In 2023, Ecuador struck an unusual deal. Instead of simply paying back its debts, it refinanced part of them on better terms and promised to spend the savings protecting the Galápagos Islands.

This type of transaction, known as a debt-for-nature swap, is often described as a “win-win”: lower debt costs for governments, and long-term funding for some of the world’s most fragile ecosystems.

Debt-for-nature swap transactions offer a range of benefits. Countries facing heavy debt burdens can reduce their liabilities, while bondholders are able to offload risky assets. At the same time, the financial saving is redirected into environmental projects, supporting vulnerable ecosystems.

These deals have been around since the late 1980s. Early swaps were typically small and led by environmental charities, which bought distressed debt cheaply and converted it into local funding for conservation. Through the late 1980s and early ’90s, there was a wave of enthusiasm for such deals, particularly in Latin America and Africa.

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That enthusiasm faded in the 2000s, as large-scale debt relief programmes reduced both the availability of distressed debt and the need for swaps. But in recent years, interest has returned. With banks now involved, today’s swaps can be far larger and more complex. Ecuador’s 2023 deal involved US$1.6 billion (£1.2 billion) of debt.

Since 1989, 169 debt-for-nature swap deals have been agreed, involving US$8 billion of debt being converted to fund environmental initiatives. But despite their appeal, they have not been universally popular.

Why Asia lags behind

Africa and Latin America have dominated these deals. By contrast, Asia has lagged behind, comprising just 13% of total global swaps. That’s surprising at first glance. Asia has an abundance of viable environmental projects, from vast biodiverse tropical forests in Malaysia to the carbon-storing mangroves of Indonesia and the threatened coral reefs in the Maldives.

So why have Asian economies not embraced debt-for-nature swaps?

During the peak of these swaps, many Asian economies had relatively little debt held in international markets, leaving less available to restructure. Borrowing was also comparatively cheap, reducing the incentive to pursue swaps.

Without a large amount of distressed, tradable debt, the financial mechanics that made swaps attractive and logistically viable in other regions were largely absent in Asia.

There were also political and institutional factors. Debt-for-nature swaps often involve foreign charities, foreign governments or international investors that influence how environmental funds are used within the country in question. In parts of Asia, concerns about sovereignty and external interference have made governments more cautious about such arrangements.

But today, that picture is changing. Across Asia, debt levels have risen sharply, particularly after the COVID pandemic. At the same time, more governments are borrowing through international bond markets, meaning a larger share of their debt is now held by private investors – and can, in principle, be bought back or restructured.

Potential candidates include Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia and the Maldives, where growing debt pressures combined with significant environmental assets provide the core ingredients required to justify effective swaps.

A tool gaining traction

Despite the resurgence in interest in debt-for-nature swaps, even the largest deals often only address a small share of total debt.

The latest structures can be complex and costly to arrange. There are also concerns about both national sovereignty and impinging on the rights of local communities, whose lives are often most affected by the transaction.

By trying to explicitly link debt relief to environmental outcomes, well-designed swaps can create dedicated, long-term funding streams for conservation. This can help protect ecosystems that support livelihoods, store carbon and buffer communities against climate-related consequences such as storms and rising sea levels.

As climate change accelerates and debt burdens rise, countries – including across Asia – are being squeezed between repaying creditors and protecting their future. Debt-for-nature swaps won’t solve either problem alone, but they can offer one of the few ways to tackle both issues at once.

None of which should obscure the fact that London is, by some distance, the best model the rest of England has. Greater London’s 26,668 public charge points – nearly a third of all the chargers in the country, serving just 11 per cent of its EV drivers – sit at a density of almost 17 per sq km. The average London driver is 126 metres from a public charger. In Newcastle, that distance is 336 metres. In Birmingham, 241. In Sheffield, 288. These are not trivial differences. They are the physical expression of a two-tier country, and they explain why range anxiety persists as a barrier to EV adoption outside the capital.

Eleven dedicated team members have marked hugely impressive milestones.

Eleven dedicated team members from Specsavers’ Airdrie and Coatbridge stores have reached hugely impressive long-service milestones.

Leading the celebrations is optical assistant June Boyle, who is marking an incredible 30 years with the opticians business.

Optical assistants Janene Bell and Debbie Kelly are celebrating 23 and 15 years of service respectively, while Morgan Grieve and Claire Brannen have both reached their 10-year milestones.

