Whom Do You Trust on Climate Change

The Hague â€" As the debate on global warming steadily drifts away from whether it is real toward how it will affect our future, a new British study looks at the sources people trust to stay informed on the issue.

An online poll commissioned by the Carbon Brief, a British climate and energy news blog, found that 69 percent of respondents in the United Kingdom consider scientists the most trustworthy source on the issue (49 percent say they are ‘quite trustworthy’, while 20 percent say they are ‘very trustworthy’).

Surprisingly, environmental groups are the second-most trustworthy source (39 percent), ahead of the BBC (31 percent), friends and family (30 percent) and various other types of media, according to the poll, which was published this week.

“It might reflect who people see talking about these issues,” said Christian Hunt, the editor of Carbon Trust, in a telephone interview.

Politicians rate dead last, with only 7 percent of the poll’s respondents saying they were trustworthy on the issue.

The study is based on 2,035 online interviews conducted with U.K. residents at the end of January of this year. Roughly consistent with British opinion polls of recent years, it found that 89 percent of respondents believe climate change is real, with 56 percent of respondents saying climate change had been caused by human actions.

Join our sustainability conversation. Where do you get your information on climate change Why do you trust that source

Whom Do You Trust on Climate Change

The Hague â€" As the debate on global warming steadily drifts away from whether it is real toward how it will affect our future, a new British study looks at the sources people trust to stay informed on the issue.

An online poll commissioned by the Carbon Brief, a British climate and energy news blog, found that 69 percent of respondents in the United Kingdom consider scientists the most trustworthy source on the issue (49 percent say they are ‘quite trustworthy’, while 20 percent say they are ‘very trustworthy’).

Surprisingly, environmental groups are the second-most trustworthy source (39 percent), ahead of the BBC (31 percent), friends and family (30 percent) and various other types of media, according to the poll, which was published this week.

“It might reflect who people see talking about these issues,” said Christian Hunt, the editor of Carbon Trust, in a telephone interview.

Politicians rate dead last, with only 7 percent of the poll’s respondents saying they were trustworthy on the issue.

The study is based on 2,035 online interviews conducted with U.K. residents at the end of January of this year. Roughly consistent with British opinion polls of recent years, it found that 89 percent of respondents believe climate change is real, with 56 percent of respondents saying climate change had been caused by human actions.

Join our sustainability conversation. Where do you get your information on climate change Why do you trust that source

Monkey Business on Bieber Tour. Is He the Rolling Stones

LONDON - Forget Kim Jong-un’s nuclear posturing and the latest bad news on the euro. The other drama that is grabbing attention in the European press this week is the fate of Justin Bieber’s monkey.

The teen superstar’s pet simian has been behind bars at a Munich animal sanctuary since it was quarantined by German officials.

The 14-week-old Capuchin monkey, Mally, was seized after Mr. Bieber landed at Munich airport for the German leg of a European tour without proper documentation for the pet.

Mally is reportedly cheerful and is eating well. However, German animal rights groups have criticized the Canadian singer for having such a young animal as a pet and said he could grow up with “serious behavioral disorders” - the monkey, that is.

Britain’s The Sun has meanwhile offered to find Mally “a comfy new home in a British zoo” if Mr. Bieber fails to reclaim the pet, which he reportedly received as a 19th birthday gift last month.

On the premise that all publicity is good publicity, it has been a great European tour for Mr. Bieber, who has been “a source of problems wherever he goes,” according to Grazia, a French style magazine.

A French poll named him the most irritating celebrity of the month in March alongside President François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy, the latter’s predecessor.

The star’s image transformation from post-pubescent heart-throb to bad boy has prompted some inevitable generational harrumphing about the vacuity of modern youth culture and demands for him to set a good example for his fans.

“Bieber must face up to his responsibility, also as a role model for many young people,” said Wolfgang Schröder, president of the German Animal Protection Society in a comment on the Mally debacle.

Urging Mr. Bieber to apologize to his 52 million Facebook fans and 37 million Twitter followers, he said, “From the point of view of animal protection he should under no circumstances be allowed to keep the animal that was brought into the country illegally.”

During the British leg of his Believe Tour, which one reviewer found “dazed and deeply confused,” Mr. Bieber appeared two hours late for one show and had to cut short another after he fell ill on stage.

And he had to be restrained by his bodyguards after getting into an argument with a photographer outside his London hotel.

None of the publicity seems to have dented the ardor of his teenage fans, certainly not in Norway, where Bieber fever has prompted some schools to reschedule exams so that they do not clash with the singer’s April gigs.

