Latest from Western Telegraph
Western Telegraph
22 minutes ago
- Health
- Western Telegraph
Searing heat this week made ‘100 times more likely' by climate change
A rapid study by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) research group also found the current heatwave in the south-east of England was around 10 times more likely than without human activity warming the planet. Dr Fredi Otto, from Imperial College London, warned heatwaves are 'silent killers', with the impacts of heat 'severely underestimated' and the UK unprepared for the kind of conditions hitting the country into the weekend. (PA Graphics) Older people are at the highest risk of death, as well as those with heart issues, respiratory illnesses and conditions such as diabetes, while this kind of heatwave earlier in the summer is more deadly as people are less acclimatised to coping with the warmer conditions, the experts warned. And wildfires are an 'emerging risk' in the summer in the UK, with conditions becoming more like southern Europe, the researchers said as they urged people to be very careful about barbecues, cigarettes and glass which can all ignite fires in the hot, dry weather. The study by WWA, which seeks to provide rapid assessments of the role of climate change in specific extreme weather events such as heatwaves or rainstorms that lead to flooding, is only the second time it has analysed an event as forecasted rather than one that has just happened. The analysis, which drew on observations for early summer heat in the south east of the UK, found that a heatwave – defined as three days of temperatures above 28C for the region – in June would be expected once every five years today. But without humans warming the atmosphere by around 1.3C since pre-industrial times, such a heatwave would only have occurred about once every 50 years, the study shows. The heatwave was made approximately 2-4C more intense as a result of the overall warming of the planet, meaning the current weather 'just wouldn't have been a heatwave without human-induced warming', Dr Ben Clarke, from Imperial College London, said. With every fraction of a degree of warming, the UK will experience hotter, more dangerous heatwaves Dr Ben Clarke, Imperial College London Temperatures had been forecast to hit 32C across the south east on Saturday and had already reached that level on Thursday in London. Heat of that level could be expected in June once in 25 years in the current climate, but only once in 2,500 years in June before industrialisation, the researchers said. While the impacts of temperatures rising above 30C are not as severe as the record-breaking heat topping 40C in some places in July 2022, the researchers warned people were still at risk. They urged people to ensure they were drinking enough water, and to encourage elderly relatives to do the same, avoid areas with high air pollution, keep windows and curtains shut during the day, and consider going to cooler public buildings such as museums to protect against the heat. Dr Clarke, researcher at the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London, said: 'This heatwave is another reminder that our planet has already heated to a dangerous level. 'We're at 1.3C today, but heading for around 3C this century. 'With every fraction of a degree of warming, the UK will experience hotter, more dangerous heatwaves. 'That means more heat deaths, more pressure on the NHS, more transport disruptions, tougher work conditions and poorer air quality.' We know exactly what has intensified this heatwave - burning oil, gas and coal, which has loaded the atmosphere with planet-heating greenhouse gases Dr Fredi Otto, Imperial College London Dr Otto, associate professor in climate science at the Centre for Environmental Policy, said: 'We know exactly what has intensified this heatwave – burning oil, gas and coal, which has loaded the atmosphere with planet-heating greenhouse gases. 'It is totally insane we have political leaders in the UK trying to drag us back to the past with calls for more fossil fuels. 'The climate will continue to drive increasingly dangerous heatwaves, fires and floods in the UK until emissions are reduced to net zero globally.' She added that while people working in air conditioned offices would 'probably be OK' this week, poorer people working outdoors, in kitchens or other hot environments and then returning home to poorly insulated flats would be enduring hot conditions throughout. 'Making our societies more equal is essential to reduce the impacts of climate change,' Dr Otto said.
Western Telegraph
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Western Telegraph
Coldplay to reissue albums on records made from recycled plastic bottles
The EcoRecords are claimed to reduce carbon emissions during the manufacturing process by 85% compared with traditional vinyl production. Jen Ivory, managing director of the band's label Parlophone, said: 'We are incredibly proud to partner with artists such as Coldplay who share our commitment to a more sustainable future for music. 'The shift to EcoRecord LP for their releases is a testament to what's possible when innovation meets intention. 'It's not just about a new product, it's about pioneering manufacturing that significantly reduces environmental impact, providing fans with the same high-quality audio experience while setting a new standard for physical music production.' Coldplay have already released latest album Moon Music as an EcoRecord (Matt Crossick/PA) Each 140g LP is made up of approximately nine recycled bottles, after they are cleaned, processed into small pellets and then moulded into records. Coldplay will re-release debut album Parachutes (2000), A Rush of Blood To The Head (2002), X&Y (2005), Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends (2008), Mylo Xyloto (2011), Ghost Stories (2014), A Head Full Of Dreams (2015), Everyday Life (2019) and Music Of The Spheres (2021) in the series. The band's latest album Moon Music, released last year, has already been released on an EcoRecord LP. It comes after Coldplay claimed they had exceeded their climate change target while attempting to put on one of the greenest tours in history. In 2024, the group claimed its CO2 emissions were 59% less for the first two years of their Music Of The Spheres Tour compared to their stadium tour from 2016 to 2017, surpassing an initial 50% target. The group used rechargeable batteries fuelled by renewable sources for the shows along with other efforts. Coldplay have long campaigned for climate action, with frontman Chris Martin saying in 2019 they would not launch a globe-trotting tour for their album Everyday Life due to environmental concerns. In October last year, Martin claimed his band would stop making albums after their 12th record, with Moon Music being their 10th. All of the London-formed band's albums have reached number one on the UK albums chart and the group have also had two number one singles in Viva La Vida and Paradise. The latest series of reissues will be released on August 15 with pre-orders open on Coldplay's website.