Across the wider team, assistant manager Susanne Fearon is celebrating 16 years of service, and retail supervisor Jennifer McLaughlan is marking 15 years.

Within the lab technician team, Connor Grieve and John McKelvie are marking 15 and 10 years in their roles, while Phil McVey is celebrating six years.

Cleaner Carol O’Byrne, who works across both stores, is also celebrating 10 years of dedicated service, helping to ensure a welcoming and professional environment for customers and colleagues alike.

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Together, the 11 colleagues represent exactly 160 years of combined service across the Airdrie and Coatbridge stores, playing vital roles from clinical support and laboratory services to retail assistance and maintaining a welcoming environment for customers.

Ewan Grieve, retail director of Specsavers Airdrie and Coatbridge, said: “I’m incredibly proud to celebrate these significant milestones with our team.

“Hitting a variety of 10, 15 and 30-year milestones is a remarkable achievement – and a testament to the dedication, professionalism and passion each of these colleagues bring to their roles.

‘Between the team, they have supported thousands of customers and helped shape the warm, community-focused environments we’re so proud of in Airdrie and Coatbridge.

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“We’re here to support our customers through the generations, and having such experienced, long-standing team members means families know they can trust us with their eye care year after year.

‘Their loyalty and commitment are at the heart of our continued success, and we’re grateful for the difference they make every single day.’

The stores continue to invest in their teams and services, ensuring customers in Airdrie and Coatbridge receive the highest standard of eye care and customer service.

To book an appointment, or speak to a member of the team at Specsavers Airdrie or Specsavers Coatbridge, visit the websites https://www.specsavers.co.uk/stores/airdrie or https://www.specsavers.co.uk/stores/coatbridge

READ MORE: People invited to take part in The Big Lunch weekend, packed with food, friendship, fun and community action

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Labels like autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia are not new. But the way we understand them is changing.

In recent years, researchers have increasingly worked with neurodivergent people rather than simply studying them from the outside. That change has brought better access to diagnosis, more inclusive approaches in schools and workplaces and a growing challenge to the idea that neurological difference is something to be fixed.

Language sits at the heart of that change. But getting it right can feel daunting. Should we say “a person with autism” or “an autistic person”? Are medical terms respectful, or do they quietly reinforce stigma? And who gets to decide these things anyway?

For years, professionals were encouraged to use person-first language – phrases such as “person with autism” – to emphasise humanity over diagnosis. But research published in 2016 upended that assumption. Autistic people themselves, it turned out, largely preferred identity-first language: “autistic person”.

That finding has been repeated many times since. Until our recent study, however, very little was known about whether the same preferences applied across the wider neurodivergent community. So, our research team – all neurodivergent – set out to discover just that.

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What autistic people – and those with ADHD and dyslexia – really think about the word ‘neurodiversity’

In our new study, we surveyed more than 900 neurodivergent adults across the UK about their terminology preferences. Participants identified with a range of diagnoses, including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, Tourette syndrome and stuttering. For each, we presented a list of commonly used terms.

Some were identity first, such as “dyslexic”. Others were person first, such as “person with dyslexia”. We asked people to rate how likeable and how offensive they found each term. Crucially, we also asked why. Those open-text responses revealed far more than a simple preference list.

What we found

Overall, most groups preferred identity-first language. Terms like “autistic people” or “dyslexic people” were seen as more likeable and less offensive. There were important exceptions. People with Tourette syndrome and people who stutter tended to prefer person-first terms.

And when we looked more closely, the picture became more complicated still. Some groups – particularly people with ADHD – felt that none of the available terms really fit. Many said existing labels were vague or failed to capture the full reality of their lives. “Attention deficit”, for example, was seen as too narrow. People described ADHD as affecting far more than focus, shaping energy, emotions, creativity and daily functioning in ways the term barely hints at.

In other words, the issue was not just how language was structured, but whether it worked at all.

Across diagnoses, people spoke powerfully about how certain words made them feel. Words such as “disorder” were widely disliked. Many felt they implied something broken or defective, rather than acknowledging that difficulties often arise because society is not designed with neurodivergent people in mind. Several participants said these terms reinforced stereotypes and shaped how others treated them.

Respect, identity and disagreement

Participants were also clear about one thing: people should be allowed to describe themselves in the way that feels right to them. Even among autistic participants – a group with a well-established preference for identity-first language – many stressed that others should be free to choose person-first terms if that reflected their own identity.

