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Seven Greek islands added to UK quarantine listSeven Greek islands have been added to the list of countries from which travellers must quarantine when entering England to try to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, British transport minister Grant Shapps said on Monday.Shapps told parliament that improved access to data meant he could now decide rules on an island-by-island basis depending on COVID-19 infection rates.Passengers arriving from Lesbos, Tinos, Serifos, Mykonos, Crete, Santorini and Zakynthos will from 0300 GMT on Wednesday have to quarantine for 14 days on arrival in England, he said.The announcement was part of a new policy allowing different rules to be applied to different islands within states.
Government approves badger culls in 11 new areas in ‘staggering U-turn’Government agency Natural England has issued licences for 11 additional areas, alongside re-authorising licences for 33 areas of the country where culling has already taken place in previous years.The latest expansion of the cull comes despite the government signalling its intention to gradually phase out badger culling to tackle TB in livestock.The new culls will take place in parts of Avon, Derbyshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Leicestershire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Somerset, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Lincolnshire. In addition to the new areas, 33 areas are continuing their four-year culls, while supplementary culling licences cover 10 areas which have concluded the intensive culling period, to help sustain disease reductions.The licences mean up to 70,000 badgers could be killed this year across much of England as part of efforts to control TB in livestock, which can catch the disease from the wild animals. Animal welfare and wildlife groups reacted angrily to the expansion of the cull that has now been announced. Dominic Dyer, of the Badger Trust, said the culling policy could push the species to the verge of local extinction in areas it has inhabited since the Ice Age."This is no longer a badger control policy, it's a badger eradication exercise," he said.He said the "vast majority" of badgers being killed were TB-free, with no impact from their deaths on reducing the disease in cattle.
Trailer: How We Tamed the Cat and DogScratch beneath the surface with Dog Tales: The Making of Man's Best Friend, and Cat Tales: In From the Wild. Coming Soon to BBC Four and iPlayer.
Greece Draws Up Strategy to Increase Bicycle UseThe Greek Environment and Energy Ministry has drafted a strategy based on international best practices to increase the use of bicycles in the country.