Western Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Western Telegraph
Chris Brown due to enter plea over ‘bottle attack' charge
The American musician, 36, was able to continue with his scheduled international tour after he was freed on conditional bail last month. Brown, accused of causing grievous bodily harm to Abraham Diaw in February 2023, is set to appear at Southwark Crown Court on Friday morning alongside his co-defendant, US national Omololu Akinlolu, 38, for a plea and trial preparation hearing. The Go Crazy singer had to pay a £5 million security fee to the court as part of the bail agreement, which is a financial guarantee to ensure a defendant returns to court and may be forfeited if they breach bail conditions. Brown and Akinlolu have both been charged relating to the alleged assault at the Tape venue in Hanover Square in Mayfair on February 19 2023. Manchester Magistrates' Court heard last month that Mr Diaw was standing at the bar of the Tape nightclub when he was struck several times with a bottle, and was then pursued to a separate area of the nightclub where he was punched and kicked repeatedly. Brown is due to appear alongside his co-defendant at Southwark Crown Court (Sean Dempsey/PA) Brown was arrested at Manchester's Lowry Hotel at 2am on May 15 by detectives from the Metropolitan Police. He is said to have flown into Manchester Airport on a private jet in preparation for the UK tour dates. Brown was released from HMP Forest Bank in Salford, Greater Manchester, on May 21. Shortly after being released from prison, Brown posted an Instagram story referencing his upcoming tour. It said: 'FROM THE CAGE TO THE STAGE!!! BREEZYBOWL.'
Western Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Western Telegraph
Teenager who stabbed 12-year-old Ava White named as he turns 18
Harry Gilbertson was 14 when he carried out the attack on the schoolgirl on November 25 2021. The following year, he was convicted of her murder after a trial and, at 15, he was sentenced to a minimum of 13 years for her murder. Reporting restrictions preventing Gilbertson from being identified were kept in place until he turned 18, despite representations from the media, which were supported by Ava's family. Ava's mother Leeann White, 42, said: 'I wanted the whole world to know who he was. I think Liverpool had the right to know who he was as well.' She said since the trial, she had been told very little about Gilbertson, but had learnt he had done his GCSEs. Speaking through tears, she said: 'It should have been Ava sitting her GCSEs, not him.' Ava White, who died after she was stabbed following an argument in Liverpool city centre (Trinity RC Primary School/PA) On Ava's 15th birthday, in January 2024, Ms White's nephew was sent a photograph from a seemingly fake Snapchat profile which appeared to show Gilbertson posing for the camera with his arms crossed alongside another male whose face had been covered on the photo with a logo and who had his middle finger up. Ms White reported the photo and was told Gilbertson had been using an iPad for educational purposes and there was a glitch in the system allowing him to use the internet, but was also told the photo had been taken while he was on a visit. She said she was told he had been 'read the riot act' but had no formal punishment. She said: 'He didn't get any privileges taken off him. He just got a telling off basically.' She said she felt 'really angry' when she saw the picture. 'I can never have a photograph with my child now so why does he have the right? He lost his rights when he murdered my child,' she said Harry Gilbertson running on School Lane following the incident where Ava White was stabbed (Merseyside Police/PA) Ms White, who has set up a foundation in Ava's name that provides bleed control kits to premises, said she had mixed emotions about Gilbertson being named. 'I try not to think about him if I'm being honest, because if I do, I'm just taking a million steps back,' she said. 'So I just try to focus on Ava and doing stuff for her legacy is more important to me than thinking about him.' When making the decision to keep reporting restrictions in place, trial judge Mrs Justice Yip said there were concerns for Gilbertson's younger siblings, one of whom had not been told their brother was on trial for murder. Ms White said: 'Yet I had to sit my little nephews and nieces down and tell them about Ava, but they could hide everything for him. I feel like they've done everything they can to protect him and his family.' She said she felt her own family had 'nowhere near' the same protection. Ava had been in the city centre with friends on the night the Christmas lights were being switched on. The group became involved in an argument with Gilbertson and his friends, who had been filming Snapchat videos of them. Gilbertson was carrying a knife and struck Ava once to the neck, causing her fatal injury, before fleeing the scene, discarding the weapon and getting rid of his coat. He was seen on CCTV in a shop later that night taking a selfie and buying butter, which he said was for crumpets. Ms White added: 'I think he's got understanding (of what he's done), he's quite a clever child. 'He's got understanding, he's just got no remorse. 'It really doesn't feel like justice. He still gets to live and breathe. My Ava doesn't. His mum can see him getting married, having a baby. I'm never going to have that with Ava.' Ava White, with mother Leeann and sister Mia (Merseyside Police/PA) Since Ava's death, Ms White, along with Ava's older sister Mia and her aunt June White, have worked through the Ava White Foundation to provide hundreds of bleed control kits in the hope they can prevent other families from going through what they experienced. At least six lives have been saved thanks to the kits provided by the Ava White Foundation, Ms White said. The packs, which include gauze, trauma dressings and tourniquets, are delivered to schools, pubs and businesses and training is given on how to use them. When a 14-year-old girl and 15-year-old boy were stabbed in Kirkby, Merseyside, in April, a bleed control kit donated in Ava's name to a nearby pub was used to help treat the children, who were both taken to hospital but survived. Ms White said: 'I think every establishment should have one. The way knife crime is, it's not going down, it's getting worse. Everyone needs to be aware of this training, it's so easy.' She said hearing of other children killed through knife crime made her 'sad for the child but more so for the mum and what she's got to go through now'. Since Ava's death she no longer has 'good days' but has 'OK days and really bad days', she said. She added: 'What keeps me going is I'm keeping Ava's name out there and that's more important to me, to keep Ava's name out there so she's not forgotten.'
