UK

 ‘Nearly half of teenagers concerned about having children in future’

Some pupils’ desire to become parents has been influenced by climate change, researchers have suggested.

(DAVID JONES/PA)

PA WIRE

ELEANOR BUSBY16 HOURS AGO

Nearly half of teenagers are concerned about having children in the future and many do not feel they are being taught enough about reproductive health, researchers have found.

The relationships and sex education curriculum should be updated to tackle parenthood fears among pupils, according to University College London (UCL) researchers.

Two studies, published in the journal Human Fertility and the Health Education Journal, looked at the results of a survey of 931 school pupils aged between 16 and 18 in England.

The poll found that nearly two in three (64%) students wanted to have children in the future, but 45% of respondents said they had concerns about future parenthood.

The environment is deteriorating ... it would be cruel to put a child through any of our problems, especially since they are not getting better

FEMALE STUDENT

 

Students cited fears, self-doubt, financial burdens, health and wellbeing, hindrance to personal aspirations, and non-inclusive LGBTQ+ education as some of the reasons for their concerns.

The online survey of Year 12 and 13 students in 20 schools in England, carried out between May 2021 and July 2022, found that some students’ desire to have children was influenced by climate change – with some being unsure and others wanting to explore alternative routes to parenthood.

Students who did not want children in the future cited the “turbulent state of the world”, concerns about parenthood, and negative associations with pregnancy and childbirth, researchers found.

One female student said: “The state of the world is in a shambles. Governments are corrupt. The environment is deteriorating … it would be cruel to put a child through any of our problems, especially since they are not getting better.”

Shortcomings in fertility education in schools also meant that students were left feeling both ill-informed and negative towards their own fertility and ability to have children

PROFESSOR JOYCE HARPER, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

 

Senior author Professor Joyce Harper, from the UCL EGA Institute for Women’s Health, said: “Sadly, a number of female students expressed a lack of interest in future parenthood due to their fears about pregnancy and childbirth.

“Shortcomings in fertility education in schools also meant that students were left feeling both ill-informed and negative towards their own fertility and ability to have children.”

Since September 2020, relationships and sex education has been compulsory in secondary schools in England, while relationships education has been compulsory in primary schools.

Statutory guidance from the Government on relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) says that facts about reproductive health, including fertility, and the menopause should be taught to pupils by the end of secondary school in England.

But the second study, published in Health Education Journal, suggested there are still gaps in young people’s education – and that a number of teenagers are not being taught about key reproductive issues such as endometriosis, infertility and the impact of lifestyle on fertility.

If miscarriage and infertility were better taught, then that could reduce the guilt and embarrassment people who struggle with it would feel

FEMALE STUDENT

Nearly two in three (65%) students rated the sex education they had received as adequate or below, and nearly half (49%) said they did not know when a woman was most fertile.

When asked how their sex and fertility education could be improved, they suggested making the curriculum more inclusive, as well as the need for honest, transparent and “non-judgmental teaching and sex positivity”.

One female student said: “All we’ve done in school is go over and over having safe sex and talked about periods which, whilst it is important, is barely scratching the surface of things people need to know about.

“If miscarriage and infertility were better taught, then that could reduce the guilt and embarrassment people who struggle with it would feel.”

Prof Harper added: “It is not surprising that we take so long to diagnose conditions such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) when pupils are not taught about these conditions. It seems we are afraid to talk about a ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’ menstrual cycle.

“With regards to fertility education, most teenagers told us they want children in the future but at school we concentrate on teaching them how not to get pregnant, not how to have a healthy pregnancy.”

There is currently a review under way into the RSHE curriculum and we hope this will result in more and better-resourced training to deliver RSHE

MARGARET MULHOLLAND, ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL AND COLLEGE LEADERS

Margaret Mulholland, inclusion specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “We welcome the insights provided by this UCL study into the experience and concerns of teenagers learning about reproductive health. This subject is taught as part of the wider relationships, sex and health education curriculum.

