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World

Slower ski lifts and less artificial snow: French resorts tackle energy crisis | France

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Ski resort managers in the French Alps are scrambling to find ways to conserve energy as part of a national effort to reduce consumption, with about half the resorts also bracing for power bills to be three to six times higher than in prior years.

In Chamonix, close to Switzerland, if there is no crowd, the lift will go 10% slower. And if the resort gets an alert that power supplies cannot meet demand, Chamonix will slow the lifts by 30%.

A number of ski resorts including Chamonix and Val Thorens have also pledged to limit artificial snow production and reduce heating within buildings, officials said.

In Val Thorens, maintenance and restaurant staff will have a time slot of around 10 minutes – rather than an hour – to be lifted to their workplace before the slopes open.

Those measures “will be invisible and painless for our customers. The objective is to make sure our customers don’t feel the impact of the energy cuts,” said Benjamin Blanc, a director at Les 3 Vallees, which includes Val Thorens.

Half of France’s ski resorts have had to renegotiate their long-term electricity contracts this year amid record-high inflation, and they expected an annual bill that could increase three to six-fold in 2023, said Alexandre Maulin, who chairs France’s ski resorts association.

For instance, the energy bill for the ski resorts Maulin manages at the Sybelles domain, in Savoie, should come in at €1.6m (£1.4m) next year, up from €400,000 in 2020.

Lift ticket prices will increase by around 5% but will not cover all the higher operating costs, he added.

Val Thorens was able to secure a contract with utility EDF before the energy crunch for the most part of 2023. But it now needs to find a solution for the next skiing season.

“We are mountain people,” said Jerome Grellet, head of Val Thorens ski lift operator SETAM. “Our motto is that we always get out of difficult situations, and it will be the case this time again, because we will adapt.”

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Health

DR ELLIE CANNON: Is there a natural remedy to tackle my dreadful insomnia?

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Can you recommend any natural sleep remedies? I keep waking in the middle of the night and cannot get back to sleep for at least two hours. I am a healthy, fit 52-year-old man.

The unfortunate truth about sleep problems is that there is often no easy fix. It can take time and patience to arrive at a long-term solution that works.

If a patient is waking up in the middle of the night, doctors will first consider obvious factors that disrupt sleep. This includes too much caffeine in the daytime, needing to go to the toilet at night, and exercising in the evening. Physical activity can aid sleep, but it can be over-stimulating if you do it just before bed.

Sleep environment is also really important. Doctors call this sleep hygiene – although it has nothing to do with cleanliness. It’s about considering factors such as how dark the bedroom is, if it’s a comfortable temperature and if it is sufficiently quiet.

Most people don’t realise we tend to sleep better in a slightly cooler room. An eye mask and ear plugs can also help, or have a relaxing bath before bed.

Make sure you’re not staring at screens (phones or televisions) just before you want to drift off, as this can be stimulating.

‘I keep waking in the middle of the night and cannot get back to sleep for at least two hours’ (picture posed by model)

Anxiety and stress are also common causes of insomnia. If this is the case, sleep troubles are unlikely to resolve unless the underlying problem is sorted.

There is a specific type of psychological therapy recommended for sleep problems. It’s called CBT-I and aims to reduce anxiety about not being able to fall asleep, which makes the problem worse.

A therapist will also help patients to identify the thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that are contributing to insomnia and manage them. Such advice should be available via local psychological NHS services, called IAPT.

As for natural remedies, it might be worth trying an over-the-counter medicine – such as valerian – or an antihistamine. These are not normally recommended for sleep problems but some people find them helpful. Massage and relaxation treatments can also help.

Can you help with a very embarrassing problem? I am a fit and active 76-year-old woman with no health problems. But recently, I’ve noticed an unpleasant smell when I empty my bladder. There’s no pain. I’m afraid to go to the toilet in a public place.

‘I am a fit and active 76-year-old woman with no health problems. But recently, I’ve noticed an unpleasant smell when I empty my bladder’ (picture posed by model)

A smell after passing water is usually a telltale sign of a urinary tract infection.

However, these normally cause other symptoms, including pain and needing to empty the bladder very often.

The simplest way to find out if it is an infection is to ask the GP surgery for a urine test.

   

More from Dr Ellie Cannon for The Mail on Sunday…

This could involve two tests. First, a dipstick test, done in the surgery, which looks for blood cells and changes in the urine that suggest bacteria is present.

Then, a secondary test in which the sample is sent to the laboratory to look specifically for bacteria.

Older women can have asymptomatic bacteriuria: lots of bacteria start to grow in the urinary tract but do not cause an infection. This would be confirmed with the second test.

Changes to the smell of urine may also come from vaginal discharge. This is more likely to happen after the menopause, due to changes to the vulval tissues.

Certain medications, such as vitamin supplements or penicillin, can also alter the smell of urine – ask your pharmacist about this.

Being dehydrated can be a factor, as can eating certain foods including asparagus.

It is worth drinking more water and seeing whether that solves the issue.

I had Covid recently and ever since, I’ve had excruciating pain in my bottom and upper thighs. The pain and spasms have got better, but I still need to take painkillers daily to cope. Is there anything that will speed up my recovery? I am 77.

Viruses are well known to trigger a range of problems, including those that affect the muscles. This sounds like reactive myositis – inflammation in the muscles that develops after an infection such as Covid.

Typical symptoms include weak, painful muscles that feel tender. The thigh muscles are often affected, as are the shoulders or the hips.

Muscle aches and pains are one of the more commonly recognised symptoms of long Covid.

Do you have a question for Dr Ellie?

Email DrEllie@mailonsunday.co.uk or write to Health, The Mail on Sunday, 2 Derry Street, London, W8 5TT.

