World News

The Caves of Mid-West Ireland

UBSS, Bristol. 2019. 364pp, 20 colour photographs, 136 maps and surveys. Hardback, 180mm × 248mm. £20 ISBN 978-0-9545850-1-3 In one sense, Caves of Mid-West Ireland ...
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In the news…

In a new feature for 2020, we're now bringing you a round-up of some of the news and views from around the world. Where multiple ...
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Skulls, bats and MBEs – here’s the latest issue of Descent!

Descent 271 has now arrived! If a copy hasn’t reached you, it’s time to head over to Wildplaces Publishing to subscribe now or if you’re ...
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Brits showcase their exploits at home and abroad in the latest Descent

Descent 270 has now arrived! If a copy hasn’t reached you, it’s time to head over to Wildplaces Publishing to subscribe now or if you’re ...
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International Greenland expedition’s record-breaking trip

Researchers from four international universities have returned from an expedition to a remote area of north-east Greenland where they broke two records. The team, comprised ...
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Descent 268 now available

Descent 268 is now available! If a copy hasn’t arrived with you, it’s time to head over to Wildplaces Publishing to subscribe now or if ...
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Irish cave gets a spring clean

Irish cavers have cleaned up, thanks to a grant from the Geological Survey of Ireland – and may also have found new access points to ...
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Archaeologists identify first figurative Palaeolithic cave art in the Balkans

An international team, led by an archaeologist from the University of Southampton and the University of Bordeaux, has revealed the first example of Palaeolithic figurative ...
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Grab your chance, says Rising Star

Angharad Brewer Gillham collecting sediment for later analysis on the surface. Photo by Dirk van Rooyen, courtesy of University of the Witwatersrand.
In the final part of her report for Darkness Below, Rising Star Angharad Brewer Gillham looks back on her adventures underground in South Africa, and ...
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British cave divers recognised in honours list

Honoured ... Rick Stanton, Connor Roe and Chris Jewell (Photos by Linda Wilson) The British divers at the centre of the Thai cave rescue have ...
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Latest Eurospeleo newsletter now available

The European Speleological Federation have just released their December 2018 newsletter including news of Hirlatzhohle extensions in Austria, new board appointsments,  the 2018 Italian cavers ...
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Going underground … The Rising Stars feel the squeeze

Angharad Brewer Gillham found herself a world away from her comfortable desk job in Switzerland when she joined the Rising Stars expedition in South Africa's ...
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Dispatches from one of caving’s Rising Stars …

One moment Angharad Brewer Gillham was sitting behind a desk in Switzerland. The next, she's in South Africa on the prestigious Rising Stars expedition helping ...
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From foot fungus to explosions under the stairs

Camera expert Sid Perou looks back over a career of often dramatic and sometimes risky filming adventures, including the risk of foot fungus, and explosions under ...
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Hang Son Doong- the cave that built a village

 Veteran caving film maker Sid Perou has teamed up with photographer Ryan Deboodt to produce a compelling thirty nine minute film about the discovery ...
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Breaking News: British cave divers also rescued four trapped Thai rescuers in Tham Luang Cave

When Rick Stanton and John Volanthen surfaced in Chamber 3 of Tham Luang Cave on day 6 of the rescue to find four people waiting ...
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Behind the scenes with the BCRC at the Thai cave rescue – Part Two

Emma Porter, the BCRC secretary, set up the crucial main communications centre so she had live contact with the divers and the surface support team. She was assisted by Graham Smith (right) from the Midlands CRO.
In the second part of Darkness Below’s interview with BCRC chair Peter Dennis, he tells Linda Wilson and Sharon Wheeler how disaster struck during the ...
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Behind the scenes with the BCRC at the Thai cave rescue – Part One

Peter Dennis, chairman of the British Cave Rescue Council, is interviewed on BBC’s Newsnight by Evan Davis, with John Volanthen’s images of the stranded boys in the background.
While the eyes of the world were on the divers taking part in the Thai cave rescue, an unsung band of volunteers were beavering away ...
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News: Denisova Cave Find Provides Remarkable DNA Result

Breaking news, needle found in haystack. A new technique has been developed that can be used to screen otherwise unidentifiable bone fragments to allow identification ...
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Review: Descent 263 Now Available

Descent 263 is now available! If you’re not already got your copy, we hope this short round up will tempt you to subscribe now, so ...
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News: Descent 263 Coming Soon

Descent 263 will be out soon so now’s a good time to check if you’re up to date with your subscription! The hard-working folks at ...
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After The Tham Luang Rescue – Taking Stock

With the Thailand cave rescue operations now completed with the 100 % successful evacuation of all casualties and rescue divers, Darkness Below presents some reflections ...
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News: Tham Luang Nang Non cave rescue successfully completed

Photo courtesy of Chris Jewell
We can now confirm that all twelve of the boys and their coach have been successfully rescued from the cave. As well as one of ...
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Newsflash: Seven boys are now out of the Thai Cave

It has now been confirmed that the seventh boy is out of the cave and the eighth is nearly out. If the rescue controllers have ...
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News: The first four of the boys are out.

Various contradictory reports are circulating regarding the emergence of two of the boys. Reuters, citing a local official, says that the first two members of ...
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News: Thai rescue now underway.

Photo courtesy of Chris Jewell
Overnight an international team of  divers entered the cave, beginning the operation to bring the trapped boys and their coach out of the cave. At ...
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News: Thai Rescue Update

Former Thai navy SEAL Saman Kunan
Tragic news came from Thailand today of the death of retired Thai Navy Seal Saman Kunan who ran out of air on a dive to ...
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Thai rescue update – two more British cave divers en route to Tham Luang cave as part of larger team

Photo courtesy of Chris Jewell Two more British cave divers, Chris Jewell and Jason Mallinson are joining the ongoing rescue effort in Thailand, along with ...
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Latest media briefing from the British Cave Rescue Council

Attached below is the latest update regarding the British involvement in the Thaiand Cave Rescue. Any press enquiries shoud be directed as detailed in the ...
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Missing Thai boys and coach found alive – rescue moves to next stage

It's probably fair to say that people across the world, not just cavers, are breathing one the largest collective sighs of relief for many years ...
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