Shisha smoking proves as harmful as cigarettes

According to the Department of Health and the Tobacco Control Collaborating Centre, smoking a shisha pipe can cause as much damage as smoking tobacco. The herbal tobacco in a shisha pipe can cause the smoker to inhale high levels of carbon monoxide. One session with the shisha pipe will leave the user with levels of carbon monoxide five times greater than smoking one cigarette. Continued high levels of carbon monoxide can lead to brain damage and unconsciousness.

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Wildfires in Greece gradually dissipating

A break in the strong winds across Greece has come to the aid of fire-fighters battling the wildfires. Although the wildfires are still threatening areas of Greece, the fire-fighters are feeling confident that the number of areas now under control is increasing. Airplanes from Italy and France have helped contain the wildfires by dousing the flames, and so far over 2,000 fire fighters and many volunteers have been assisting to control the fires on the ground. It is believed the intensity of the fires has decreased although vast areas of land have been left burnt and smouldering.

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Reports say UK recession coming to an end

The financial crisis has been affecting the UK for two years now but according to recent research, the third quarter of this year has witnessed an increase in confidence among business professionals. A prediction from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) reports the economy growing by 0.5% this quarter, which will break five quarters of decreased output. In the ICAEW survey, results suggested that UK businesses can expect an increase in financial performance this coming year. Although there is a clear increase in confidence among management, a continued level of caution is still being practised.

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Swaziland citizens suffer under misappropriation of wealth

King Mswati III of Swaziland, the ruler and protector of some of the poorest people in Africa, has recently come under criticism for sending his five favourite wives around Europe and the Middle East on a multimillion pound spending spree. Many fear how the King’s actions will be received by the rest of the world who provide aid to the country. As well as a personal fortune of around £145 million, the King also receives an allowance from the national budget. Last year this allowance totalled £12 million, greater than the Swaziland’s education budget. In comparison more than two thirds of Swaziland’s 1.2 million population live on 50 pence a day.

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Australia disappointed with Ashes result

Australia’s 14-year dominance over world cricket has come to an end as England defeated its team in the fifth Ashes test. The whole country has entered a period of mourning with even some television announcers seen wearing black armbands. Australians have taken to blaming the British, the pitch conditions and even their team captain, Ricky Ponting. Ponting has become the first cricket captain in 119 years to lose the Ashes twice. Many have complained that British bowling ace Andrew Flintoff ruined Ponting’s Ashes farewell. Social networking sites have provided an arena for individuals to express their feelings of anger and hurt towards the Australian captain.

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Deteriorating conditions leave half of Somalis needing aid

Since the start of the year, living conditions in Somalia have been deteriorating. This has caused many people to flee but of those who are left behind, more than half of the population is in need of humanitarian aid. Vicious fighting in the country has left areas in desperate need of aid but are unable to be reached by those who can help. The ongoing fight between government troops and Islamist insurgents has left one in five children facing malnourishment and has driven the number of refugees up by 40%. Through assessments conducted by the United Nations, the whole country is facing its worst humanitarian crisis in nearly two decades.

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Demand encourages bird traffickers to bleach parrots

On the black market a blue-and-yellow Macaw bird will sell for around $530 (£320) but the exotic bird is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain. In order to meet demand, traffickers in Argentina are catching numbers of the Burrowing Parrot and dying the feathers. The burrowing parrot is bathed in hydrogen peroxide, if the bird is left in the bleach for too long the parrot can be left be liver damage and is very often dead within two weeks. The birds that survive the bleaching are sold on the black market and will only show their true colours a year later when they shed their feathers. The burrowing parrot attracts attention in its own right as Charles Darwin wrote complimentary accounts of his 1830 meeting with the parrot in Patagonia.

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Slimming pill under investigation for causing fatal liver damage

The US food and drug administration is investigating a diet pill that can be bought over the counter in the UK. The pill has been linked to 32 cases of liver damage. The drug was being administered to overweight people with a body mass index of 28 or over with just one consultation with the pharmacist. The more common reactions to this drug ranged from yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes, weakness and stomach pains. Since 1998 when the drug was licensed, Britain’s medicines and healthcare products’ regulatory agency has said it received a total of 1,295 suspected adverse reactions.

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Wikipedia hope to end online vandalism

Wikipedia currently allows its users to add entries and edit existing information but recently this has lead to an increase of vandalism on the website. False information is being deliberately added to the site, especially on entries about celebrities and politicians. To try and prevent this from reoccurring Wikimedia Foundation, the charitable organisation behind the online service, will implement an editing approval process. However this new adapted process will be in direct contrast to the previously open philosophy of Wikipedia.

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Artificial trees to soak up carbon emissions

In a new report, engineers have suggested that a forest made up of 100,000 artificial trees will help fight climate change by soaking up the world’s carbon emissions. The report predicts the forest could be operational within 20 years as the equipment has already made it to prototype stage. The trees once positioned would act as an air filter and capture the carbon dioxide. The CO² would then be removed and stored. The report details a plan for the next 100 years and suggests three geo-engineering initiatives – artificial trees being one of them. The report stresses the need to continue taking measures towards cutting carbon emissions as well as adapting society in an attempt to counteract the effects of climate change.

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