Dr Ellie can only answer in a general context and cannot respond to individual cases, or give personal replies. If you have a health concern, always consult your own GP.

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Experts recommend activities like stretching and yoga to improve flexibility, as well as strength work to build up the muscle.

Pacing yourself is an important part of recovery. Begin at a low level of activity, before building up gradually.

Myositis happens as a result of the immune system’s effort to fight the virus as the body’s fighter cells trigger inflammation within the muscles.

It can also develop as a chronic autoimmune condition. It could be a coincidence that it happened at the same time as Covid, or the virus may have triggered it.

If the symptoms have continued for months, it may be worth asking your GP for blood tests to confirm the diagnosis and look for muscle damage.

Steroid tablets are often used for the chronic type of myositis, to reduce inflammation within the body.

Are you one of the growing army of booster refuseniks?

Have you had your latest Covid booster yet? Everyone aged over 65 has been eligible for an extra dose since early September to protect them from the inevitable winter wave.

Healthcare workers, pregnant women and people who are very vulnerable to Covid can also have one. But apparently a lot of people in this group are yet to have theirs.

I’ve heard from some say they don’t want another jab, having had four or five by now, and others haven’t even been invited.

Have you had your latest Covid booster yet?

It doesn’t bode well, given that we have the rest of the over-50s to get through, who will be called up in the coming weeks.

The extra boost of protection is crucial, with a double whammy of Covid and flu expected to floor the NHS this winter. I’m officially boosted – and all it cost me was a slightly sore arm for a couple of days.

I want to know if you’ve had your booster yet. And if not, why not? Write and tell me.

Cheap drugs miss the target

Are you familiar with the drug Humira? Or adalimumab, to use its generic name.

It’s one of the most commonly prescribed medications and is used to treat conditions involving the immune system, such as rheumatoid arthritis and bowel disease.

But Humira is branded, making it eye-wateringly expensive, so since 2018 the health service has been offering patients generic, cheaper versions of the medicine, called biosimilars.

But I have heard that some patients have been finding that the cheaper versions are less effective. One friend, a man in his 50s who has severe arthritis, has been told that he can’t switch back to Humira because it’s too pricey, which has left him in terrible pain.

I want to know how you’ve got on with the switch. Please write and tell me.

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Technology

Google will modify search algorithms to tackle clickbait | Google

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Google is tweaking its search results in an effort to prioritise “content by people, for people” and fight back against the scourge of clickbait, the company says.

“We know people don’t find content helpful if it seems like it was designed to attract clicks rather than inform readers,” Danny Sullivan, from Google, said in a blog post. “Many of us have experienced the frustration of visiting a webpage that seems like it has what we’re looking for, but doesn’t live up to our expectations. The content might not have the insights you want, or it may not even seem like it was created for, or even by, a person.”

So-called “SEO spam”, content written explicitly for the purposes of appearing high up on the results pages of search engines, has long been a thorn in the side of companies like Google. To tackle it, the company is launching a “helpful content update” next week.

The update covers a number of tweaks to the company’s ranking algorithms that attempt to identify content “that seems to have been primarily created for ranking well in search engines rather than to help or inform people”. Google says that, in tests, the update has resulted in particular improvements for searches related to online education, arts and entertainment, shopping and technology.

In one example, Sullivan says, a search about a recent movie can sometimes bring up articles that simply aggregate reviews from other sites; now, “you’ll see more results with unique, authentic information, so you’re more likely to read something you haven’t seen before”.

There are winners and losers from such changes, of course, and online publishers may fear that their content strategies will see them caught up in the net. In its advice for “content creators”, Google implies that some of the signals it will use to downgrade search results are whether or not a website has a primary purpose or focus, and whether there is “an existing or intended audience” that would find the content useful if they came directly to the page.

The “banhammer” will be wielded liberally. “Any content – not just unhelpful content – on sites determined to have relatively high amounts of unhelpful content overall is less likely to perform well in search, assuming there is other content elsewhere from the web that’s better to display,” Google says. “For this reason, removing unhelpful content could help the rankings of your other content.”

In recent months, Google has launched a concerted effort to fight perceptions that the company’s search products have grown worse over time. Headlines like “It’s not just you, Google search really is getting worse” and “Google search has gotten worse. Here’s the trick people have found to get around it” blame the company’s increasing desire to offer structured results, paid-for adverts and links to other Google services above simple web links, as well as the constant cat-and-mouse game with SEO spam, and suggest focusing on sites like Reddit to find useful answers to queries.

Navneet Alang, writing in the Toronto Star, called the process a “sort of vicious cycle”. “Google endlessly refines search to try and predict what people want, but in response, entire industries work to pollute search results by giving people a cheap, knock-off version of what they want,” he wrote.

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Sports

New York Jets move slimmer Mekhi Becton to right tackle; George Fant to play left tackle

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FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — New York Jets offensive lineman Mekhi Becton returned to the field Wednesday for the first time in 11 months, sporting a smaller waistline and playing a new position.

Becton, drafted 11th overall in 2020 as a potential franchise left tackle, played right tackle in practice and will remain there for the remainder of the season, coach Robert Saleh announced.

The shake-up had been rumored since the end of last season, in large part because George Fant, who replaced the injured Becton in 2021, played so well at left tackle. Now it’s official.

“George feels much more comfortable on the left side,” Saleh said after the first practice. “He’s got the athleticism to play the left side, as does Becton. It was just a better combination.”

The Jets downplayed the significance of the switch, but there’s no denying that left tackle is a more prestigious and higher-paying position than right tackle. Saleh said that “this doesn’t mean Mekhi’s left tackle days are over,” but it’s telling the team made the move so quickly without a competition.

Becton took it in stride, claiming he’s not focused on prestige or money.

