45 m. ago Hightailing along high streets and raiding ponds: otters’ revival in Britain

Still rare only 20 years ago, the charismatic animals are in almost every UK river and a conservation success storyOn a quiet Friday evening, an otter and a fox trot through Lincoln city centre. The pair scurry past charity shops and through deserted streets, the encounter lit by the security lamps of shuttered takeaways. Each animal inspects the nooks and crannies of the high street before disappearing into the night, ending the unlikely scene captured by CCTV last month.Unlike the fox, the otter has been a rare visitor in towns and cities across the UK. But after decades of intense conservation work, that is changing. In the past year alone, the aquatic mammal has been spotted on a river-boat dock in London’s Canary Wharf, dragging an enormous fish along a riverbank in Stratford-upon-Avon, and plundering garden ponds near York. One otter was even filmed causing chaos in a Shetland family’s kitchen in March. Continue reading...

Politics

45 m. ago Weather tracker: Australia bushfires could be most dangerous since ‘black summer’

Fires are burning across NSW, with Tasmania also facing an emergency, while in US, Washington state braces for floodsBushfires have been ravaging Australia, with more than 50 burning throughout New South Wales, destroying homes and resulting in at least one death. Nine blazes remained out of control on Monday as flames ripped through homes and critical infrastructure. Scorching temperatures – peaking at 41C in Koolewong – combined with fierce, erratic winds to spread the fires rapidly and made them harder to control.On Sunday night an Australian firefighter was killed after a tree fell on him while he worked on a fireground near Bulahdelah, about 150 miles (250km) north of Sydney. The blaze scorched 3,500 hectares (8,600 acres) and destroyed four homes over the weekend. NSW, one of the nation’s most fire-prone regions, is particularly vulnerable because of its hot, dry climate and vast eucalyptus forests, which shed oils that become highly flammable. Continue reading...

Events

46 m. ago GP shares six unusual symptoms of 'mutant flu' which should NEVER be ignored: 'Could be signs of something potentially much more serious'

A leading GP has revealed the signs that your case of flu could have developed into something more serious, as a mutant strain of the virus sweeps across Britain.

Science

46 m. ago Good Morning Britain star leaving show after 10 years in 'sad' announcement

The Good Morning Britain star and political podcaster has taken to social media to tell fans that next week will mark his last as a panelist on the ITV daytime show

Politics

69 m. ago Coleen Nolan admits 'I felt like a terrible mother' in heartbreaking family confession

Coleen Nolan has opened up about a hidden family struggle on Friday's Good Morning Britain

Events

75 m. ago Why more people are turning to expert financial advice as Britain’s money map shifts

As Britain undergoes a huge shift in who holds wealth, from generations to gender, more people are realising they need expert financial guidance to make confident decisions about mortgages, pensions and long term plans.

Economics

1 hour ago Horror WW3 map shows '250,000 Brits would die' if Russia nuked three 'likely' UK spots

An interactive map has shown the catastrophic damage that could be inflicted by a Russian nuclear strike on three strategic locations in the UK, as fears of World War Three intensify

Events

2 h. ago Coleen Nolan spent 'years crying' and felt like 'terrible mother' over hidden family struggle

Coleen Nolan opened up on Friday's Good Morning Britain about a hidden family struggle

Events

2 h. ago Chilling WW3 map shows 250k Brits will die if Putin attacks 'three likeliest targets'

A terrifying map has laid bare the catastrophic damage that could be inflicted by a Russian nuclear strike on three strategic locations in the UK, as fears of World War 3 intensify

Events

2 h. ago Terrifying WW3 map shows '250,000 Brits would die' if three likeliest sites were nuked

As tensions with Russia continue to intensify over its ongoing war of aggression in Ukraine, a terrifying map has laid bare the damage that could be caused by a nuclear strike on three targets in the UK

Events

2 h. ago Week in wildlife: a baby echidna, a 600lb gator and an ‘unbearable’ bear

This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago Good Morning Britain star's exit explained as he confirms he's leaving show

Good Morning Britain star Andrew Pierce has confirmed he's leaving the show after hinting he wouldn't be on "for much longer".