“Schools take their responsibility to deliver all aspects of RSHE very seriously, and work extremely hard to provide high-quality provision. However, this can be challenging because the Government introduced RSHE with very little support in the way of training or funding for schools to deliver this sensitive and complex subject.

“There is currently a review under way into the RSHE curriculum and we hope this will result in more and better-resourced training to deliver RSHE.”

In March last year, the Government announced a review of its statutory RSHE guidance for schools following concerns that children were being exposed to “inappropriate” content.

The Department for Education (DfE) has not yet published its updated RSHE guidance for consultation.

A DfE spokesperson said: “By the time students enter post-16 settings, they will already have had a number of years of compulsory lessons on relationships, health and sex education (RSHE) and science, which covers topics including menstruation, contraception, fertility and the menopause.

“We are also currently considering a recommendation from the Women and Equalities Select Committee to make RSHE compulsory for young people in post-16 settings.”

ICYMI

UK Deliveroo and UberEats drivers to strike on Valentine’s Day


Eating out may be a better option than ordering in this Valentine’s Day as thousands of delivery drivers will demonstrate for better pay

Lydia Patrick
1 day ago

In November the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain, representing gig economy workers, lost their battle in the Supreme Court to be able to unionise and bargain on behalf of riders
(PA)

Valentine’s Day food deliveries are set to be hit by a widespread courier strike as thousands of drivers from popular apps including Deliveroo and Uber Eats plan a walkout.

Delivery Job UK, a grassroots organisation with thousands of members in London, has arranged a strike on 14 February to demand better pay and working conditions. It hopes to highlight the insecurity and subpar pay in the food delivery industry.


Those employed in the delivery driver industry are classified as self-employed, meaning their employees can pay them less than the statutory minimum wage – which currently stands at £10.42 an hour.

Delivery Job UK shared on Twitter/X: “This Valentine’s Day strike highlights the growing tensions between gig economy workers and the platforms they work for. As consumers, it’s crucial to consider the conditions under which our conveniences are delivered.

“Let’s stand in solidarity with those fighting for fair wages and better working conditions. It’s more than just a meal at stake – it’s about the dignity and rights of every worker.”

In November the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain, representing gig economy workers, lost their battle in the Supreme Court to be able to unionise and bargain on behalf of riders, as they were deemed not to be “workers”.

Delivery drivers in the UK have complained of a lack of clarity and varying payments for jobs which usually offer a flat rate minimum with an additional payment fee.

Rodeo, a data collation app which allows riders to compare their payments, has found earnings were slashed in 2022 and 2023 despite high inflation. Deliveroo does not allow workers to upload their details.

Speaking to The Guardian, Dr Callum Cant from the Internet Institute at the University of Oxford expressed his concerns regarding decreasing wages and a lack of consideration for workers, who he described as “invisible”.

A spokesperson for Deliveroo told the newspaper: “Deliveroo aims to provide riders with the flexible work riders tell us they value, attractive earning opportunities and protections.

“Thousands of people apply to work with Deliveroo each month, rider retention rates are high and the overwhelming majority of riders tell us that they are satisfied working with us.”

An Uber Eats spokesperson said: “We offer a flexible way for couriers to earn by using the app when and where they choose. We know that the vast majority of couriers are satisfied with their experience on the app.”

The 800 ‘magnetic marbles’ found deep in the ocean that could hold clues of ‘alien’ life

Josh Layton

Published Feb 12, 2024, 

Dr Avi Loeb has taken to the sea in his hunt for tangible evidence that humankind is not alone in the universe (Picture: Dr Avi Loeb)

More than 800 tiny spheres retrieved from the depths of the Pacific may hold clues of extra-terrestrial life, according to a Harvard professor.

Dr Avi Loeb, a theoretical physicist, spoke about a breakthrough in an ongoing project which is monitoring the skies and gathering new objects.

Dr Loeb told Metro.co.uk that his pioneering team has made some potentially world-changing discoveries, with the fragments found deep in the Pacific Ocean showing a composition never before recorded on Earth.