“Whether it’s left or right, I don’t really care as long as I’m on the field,” said Becton, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 1.

Becton’s status was cloudy in the minicamp because of his conditioning. After skipping the voluntary portion of the offseason, he showed up overweight in June, which sparked concern among the coaches. Becton, who weighed as much as 400 pounds last season during his injury rehab, was thought to be in the 390s in minicamp.

On Wednesday, he was noticeably trimmer. The organization was thrilled with his weight loss.

“I’m not going to get too much into the weight,” Saleh said, “but he got himself into football shape. He’s a gifted athlete, a gifted man. I’m really excited about the direction he’s going.”

Becton didn’t reveal his current weight but said he hit his goal. His personal nutritionist, Ann Claiborne, told ESPN that he “slimmed down a lot.” He stayed in New Jersey for most of the six-week break, working with the team’s trainers and conditioning staff.

Previously, Becton trained at a facility in Dallas, opting to skip the offseason program because his girlfriend was pregnant with the couple’s first child.

If he can stay in shape and healthy — he has played only eight complete games in two seasons — the Jets’ offensive line has strong potential. Aside from Becton and Fant at the tackle positions, they have Laken Tomlinson and Alijah Vera-Tucker (2021 first-round pick) at guard and Connor McGovern at center.

“It’s a pretty damn good offensive line,” Saleh said.

Like Becton, Vera-Tucker is learning a new position. He played left guard as a rookie but moved to the right side to accommodate Tomlinson, an established left guard. Saleh said he isn’t worried about having two young players — Vera-Tucker and Becton — learning new spots at the same time on the same side.

“Personally, I’m excited about that right side,” he said. “We’ve got two potential All-Pros, in my opinion.”

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World

Hero Tour de France fans take justice into their own hands and tackle Dernière Rénovation

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Tour de France fans took matters into their own hands yesterday as they angrily removed a gang of eco-protesters threatening to disrupt the historic bike race by sitting in the middle of the road to block oncoming riders. 

Eight climate activists from French campaign group Dernière Rénovation (Last Renovation) sporting T-shirts emblazoned with the message ‘we have 978 days left’ to tackle environmental decline tried to stop the race during the 20th stage between Lacapelle-Marival and Rocamadouron on Saturday. 

But their attempts to wreak havoc at the stage were thwarted by spectators, who stormed onto the road and dragged them out of the path of the oncoming bikes even before the police arrived on the scene to make arrests. 

Striking pictures have emerged of the enraged fans bowling into the road to pull, push and harry the protesters off the tarmac to prevent them from ruining the race. 

Started earlier this year, Dernière Rénovation (DR) is a French faction of the international climate activism conglomerate ‘A22’, which includes the likes of Just Stop Oil – a UK-based group which attempted to disrupt the British Formula 1 Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 3.

DR employ similar tactics to those used by the likes of Just Stop Oil and Insulate Britain, such as gluing themselves to the road to create congestion in large cities or putting themselves in harm’s way to disrupt major events. 

The French faction had already hit the cycling competition three times prior to yesterday’s demonstration, and have promised more action – though the Tour De France draws to a close today on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. 

A statement released by the group today read: ‘Citizens supporting DR tried to interrupt the Tour de France time trial, during the 20th stage between Lacapelle-Marival and Rocamadour.

‘Today’s action is the fourth in a series of disruptive actions that will continue until there is a credible and effective government commitment to isolate buildings…

‘If nothing is done, the climate crisis will devastate entire swaths of our planet, as its disastrous consequences in our country have already witnessed this summer, and will condemn billions of people to death.’

Hero Tour de France fans have taken justice into the own hands to remove eco-protesters threatening to disrupt the event by blocking the road. Pictured: People push the protesters away from the path of the oncoming Tour de France, between Lacapelle Marival and Rocamadour, in Gramat

Eight climate activists from Dernière Rénovation (Last Renovation) wearing T-shirts saying ‘we have 978 days left’ to tackle the environment tried to stop the race during the 20th stage between Lacapelle-Marival and Rocamadour. Pictured: Tour de France fans pushing the protesters away on Saturday as they tried to block the race 

Protestors at Tour de France were also videoed and pictured previously being removed in early July by Tour De France officials 

Environmental collective ‘Last Renovation’ activists demonstrated on the road, and block the Tour de France, between Lacapelle Marival and Rocamadour, in Gramat, France, on Friday, July 23 before spectators dragged them away 

Activists who demonstrated on the road, and blocked the Tour de France are pictured being handcuffed by police on Saturday 

The climate activists from Dernière Rénovation were wearing T-shirts saying ‘we have 978 days left’ as they were arrested by police on Saturday 

The public moves the protesters on before the police arrived and to stop the block on the Tour de France on Saturday 

Their tactics and demands echo Insulate Britain, who want to see a government commitment to insulate buildings, and Just Stop Oil. Pictured: On Saturday 

The protesters hold red flares as Tour De France fans tried to push them from the race path before police arrive on Saturday 

It is the fourth time protesters (pictured on Saturday) have halted the Tour De France over the past few weeks 

A car carrying bikes tries to squeeze pas as people row over the protest on Saturday

In a separate press release the group said: ‘We will start again as many times as necessary to make our government react.

‘Not a day should go by without the climate emergency being at the heart of the political agenda.’

Cédric, a 49-year-old engineer and DR member who was involved in the attempted protest said on Saturday: ‘I know a lot of people won’t understand this action. I’m on this road because I’m terrified of the world my children and the people I love will come to know.

‘I do my best to do what seems right and necessary to me. To prevent millions of people from living in a world of immense suffering, wars and famines.