Community infighting over “correct” language was seen as unhelpful. Several people pointed out that neurodivergent communities face far bigger challenges than internal policing of words, including discrimination, exclusion and lack of support.

At the same time, participants drew a clear line between self-description and professional language. They felt that teachers, doctors, researchers and journalists should follow group-level community preferences when speaking in general terms – and be open to correction when they get it wrong. Who is using the language, and in what context, mattered enormously.

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Why it’s time to rethink the notion of an autism ‘spectrum’

What emerged most clearly from our study was that debates about language are rarely just about words. They are about power. About who gets to define whom. And about whether neurodivergent people are seen as fully human, with authority over their own lives and identities. Participants were often less concerned with perfect terminology than with intent, respect and action.

Terminology discussions are not just about language, but about the dehumanisation and associated stigma of people considered “disordered” or “abnormal”. Language shapes action. How we treat people is shaped by whether we see them as being worthy of the same dignity and respect that we afford to those we see as fully human. As such, self-determination, autonomy and respect sit at the centre of such language debates.

We recommend listening to neurodivergent people to find out about their preferences and using the words that they prefer, instead of solely being led by traditions which have developed without the input of the communities we are referring to. When it comes to dignity and respect, actions speak louder than words. People want to feel respected and accepted for who they are, regardless of the labels people use to describe their differences.

Prince Philip routinely called Meghan Markle ‘The American’ according to royal historian Hugo Vickers’ new biography, while also privately referring to her as ‘DoW’ – his code for Duchess of Windsor

The late Prince Philip was well known for his blunt manner and frequent public blunders. The late Queen’s Greek-born husband was particularly notorious for his offensive remarks towards anyone he considered “foreign.” He once asked indigenous Australians if they were “still throwing spears” while he also described some particularly shoddy electrical work as looking as though it was “put in by an Indian.”

The prince’s infamous attitude even stretched to members of his own family. According to royal historian Hugo Vickers, who has recently released a new biography of the late Queen Elizabeth II, Philip would routinely refer to his grandson’s wife with a dismissive two-word nickname.

In his new book, Hugo reveals that Philip would simply refer to Meghan Markle as ‘The American’. He adds that the Queen had once “torn Meghan off a strip” after she had been rude to one of the royal gardeners.

However, on the Daily Telegraph’s royal podcast, Hugo diplomatically declined to comment when royal-watcher Camilla Tominey asked him if he thought Philip had “seen through Meghan’s theatrical ways”.

Prince Philip, who passed away in April 2021 just two months before his 100th birthday, had previously drawn comparisons between Meghan and another controversial royal from an earlier era, privately dubbing her ‘DoW’, his code for ‘Duchess of Windsor’, a reference to Wallis Simpson.

Speaking on GB News, royal expert Ingrid Seward claimed that Philip thought that Meghan bore an “uncanny” resemblance to Wallis, whose romantic entanglement with King Edward VIII precipitated one of the most dramatic crises in royal history. The Queen’s uncle Edward abdicated the throne so he could marry the twice-divorced American, reports the Express.

“He wasn’t simply referring to the fact that both were pencil-slim, dark-haired and glamorous American divorcees,” Ingrid said.

She added: “I think Prince Philip was very canny about people and he didn’t always see the bad in them, he tried to see the good in them.

“I think he just couldn’t get away from the fact [of the] similarities between Meghan and Harry and Edward and Mrs Simpson.

“There are so many similarities which is why he used to call her The Duchess of Windsor, I mean not to her face.”

In her 2023 book exploring King Charles’s bond with the late Queen, My Mother and I, Ingrid wrote: “One of the few wary of succumbing to (Meghan’s) charm offensive… was Prince Philip.

“From the moment he detected her apparent similarity to Wallis, he referred to her as DoW.”

Prince Harry, for his part, has stated that there has always been a “huge level” of unconscious bias within the Royal Family, and that it was only after living “in his wife’s shoes” for a period that he began to recognise the implicit racial prejudice amongst people of his social background.

In an interview with Black Lives Matter activist Patrick Hutchinson, published in GQ magazine, Harry lauded the “incredibly important” movement and revealed how, for a period of time, he had been unaware that unconscious biases exist within society.

“Unconscious bias, from my understanding, having the upbringing and the education that I had, I had no idea what it was,” Harry said. “I had no idea it existed. And then, sad as it is to say, it took me many, many years to realise it, especially then living a day or a week in my wife’s shoes.”

He suggested that prejudice was “learned from the older generation, or from advertising, from your environment”.