While they are still being analysed, the ‘spherules’ are believed to be from an interstellar meteor and could be ‘natural or artificial’, he said.

The best-selling author spoke ahead of his appearance at the world’s largest UFO and UAP conference, Contact in the Desert, which is due to take place in California this spring.

He is head of the Harvard-hosted Galileo Project which is searching for extraterrestrial technology in the form of objects, including through watching the skies 24-7 with telescopes.

The expedition to a remote part of the Pacific in June 2023 opened up an intriguing mystery as the spheres — retrieved from the ocean floor beneath where the meteor exploded around 20km above sea level — apparently show an unprecedented composition.

The spherules are believed to hold tantalising clues about the universe outside the solar system (Picture: Dr Avi Loeb)

‘The most exciting thing in my field of research at this moment in time is the spherules from the IM1 meteor which we retrieved from the Pacific Ocean,’ Dr Loeb said. ‘The meteor was travelling too fast to be bound to the sun, so we know it came from outside the solar system.

‘On our expedition to the meteor site we retrieved 850 spherules, which are molten droplets the size of a grain of sand, out of which about 10% are of extra-solar origin never reported in scientific literature, while the rest are made of solar system materials.

‘The next step is to find bigger pieces, because that will tell us much more about the original meteor, and the next expedition in the coming year will be bigger and more expensive.

‘Finding bigger pieces will allow us to tell the difference between what is natural and artificial.’

The meteor is thought to have travelled from outside the solar system at a speed of 60km per second before the airburst off the coast of Papua New Guinea in January 2014.

Dr Avi Loeb has headed the Galileo Project’s search for extra-terrestrial technology

 (Picture: Dr Avi Loeb)

Dr Loeb hopes the tiny clues, retrieved via a magnetic trawl of the sea bed, will eventually form part of a bigger cosmic picture, possibly revealing extra-terrestrial technology.

Extremely high abundances of beryllium, lanthanum and uranium were found in the spheres, leading the Galileo team to label them as having a ‘BeLaU’ composition.

The fragments, believed to be from the surface of the meteor, also have iron isotype ratios unlike those found on Earth, the Moon or Mars, according to the scientist.

‘Imagine melting a semi-conductor or a computer screen, the droplets might not tell you much about what the original object was and you won’t even be able to confirm that it was technology,’ he said.

The tiny spherules are believed to have come from the surface of a meteor (Picture: Dr Avi Loeb)

‘But if you get a piece of it, you can tell if it is artificial, or just a rock from another star, in which case we will still have something new from the yard of a neighbour.

‘I always ask my students if we find a gadget with a button on it, should we press the button?

‘That is an interesting question.’

Presenting his findings in a video to promote the multi-disciplinary Galileo research, Dr Loeb described the spherules as ‘magnetic marbles’.

The finds were retrieved through a ‘risky’ expedition which involved trawling the sea floor with a type of sled.

The composition of the spherules has hitherto not been documented according to Dr Loeb (Picture: Dr Avi Loeb)

‘It took a heroic effort to retrieve the spherules because the ocean’s depth is about six kilometres and we surveyed a region that is about 11km in size with a magnetic sled, hoping to recover millimetre-sized particles about the size of a grain of sand,’ Dr Loeb said.

‘It was a challenging, risky scientific project, but all the stars aligned.

‘I was able to get one and a half million dollars from a donor to support it and then the sled built by our engineers worked and we were able to keep it on the ocean floor and collect the material.

‘My colleague at Harvard, Stein Jacobsen, a world-renowned geo-chemist, agreed to dedicate his research team to studying the spherules we brought back and the same is true about the Bruker Corporation in Berlin who also helped us.

‘We published two papers last week and we are now finishing a very comprehensive account of the findings in a new paper we hope to submit very soon for publication.

‘The bottom line is that we have found a composition from the periodic table of elements that is not found in the solar system and which has not been reported before, not on the Earth, not on the Moon, not on Mars, not on asteroids.’

