Heroes
Weeds, at least according to the Royal Horticultural Society, which wants to rebrand the garden pests as “resilient plants”. Four of the 12 show gardens at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show will include the likes of brambles, thistles and knapweed. Sheila Das, from RHS Wisley in Surrey, says weeds tell you “what’s going on underground. Your weed is your adviser. It’s your friend.”
Villains
Fishing boats, which are more of a menace to undersea cables than Russian saboteurs are. About 60% of the disruption to submerged communication lines is from fishing equipment or anchors being dragged along the seabed, says Bloomberg. In 2008, “about 75 million people were cut off from the internet” after a ship’s anchor took out a cable while trying to moor off the coast of Egypt.
Hero
The UK, which is one of the world’s least racist countries. A poll across two dozen nations by researchers at King’s College London found that just 2% of Britons feel uncomfortable living next to someone of a different race. Only Brazil and Sweden scored lower.
Hero
Beans on toast, which is actually quite healthy. The British Nutrition Foundation wants to add nuance to the idea that all ultra-processed foods are bad for you. It says that some of them, like fruit yoghurts and beans on toast, can be part of a nutritious diet alongside freshly cooked meals.