So, is there anything new in the Bieber version of youth culture mania, or was it ever thus

Teddy Wayne, the novelist, wrote in a recent New York Times article recording Mr. Bieber’s latest travails, “The response to Mr. Bieber’s crackup says much about our culture’s discomfort with changing notions of childhood, a decade-long shift in values and conventions that he exemplifies better than anyone.”

He added that “because Mr. Bieber is so ambitious and enterprising, he can also be considered an emblem of the overscheduled, future-oriented Generation Y striver.”

The Bieber phenomenon in the new socially networked world has not escaped the attention of academics such as Melissa Avdeeff, a Canadian sociologist who wrote in a study:

“Through an examination of Justin Bieber’s popularity in mainstream culture, as mediated through social networking sites such as YouTube and Twitter, the cultural groundedness of pop popularity is demonstrated, as well as the re-negotiation of the barrier between pop artist and fan.”

Music world veterans such as Sharon Osbourne have questioned whether the Bieber phenomenon will endure or whether his career will crash and burn before he hits 20.

Perhaps the singer should take heart from the experience of the Rolling Stones, Britain’s enduring bad boy band. Mick Jagger will be leading the group out for a concert in London in July, just around the time of his 70th birthday.

Monkey Business on Bieber Tour. Is He the Rolling Stones

LONDON - Forget Kim Jong-un’s nuclear posturing and the latest bad news on the euro. The other drama that is grabbing attention in the European press this week is the fate of Justin Bieber’s monkey.

The teen superstar’s pet simian has been behind bars at a Munich animal sanctuary since it was quarantined by German officials.

The 14-week-old Capuchin monkey, Mally, was seized after Mr. Bieber landed at Munich airport for the German leg of a European tour without proper documentation for the pet.

Mally is reportedly cheerful and is eating well. However, German animal rights groups have criticized the Canadian singer for having such a young animal as a pet and said he could grow up with “serious behavioral disorders” - the monkey, that is.

Britain’s The Sun has meanwhile offered to find Mally “a comfy new home in a British zoo” if Mr. Bieber fails to reclaim the pet, which he reportedly received as a 19th birthday gift last month.

On the premise that all publicity is good publicity, it has been a great European tour for Mr. Bieber, who has been “a source of problems wherever he goes,” according to Grazia, a French style magazine.

A French poll named him the most irritating celebrity of the month in March alongside President François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy, the latter’s predecessor.

The star’s image transformation from post-pubescent heart-throb to bad boy has prompted some inevitable generational harrumphing about the vacuity of modern youth culture and demands for him to set a good example for his fans.

“Bieber must face up to his responsibility, also as a role model for many young people,” said Wolfgang Schröder, president of the German Animal Protection Society in a comment on the Mally debacle.

Urging Mr. Bieber to apologize to his 52 million Facebook fans and 37 million Twitter followers, he said, “From the point of view of animal protection he should under no circumstances be allowed to keep the animal that was brought into the country illegally.”

During the British leg of his Believe Tour, which one reviewer found “dazed and deeply confused,” Mr. Bieber appeared two hours late for one show and had to cut short another after he fell ill on stage.

And he had to be restrained by his bodyguards after getting into an argument with a photographer outside his London hotel.

None of the publicity seems to have dented the ardor of his teenage fans, certainly not in Norway, where Bieber fever has prompted some schools to reschedule exams so that they do not clash with the singer’s April gigs.

So, is there anything new in the Bieber version of youth culture mania, or was it ever thus

Teddy Wayne, the novelist, wrote in a recent New York Times article recording Mr. Bieber’s latest travails, “The response to Mr. Bieber’s crackup says much about our culture’s discomfort with changing notions of childhood, a decade-long shift in values and conventions that he exemplifies better than anyone.”

He added that “because Mr. Bieber is so ambitious and enterprising, he can also be considered an emblem of the overscheduled, future-oriented Generation Y striver.”

The Bieber phenomenon in the new socially networked world has not escaped the attention of academics such as Melissa Avdeeff, a Canadian sociologist who wrote in a study:

“Through an examination of Justin Bieber’s popularity in mainstream culture, as mediated through social networking sites such as YouTube and Twitter, the cultural groundedness of pop popularity is demonstrated, as well as the re-negotiation of the barrier between pop artist and fan.”

Music world veterans such as Sharon Osbourne have questioned whether the Bieber phenomenon will endure or whether his career will crash and burn before he hits 20.

Perhaps the singer should take heart from the experience of the Rolling Stones, Britain’s enduring bad boy band. Mick Jagger will be leading the group out for a concert in London in July, just around the time of his 70th birthday.

IHT Quick Read: April 4

NEWS With only months to go before his last presidential term, and elections in June, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has surprised many of his critics by challenging a coalition of traditionalists in Iran. Thomas Erdbrink reports from Tehran.