‘I am determined to do everything in my power, rather than remain in denial and inaction where our government takes refuge. I can’t be 100 per cent sure what I’m doing is the best solution, but I know it’ll always be better than not trying.’

Many did not take so kindly to the protestors’ actions however, with several social media users in France expressing their disapproval at the ‘pathetic’ attempts to stop the historic bike race.

”Again with these charlatans… take action that is useful and not counterproductive… because no one supports you with your extremist positions,’ one user wrote, while another tweeted: ‘Their battle is lost – you don’t change the mentality of 66 millions people by blocking an event of French heritage’.

Most seemed to sympathise with the cause, but disagreed with the way in which DR tried to raise awareness.

‘I understand the group’s motivations – but not by doing this kind of thing at such a cycling event… Frankly pathetic, especially since pro cyclists almost fell because of you… that’s pathetic,’ one user said. 

A protester is held down by police as the Dernière Rénovation holds a protest at the Tour De France this month 

All of the protesters from Dernière Rénovation being detained by police on Saturday 

Eco warriors are seen on the ground at a Tour de France action as an organiser walks by this month

A man from Dernière Rénovation is held down by police as he is put in handcuffs on July 17 as they tried to block Stage 15 of the Tour De France

During a protest on Friday, six protesters – four men and two women – were arrested by French police for another disruption attempt and are set to be hauled into court in November to face trial. 

‘At the end of their police custody, the six people were summoned to appear on November 22, 2022 before the Auch criminal court to be tried on the count of obstructing the circulation of vehicles’, Jacques-Edouard Andrault said in a statement. 

They are likely to face a two-year prison sentence and a fine of 4,500 euros, local media reported. 

Other DR members let off a smoke bomb about 95 miles from the stage’s finish line, between the villages of Boucagnères and Auterive, while five activists glued and chained themselves to the road. 

Philippe Gilbert, a rider competing in his final Tour de France, said on Friday: ‘It’s a bit disappointing because there are other ways to protest. I hope they will be punished in proportion to their stupidity.’ 

Five people were also arrested trying block Stage 15 of the Tour De France on July 17, the group also said. 

A protester is held by police wearing a T-shirt saying there are 984 days left as she is arrested earlier this month  on July 17

The activists were pulled off the road by police onto the nearby grass, helped by a Tour official earlier this month on July 12 

Two of the activists were sitting back-to-back tied together, while others let off smokebombs on July 12 during the Tour De France 

The activists sat on the road some 36 kilometres (22 miles) from the finish in Megeve on July 12 before they were removed by police

DR spokesperson Sasha Cantet said: ‘In the absence of a bill on the energy renovation of buildings, which is all the more necessary in the context of the war in Ukraine, we will continue to disrupt the normal functioning of the country, its infrastructure and sports competitions.’ 

The 10th stage of the Tour de France was also halted for 10 minutes earlier this month after half a dozen climate activists tried to block riders before being hurled out of the road by police and a senior Tour official.

The activists sat on the road some 22 miles from the finish in Megeve on July 12. 

The activists were pulled off the road by police, helped by Tour organisers’ Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) general director Yann Le Moenner.

DR also targeted the French Open on June 3 with demonstrations. A young woman ran onto the men’s semifinals and tied her neck to the net while wearing a T-shirt saying: ‘We have 1,028 days left’.

Why do British police REFUSE to deal with eco-protesters like this? Italian security are praised for ripping protesters’ superglued hands off priceless Botticelli and dragging them away

  • An Italian security guard showed a refreshing no-nonsense approach to eco-warriors in Florence on Friday
  • The out-of-patience official stormed over to the protesters and pulled their superglued hands off the glass
  • It struck a jarring contrast to the casualness shown by British guards at the National Gallery this month
  • The latest fracas followed protests by Just Stop Oil on the M25, bringing traffic to a halt on Wednesday

ByKaya Terryand Adam Solomons For MailOnline

This is the moment an Italian security guard tears protestors’ hands off a priceless Botticelli painting at a Florence art gallery – in stark contrast to guards at London’s National Gallery, who simply watched on when eco-zealots did the same.

The out-of-patience security official stormed over to the young pair and pulled their superglued hands from the Renaissance masterpiece shortly after they began their short-lived protest in the Uffizi Gallery on Friday morning.

It struck a jarring contrast to the inaction shown by British guards at the Trafalgar Square gallery this month, where Just Stop Oil zealots were allowed to cover over John Constable’s The Hay Wain with their own version.

More than an hour later, Brighton students Hannah Hunt, 23, and Eben Lazarus, 22, were finally arrested.

Enough is enough: the security guard first pulled the man’s hand off the painting (left), before proceeding to remove the young woman from the priceless Renaissance artwork (right). Police then detained the protesters, who had tickets

Yesterday’s protest in northern Italy was perpetrated by an unnamed man and two women from climate activist group Ultima Generazione (‘Last Generation’).

They rolled out a banner which read: ‘Last Generation No Gas No Coal’.

The activists, who had paid for tickets to get into the gallery, were removed from the gallery by police.

Luckily, no damage was caused to the artwork due to the ‘special protections in place’.

The no-nonsense Italian security guard dragged the pair out of the exhibition room, in a striking contrast to Britain’s response

Eco-zealots glue their hands to Botticelli masterpiece Primavera at a Florence art gallery in the latest climate change stunt

Two activists attached themselves to the thin sheet of glass covering the iconic Renaissance painting at 10.30am on Friday

A statement from the gallery read: ‘If there had not been the special protections decided for the main masterpieces of the museum a few years ago by the management, today we would have had an important damage to the work, as happened recently in other museums.’

However the group posted a statement to their website explaining they make sure they take ‘great care’ and research artwork to not cause damage.