More than 800 'magnetic marbles' found on ocean floor might hold clues of 'alien' life

Duration 9:23

Dr Loeb, author of Interstellar: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Our Future in the Stars, rebuffed a claim that the spherules are in fact coal ash and emphasised his team’s analysis of the objects.

‘The concentration of the elements is quite different,’ he said. ‘For example, Uranium is up to 1,000x larger than the standard composition of the material that made the solar system.

‘There are also other elements which are more abundant than in primordial solar material.

A magnetic sled was used to trawl the sea bed in the site of a meteor airbust 

(Picture: Dr Avi Loeb)

‘As well as the composition of the objects, we believe another independent argument that the meteor came from outside the solar system is its speed, which was faster than 95% of the stars in the vicinity of the sun when it entered the solar system.

‘A few months ago, there was a claim that we found coal ash, so we compared 55 elements from the periodic table to the composition of coal ash. We found the composition of the spherules is very different and beyond any reasonable doubt is not coal ash.

‘The scientists who made this claim did not have access to our material, they just didn’t like to see a flower rising up above the grass, it just bothers them to see our discovery.’

The Galileo Project’s ocean-going research work runs in tandem with an observatory at Harvard, which is watching the skies around the clock and using machine learning to analyse the findings.

Reflecting on his search for the tangible signs that humankind is not alone in the universe, Dr Loeb described the Galileo mission in romantic terms.

The Galileo team took on the challenge of finding millimetre fragments in the depths

 (Picture: Dr Avi Loeb)

‘Before the expedition I was told by people that we wouldn’t find anything but it’s important to be optimistic, because sometimes life is a self-fulfilling prophecy,’ he said.

‘We know from our daily lives that we get a meaningful existence when we find a partner.

‘Here we are looking for a partner in interstellar space.

Dr Avi Loeb believes humans could benefit from a cosmic awakening

 (Picture: courtesy Dr Avi Loeb)

‘From a scientific perspective, we can find technologies that represent our future.

‘If the other civilization is far more advanced we could learn from them.

‘It would probably change our priorities at a time when we are engaged in wars, spending trillions of dollars collectively, on the rock we are born on.

‘Maybe finding a letter in our mailbox from another civilization would give us a different perspective, because there is much more real estate in outer space.’

Dr Loeb spoke ahead of his appearance at the 10th Contact in the Desert gathering, an annual event which is due to take place between May 30 and June 3 in Indian Wells.

A long list of attendees also includes Nick Pope, who ran the UK government’s now-defunct UFO desk, film-maker Ron James and investigative journalists George Knapp and Linda Moulton Howe.

Taking place under the heading of ‘Conscious Contact’, thousands of people from around the world are expected to attend the event, which is billed as the world’s ‘largest and most prestigious’ conference in the field of UFOs and UAPs, which stands for unidentified anomalous phenomena.

St Kitts and Nevis to discuss slavery reparations with British pub over slavery links

The pub founder owned 231 people in St Kitts during slavery and had a plantation in Montserrat

Protestor holds up a sign as the California Reparations Task Force meets to hear public input on reparations on Sept. 22, 2022 

(Photo: Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times -Getty)

ST KITTS and Nevis is set to discuss slavery reparations with a British pub giant over its historical links to the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

Officials in the Caribbean twin-island nation have arranged meetings with Greene King – which is Britain’s leading pub company and brewer, The Sunday Telegraph has reported.

According to the newspaper, Benjamin Greene – who started the company in 1799 – owned 231 people in St Kitts during slavery.

Greene also owned a plantation in Montserrat and was compensated around £500,000 in today’s money when slavery was abolished in 1833.

Carla Astaphan, the head of the St Kitts and Nevis reparations committee, told The Sunday Telegraph: “They have acknowledged that the genesis of the company shows a direct link to the enslavement of
Africans and that owners received compensation after abolition.”

Astaphan also said that reparations should be made.

Pledge

During the height of Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, the pub chain pledged to donate money to Black communities to address the historical links of its founder’s role in slavery.