Israeli-Palestinian tensions rose sharply on Wednesday, with a resumption of clashes at the Gaza border as Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails declared a three-day hunger strike to protest a fellow inmate’s death, saying Israel was responsible. Isabel Kershner reports from Jerusalem.

When the prime minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak, announced Wednesday that he was dissolving Parliament, he set in motion an election campaign that will render judgment not just on his embattled governing coalition, but also on Malaysia’s longstanding system of dividing the power and spoils of public life on ethnic lines. Thomas Fuller reports from Kuala Lumpur.

A subpoena was issued Wednesday for a daughter of King Juan Carlos of Spain as part of a widening investigation into whether her husband embezzled millions of euros from a sports charity, further tarnishing the image of the monarchy at a moment when corruption cases have shaken virtually every public institution in Spain. Raphael Minder reports from Madrid.

Class in Britain used to be a relatively simple matter, but the BBC has concluded from a survey that in today’s complicated world, there are seven social classes, not three. Sarah Lyall reports from London.

Even as other orders close houses and parish priests in Ireland are vanishing, the Dominican order, which has kept its traditional robes and communal lifestyle, is growing. Doreen Carvajal reports from Cork, Ireland.

The International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday that it would contribute 1 billion euros, or about 10 percent, of a bailout package for Cyprus but stipulated that the country would need to take tough measures to overhaul its beleaguered economy. James Kanter reports from Brussels.

Three years after it opened, Terminal 2 at Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai stands as a testament to China’s economic ambitions, and to its unique approach to infrastructure development. David Barboza reports from Shanghai.

A rare strike by contract dockworkers in Hong Kong is snarling the flow of ships and goods at a global freight hub, the world’s third-busiest container port, after Shanghai and Singapore. Neil Gough reports from Hong Kong.

A steep devaluation in the Egyptian pound, and the lack of hard currency, makes it more difficult to import expensive drugs because the law requires that they be resold at a fixed price. Farah Halime reports from Cairo.

ARTS Jean-Luc Martinez, the head of the Louvre’s department of Greek, Etruscan and Roman antiquities, was named the museum’s new director on Wednesday. David Jolly reports from Paris.

SPORTS When giants of Europe meet in the Champions League quarterfinals, concentration becomes a crucial factor. Rob Hughes writes from London.

IHT Quick Read: April 4

NEWS With only months to go before his last presidential term, and elections in June, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has surprised many of his critics by challenging a coalition of traditionalists in Iran. Thomas Erdbrink reports from Tehran.

Israeli-Palestinian tensions rose sharply on Wednesday, with a resumption of clashes at the Gaza border as Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails declared a three-day hunger strike to protest a fellow inmate’s death, saying Israel was responsible. Isabel Kershner reports from Jerusalem.

When the prime minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak, announced Wednesday that he was dissolving Parliament, he set in motion an election campaign that will render judgment not just on his embattled governing coalition, but also on Malaysia’s longstanding system of dividing the power and spoils of public life on ethnic lines. Thomas Fuller reports from Kuala Lumpur.

A subpoena was issued Wednesday for a daughter of King Juan Carlos of Spain as part of a widening investigation into whether her husband embezzled millions of euros from a sports charity, further tarnishing the image of the monarchy at a moment when corruption cases have shaken virtually every public institution in Spain. Raphael Minder reports from Madrid.

Class in Britain used to be a relatively simple matter, but the BBC has concluded from a survey that in today’s complicated world, there are seven social classes, not three. Sarah Lyall reports from London.

Even as other orders close houses and parish priests in Ireland are vanishing, the Dominican order, which has kept its traditional robes and communal lifestyle, is growing. Doreen Carvajal reports from Cork, Ireland.

The International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday that it would contribute 1 billion euros, or about 10 percent, of a bailout package for Cyprus but stipulated that the country would need to take tough measures to overhaul its beleaguered economy. James Kanter reports from Brussels.

Three years after it opened, Terminal 2 at Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai stands as a testament to China’s economic ambitions, and to its unique approach to infrastructure development. David Barboza reports from Shanghai.

A rare strike by contract dockworkers in Hong Kong is snarling the flow of ships and goods at a global freight hub, the world’s third-busiest container port, after Shanghai and Singapore. Neil Gough reports from Hong Kong.

A steep devaluation in the Egyptian pound, and the lack of hard currency, makes it more difficult to import expensive drugs because the law requires that they be resold at a fixed price. Farah Halime reports from Cairo.

ARTS Jean-Luc Martinez, the head of the Louvre’s department of Greek, Etruscan and Roman antiquities, was named the museum’s new director on Wednesday. David Jolly reports from Paris.

SPORTS When giants of Europe meet in the Champions League quarterfinals, concentration becomes a crucial factor. Rob Hughes writes from London.