They wrote: ‘We have taken great care in order not to cause any damage to Botticelli’s Primavera. Neither the frame nor the glass that protects the canvas was exposed to a risk. 

Luckily, no damage was caused to the iconic artwork due to the ‘special protections in place’

The protest was carried out by an unnamed man and two women – from the climate activist group Ultima Generazione ‘Last Generation’ – who rolled out a banner in front of them that read: ‘Last Generation No Gas No Coal’

‘To make sure, we consulted restorers who advised us to use a glue suitable for glass and frames. It is important for us to value art, rather than damage it, as our governments do with the only planet at our disposal.’

The protest comes after Just Stop Oil activists provoked fury earlier this month when they carried out a protest at the National Gallery by covering John Constable’s The Hay Wain with their own version featuring double yellow lines, pollution and a washing machine.

Two students who are eco demonstrators covered the world-famous painting in London with a mock ‘undated’ version including aircraft, before gluing their hands to the frame in a protest against UK oil and gas projects on 4 July.

The group said their reimagined version of the 1821 priceless work, which depicts a rural scene on the River Stour in Suffolk, shows a ‘nightmare scene that demonstrates how oil will destroy our countryside’.

Art historians and experts have all raised concerns that the vandals, two Brighton university students who have appeared at Just Stop Oil protests before, could have caused irreparable damage to the 19th century masterpiece.

Protesters from Just Stop Oil cover John Constable’s The Hay Wain at the National Gallery in London earlier this month 

Protesters from Just Stop Oil glue their hands to the frame of John Constable’s The Hay Wain at the National Gallery on July 4

Protesters from Just Stop Oil cover John Constable’s The Hay Wain at the National Gallery in London

The National Gallery later released a statement clarifying The Hay Wain suffered minor damage to its frame and on the painting’s varnish, both of which have been dealt with before it is re-hung in Gallery Room 34.

Dr Adrian Hilton, who is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, previously said: ‘How is this even possible in the National Gallery? I mean, it’s a John Constable masterpiece; a national treasure. Is it really this easy to paper over or – God forbid – destroy it?’

Just Stop Oil activists have carried out similar protests over the past month at art galleries in Glasgow, Manchester and London – while the group blocked a motorway on Wednesday, causing nine hours of traffic chaos on the M25. 

Three eco-activists accused of sparking nine hours of traffic chaos by climbing on to the gantry above the M25 are set for trial after pleading not guilty.

Cressida Gethin, 20, Alexander Wilcox, 21, and Emma Mani, 45, are charged with causing a public nuisance following a Just Stop Oil demonstration on Wednesday morning.

They are accused of forcing the motorway to close in both directions by climbing on an overhead gantry and unfurling banners.  

They pleaded not guilty at Ealing Magistrates’ Court in west London on Friday.

Specialist police climbers lower a protester via a winch from the climate campaign group Just Stop Oil after they climbed an overhead motorway gantry above the M25

The protester is led away by officers after three different parts of the M25 endured chaos Wednesday with closures and huge backlogs of traffic

The defendants allegedly harnessed themselves to Junctions 14 and 15 on the south-west side in Surrey. The 117-mile M25 encircles London.

Gethin, of Dorstone, Herefordshire; Wilcox, of South Fifth Street, Milton Keynes; and Mani, of High Street, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, were released on bail.

They will next appear at Inner London Crown Court on August 19.

‘Police were notified that protesters were planning on causing disruption on the M25 and therefore police arrived at the scene,’ said Beata Murphy prosecuting at Ealing magistrates court.

‘The decision was made to stop the traffic on the road because it was simply too dangerous and the protesters kept moving across the gantry.

‘There were lengthy tailbacks in both directions. At Heathrow Airport several flights were unable to take off because the staff were unable to get to work.’

The court was told that in total 26 flights were delayed because of the demonstration by Just Stop Oil at the Poyle Interchange, causing ‘incredible loss to the airlines.’

Ms Murphy added: ‘The protesters had harnesses on for safety and stuck to the gantry.

‘Once police were on top of the gantry, protesters went limp and would not comply putting themselves and officers in danger.’

A police van waits as protesters from climate campaign group ‘Just Stop Oil’ climbed overhead motorway gantries on the M25 between junction 14 and junction 15 causing both carriageways to be closed

Defence counsel for Mani, Mr John Briant, said: ‘This is a complex case involving multiple statements and witnesses.

‘I anticipate complex legal arguments and it is totally appropriate to be trialled in the crown court.

‘There are going to be Article 10 and 11 arguments in terms of Human Rights.

‘There will be legal arguments about whether the action amounted to a public nuisance. If it did amount to a public nuisance was there a reasonable excuse.’

He added: ‘There will be arguments about recklessness and arguments about the police and how they reacted and about whether it is proportionate to prosecute.’

The case was sent to the crown court because of its ‘unusual legal complexity.’

In a statement released shortly before the demonstrations, Just Stop Oil said it was ‘declaring the M25 a site of civil resistance’ this week.

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Sports

New York Jets offensive tackle Mekhi Becton wary of critics, set ‘to make them eat their words’

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FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — New York Jets tackle Mekhi Becton, nicknamed “Big Ticket,” delivered a big message Wednesday to his critics.

“I’m going to make them eat their words,” he said at the conclusion of a two-day minicamp.

Becton, who has battled injuries and a weight problem since his promising rookie year in 2020, sounded determined to change the narrative. In his first media availability since last September, he showed up wearing a blue T-shirt that read: “Big Bust.”

Encircling “Big Bust” was a list of perceived negatives: “Fat … Lazy … Out of Shape … Bum … Sucks … Overweight … Injury Prone.” “A lot of words I’ve been called my whole life, so I put it on a shirt,” he said, adding that he has a chip on his shoulder.