The company also vowed to become a ‘truly anti-racist organisation’ and promote racial inclusion.

Responding to the newspaper article, Nick Mackenzie, chief executive officer at Greene King, said: “It is inexcusable that one of our founders profited from slavery and argued against its abolition in the 1800s.

“In 2020, we took decisive action, publishing an action plan for how we can play our part in Calling Time on Racism.

“Since then we have been working hard to become a truly anti-racist organisation and have invested, and continue to invest, in supporting race diversity in our business, the pubs sector and our wider communities.”

Mackenzie added: “But we know we still have more to do on this agenda. Our focus will continue to be on listening to our teams’ priorities and acting to ensure racism and discrimination have no place within our company or broader society.”

Greene King was founded in 1799 and is headquartered in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

The company currently employ around 39,000 people across five divisions: Local Pubs; Destination Food Brands; Premium, Urban and Venture Brands; Pub Partners; and Brewing & Brands.

Reparations movement

There has been a growing reparations movement across the Caribbean region in recent years.

In March 2022, the Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley delivered a powerful speech in Ghana during its 65th independence celebrations calling for reparations.

A royal visit to Antigua and Barbuda by Prince Edward and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, in 2022 was overshadowed by a letter on reparations.

In 2019, Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne demanded reparations from Harvard University for its historical ties to slavery in a letter to University President Lawrence S. Bacow.

Leading Jamaican politician Lisa Hanna has also urged Britain to pay reparations for its role in slavery.

In March last year, leading reparations campaigners in Grenada told its government to hold European countries “accountable” for their role in slavery.

UK

Reading: Anti-war and environmental groups protest outside Barclays bank

24 hours ago
BBC

Activists claimed a partial win on Friday after Barclays announced it would stop directly financing energy clients' new oil and gas projects

Two protest groups staged simultaneous demonstrations outside a Barclays bank on Saturday.

At the branch in Reading activists from Extinction Rebellion campaigned against the banks investment in fossil fuels.

Meanwhile opponents of the war in Gaza highlighted alleged links between Barclays and the arms trade.

Barclays previously said it will no longer fund new oil or gas projects. The BBC has contacted the bank for a response.

Activists from Extinction Rebellion campaigned against the banks investment in fossil fuels

On Friday Barclays announced it stop directly financing energy clients' new oil and gas projects.

Laura Barlow, Group Head of Sustainability, said: "Addressing climate change is a critical and complex challenge.

"We continue to work with our energy clients as they decarbonise and support their efforts to transition in a manner that is just, orderly and addresses energy security.

"Today we strengthen our commitment to the energy transition, with policies that will focus our capital and resources to the energy companies that play a key role in the transition."

In response to this, Adam who was in Reading campaigning with Extinction Rebellion, said: "We've moved the needle as it were, and we can now continue to put pressure, to get them to tighten up the statements, and improve their strategy.

"But yeah, it feels like a win for activism."

Razwan was protesting outside Barclays as he claims they are investing in weapons companies that are assisting the war in Gaza

Unconnected protestors in Reading, and at other branches, were highlighting the bank's links with defence companies.

Razwan is one of the activists, he said: "Ask the banks themselves, because of their ethical reporting, they have to report on this, and it's there very clearly, that they're investing in weapons companies.


"Those weapons are killing civilians."

Barclays says it has clear policies on investments in defence, what it will and will not support.

H5N1 THAT OTHER PANDEMIC
Bird flu pushes ‘globally important’ Scottish seabirds into decline

Jamie Mann
February 13, 2024

The recent bird flu outbreaks have pushed iconic Scottish seabird species into decline for the first time, according to a new study into the “catastrophic” impacts of the disease.

The RSPB-led report, released today, has for the first time quantified the severe impact of avian influenza that has hit Scotland’s seabirds in recent years.

Gannet, great skua and sandwich tern are now considered declining species following deaths during the outbreak.


The bird protection charity is calling for immediate action from the Scottish Government to stem further declines

.

