Digital fiction book sales soar, Publishers Association says. 17 September 2012Last updated at 23:49 GMT Sales in e-books are booming, while physical books remain largely stable A "huge increase" in the value of digital book sales in the UK has been announced by trade organisation the Publishers Association.
The value of digital fiction sales in the first half of 2012 was up 188% on the same period in 2011. Physical book sales saw a drop in value, dipping 0.4% year on year. Industry experts said that while the figures were healthy, other areas of the industry, such as bookshops, continued to struggle financially. "Certainly the strong e-book growth has taken the tarnish off the otherwise tricky market," said Philip Jones, editor of The Bookseller. "It is good news that the market is transitioning and making money from that, but it is moving to a trickier situation where there are fewer booksellers. " Sales of digital children's books were up 171%, while non-fiction titles increased by 128%. 'Exciting authors and titles' Cheap tablets. Portuguese men-of-war sightings on Cornish beaches. 7 September 2012Last updated at 05:27 ET Dawud Lee, who needed hospital treatment after being stung, said it felt like "a little knife going into my foot" Portuguese men-of-war have been washed up on beaches in Cornwall according to council officials.
There have been sightings of 13 men-of-war at Portheras Cove in west Cornwall and others at Summerleaze and Widemouth beaches in north Cornwall. The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) said sightings were on the increase. The Portuguese man-of-war is not a jellyfish but is closely related, and consists of many tiny marine organisms behaving collectively as one animal. The man-of-war can cause severe pain, and in rare cases, death. 'Cornish pasty-shaped' Its normal habitats are the warm seas off Florida Keys, the Gulf of Mexico, Indian Ocean, Caribbean and Pacific.
Portuguese men-of-war are about 30cm long and 13cm wide. Dr Richardson said they "deliver an agonising and potentially lethal sting". Terry Nutkins, TV wildlife presenter, dies aged 66. 7 September 2012Last updated at 12:03 ET Watch a clip of Johnny Morris and Terry Nutkins hosting Animal Magic, first aired in December 1979.
TV presenter Terry Nutkins, famous for appearances on BBC nature programmes like Animal Magic and The Really Wild Show, has died at the age of 66. Born in London in 1946, Nutkins helped out at London Zoo as a child and later helped author Gavin Maxwell care for otters on the west coast of Scotland. The wildlife expert spent seven years on Animal Magic and was later seen on Growing Up Wild and Pets Win Prizes. The father of eight was being treated for leukaemia when he died on Thursday. Nutkins was renowned for his natural ebullience and unruly hair style Nutkins' love of animals was undimmed by an incident when, aged 15, he had the top joints of two of his fingers bitten off by a wild otter named Edal. In his childhood, Maxwell, the author of Ring of Bright Water, became Nutkins' legal guardian so that he could remain in Scotland to assist him. The Guardian. The Telegraph.
Whitehall 1212. Westmorland Gazette. Official Site. Only In The Magazine New From Gnome Mart – the Chris & Gwynnie Sick Bucket… Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot: Nigel Farage’s Guide to Great Leaders Around the World… Those Coalition Bingo Calls in Full… Malaysian Aircraft Story Disappears… Crystal Meth User Admits Being Banker… Loch Ness Monster Demands Referendum Vote… New for Pensioners: It’s the Lamborghini Mobility Scooter… Tony Benn’s Diary, as told to Craig Brown And also... - Phoenix flights: Awkward questions for busy defence boss Robin Southwell. - Moscow-on-Thames: Slicker on the oligarchs who help keep Putin in power. - Floody hell: The nuclear power stations at risk from leaky sea defences For all these stories you can buy the magazine or subscribe here and get delivery direct to your home every fortnight.
Next issue on sale: 15th April 2014. BBC News. Young cannabis smokers run risk of lower IQ, report claims. Young people who smoke cannabis for years run the risk of a significant and irreversible reduction in their IQ, research suggests.
The findings come from a study of around 1,000 people in New Zealand. Gruenenthal's thalidomide apology 'insulting' 1 September 2012Last updated at 07:33 ET The bronze statue of a child born with thalidomide symptoms is on display in Stolberg, Germany The company which invented thalidomide has "insulted" those affected by the drug by issuing an "insincere" apology, campaigners have said.
The drug, sold in the 1950s as a cure for morning sickness, was linked to birth defects and withdrawn in 1961. German-based Gruenenthal has issued its first apology in 50 years, but said the drug's possible side-effects "could not be detected" before it was marketed. But the UK's Thalidomide Trust said any apology should also admit wrongdoing. Nick Dobrik, a member of the trust's national advisory council, said it "should be an unreserved apology, not a conditional apology". United Kingdom Parliament home page.