We visited the Polish city of Krakow ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day which is held to remember the millions murdered by the Nazis – including six million Jews. Krakow's Jewish population was decimated then but the city is now home to one of the fastest-growing Jewish communities in the world.
Political parties have accepted thousands of pounds from lobbyists in recent years. Anti-corruption campaigners claimed donations buy lobby firms “privileged access” to politicians for their wealthy clients.
The pressing need to address difficulties the Scottish public reports in getting an appointment with their GP was raised in last week’s budget. So will new funding and proposals for walk-in surgeries help? What are the underlying reasons for the issue?
These are the oil drilling ships which have towered over the Clyde at Hunterston Pier near Fairlie.
They’ve been lit up at night with generators and sometimes main engines running – producing a disturbing low-frequency hum, often below the audible range.
Local people such as Rita Holmes say the hum has had impacts on their health and wellbeing. Yachtsman Jackie Pearson says the ships run their engines to keep them in place after one was blown off its moorings – and the combined engines produce disturbing noise.
The Hunterston industrial area nearby was previously used to test giant offshore wind turbines, producing a similar low hum. The same area is slated to be used to make the sub-sea cables needed to bring offshore wind ashore. Local people fear that once the ships are gone the cable works will be another source of noise nuisance.
Peel Ports, which owns the pier and the industrial site, says noise levels from the ships “fall comfortably within the regulations”. The development plans for the site will bring “hundreds of highly-skilled jobs”, it claims.
Meanwhile the cable-making firm, XLCC, says it is making major efforts to ensure its operation is quiet, including noise insulation and electric power for cable-loading ships.
With the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow due in November, our podcast by Richard Baynes will let you hear the hum — and more about the impact of potential energy industries on this slice of the Clyde coast.
Listen to more of The Ferret’s Podcasts here.
Photos thanks to Richard Baynes. Music thanks to Kevin Hartnell.
Scottish authorities had to intervene to keep deer numbers down at a Sutherland estate after the overpopulated animals damaged protected areas. Meanwhile, the landowner has received vast sums of public money.
A campaigner has made the first estimate of the total number of cleaner fish that have died while grazing lice on farmed salmon. It’s condemned as a “colossal waste of life” that should cease.
The Aquaculture Stewardship Council monitors standards at Scottish fish farms to help consumers choose “environmentally and socially responsible” farmed seafood. But it showcased a farm that had breached its rules on sea lice 11 times.
There have been hundreds of applications for battery energy storage schemes (BESS) across Scotland. They are part of the Scottish Government’s drive to meet net zero targets but some communities oppose them including villagers in Kintyre.