“Unless we acknowledge we are part of this cycle, then we’re always going to be fighting against it,” Harry added.

The Talbot Hotel in Yorkersgate, Malton, was evacuated around lunchtime due to the incident.

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A spokesperson for the hotel said: “We’re open as usual at The Talbot Hotel.

“Following a fire alarm over the weekend, we’d like to thank the fire brigade for their swift response and our guests for their understanding. A small, contained fire within a chimney was quickly located and dealt with, with no injuries and limited damage reported.

“We look forward to welcoming you as normal.”

As reported by the Gazette and Herald fire crews were called to The Talbot hotel shortly before 1.20pm.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said its two crews extinguished the fire which was confined to the chimney flute.

A service spokesperson said: “A crew from Malton and an ariel ladder platform from Scarborough responded to a chimney fire.

“The fire was confined to the chimney flue and the ariel ladder platform and chimney nozzle adapter were used to extinguish the fire.”

Holidaymakers were left vomiting and fainting in a queue from hell at Milan airport.

Around 100 easyJet customers were stranded at Linate airport on Sunday because of delays caused by new border checks in the EU.

The airline said the chaos was ‘outside of our control’ and even delayed take off by 52 minutes to try give passengers extra time to get on board.

Dozens of Britons were left scrambling to find alternative journeys home after some only discovered they had missed their flight once it had taken off without them.

One passenger, Kiera, 17, said that only 30 people made it onto the plane while 100 didn’t.

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The Oldham local, who faced a 20 hour wait for an alternative flight, told the BBC: ‘We got here at 7.30am for our flight at 11am so were super early.

‘We got to Border Control and it was a massive queue of people. I wasn’t feeling great anyway because I think I’d got food poisoning.

‘At about 10.50am they brought some water over for people, and when we got to the front of the queue someone asked us if we were going to Manchester, and told us our flight had just gone.’  

The new return journey had cost her mother £520 and that they would be going to Gatwick, not Manchester.

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Kiera said easyJet had only offered £12.25 in compensation.

Adam Lomas, 33, an accountant from Wakefield, became stranded with his wife Katy, 31, and their four-month-old daughter.

The dad was sat in the airport for hours and that when he tried to contact easyJet he was faced with ‘chatbots’ and ‘audio issues’.

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He told the BBC: ‘The airport and easyJet have spent hours arguing with each other about who is to blame.’

Adam said his family were forced to find a new hotel and book flights back to London, before then needing a to get a two-and-a-half-hour train to Manchester.

Easyjet called the delays caused by the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) ‘unacceptable’.

The new system requires passengers from third-party countries, including the UK, have to have their fingerprints and photographs taken as they enter the Schengen Area.

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EES registration is replacing the system of manually stamping passports and the UK government warned it might take longer for passengers to complete.

What are the EU’s new EES border check requirements?

The European Union’s new Entry-Exit System, known as the EES, will connect every crossing point in the Schengen Area.

Every EU country in the Schengen area will be connected, other than Ireland and Cyprus, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland.

Travellers will be required to hand over biometric data such as their fingerprints and a photo scanned with facial recognition technology.

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The system aims to crack down on crime and enforce the limit on EU stays for British and third-country citizens, which is 90 days within any 180 days.

Most travellers from outside the EU, known as third-country nationals, will be required to register their passport details and biometric data when crossing into an EU country for the first time.

Biometric data includes fingerprints and facial pictures. Borders are likely to be kitted with self-service kiosks where passengers can input this information.

This data, as well as the entry and exit details, will be stored for subsequent visits.

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Future visits will only require a verification of the biometric data, which can speed up the process.

Children are not exempt from the checks, although children under 12 do not need to give fingerprints; however they will also need to have their face scanned.

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The system became fully operational on April 10 and caused travel chaos across last weekend.

A spokesman for easyJet said: ‘We are aware that some passengers departing from Milan Linate today experienced longer than usual waiting times at passport control and we advised customers due to fly to allow additional time to make their way through the airport.

‘We have been doing all possible to minimise the impact of the airport queues, holding flights to allow customers extra time and providing free flight transfers for any customers who may have missed their flight including EJU5420 to Manchester.

‘We continue to urge border authorities to ensure they make full and effective use of the permitted flexibilities for as long as needed while European Entry / Exit System is implemented, to avoid these unacceptable border delays for our customers.

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‘While this is outside of our control, we are sorry for any inconvenience caused.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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