Politics

3 h. ago As the UK looks to invest in nuclear, here’s what it could mean for Britain’s environment

In this week’s newsletter: The government’s bid to speed up nuclear construction could usher in sweeping deregulation, with experts warning of profound consequences for nature• Don’t get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereWhen UK prime minister Keir Starmer announced last week that he was “implementing the Fingleton review”, you can forgive the pulse of most Britons for failing to quicken.But behind the uninspiring statement lies potentially the biggest deregulation for decades, posing peril for endangered species, if wildlife experts are to be believed, and a likely huge row with the EU.2025 ‘virtually certain’ to be second- or third-hottest year on record, EU data showsJust 0.001% hold three times the wealth of the poorest half of humanity, report finds‘Even the animals seem confused’: a retreating Kashmir glacier is creating an entire new world in its wake Continue reading...

Events

4 h. ago Air passengers exposed to extremely high levels of ultrafine particle pollution, study finds

Levels during boarding and taxiing were far above those defined as high by the World Health OrganizationA study has revealed the concentrations of ultrafine particles breathed in by airline passengers.A team of French researchers, including those from Université Paris Cité, built a pack of instruments that was flown alongside passengers from Paris Charles de Gaulle to European destinations. The machinery was placed on an empty seat in the front rows or in the galley. Continue reading...

Politics

5 h. ago Health and safety rules holding UK infrastructure back, says writer of government report

Exclusive: John Fingleton says regulators need to change their attitude to risk to end the country’s economic stagnationOverbearing health and safety rules are stopping Britain building new infrastructure, according to the economist whom Keir Starmer has cited as an inspiration for his growth strategy.John Fingleton, who recently wrote a report for government on how to encourage developers to build new nuclear power plants, told the Guardian regulators needed to change their attitude to risk if the country was to end its long economic stagnation. Continue reading...

Politics

5 h. ago Police chief constable will retire from her £150,000 job... and then return to it ONE DAY later to protect her pension

One of Britain's top women police officers will 'retire' from her £150,000-a-year job - before returning to it a day later to protect her pension.

Economics

9 h. ago 'Europe must prepare': Minister warns Britain is on a war footing as Nato chief says conflict with Russia 'at our door'

Armed Forces minister Al Carns said the country was on a 'war footing' and warned that the 'shadow of war was at Europe's door'.

Events

9 h. ago Changes to polar bear DNA could help them adapt to global heating, study finds

Scientists say bears in southern Greenland differ genetically to those in the north, suggesting they could adjustChanges in polar bear DNA that could help the animals adapt to warmer climates have been detected by researchers, in a study thought to be the first time a statistically significant link has been found between rising temperatures and changing DNA in a wild mammal species.Climate breakdown is threatening the survival of polar bears. Two-thirds of them are expected to have disappeared by 2050 as their icy habitat melts and the weather becomes hotter. Continue reading...

Politics

9 h. ago Trump signs executive order blocking states from regulating AI

Order, which lacks the force of law, also creates taskforce whose ‘sole responsibility’ will be challenging states’ AI lawsDonald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that seeks to halt any laws limiting artificial intelligence and block states from regulating the rapidly emerging technology. The order also creates a federal taskforce that will have the “sole responsibility” of challenging states’ AI laws.At a signing ceremony, the president touted AI companies’ enthusiasm for wanting to “invest” in the United States and said that “if they had to get 50 different approvals from 50 different states, you could forget it”. Continue reading...

Politics

10 h. ago How to land a crucial role during festive break as a mobile expert technician to help keep Britain moving

IF you are driving home for Christmas, you could be among the 5,000 people who end up relying on breakdown specialists.  As millions take to the roads to see family, the number of breakdown incidents spike, leading to a rise in call-outs to crashes and breakdowns caused by bad weather.  But help is at hand for...

Science