Becton, listed at 6-foot-7, 363 pounds (his weight from the 2020 scouting combine), has a lot to prove in 2021 after missing 16 games last season due to knee surgery.

After skipping the voluntary portion of the offseason — he trained in Texas, where his girlfriend delivered the couple’s first child last month – Becton was held out of practice at the mandatory minicamp. That state of his knee was a key question, as was his overall conditioning.

Neither Becton nor coach Robert Saleh divulged his exact weight. Saleh, usually effusive about players in great shape, was noticeably lukewarm on Becton. He wasn’t critical, but he didn’t go out of his way to compliment him.

“He has 40 days to continue to work and get himself ready to play football,” Saleh said, referencing the start of training camp.

Becton, whose weight ballooned as high as 400 last season, didn’t sound concerned, saying he’s “satisfied” with his current weight. As for his surgically repaired knee, he said it’s “getting better.” He didn’t wear a brace or a sleeve as he worked with the performance staff during practice.

Saleh, without hesitation, said he expects Becton to practice when training camp starts July 27.

“Structurally, he’s fine,” Saleh said. “It’s just a matter of him getting back into overall football movements, which he’s progressing into.”

The Jets have been careful not to criticize Becton, although it’s worth noting that Saleh made a public appeal recently for him to attend the voluntary workouts. Becton was overweight last training camp, but he was in the 360s at the time of his injury, his nutritionist told ESPN recently.

“His weight will fluctuate incredibly over the course of, like, three days,” Saleh said. “It’s fascinating.”

Becton, drafted at No. 11 in 2020, has played only eight complete games out of 33, raising concerns about his durability. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in the 2021 opener. Initially, the team called it a six- to eight-week injury, not ruling him out for the season until Week 17. The fluid timetable fueled speculation that his injury wasn’t significant, angering people in the Becton camp.

Becton said he tried to return but “hit a wall. I couldn’t get the strength I wanted.”

After the season, Saleh made headlines by proclaiming that Becton would have to win back his starting job from George Fant, who did an admirable job at left tackle. Since then, the Jets have been evasive about their plans at tackle, hinting that Becton could go to right tackle. Becton said that he’d be OK with a position change and that he doesn’t mind competing.

“It’s football,” he said. “We’re always going to compete no matter what. I’ll just have to go out there and get my job back.”

The Jets could’ve drafted a top tackle in the first round, but they decided to roll with Becton and Fant as their starting tackles. Like Becton, Fant, who had an offseason knee procedure, didn’t practice in minicamp. He’s expected for training camp.

“Obviously, we’re all aware of the talent he possesses — the size, the athleticism, the physicality, all of it,” Saleh said of Becton. “And he’s smart. … If he takes care of his business like we know he can, he can become transcendent.”

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Science

Scientists Discover ‘Superworms’ Eat Plastic, Can Help Tackle Pollution Crisis

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Image: The University of Queensland

ABSTRACT breaks down mind-bending scientific research, future tech, new discoveries, and major breakthroughs.

Plastic waste is so ubiquitous that particles of it have been detected in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and even our blood. Human consumption and disposal of plastic products has also polluted habitats across the planet, including practically every corner of the oceans, which is especially pernicious because plastics can take centuries of even millennia to biodegrade. 

Given that plastic pollution is expected to increase in the coming decades, there is a dire need to develop sustainable recycling and upcycling processes for this waste, which includes the common material polystyrene that is used to make Styrofoam. Enter: superworms.

Now, scientists have demonstrated that the larvae of the darkling beetle species Zophobas morio, known as “superworms,” can “survive on polystyrene feed” thanks to microbes in their guts, a finding that “will provide a base for future investigations into microbial upcycling of plastic waste,”  according to a study published on Thursday in Microbial Genomics. 

“Insect larvae actually have a good track record of damaging and eating plastics,” said Chris Rinke, a senior lecturer at the Australian Center for Ecogenomics (ACE) at the University of Queensland and senior author of the study, in an email. “Initial studies, by other authors, have reported that waxworms and common mealworms can eat plastic, so we thought if these rather small larvae can do it, then the large superworms (up to 5.5 cm) might be even more efficient in munching plastic.” 

“It turned out that superworms have a great appetite for polystyrene,” he added. “So, we didn’t know if superworms could survive on plastic when we started our experiments, but we had high hopes.”

To reach this conclusion, Rinke and his colleagues divided 171 superworms into three groups with different diets: One ate only polystyrene, another ate bran, and a third was put on a strict fast. In a macabre twist, the team notes that instances of cannibalism among the fasting superworms “led to our modified experimental design housing the starving control group animals in isolation, whereas animals in the other two groups were housed together during the feeding trial,” according to the study.

In addition to observing the worms throughout the trial, the team also used gene sequencing to identify many of the genetic pathways associated with plastic-eating powers. As a result, the experiment provided “the first metagenomic analysis of a plastic-associated insect microbiome,” according to the study.

Superworms are hardy creatures, and over 95 percent of each group survived their respective three-week diets. The bran-fed worms gained the most weight, but the larvae on the polystyrene diet also got marginally heavier and displayed more activity compared to the starved worms, suggesting that they were able to derive nutrition from the plastic waste—though it came at a cost to their health.

“The superworms reared on polystyrene gained only a small amount of weight and the diversity of their gut microbiomes decreased, both signs that polystyrene is, as expected, a rather poor diet,” Rinke said. “We also found evidence of potential pathogenic bacteria, indicating that the polystyrene diet has negative impacts on the worm’s health. Providing food waste or agricultural bioproducts with the polystyrene could be a way to improve the health of the worms.”

