A company linked to Baroness Michelle Mone has failed to meet a deadline to repay £122m for breaching a Covid-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) contract. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) won a legal case earlier this month against PPE Medpro, a consortium led by Lady Mone’s husband Doug Barrowman, over claims the…

The MycoToilet – credit, Joseph Dahmen Scientists have used the root system of mushrooms to create a composting toilet that is odor absorbing, while creating over 2,000 liters of fertilizer and soil a year. Separating solids from from liquids and processing each in different ways using fungal mycelia, the toilet can currently be found in…

At least 16 people have died after a huge fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the toll could rise. Sixteen bodies have been recovered and would be handed to families after DNA testing, as they have been burnt beyond recognition, the fire service said. Distraught relatives gathered outside…

The S1500 from Sawes – credit, handout A new form of wind energy is under development that promises more consistent power and lower deployment costs by adapting the design of a dirigible, or zeppelin. Suspended 1,000 feet up where the wind is always blowing, it presents as an ideal energy source for rural communities, disaster…

Two French nationals have been handed lengthy prison sentences by a court in Iran after being convicted of espionage, Iranian state media reports. The reports do not name the defendants but they are believed to be Cecile Kohler, 40, and her partner Jacques Paris, 72, the only French nationals being held in Iran. They were…

A monkey among Suriname’s forests – credit Jan Van Broekema, via Flickr, CC 2.0. Huge news broke recently when a country with more intact forests than any other on Earth decided that 90% of all forest cover would be preserved by law. Made in New York in advance of a UN summit that will see…

Wage growth in the UK cooled slightly over the summer, as unemployment ticked up slightly. Annual growth in employees’ average earnings was 4.7% in the three months to August, down from 4.8% over the three months to July, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The national unemployment rate rose slightly…

Escaped tortoise on train tracks – Chiltern Railways / SWNS A runaway tortoise was saved after it wandered onto a busy railway line in South East England. The pet named Mr T was spotted clambering onto the train tracks at Bicester North Station in Oxfordshire. Passengers raised the alarm with the railway staff who rescued…

Bright’s grasp on an England starring role began when she played in five of their six matches at the 2019 World Cup en route to the semi-finals. She was sent off after receiving a second yellow card in the semi-final defeat by the United States – a game which hinted at future success for England,…

Bamboo forest – credit Bady Abbas, via Unsplash GNN has reported previously on how versatile bamboo is for construction and craft, so it maybe shouldn’t be a surprise that researchers in China have found a way to turn this miracle plant into plastic. While many biodegradable materials have already been developed for replacing lighter, flexible…