The Know Daily - Wednesday 17 April 2024

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A record number of dams were removed from Europe’s rivers last year, new analysis has revealed. 50% more barriers were taken out in 2023 compared with the year before, encouraging waterways to return to their natural state and helping flora and fauna to thrive. Dam good news 👏 

📉 Economy update

UK inflation fell to 3.2% in March, the lowest level in two-and-a-half years.

Tell me more. 
Inflation is the increase in the price of goods and services over time - and one of the key ways it’s measured is through the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). Figures released this morning by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that according to this measure, the UK’s annual inflation rate fell from 3.4% in February, and for the second month in a row.

Grant Fitzner, chief economist at the ONS, said that slowing food price rises were the “main reason” for the fall, though this was partially offset by rising fuel prices.

What should we make of this?
Today’s figure represents an easing of pressure on households amid the cost of living crisis, but a drop in inflation doesn’t mean that prices are falling - just that they are rising more slowly.

Sky News’ business presenter Ian King said the 3.2% figure was “pretty good news”, but not as good as the 3.1% fall that economists had predicted.

What happens now?
The latest figures from the ONS have raised hopes that the Bank of England will be more inclined to cut its key interest rate in the coming months. The cost of borrowing currently stands at its highest level since the 2008 financial crisis, at 5.25%.

One senior economist told The Guardian that while today’s figure alone won’t be enough to drive a cut in rates next month, it could be “on the horizon”. Inflation is expected to fall further in April, after a sharp drop in household gas and electricity bills.

🦔 Helping hedgehogs

Artificial intelligence will be used to help hedgehogs flourish in a trailblazing new project. 

Go on…
The three-year National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme, which is largely funded by Natural England, aims to understand how many hedgehogs are left in the UK and why their numbers are declining.

According to a 2022 report, up to three quarters of all Britain’s rural hedgehogs have been lost in the past 20 years, although their urban counterparts appear to be relatively stable in number.

How will the programme work, exactly?
As The Guardian explains, trail cameras will capture images of parks, gardens and farmland. AI that’s been trained to pick out wildlife will then sort through the images, sending some on to human “spotters” who will pick out those featuring hedgehogs. 

Analysts at the programme will then record the creatures’ numbers and locations, estimating hedgehog populations in different habitats across the country. The hope is that these insights will allow conservationists to implement practical measures to reverse the decline in numbers.

Do we know why there are fewer hedgehogs than before?
It’s unclear. According to the Natural History Museum, hedgehogs’ reluctance to cross roads might be causing populations to become too isolated, and changes in farming practices could also play a role. There are plenty of theories, but not much concrete evidence - and the new programme aims to change that.

And what’s more, the general public has been invited to help solve the mystery! The programme is looking for “spotters” who can help sort through the hedgehog images, which sounds extremely cute. You can get involved here.

🚬 Smoking ban: MPs yesterday backed a plan that would ban anyone born after 2009 from ever legally buying cigarettes.

🌧️ Record rainfall: The desert city of Dubai has seen heavy thunderstorms, which brought over a year’s worth of rain in just a few hours. 

📣 Call for reform: Smacking children should be made illegal in England and Northern Ireland, according to a new report from doctors.

🎨 Work of art: Yayoi Kusama was the top-selling contemporary artist of 2023, amid rising female representation in the field. 

🚍 Barca bus: A popular Barcelona bus route has been removed from Google and Apple maps to ensure that locals can get a seat.

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Trivia answer: C) The proposed train station design has been compared to a sanitary pad. Do you agree?! 🤔 

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