Western Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Health
- Western Telegraph
Alzheimer's and Parkinson's charities identify new ways to reuse current drugs
Experts say that by repurposing drugs, they can 'increase the shots on target' at tackling the diseases. This method of drug development could also reduce the time patients are left waiting for new treatments by up to 10 years, they added. It comes after the NHS spending watchdog rejected the use of new Alzheimer's drugs lecanemab and donanemab for widespread use in the health service. The drugs were approved for use in the UK last year by the UK's medicines regulator but the NHS spending watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), said they could not be used in the NHS because the benefits are 'too small' to justify the cost. Now charities Cure Parkinson's and Alzheimer's Research UK have joined forces to find current drugs that may tackle some of the common biology behind both diseases. After presentations to the International Linked Clinical Trials (iLCT), which was set up by Cure Parkinson's over a decade ago, experts from both fields will select the most promising drugs for both Parkinson's and dementia, so they can be moved quickly into clinical trials. Weight loss jabs are already being investigated for their effectiveness in treating symptoms of both diseases and experts hope to uncover more drugs that can have multiple uses. Semaglutide, the active ingredient for weight loss and diabetes drugs Wegovy and Ozempic, is being examined in clinical trials to see whether it can help patients with Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's. Trial results for the Alzheimer's trial are expected to be published later this year. Dr Sheona Scales, director of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, told the PA news agency that the iLCT project had already been 'hugely successful' with people who have Parkinson's, adding: 'Around 30% of disease modifying therapies that are in clinical trials for Parkinson's disease came through this process. 'What we wanted to do is to build on their knowledge and experience and expertise in order to be able to bring a process similar to that to Alzheimer's disease.' Dr Scales said that there are some 'common grounds' between Parkinson's and Alzheimer's – both are neurodegenerative diseases and have some 'common biological processes' – such as inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction and 'protein misfolding' – which could be targets for repurposed drugs. 'Getting multiple drugs that are targeting the disease is really important to us,' she said. 'Testing different types of drugs and getting as many shots on target is important.' She said: 'Repurposed drugs have already been demonstrated to be safe for use in humans development of new drugs for different diseases is a long process. 'What essentially bringing repurposed drugs does, is help to accelerate the drug development pipeline – it could save between five and 10 years within that process, compared to taking a new drug through clinical trials for the very first time.' Helen Matthews, chief executive of Cure Parkinson's, said the iLCT was originally set up to identify drugs that can potentially 'slow down, stop or reverse Parkinson's'. She added: 'It was through this programme that we realised that there were so many drugs that were also being looked at in the dementia field and there were commonalities there in terms of the drugs looking to reduce inflammation, or whatever it might be, there were specific pathways that those drugs were working on that could be beneficial for both disease areas. 'So given that we were already doing the (work) every year, it made sense to join forces in this way, just to add efficiencies. 'Because if you're looking at the same drugs, we'll only do that digging once, you know, only do that compilation of the dossiers once, so that you can actually take the learning for both diseases and then actually look and see which might be beneficial.' She said that the 'sharing of knowledge and digging' could also be shared with other disease areas, such as MS. And on lecanemab and donanemab, Dr Scales added: '(These) were the first disease-targeting therapies that have been licensed in the UK, but obviously are not available on the NHS at the moment. 'They showed for the very first time that we were able to alter the course of the disease. 'And what we're looking forward to now is what the next generation of treatments can bring us and how we can target different parts of the disease.' Dr Lucy Devendra, head of research at Alzheimer's Society, said: 'Repurposing medicines which are already known to be safe can help us find new treatments for the diseases that cause dementia much quicker. 'Although it is still early days, it's encouraging to see a renewed focus on this type of research and development.'