While superworms may play a role in mitigating plastic waste, Rinke noted the real focus is on the larvae’s gut microbes, because their digestive secrets could be artificially mimicked and harnessed on large scales for use in bioreactors and other plastic-processing facilities.

“We have now a catalogue of all the bacterial enzymes encoded in the superworm gut, and plan to further investigate the enzymes with polystyrene degrading capabilities,” Rinke said. “We will characterize them in more detail over the next years to find the most efficient enzymes, which can then be even further improved with enzyme engineering.” 

“Ultimately, we want to take the superworms out of the equation, and mechanically shred the plastic waste, followed by microbial degradation in bioreactors, and subsequent microbial production of higher value compounds such as bioplastic,” he concluded. “This upcycling approach will make plastic recycling more economically feasible and should incentivise plastic recycling.”

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World

Ukraine pleads for more weapons to tackle Russian onslaught in Donbas | Ukraine

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Fierce battles have continued to rage in eastern Ukraine with Russian troops on the verge of encircling a key industrial city, bringing a sharp rebuke of the west from Volodymyr Zelenskiy for not doing enough to help Kyiv win the war.

As the Ukrainian military reported on Thursday that 40 towns in the Donbas region were under Russian bombardment, Luhansk governor Sergiy Gaiday described fighting outside Sievierodonetsk, a key military goal for Russia, as “very difficult”, saying Russian troops were shelling the city from the outskirts with mortars.

“The coming week will be decisive,” Gaiday said in a video posted on Telegram, adding he believes Russia’s goal is to “capture the Luhansk region no matter what cost”.

“There is a colossal amount of shelling,” he added.

Having failed to seize Ukraine’s capital or its second city, Kharkiv, after invading in February, Russia is trying to take full control of the Donbas, comprised of two eastern provinces Moscow claims on behalf of separatists.

Russia has poured thousands of troops into the region, attacking from three sides in an attempt to encircle Ukrainian forces holding out in Sievierodonetsk and its twin, Lysychansk. Their fall would leave the whole of Luhansk province under Russian control, a key Kremlin war aim.

“The occupiers shelled more than 40 towns in Donetsk and Luhansk region, destroying or damaging 47 civilian sites, including 38 homes and a school. As a result of this shelling five civilians died and 12 were wounded,” the joint task force of Ukraine’s armed forces said on Facebook.

The statement said 10 enemy attacks were repelled, four tanks and four drones destroyed, and 62 “enemy soldiers” were killed.

Gaiday said police in Lysychansk were collecting bodies of people killed in order to bury them in mass graves. Some 150 people have been buried in a mass grave in one Lysychansk district, he added.

Families of people buried in mass graves will be able to carry out a reburial after the war, and police are issuing documents enabling Ukrainians to secure death certificates for loved ones, Gaiday said.

Zelenskiy said in his nightly address on Wednesday that Russian troops “heavily outnumber us” in some parts of the east and echoed pleas from his foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba to the World Economic Forum in Davos for more weaponry from the west.

“We need the help of our partners – above all, weapons for Ukraine. Full help, without exceptions, without limits, enough to win,” Zelenskiy said in his daily address to the nation.

And he called out the international community for paying too much attention to Russia’s interests and too little to Ukraine’s.

The Ukrainian president blasted a recent New York Times editorial and other similar statements by influential western figures suggesting that Ukraine might have to sacrifice some territory to end the conflict.

“We must do everything in our power so that the world develops a firm habit to take Ukraine into consideration, so that the interests of Ukrainians don’t get overtaken by the interests of those rushing to yet another meeting with the dictator,” Zelenskiy said.

UK foreign secretary Liz Truss is expected to call on Thursday for further military aid and sanctions to help Ukraine, during a trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“Russia’s aggression cannot be appeased. It must be met with strength,” Truss is expected to say, noting concessions made to Putin before operations were launched in Georgia, the Crimea and Donbas.

Russia’s invasion of its pro-western neighbour has caused global shockwaves, with the latest being fears of food shortages, particularly in Africa.

Moscow blamed the international sanctions imposed after the invasion, while the west says the shortage is mainly down to Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian ports.

“Solving the food problem requires a comprehensive approach, including the removal of sanctions that have been imposed on Russian exports and financial transactions,” said Russian deputy foreign minister Andrey Rudenko.

But Kuleba urged delegates at Davos in Switzerland not to give in. “This is clear blackmail. You could not find a better example of blackmail in international relations,” Kuleba told the WEF in Davos. Kuleba also slammed the western military alliance Nato for “doing literally nothing” to stop Russia.

In other developments:

  • In a sign that the rest of the country remains at risk, Russian cruise missiles struck the major southern rail hub of Zaporizhzhia, killing one person and damaging dozens of houses, the presidency added.

  • President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday signed a decree simplifying a procedure to obtain a Russian passport for residents of the southern Ukrainian regions of Kherson, under the full control of Russian troops, and partly-occupied Zaporizhzhia. Kyiv said the plan was a “flagrant violation” of Ukraine’s sovereignty.

  • The Russian parliament scrapped the upper age limit for contractual service in the military on Wednesday, highlighting the need to replace lost troops. In a late night video address, Zelenskiy, commenting on the new Russian enlistment rules, said: “(They) no longer have enough young men, but they still have the will to fight. It will still take time to crush this will.”

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Sports

Los Angeles Chargers decline to pick up 5th-year option on defensive tackle Jerry Tillery

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COSTA MESA, Calif. — The Los Angeles Chargers have declined to pick up the fifth-year option on defensive tackle Jerry Tillery.

Tillery, the 28th overall pick in the 2019 draft, has started 29 games over the first three years of his career. He started 15 of 16 games last season and had a career-high 4 1/2 sacks along with 14 quarterback hits. He also had 51 tackles.

