The Daily: July 24

We scour the news so as you don't have to...

America’s first woman in space dies age 61 

Sally Ride, America’s first female astronaut has died at the age of 61, after a 17-year battle with pancreatic cancer. She was the first American woman, as well as the youngest, to go into space at the age of 32 in 1983. Ride was known for her expertise in robotics, and her excellent ability to remain cool under extreme pressures.

Women feel sexiest at 28

New research has revealed women feel sexiest at the age of 28. At this age ladies feel happiest with their physical appearances. By the age of 32 women said they felt thoroughly confident with themselves. The survey also said three out of four British women would not change a thing about their figures. But, looks are still classed as more important than IQ for many - more than a fifth saying they were most proud of their eyes, their breasts and then their brains.

Ant-mating ritual starts today

Prepare for swarms of winged ants covering pavements and gardens, as the yearly mating ritual for flying ants begins today. They will mainly be taking advantage of the hot weather, covering cars, pavements and pretty much everything as they begin their ‘nuptial flight’. Swarms will largely consist of of the common black garden ant, Lasius Niger. The males die after mating, while the queens build new colonies by digging chambers underground. Most queens lay eggs for the rest of their lives, some even living up to 15 years.

Hot tubs most likely to drive neighbours up the wall

The craze of hot tubs, heated communal baths that have sprung up in numerous back gardens, have been named as one of the 10 things most likely to cause ‘garden rage’. The tendencies to hold late-night noisy dips in the tub are of particular annoyance, beating other entries on the list such as barbeque smoke, power tools barking dogs and the sound of wind chimes. Lucy Hall, the editor of Gardeners World, claimed that modern appliances are disturbing the calm and ambience that gardens should have.

‘Morally wrong’ to pay tradesman in cash

People who pay tradesmen such as plumbers or builders with cash are ‘morally wrong’ according to David Gauke, a Treasury minister. Home owners who allow tradesmen to evade income tax or VAT, are forcing others to pay more, costing Britain billions of pounds a year in lost tax revenues. However, some critics accuse the government of being ‘unnecessarily moralistic’ about ordinary people wanting to keep their household bills down.