English in Madrid

Poorer people bear brunt of extreme heat in Europe, say Spanish researchers Madrid study finds people from below-average income groups more likely to die in heatwaves Scorching temperatures across Europe have killed tens of thousands of people in recent years. But as fatalities rise, researchers are finding that one group is disproportionately bearing the brunt of extreme heat: those living in poverty. “It’s common sense,” said Julio Díaz Jiménez, an investigative professor at Madrid’s Carlos III health institute. “A heatwave is not the same when you’re in a shared room with three other people and no air conditioning, as when you’re in a villa with access to a pool and air conditioning.” Díaz Jiménez is among a group of researchers who explored how extreme heat had affected 17 districts in Madrid. Their paper, published in 2020, found that heatwaves had an impact on  mortality in just three districts – those where household incomes were below average. They followed up with a...

Source: Pexels (Dario Fernandez Ruz) European weather: Winter heat records smashed all over continent Temperatures for January have reached an all-time high in a number of nations across Europe. National records have fallen in eight countries - and regional records in another three. Warsaw, Poland, saw 18.9C (66F) on Sunday while Bilbao, Spain, was 25.1C - more than 10C above average . The mild European weather comes as North America faces more severe storms , days after a deadly winter cold sna p left more than 60 dead. Heavy snow and freezing rain have been forecast for parts of the northern Midwest while severe thunderstorms and tornadoes are expected in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. But on the European side of the Atlantic, the weather has been balmy for many places at the start of the year. Temperatures in the Netherlands, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Latvia, Czech Republic, Poland, Denmark and Belarus broke national records. Station records were broken in German...

Source: John Cameron on Unsplash 'I have to go to hospital... stop interfering with us!' Furious motorists DRAG   Just Stop Oil protesters out of the road while one eco activist clambers on top of a police van and GLUES himself to it on day nine of protests Eco-warriors Just Stop Oil are protesting for the ninth day in Westminster demanding an end to oil and gas They say they will continue to disrupt roads and the public every day in October until fossil fuel use stops Angry motorists have been pictured today dragging protesters out of the road and shouting at them Protesters have been pictured appearing to be placed in handcuffs and one was filmed sitting on a police van  Furious motorists have been pictured dragging members of the environmental group Just Stop Oil from the roads surrounding Westminster as activists stop traffic for the ninth day in a row , resulting in 45 arrests . Dozens of protesters against the continued use of oil and gas despite their detrimental...

Source: Brian Yurasits en Unsplash Beach litter: Man walking Wales' coastline while cleaning every beach  One man is embarking on the "mammoth" task of cleaning the beaches of Wales as he walks the 700-mile coastline.  Geraint John, 51, of Maesteg, Bridgend county, said he wanted Wales' coastline to be the "envy of the world" .  After a five-month cycle around the UK last year , the amount of beach litter he saw did not sit right with him .  "All the fantastic places I went... the image that was stuck in my head was all the rubbish that's around the coastline of Britain," he said.  "I started going to my local beach, whenever I could . But I just felt it wasn't enough," said Geraint, who started his journey in the Mumbles, Swansea, on 13 May. He said anywhere east of Swansea had too much rubbish for one man to collect, so he turned his sights west - heading towards Pembrokeshire and Cardigan Bay.  "Some beaches ...

Source:  Giorgio Tomassetti  on  Unsplash Spain targets energy firms as European bills surge Spain's left-wing government has agreed emergency measures to cut spiralling energy bills as electricity prices climb to record levels.  It aims to channel €2.6bn (£1.9bn; $3bn) in energy company profits to consumers and slash electricity taxes over the winter months .  Energy bills are climbing across Europe as gas prices soar in particular.  Greece is promising subsidies to consumers and Italy is also aiming to review electricity bills.  But it was Spain that moved first on Tuesday. It has seen some of the highest energy prices in Europe in recent weeks, prompting protests over the summer in a number of cities.  'Shock plan'  Wholesale electricity prices rose during the summer months and have continued to climb, with reports of a record high of €172.8 per megawatt hour for Wednesday, 12.6% up on Tuesday.  Socialist Prime Minis...

Source: Wikipedia ( Anders Hellberg ) Greta Thunberg named Time Person of the Year for 2019 Greta Thunberg, the Swedish schoolgirl who inspired a global movement to fight climate change, has been named Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2019. The 16-year-old is the youngest person to be chosen by the magazine in a tradition that started in 1927. Speaking at a UN climate change summit in Madrid before the announcement, she urged world leaders to stop us ing "creative PR" to avoid real action. The next decade would define the planet's future, she said. Last year, the teenager started an environmental strike by missing lessons most Fridays to protest outside the Swedish parliament building. It sparked a worldwide movement that became popular with the hashtag #FridaysForFuture. Since then, she has become a strong voice for action on climate change, inspiring millions of students to join protests around the world. Earlier this year, she was nomi...

Source: John McArthur on Unsplash * PLANE WRONG Extinction Rebellion protester boards plane at London City Airport and stops it taking off as eco-warriors bid to cause travel chaos AN Extinction Rebellion protester managed to ground a flight from London City Airport today - to the fury of the passengers on board . The Aer Lingus flight to Dublin this morning was on the runway and about to take off when a smartly dressed man stood up and gave a lecture on climate change. Filming himself on his phone, the man said: "I don't wish to travel with you, but I don't wish to get off ". He went on : "I'm extremely sorry for the inconvenience". Furious passengers responded saying: "You're not sorry at all ". As their flight was held up , travellers pleaded with crew to remove the bespectacled man from the plane. Continuing to address those on board, the man said: "We have two generations of human civilisation...

Source:  Mauricio Artieda on Unsplash Plastic-for-tickets: Free travel for recycling in Rome Under the scheme, passengers accrue credit for every plastic bottle they recycle which can be used to purchase metro tickets. Travellers in Rome are being offered free metro tickets in exchange for plastic bottles as part of a scheme to make the city more environmentally friendly .  The plastic-for-tickets venture, launched by the Italian capital's public transport company ATAC, is currently running at three stations. But transport chiefs have said because the public response to the initiative has been positive, the plan is to extend it across the whole metro network until July 2020. Under the scheme, passengers can deposit plastic bottles at stations in exchange for a €0.05 credit that can be spent to purchase online tickets. They need to download an app onto their mobile phones which registers the number of tickets they have earned on the basis of the number of ...

Source:  Pixels (Tom Fisk) Amazon fires: Brazil sends army to help tackle blazes   Brazil's president has ordered the armed forces to fight record forest fires in the Amazon, amid international outrage over rising deforestation. President Jair Bolsonaro deployed soldiers in nature reserves, indigenous lands, and border areas beset by fires. The move is an apparent reversal from Mr Bolsonaro, who has been accused of emboldening miners and loggers . Other countries had threatened to target Brazil's economy if it did not act to stop the fires. France and Ireland had said they would not ratify a large trade deal with South American nations, and Finland's finance minister had called on the EU to consider banning Brazilian beef imports. In a televised address to the nation on Friday, Mr Bolsonaro said forest fires "exist in the whole world" and "cannot serve as a pretext for possible international sanctions". Many of the fires are th...