauts on the ISS. Apparently not: a specially-adapted cookie oven has just been launched that will let the inhabitants of the space station do their own baking for the first time.
Naturally, there's a science experiment attached, though it's not one that sounds particularly crucial to the future fate of mankind: 'Astronauts are set to test what impact high heat and zero gravity have on the shape and consistency of the cookies,' reports the BBC.
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Game, set, match: 12 of the world’s most beautiful tennis courtsFrom Italy to Indonesia, when it comes to hotel amenities, a picturesque tennis court will always trump a 24-hour gym. So, before you book your next holiday, take a look at our pick of the 12 best.
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Five frankly enormous mansions, including one with its own private swimming lake, as seen in Country LifeSometimes bigger really is better.
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The brilliant tractor tribute to the NHS from a group of Warwickshire farmersPeople around Britain have been paying tribute to the efforts of our NHS workers at the time of the coronavirus pandemic — but few have been as creative and clever as this one.
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London's iconic red bus at risk and 6,000 year old chewing gum gives clues into our DNA historyCuts to industry subsidies and an increase in fares has left bus use at its lowest point ever, while DNA extracted from ancient 'chewing gum' allows scientists to decipher the genetic code of a Stone Age woman.
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90-million-year-old 'swimming dinosaur' skeleton found by dogs out walking in Somerset, and the nonchalant moths who don't bother fleeing enemiesA superbly intact dinosaur skeleton — described as being 'museum quality' — has been discovered on a beach in Somerset.
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Battle to ban 4x4s from the idyllic Lake District spot bequeathed by Beatrix Potter, eagle fights octopus and the 'snail's pace' climate talksThis morning we look at Little Langdale's fight for peace, reflect on the climate change talks in Madrid and discover the soundtrack for Brexit.
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Country Life Today: How Greta Thunberg shifted the dial on climate change — and the backlash shows just how muchThis morning we ponder whether Greta Thunberg is the Joan of Arc for the environmental movement, look at a key election — one from 19 years ago — and ponder the marvel of 'dad tidying'.
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Country Life Today: Great news for those who love our great country pubs — the years of decline are overThere is a great sign of health in the pub industry, we look back at Edward VIII's abdication message and fret about Greenland's melting ice.
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Country Life Today: Spain accused of being 'a deplorable choice' for UN climate conferenceA no-holds-barred assault on the Spanish fishing industry, Banksy raising awareness of the homeless and the woes of the Christmas jumper are in today's news round-up.
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Country Life Today: 'This is perhaps the ultimate wake-up call from the uncontrolled experiment humanity is unleashing on the world’s oceans'In today's round up, we examine why oxygen loss is putting oceans at risk, discover that action to cut air pollution brings almost immediate benefits to human health and find out which bird's arrival marks the start of winter in Gloucestershire.
