Pride month

England's reservoirs were at their lowest level of any July on record since 1995 last month - at only 65% capacity. The Environment Agency (EA) has now categorised most reservoirs in the country as 'low' after stocks dropped and drought was declared in eight areas. Following the driest July since 1935, every single reservoir the EA monitors has recorded a decrease in water levels. Thunderstorm warnings next week; follow live weather updates They were the lowest at Colliford reservoir in Cornwall - at 43% capacity, followed by nearby Stithians at 44%, and Derwent Valley in Derbyshire at 45%. Advertisement The group of reservoirs across the Pennines in the north of England were only 49% full last month - the same level as Wimbleball in Somerset. Water levels across England's reservoirs have fallen steadily from 90% capacity at the end of April to 85% in May, 78% in June and now 65% at the end of last month. More on Uk Weather Fears … [Read more...] about England’s reservoir levels were at a 25-year low last month as stocks dropped

San Francisco is used to fighting its housing wars under the gilded dome of City Hall. No longer: Now all eyes are on Sacramento. On Tuesday , in a dramatic one-two punch, the state Department of Housing and Community Development announced that it was initiating a review of San Francisco’s housing approval and permitting process, an intervention meant to cure the city of its addiction to the endless debate, legal wrangling and community process that has made the city dead last in California when it comes to approving projects in a timely manner. In a related matter, HCD also told the city it had to go back to the drawing board on its so-called housing element, that once-every-eight-year residential development plan every California city must provide as a road map to reaching state housing goals. The housing element must be certified by Jan. 31 of next year. While the investigation of the city’s housing practices will likely take more than a year, the housing element is more … [Read more...] about S.F. has 5 months to convince the state it can build 82,000 housing units. This is the sticking point

A fourth endangered sharks has been found washed up dead on beaches in a small coastal town in Australia . This follows the disappearance of a colony of gray nurse sharks 60 miles north. The gray nurse sharks were found around Blacksmiths Beach, in the Newcastle area of New South Wales. The fourth and most recent shark found in a 12-month period had a hook latched into its gut and 6 to 7 feet of wire coming out of its mouth, according to Yahoo News Australia. Gray nurse sharks, also known as ragged-tooth sharks or sand tiger sharks, usually reside near the sandy seafloor between 30 feet to 750 feet deep. They are known as "labradors of the sea" because of their calm nature . They are one of the most endangered species of shark, and are classified as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red list. They are protected under the Fisheries Legislation in New South Wales, Western Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland. It's hard to … [Read more...] about Endangered shark washes up dead 3 months after a colony vanished

Retired United States Marine Corps Colonel Mark Cancian predicts that the supply of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) missiles provided by the U.S. to Ukraine to combat Russian aggression will be depleted within the next three or four months. "[Three to four months is] a pretty wild guess, but I don't think that's crazy," Cancian, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Newsweek . "Some people have estimated a month or so. I don't think they're firing them that fast." "We will get to that point where the U.S. will have to reduce the number of missiles provided because the stocks will be running low. I think there will be a series of discussions inside the Pentagon ," Cancian added. "The military will probably want to hold on to more; the civilian officials will probably want to release more, and they'll come to some sort of agreement on what is an acceptable level of risk." Cancian, who spent over seven years working on … [Read more...] about Ukraine could run out of critical HIMARS missiles in months: Expert

Universal Credit and other benefit payments might get paid early for thousands of people this month. There is a bank holiday on Monday, August 29. If you’re due a benefit payment on this date, it is likely you’ll receive your money early. The downside to getting paid early is that you’ll need to make your cash last longer. Make sure you budget in September to take any payment changes into account. We explain when you’ll be paid if your benefits are due on the August summer bank holiday. Benefit payments over August bank holiday explained If your benefit payment is due to fall on Monday, August 29, you should receive your cash the previous working day before. That means you should get your money on Friday, August 26. The amount you receive in benefits won’t change, and you’ll be paid into your bank, building society or credit union account as normal. How often you get paid your benefit depends on what type of support you claim. For example, you’ll get paid … [Read more...] about Universal Credit and benefit payment dates are changing for thousands of people this month

