London, Oct 5 : A new study has revealed that the red squirrels in Britain will have only ten years before they are wiped out completely, if urgent action is not taken.

The squirrels, which are native to the UK and which were made famous by Beatrix Potter’s Squirrel Nutkin, are particularly vulnerable at this time of year.

The threat on the reds comes from the grey squirrels, which were introduced to the UK from America in the 19th century, and which carry a squirrel pox, which is deadly to reds.

The population of the reds needs to be under constant supervision and the Wildlife Trusts wants the public to help them keep track and report any sightings.

London, October 5 (ANI): One in five young Britons think that their parents have taken drugs, reports a new survey.

According to a poll commissioned by specialist drug and alcohol charity ‘Addaction’, only one percent of parents questioned think their own children take drugs, while over half of the young generation itself thought their parents ‘understand about drugs’.

Of the young public questioned, 90 percent stood ‘against drugs’ while nine in ten feel ‘little or no pressure’ to take drugs when with friends.

However, one in ten still believe that celebrities taking drugs was ‘cool’ whereas two thirds of parents are worried about its impact on their children.

London, Oct 5 : English pop musical group Take That has been enlisted by struggling store giant Marks & Spencer to aid them during their Christmas sale.

M&S had recently announced its worst sales figures for more than three years, and they are hoping the band, comprising of Gary Barlow, 37, Mark Owen, 36, Jason Orange, 38, and Howard Donald, 40, would help in winning back customers.

Besides the boys, who modelled M&S menswear last year, M&S babes Myleene Klass, 30, Lily Cole, 20, Erin O’Connor, 30, Twiggy, 59, and Noémie Lenoir, 29, will be taking part in the festive ads.

London, Oct 5 : Hate losing an argument with your partner or a heated political debate with friends? Well, a new university course aimed at boosting powers of persuasion might just do the trick for you.

Called ‘For The Sake Of Argument’, the free day course is being hosted by Professor Laurence Goldstein at the University of Kent.

“Arguing is an intrin­sically enjoyable activity. Some­times a view may be put forward that is so subtle and so persuasive that it can be savoured just like a work of art or a piece of music,” The Daily Express quoted him, as saying.

“It is a useful skill for politicians, journalists and business people. In fact it is invaluable for any­one who wants to persuade ­oth­ers rationally,” he added.

London, Oct 5 : A research led by scientists at Bristol University has revealed that prehistoric cave paintings took up to 20,000 years to complete.

Till date, it has been extremely difficult to pinpoint when prehistoric cave paintings and carvings were created, but a pioneering technique is allowing researchers to date cave art accurately for the first time and show how the works were crafted over thousands of years.

Experts hope that the new technique will shed light on how early human culture developed and changed as the first modern humans moved across Europe around 40,000 years ago.

London, Oct 5 : Weekend officially ends at 7.30pm on a Sunday, according to a new poll.

The survey of 2,000 Britons found that as the Sunday evening approaches, thoughts turn to worrying about the week ahead.

For 39 per cent of people, Sunday evenings are spent catching up on emails in preparation for the dreaded Monday morning, while one in 10 works all day from home.

A whopping 72 per cent of those polled spend up to four hours doing chores on a Sunday, which includes 31 per cent attempting to get through the laundry, 24 per cent cleaning the kitchen and 
14 per cent changing the bed.

The poll by Indesit revealed that most of us get the Monday morning blues long before Sunday is over.