World

Homestead soddy in Box Butte County. Source: History Nebraska – Nebraska.gov In 1870, Robert Ball Anderson, a former slave and Union Army veteran, filed a claim for a 160-acre homestead in Butler County, Nebraska. Severe drought and grasshopper swarms destroyed his crops, forcing him to give up the property.Instead of abandoning his goals, Anderson spent…

A 79-year-old grandmother in Herefordshire, UK, is refusing to sell part of her garden for a major road project that could bring a 60mph route close to her home. Jean Harris, a retired school secretary and piano teacher, has point-blank refused to negotiate over the land needed for the proposed Southern Link Road, now being…

UK heatwaves help bananas fruit, experts explain why it’s unusual In a quiet garden in Seaton, near Looe in Cornwall, something unusual is happening. A banana plant, once a tiny gift, has grown to 11 feet tall and produced 24 pieces of fruit. For owner Cathy Neville, it is a moment of surprise and delight….

In 1968, a California landowner demanded $100 an acre for land inside Pinnacles that officials valued at $17; A long legal and property dispute between the US federal government and Utah businessman Dean Brimhall over commercial activities on protected land ended with a $400,000 buyout and the demolition of several private facilities near the park…

Prince Edward and Sophie’s son James is set to begin university this autumn after receiving his A-level results. Buckingham Palace has seemingly confirmed that James, Earl of Wessex, the youngest grandchild of the late Queen Elizabeth II, will not be taking on his royal titles as an adult. The 18-year-old son of Prince Edward and…

UK sets 24-week target for asylum appeals. The UK is introducing a 24-week target for deciding certain asylum and immigration appeals, in a move aimed at speeding up the removal of people whose claims are rejected.From this week, the First-tier Tribunal will be expected to hear new appeals within 24 weeks involving non-detained foreign national…

In 1957, parts of London’s famous River Thames were in such bad shape that scientists declared them ‘biologically dead’. The water had been starved of oxygen and decades of sewage and industrial pollution had made it extremely difficult for aquatic life to survive. About 70 years later, the waters are now brimming with sharks, seals,…

In 1964, a Utah businessman built a gas station beside Capitol Reef A long-running legal and land rights dispute between the U.S. government and Utah businessman Dean Brimhall over commercial development inside Capitol Reef National Monument ended with a federal buyout worth $400,000. The deal brought commercial activity along the park boundary to an end.According…

All six injured people suffered bullet wounds, according to a senior police official.​ Balochistan home minister Mir Ziaullah Langove escaped unharmed after armed attackers targeted his convoy in Mastung district on Friday, injuring six people, including three police personnel.The attack took place in the Khad Kocha area as Langove was travelling from Quetta to Kalat,…

The foundation of late Home Depot cofounder Bernie Marcus has committed $28.7 million to stem cell research at the University of Southern California. The research aims to develop treatments for heart damage caused by heart attacks. The funding will support physician-scientist Charles “Chuck” Murry, director of USC’s Stem Cell Center. His team is studying how…

Ten residents in Lowell, Massachusetts, are suing the state’s environmental regulator and the company behind a large data centre over an expansion that would bring the facility’s total to 27 industrial-scale diesel backup generators and 16 cooling towers. The lawsuit challenges the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s approval of the expansion and alleges that residents…

Britain’s fields, parks and lawns were thriving areas of fresh greenery, just before summer arrived. Then, everything was burnt to a crisp, with a yellow and golden hue and now landscapes as old as thousands of years have been revealed as green outlines against yellow backgrounds.July was the driest month ever recorded in England and…