BOSTON — It’s been a long time since the Yankees woke up chasing another team, but that is what happened Friday morning. Having lost seven of their last eight games, while the Bombers were off on Thursday,  the Astros passed them for the best record in the American League. So, the Yankees, who begin a three-game series here with the Red Sox Friday, do not have the best record in baseball for the first time since April 27. A team that was once on pace to challenge the MLB single-season wins record (116) is now limping into the final turn with 50 games left in the regular season. “They are a very good team,” one rival executive said. “They were never invincible. They are still a very good team. Everyone goes through rough stretches. This has been a little longer than expected and it’s exposed their weaknesses.” While all teams do have rough spots in their season, the Yankees have had some red flags in their slide. The Yankees after dominating the competition have recently shown … [Read more...] about The Yankees are playing catchup for the first time in months

Delhi on Friday reported 10 deaths due to Covid-19, the highest in six months, and 2,136 cases with a positivity rate of 15.02 per cent, according to data shared by the health department here. This is the 10th consecutive day when the city logged more than 2,000 cases in a day. The national capital on February 13 reported 12 deaths due to the viral disease. The fresh cases on Friday came out of 14,225 Covid-19 tests, according to the latest health bulletin. With the fresh cases and fatalities, Delhi’s infection count increased to 19,80,402 and the death toll rose to 26,367. Delhi on Thursday reported 2,726 fresh Covid-19 cases, the highest in nearly six and a half months, and six fatalities due to the viral disease, while the positivity rate stood at 14.38 per cent. The day before, it had logged eight fatalities and 2,146 cases with a positivity rate of 17.83 per cent. On Tuesday, Delhi had reported 2,495 coronavirus cases with a positivity rate of 15.41 per cent and seven … [Read more...] about Delhi Logs 10 Covid Deaths, Highest in 6 Months; Over 2,000 New Cases

Less than half of Brits contact their GP within six months of noticing a red flag cancer symptom, worrying polling shows. The YouGov poll of almost 2,500 people found that just 48% of those who had experienced symptoms such as coughing up blood, unexplained weight loss and a new or unusual lump contacted their GP within half a year. Cancer Research UK, which commissioned the poll, said if people do not tell their doctor about unusual changes to their health the chances of them being diagnosed early reduces and this can have devastating effects. When diagnosed at Stage 1, its earliest stage, 92% people will survive their bowel cancer for five years or more, compared with 10% when diagnosed at Stage 4. Michelle Mitchell, the Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK (2nd left) with former Girls Aloud band members Nicola Roberts, Cheryl and Nadine Coyle ( Image: PA) Just 48% of those who experienced red flag cancer symptoms contacted their GP within half a year … [Read more...] about Brits slow to check ‘red flag’ cancer symptoms as just 48% see GP within 6 months

A "strong and independent" mum-of-11 has died just months after being diagnosed with cervical cancer . Sharon Lawless, 39, was surrounded by family when she passed away last Friday. She leaves behind six sons and five daughters aged between 4 and 22. The mum, from Toxteth, started feeling tired and suffering from stomach pains in October before being diagnosed with stage four cancer three months later. Her 26-year-old sister, Megan Povey, told the Liverpool Echo : "She was just tired a lot and she was getting stomach pains. At first she didn't think anything of it. "We just thought she was unwell and then obviously it was prolonged and prolonged. She leaves behind six sons and five daughters aged between 4 and 22 ( Image: Family handout) Sharon with her two sisters Lisa and Megan Povey ( Image: Family handout) "She was going to the doctors to find out what it could be. She always suffered from anaemia, so they put her on iron tablets to see … [Read more...] about Family’s heartbreak as young mum-of-11 dies months after being diagnosed with cancer

Thirty-three years after a fatwa was issued against him by Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, sentencing him to death for his 1988 novel ‘The Satanic Verses’, Salman Rushdie was brutally attacked on Friday, with his spokesman saying the controversial author was on a ventilator, will likely lose one eye and his liver was “stabbed and damaged”. In the religious decree, Khomeini urged “Muslims of the world rapidly to execute the author and the publishers of the book” so that “no one will any longer dare to offend the sacred values of Islam.” A $2.8-million bounty was put on the writer’s head and the then 89-year-old Khomeini said anyone who was killed trying to carry out the death sentence should be considered a “martyr” who would go to paradise. The fatwa changed Rushdie’s life forever, forcing the author to go into hiding. Over the next 13 years, Rushdie adopted the pseudonym of Joseph Anton and moved between safe houses, changing base 56 times in the first six … [Read more...] about Pseudonym, 56 Homes Over 6 Months & Loss of Colleagues: How A 33-Yr-Old Fatwa Changed Salman Rushdie’s Life