The report comes just days after The Ferret outlined the state of Scotland’s seabird populations as part of our Scotland’s Seas in Danger series.

We analysed the most recent data and information from Scottish Government agencies, conservation bodies and others, which revealed that dozens of sea and coastal bird species are in decline, or threatened, due to issues like falling fish populations, climate change, and other pressures.

But these studies predate the new RSPB report, which shows that, due to the impact of bird flu, gannet, great skua and sandwich tern are now declining species. These birds were among the few species to have stable or increasing numbers prior to the outbreaks, which spanned from summer 2021 to the winter of 2022/23.

Since then, the number of great skuas has dropped by 76 per cent while gannets and sandwich terns have each declined by 22 per cent. Scotland is home to 60 per cent of the global great skua population, and 46 per cent of the gannet population. RSPB says the shrinking numbers will have “international implications”.Northern Gannet and its chick. Image credit: Becky Matsubara. Licence: CC BY 2.0 DEED Attribution 2.0 Generic.

Sandwich terns in flight. Image credit: Charles J. Sharp . Licence: CC BY 2.0 DEED Attribution 2.0 Generic

Arctic Skua. Image credit: Donald Macauley. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic

Kittiwakes, guillemots and black-headed gulls were also struck by bird flu. Arctic skua, lesser black-backed gull, herring gull, common tern and arctic tern were already in decline, but are expected to have been impacted further by the disease.
Seabird declines ‘catastrophic’

The Scottish Government is due to consult on a new Scottish Seabird Conservation Strategy this year, and publish it in 2025.

But RSPB says the new plan cannot wait. It is urging action to tackle threats facing seabirds, including the unintended capture of birds in fishing gear, and invasive, non-native species, which, it said, must be removed from island bird colonies.

Invasive species include the American mink, which preys on young seabirds at colonies on the west coast and the Western Isles.

The charity also wants measures to protect habitats and the species seabirds rely on as a food source, and for offshore wind farms to be greenlit only in the “least damaging” places for seabirds and other marine wildlife.

RSPB Scotland’s head of habitats and species, Paul Walton, said that while declines in Scotland’s seabirds pre-bird flu were “nothing short of catastrophic”, the picture following the outbreak is “even bleaker”.

“The sight of so many dead seabirds on our cliffs and beaches over the last few years has been heartbreaking and left many fearful for their future,” he said. “Those fears are well-founded.


“This is the latest in a long list of human-caused threats that are harming our seabirds. We have failed to adequately protect our marine environment and wildlife for decades. But we know and understand actions that would begin to turn things around, helping to recover and build resilience in our seabirds.”

Walton added: “We need the Scottish Government to implement these actions and policies now, so we have a future where our seabirds are part of a thriving marine environment, our national culture and wellbeing.”

The Scottish Government said it was “committed to taking action to improve the conservation prospects of seabirds and build resilience in our populations.”

It last year launched the Scottish Avian Influenza in Wild Bird Response Plan, which sets out how it will respond to future outbreaks.

Scotland’s new biodiversity strategy “includes a wide range of actions in relation to our nationally and internationally important seabird population, including delivery of a Scottish Seabird Conservation Strategy,” said a spokesperson.

“We have also taken forward the proposed ban on fishing for sandeel in all Scottish waters, which has the potential to improve the resilience of seabirds to changes in the marine environment as well as delivering wider ecosystem benefits.”

Scotland’s Seas in Danger is a year-long investigative series by The Ferret that delves into Scotland’s marine environment. Our investigations were carried out with the support of Journalismfund Europe.

This project is was conducted in partnership with the Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI), which will publish its work later this year.
If you like what we do and want to help us do more independent journalism, you can support us by becoming a member. You can also donate or subscribe to our free newsletter.

Header image thanks to Odd Wellies. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Avian flu devastating Wales' seabirds, says RSPB

Brendon Williams

BBC News

RSPB: The number of Sandwich terns on Anglesey roughly halved in a year

Bird flu is having a devastating impact on the seabird population around Wales, the RSPB has warned.

