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There’s estimated to be something between 10,000 and 16,000 lynx in mainland Europe who have been there for tens of thousands of years. All the way from Northern Norway to Spain. The numbers include some existing small numbers release programmes in Switzerland, the Jura and Northern Italy. By...

Very unlikely. They are the shyest creatures and normally avoid children and humans at all costs. Can you quote an example of a lynx attacking a child?

There’s nothing to stop him crossing the Irish land border, in the same way as there’s nothing to stop someone disqualified from driving getting behind a wheel. Just that if detected, the consequences can be quite severe.

With properly managed reintroductions, the animals usually have some arms length human support, as long as is necessary. So for example, when Golden Eagles were reintroduced here in Ireland some 25 years back, the relevant authority used to put some food out for them for many many years, to...

Strathcarron Hotel is beside the station (Kyle line). Kyle Hotel at Kyle of Lochalsh. Mackays Hotel, Wick.

The Romans built aqueducts that are still in use today whilst we demolish 1960s tower blocks because they are no longer habitable.

There was a series about Calmac on BBC Scotland (I think) following the lives of some of the crew and in one episode Alfred arrived in Stornoway for berthing trials. It could fit the pier and linkspan and they did drive a few test vehicles on and off but at the point where the ship meets the...

Mainland to Yell is a 2 ferry operation whereas Unst, Whalsay & Bressay are all single vessel services.

There is this famous 2021 video in which Sturgeon claimed that the SNP’s finances were very sound. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-65293006 She said: “The party has never been in a stronger financial position than it is right now and that's a reflection of our strength...

Quite so. My tongue was in my cheek when I said that. But the serious question, given how many times he has been rescued, is whether he has ever made a donation to the RNLI. I would love to know. Morally he should. But.....

It is interesting that though he claims to have established his own independent sovereign state, it doesn’t appear have its own lifeboat service. (You would think that would be a priority for him). It’s the UK RNLI lifeboat that has to rescue him each time. I wonder if he has ever given them a...

He has his own Wikipedia entry. Makes great reading. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_%22Captain_Calamity%22_Hill

I travel through Belfast International several times a month. There is certainly a travel information desk in the arrivals area advertising bus tickets etc but it isn’t always manned. I’d be inclined to check the attendance hours with the airport or choose another method of getting your iLink...

The introduction of the ESS system has obviously been a shambles. But as far as queuing and delays are concerned, there must be 50 to 100 airports in Europe with flights to and from the UK, as well as ferries and trains. And it’s clear from this board that at most of those places there are no...

Quite agree. Why don’t we have any politicians with the strength to simply say now: “We have looked at this and it is not a good use of public money”? Spending 5 million to hear someone else come up with the same judgement seems frankly, cowardly and bad government.

Quite agree.

I remember in the 1970s Swiss passports didn’t have an expiry date. You could carry on using it till it was full or so dilapidated you needed to replace it. Since then there have been various international agreements on standardising passport issue (necessary for example to ensure that all are...

UK Government was perfectly happy to add the unexpired term from the previous passport on to a replacement document. It was the EU that scrapped that: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68658209

Fee for a US passport for an adult is $165 (£124) for initial issue, & $130 (£98) for renewal.

UK Passports could be sold for £25 but that would mean the taxpayer subsidising them. Why? My understanding - from a colleague who was a senior official in the Passport Office - is that nowadays the price is calculated to try and cover most of the costs involved. Staff and building costs, as...