Home news in brief
Tigress ‘hugging’ tree wins photo of the year
A stunning photograph of a Siberian tigress embracing a fir tree has won this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. Russian photographer Sergey Gorshkov’s winning photograph beat 49,000 entries from all over the world and scooped up the top prize in the prestigious contest.
The image, titled The Embrace, took over 11 months to capture with hidden cameras. Judges said the photograph shows a “scene like no other” and offers hope that Siberian, or Amur, tigers are making a comeback. The winners were announced by the Duchess of Cambridge on Tuesday night, during an online ceremony streamed from the Natural History Museum.
Three children and woman dead after Oxford crash
A woman and three children from the same family have died in a collision between a people carrier and a heavy goods vehicle. A four-year-old girl, a six-year-old boy, an eight-year-old girl and a 29-year-old woman from Chinnor, Oxfordshire, were pronounced dead at the scene on the A40 near Oxford on Monday night,
Thames Valley Police said. The collision between a people carrier and a lorry took place near a railway overbridge just to the west of Oxford. Two other passengers in the Subaru – a 30-year-old man and an 18-month-old girl – have been taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where they both remain in a critical condition. Police said the driver of the HGV, a 56-year-old man, suffered minor injuries. Officers remain at the scene and the A40 will remain closed in both directions for a “considerable” period of time while the investigation continues. PA
Ikea launch scheme to buy back unwanted furniture
A new initiative offering customers the chance to sell unwanted furniture back to the retailer, where it can then be sold again second-hand, has been launched by Ikea. The “buy back” scheme is set to launch in stores in the UK and Ireland on Friday 27 November, to coincide with Black Friday.
The aim of the scheme is to encourage members of the public to “live more sustainably” by thinking about “what they don’t need rather than what they do need”, the firm said. When customers decide they no longer want an item previously purchased at the store, they will be able to sell it back in exchange for a voucher which will be added to an Ikea refund card.
Watching nature on TV ‘can boost wellbeing’
High-quality nature programmes on TV can lift people’s moods, reduce negative emotions and help alleviate boredom, according to a study. The research also showed that experiencing nature in virtual reality could have even larger benefits, boosting positive feelings and increasing people’s connection to the natural world.
Under laboratory conditions, researchers from the University of Exeter found that viewing nature scenes minimised negative feelings such as sadness, as well as significantly reducing boredom. Researcher on the study believes the findings could have important implications for populations facing extended periods at home. PA