In some species the charity said bird flu had "completely reversed" previously positive trends.

The number of gannet nests at Grasshom in Pembrokeshire - the main colony in Wales and once the fourth largest in the world - dropped from 34,491 in 2022, to 16,482 last year.

The Welsh government said it was committed to delivering a seabird conservation strategy this year, aiming to protect species from avian flu and other emergencies.

For the first time, a new report tries to quantify the impact of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) on UK seabirds.

The report said gannets, common terns and Sandwich terns were among 11 species that were increasing in numbers in Wales before the first major outbreak of HPAI in 2021.

Julian Hughes, head of species for RSPB Cymru, said: "The latest figures say Grassholm is now back to where it was in 1969.

"In one year, HPAI has undone what took more than 50 years of growth."

Nearly all of the Sandwich terns in Wales nest at Cemlyn on Anglesey and figures from North Wales Wildlife Trust showed there were between 2,200 and 2,400 nests there in 2022.

Last year, there were 1,100.

Overall, the number of common terns and Sandwich terns in Wales has dropped by more than 40%, according to the RSPB.

Black-headed gulls, - which were red-listed before bird flu - have seen a decrease in population in Wales of 77% since the last detailed census in 2015-21.

Other species, including kittiwakes and herring gulls, were already declining because of other threats faced by sea birds, such as climate change, and continue to do so, the charity said.

Mr Hughes said: "In 2022-23 some of our biggest colonies were devastated by avian flu and we saw many dead adults and chicks.

"Sea birds live for a long time but produce only one or two chicks per year, so bird flu will have an impact on their population for several, or many, years to come."

There are currently no reported cases of HPAI in wild birds in Wales, but migrating sea birds are due to return later this year.

The Welsh government said its sea bird conservation strategy, being done in conjunction with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Natural Resources Wales, British Trust for Ornithology and RSPB was "making good progress".

It added: "It will identify opportunities to enhance our seabird populations’ resilience to pressures such as avian flu, as well as the climate and nature emergencies."

WALES

Wrexham arrest after farmers blocks city in protest

By Dafydd Evans

BBC News

Tractors and vehicles were used for the protest

A man has been arrested following criminal damage after a fleet of about 30 tractors blocked a main road in Wrexham.

Farm vehicles along with 20 pick-ups drove to the constituency office of Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths.

The protest was against the Welsh government's proposed new farm subsidy scheme.

Police received a report about the blockade on Rhosddu Road at 14.10 GMT.

Called the Sustainable Farming Scheme and set to come in from 2025 after a consultation, farms must ensure 10% of land is planted with trees and 10% is treated as wildlife habitat in order to be eligible for payments.

Farmers to meet minister as protests loom

More time for tree quota after farm scheme tweaked

Unions have argued the changes will be unworkable for many, while the scheme's checklist of requirements will mean more paperwork.

The Wrexham protest was the latest action after 3,000 farmers gathered in Carmarthen last week warning of "huge unrest" because of the proposed scheme.

Farmers, industry members and supporters packed themselves in at a protest held at Carmarthen Showground

The vehicles had travelled to the constituency office of Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths from the Denbigh, Ruthin, Corwen, Llangollen and Wrexham areas.

They accused the Welsh government and the minister of ignoring them.

Eilir Jones farms near Ruthin, Denbighshire, and said: "We face losing 20% of our land, losing over 5,000 jobs. Losing land to trees to offset carbon for large companies.

"They're the ones polluting, not us. We're the ones suffering. Why should we lose 20% of our productive land?

"Which other sectors are facing losing 20% of their production to reduce carbon?"

North Wales Police Superintendent Jon Bowcott said: "Police officers attended a report of a protest in Wrexham city this afternoon.

"Early positive action was taken to deal with an isolated incident of criminal damage and a man has been arrested in connection with the incident.

"The protest has now dispersed and North Wales Police will continue to monitor the situation."

A Welsh government spokesperson said: "The Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) aims to secure food production systems, keep farmers farming the land, safeguard the environment, and address the urgent call of the climate and nature emergency.

