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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 17, 2014
Wettest winter in England, Wales in almost 250 years The region has recorded about 435 mm of rain up to Feb. 24 london / reuters
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his winter has already been the wettest for almost 250 years in England and Wales, Britain’s national weather service the Met Office says. Around 435 millimetres (17 inches) of rain were recorded up to Feb. 24 in England and Wales, making it their wettest winter since 1766. “New records have been set for many parts of the U.K., with southeast and central-southern England having seen well over double the rainfall expected in a normal winter,” the Met Office said in a statement. Provisional rainfall figures from Dec. 1, 2013 to Feb. 25, 2014 also show that Britain as a whole experienced its wettest winter since records began in 1910. Over the past few months, heavy rainfall and storms in Britain, particularly in England and Wales, have resulted in the worst floods for the country in 50 years. Floods have devastated homes and businesses, disrupted transport and ruined crops. Analysts at Deloitte estimate that the bill for repairs may end up reaching one billion pounds ($1.66 billion).
WHO cuts sugar intake advice Sugar seen as contributor to risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer
Britain’s Prince Charles (2nd l) waves as he leaves on a boat run by the Bridgewater Fire Service, in Muchelney last month. The Prince of Wales visited the village, which was cut off due to recent flooding. Photo: REUTERS/Jack Hill/The Times/Pool
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london / reuters
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ugar should account for less than five per cent of what people eat each day if they are to avoid health risks such as weight gain and tooth decay linked to excessively sugary diets, the World Health Organization (WHO) said March 4. The UN health agency said its recommendations were based on “the totality of evidence regarding the relationship between free sugars intake and body weight and dental caries.” Free sugars include monosaccharides and disaccharides that are added to foods by manufacturers, cooks or consumers, and sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit concentrates. “WHO recommends reduced intake of free sugars throughout the life course,” the agency said in a statement. It said the five per cent level should be a target for people to aim for — calling it a “conditional recommendation” — but also reiterated a “strong recommendation” that sugar should account for no more that 10 per cent of total energy intake. “There is increasing concern that consumption of free sugars — particularly in the form of sugar-sweetened beverages — increases overall energy intake and may reduce the intake of foods containing more nutritionally adequate calories,” the WHO statement said. Five per cent of total energy intake is equivalent to around 25 grams (around six teaspoons) of sugar per day for an adult of normal body mass index (BMI).
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