The Know Daily - Tuesday 3 March 2026

_{Read in 4m 07s ∙ Listening to Jennifer Lopez ∙}

Fish stocks in China’s Yangtze River are showing signs of a remarkable recovery after the government introduced a 10-year ban on commercial fishing. It’s great news for the region that has been experiencing years of decline. Hopefully there are plenty more fish in the sea (river!).

🟢 The Green Party

The Green Party of England and Wales has just claimed a major win in the Gorton and Denton by-election. So what do the Greens stand for and what are the criticisms of the party?

Tell me more.
The Greens took the Gorton and Denton (Greater Manchester) seat from Labour – meaning they now have 5 seats in Westminster, out of the total 650 – when Hannah Spencer won a by-election that drew a lot of attention. It’s a constituency Labour had previously dominated, so the result has been framed as evidence that the Greens are pulling through in places once considered safe for the centre-left. Commentators have also linked the party’s growing online presence as a driver of votes.

Who fronts the party?
The party is currently led by Zack Polanski, who took over the leadership last year. Since then, membership has reportedly climbed sharply, with the party claiming a significant post-election surge. Polanski has positioned the Greens as unapologetically left-wing, focusing on climate action and public ownership, while also leaning into sharper criticism of Labour.

What’s in their manifesto?
The Greens’ manifesto centres on structural change rather than small tweaks. Key pledges include:

• Bringing forward the UK’s net zero target and investing billions a year in wind, solar and home insulation

• Ending new North Sea oil and gas licences and blocking new fossil fuel infrastructure

• Introducing a wealth tax on the richest households

• Introducing national rent controls and expanding public ownership of rail, water and energy

• Replacing first-past-the-post with proportional representation for general elections

• Cancelling the Trident nuclear weapons programme and scrapping the UK’s nuclear deterrent

The argument is that the current economic and political model isn’t delivering – and needs a reset.

What do critics say?
Criticism tends to focus on:

• Whether the spending commitments are fully costed

• How realistic some climate timelines are

• A wealth tax could penalise savings and investments, or even cause some to move abroad

• Their opposition to the UK’s Trident nuclear deterrent and scepticism about higher defence spending

• The fact the party hasn’t ever had to implement these ideas at national level

Supporters argue that these reasons are exactly why the Greens can be bold, but critics are saying that bold is easier than governing.

How popular are they?
Recent polling has shown the Greens climbing, with The Guardian reporting that they are regularly matching the Liberal Democrats in national polls. Membership has reportedly surged past 200k following the by-election win (that’s tripled since last September). This is significant as the Conservatives have around 120k members, though Labour have 250k. Their rise points to more voters who don’t feel represented by main parties, and are searching for other options outside the traditional two-party setup.

📱 A consultation asking the public if they think kids should be banned from using social media has been launched by the UK government.

• The bigger story: The consultation will gather views on whether an age-based restriction is needed, alongside other options such as limiting addictive features like infinite scrolling or tightening up age verification. The move comes amid growing debate about how to balance protecting children online with freedom for families to choose what’s right for their own kids. You can have your say here. 

🚀 NASA has announced it no longer plans to send humans to the moon for its Artemis III mission following a series of setbacks and is working towards a new launch date of 1 April.

🏆 The Actor Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series was posthumously awarded to Catherine O’Hara 🤍

🖼️ A painting that was previously estimated to be worth thousands of pounds is now predicted to be worth millions after it was discovered to be by this famous artist. 

🧘‍♀️ An old Dutch ritual called “dusking” is having a revival across Europe – this is what it’s all about. 

💸 The best countries to visit in Europe for a cheap holiday have been revealed.

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Trivia answer: A) The team in Austria were awarded a Guinness World Record for the invention, which they hope will leave a smaller carbon footprint.

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