Tillery, however, has been penalized 13 times over the past two seasons, which is tied for third among NFL defensive linemen.

“Jerry had a really nice role for us last year. I expect an even bigger role this year,” general manager Tom Telesco said about Tillery last week.

This marks the first time since Telesco became general manager in 2013 that the Chargers have not picked up the fifth-year option on a player he has drafted.

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US

‘A very chaotic situation’: Crews tackle growing wildfires

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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Destructive fires in the U.S. Southwest have burned dozens of homes in northern Arizona and put numerous small villages in New Mexico in the path of danger, as wind-fueled flames chewed up wide swaths of tinder dry forest and grassland and plumes of smoke filled the sky.

“It’s a very chaotic situation out there,” Stewart Turner, a fire behavior analyst, said during a briefing Friday night on the edge of the Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico. “We’ve had extreme fire behavior all day.”

Firefighters working to keep more homes from burning on the edge of a mountain town in northern Arizona were helped by some snow, scattered showers and cooler temperatures early Friday. But the favorable weather did not last and more gusts were expected to batter parts of Arizona and all of New Mexico through the weekend.

Crews were tackling more than a dozen large fires Friday nationwide, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. More than 1,600 firefighters were battling six blazes in New Mexico and three in Arizona that have consumed more than 100 square miles (258 square kilometers) of timber and brush.

A pair of Resource Advisors from the Coconino National Forest record data in Division Alpha as they work to determine the severity of Tunnel Fires impact on the Forest. April 21, 2022 near Flagstaff, Ariz. (Tom Story/Northern Arizona Type 3 Incident Management Team, via AP)

By Friday afternoon winds were howling across New Mexico, gusting up to 75 mph (120 kph) near the Colorado line, shrouding the Rio Grande Valley with dust and pushing flames through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the north. Fire officials expected one blaze northeast of Santa Fe to overrun several communities before Saturday.

STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARED AS ARIZONA WILDFIRE CONTINUES TO GROW

A wall of smoke stretched from wilderness just east of Santa Fe some 50 miles (80 km) to the northeast where ranchers and other rural inhabitants were abruptly told to leave by law enforcement.

Maggie Mulligan, 68, of Ledoux, a dog breeder, and her husband, Brad Gombas, 67, left with nine dogs and five puppies packed into an SUV and an old blue Cadillac.

She said her dog Liam “was a nervous wreck,” when a sheriff came to their house Friday afternoon and told them to leave.

They agonized over having to leave their horses behind as they drove 40 miles (65 km) north of Las Vegas, New Mexico, to a middle school turned into a Red Cross shelter.

“We don’t know what’s next. We don’t know if we can go back to the horses,” Mulligan said. “There’s water in their pasture and there’s hay so we’ll see what happens.”

With no air support or crews working directly on the fire lines, there was explosive growth in a number of fires. San Miguel County Sheriff Chris Lopez warned the situation very dangerous.

SENATE GOP REELECTION ARM TAKES AIM AT ARIZONA’S KELLY OVER BORDER SECURITY IN NEW AD BLITZ

Lena Atencio and her husband, whose family has lived in the nearby Rociada area for five generations, got out Friday as winds kicked up. She said people were taking the threat seriously.

“As a community, as a whole, everybody is just pulling together to support each other and just take care of the things we need to now. And then at that point, it’s in God’s hands,” she said as the wind howled miles away in the community of Las Vegas, where evacuees were gathering.

Another wind-whipped fire in northeastern New Mexico also was forcing evacuations while the town of Cimarron and the headquarters of the Philmont Scout Ranch, owned and operated by the Boy Scouts of America, were preparing to flee if necessary. The scout ranch attracts thousands of summer visitors, but officials said no scouts were on the property.

This Wednesday April 20, 2022, photo provided by Bill Wells shows his home on the outskirts of Flagstaff, Ariz., destroyed by a wildfire on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. The wind-whipped wildfire has forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes and animals. (Bill Wells via AP)

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed emergency declarations for four counties over the fires.

In Arizona, flames had raced through rural neighborhoods outside Flagstaff just days earlier. A break in the weather Thursday allowed helicopters to drop water on the blaze and authorities to survey the damage.

ARIZONA WILDFIRE TRIPLES IN SIZE AS THOUSANDS FLEE THEIR HOMES

They found 30 homes and numerous other buildings were destroyed, with sheriff’s officials saying over 100 properties were affected. That fire has burned close to 32 square miles (83 square kilometers) and forced evacuations of 765 homes after starting last Sunday.

Authorities used alarms overnight Thursday to warn residents to flee evacuation areas, said sheriff’s spokesman Jon Paxton. Howling winds muffled the alarms.

This Wednesday April 20, 2022, photo provided by Bill Wells shows his home on the outskirts of Flagstaff, Ariz., destroyed by a wildfire on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. (Bill Wells via AP)

Kelly Morgan is among neighbors at the edge of the evacuation zone who did not leave. She and her husband have lived through wildfires before, she said, and they’re prepared if winds shift and flames race toward the home they moved into three years ago.

“Unfortunately, it’s not something new to us … but I hate seeing it when people are affected the way they are right now,” she said. “It’s sad. It’s a very sad time, but as a community, we’ve really come together.”

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Wildfire has become a year-round threat in the West given changing conditions that include earlier snowmelt and rain coming later in the fall, scientist have said. The problems have been exacerbated by decades of fire suppression and poor management along with a more than 20-year megadrought that studies link to human-caused climate change.

Fire danger in the Denver area on Friday was the highest it had been in over a decade, according to the National Weather Service, because of unseasonable temperatures in the 80s combined with strong winds and very dry conditions. New evacuations were ordered Friday west of Colorado Springs but there were no immediate reports of structures lost.

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