"We have run an extensive co-design exercise in developing the SFS and we thank the hundreds of farmers who have been involved.

"The final consultation on the scheme is still open and we encourage everyone to reply with their views by 7 March.

"No final decision will be taken on the scheme until after the consultation has taken place, and we will listen carefully to all views."

UK

‘Save Our Post Office’ demand Londoners

CWU

Post Office (PO) February 12 2024

Clapham residents, faith leaders, MPs, councillors and CWU representatives protest Crown closure plan…

“Clapham will not take this lying down. The fight goes on,” vowed local MP Florence Eshalomi, in a fighting speech to a Clapham Common protest rally on Saturday, while fellow MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy condemned the actions of the Post Office leadership as “absolutely disgraceful” and was cheered by protesters when she said: “Don’t mess with the people of Clapham.”

Hundreds of people had marched to the Common in the latest action of an ongoing campaign to save their Crown Post Office from closure, having met up at High Street Station with banners and placards. And as campaigners gathered, CWU News spoke with Reverend Father Chidi of St Peters and St Paul’s churches who told us: “I’m here supporting our community and standing up for what our people need. People want that face-to-face service and having the human touch – it’s such an important facility for this community,” he added, while London Assembly Member Maria Ahmad told us: “This is an important community asset and with bank branches closing, it’s become even more vital for people. It’s a community hub.” She criticised the consultation process and said If there was a vote among residents, an overwhelming majority would oppose the closure.

Also meeting up for the protest was local resident Marina Keating, who said: “I really need the Post Office, especially since Nat West closed its local branch. I want to keep being able to have this counter service where I can deal with an actual person.” And fellow Claphamite Debbie Novak made the point that “it’s not only older people who need this to stay open, a lot of younger people need it too for parcel services for example. It’s often busy there, customers of all ages.

“When I first heard about this I thought: ‘Don’t take this away from me’ and I started helping with the petition-signings we’ve been doing at weekends and I was with the group who went up to Downing Street with the petition.”*

Forming up behind the giant campaign banner, the march set off, with other banners ranging from the local Trade Union Council and Labour Party to Clapham Women’s Institute. Other marchers held up the placards, some of them home-made too and passers-by cheered and motorists hooted their horns as the demonstration wound its way up the High Street, pausing mid-route outside the Crown Post Office as a show of solidarity and then entering the rain-swept Common.

At the rally, protesters heard fighting speeches from the two local MPs – who told them they were planning to meet with Government Post Office Minister Kevin Hollinrake – as well as London Assembly Member Marina Ahmad, Councillor David Robson and our own Andy Furey, CWU national officer, who thanked everyone for turning up despite the weather and explained the next steps in the campaign.

In his speech, Andy robustly criticised the Post Office leadership and demanded change and a new direction. It was good news that the MPs were meeting with the Minister, he continued and added: “We can make a difference.”

Speaking afterwards, Andy said: “It’s been a great protest this morning and the message to the Post Office CEO Nick Read is clear: You must stop these Crown Office closures. And my message to our campaigners, to local communities is that, with people power, we can make a difference.”

 

• A petition with over 10,000 signatures has been taken to Downing Street calling for the closure to be halted, and a separate petition has also been submitted opposing the planned closure of another Crown Office, this one in Southall, Middlesex.
• Next Saturday, Southall residents will be marching and rallying to save their Crown Post Office. People will gather at 10.30am outside the Post Office at 38 The Broadway, Southall UB1 1PY

Government signed off on Post Office executives bonuses

Alex Thomson

Chief Correspondent

 12 Feb 2024

We know it’s been called the biggest miscarriage of justice in British history.

We know it ruined the lives of thousands of subpostmasters.

But there is still plenty we don’t know about the Post Office Scandal – questions that are currently being probed at an Inquiry.

When it was revealed that Post Office executives were being paid bonuses just to take part in that inquiry, there was outrage.

Now, we can reveal that the government signed off on those bonuses.

Produced by Nanette van der Laan.