Scientists working with a species of locusts found in Asia believe they've made an important discovery about why the insects gather in such vast numbers. They say the locusts are looking for food which is high in
carbohydrates
similar to a junk food diet for humans. Writing in the journal Science, the researchers say that the insects find this food on land which is low in nitrogen. The lead researcher Arianne Cease from Arizona State University said this makes them
vulnerable to
nitrogen fertilizers that encourage the growth of protein-rich foods.
"Our study suggests (that) sort of
counter-intuitively
that if we have an
impending
outbreak - so a large number of juveniles of this particular locust - (that) we could use nitrogen fertilizer to apply that to some of the localised outbreaks, and then that would actually suppress their numbers going into adults and would likely suppress future swarms."
The front-runner in the race to be the next president of France, the Socialist candidate Francois Hollande, says he can erase the country's public deficit and increase spending. Unveiling his
manifesto
, Mr Hollande said he'd increase tax on high earners but cut it for small businesses.
A government office in the Irish capital Dublin has banned applicants from wearing pajamas when they attend interviews to assess their welfare payments. Andy Martin takes up this story.