3 d. ago You be the judge: should my flatmate stop filling our home with plant cuttings?

Cleo’s green fingers are making Jade see red, and filling their home with plant paraphernalia. You decide who needs to turn over a new leafEvery surface has something sprouting on it. I didn’t sign up to live in a botanical experimentIt’s not just a hobby, I’ve created an ecosystem of calm in our city home. Plus, I make good money Continue reading...

Economics

4 d. ago Half of the most Instagrammable houseplants are dangerous for your pets, experts warn

While posting aesthetic pictures of your home surrounded by beautiful, lush plants has boomed in popularity, an expert has warned that many popular houseplants can be toxic to pets and pose serious health risks if ingested.

Events

5 d. ago 'Best' homemade tomato plant feed makes huge fruit and keep slugs away

Tomatoes are heavy feeders, requiring more nutrients to flourish. However, by using the right fertiliser, you can help them produce larger and healthier fruit

Politics

6 d. ago Florida woman's terrifying end after getting stuck in clothing donation drop box

The homeless woman was discovered sticking out of the pink bin in Plantation, Florida, and was dead when police arrived to rescue her. A handful of North Americans die each year the same way.

Events

1 week ago The world wants China’s rare earth elements – what is life like in the city that produces them?

More than 80% of China’s rare earth reserves are located in Baotou, an industrial hub of 2.7 million people that abuts the Gobi desertCentral Baotou, an industrial hub of 2.7 million people that abuts the Gobi desert in north China, feels just like any other second-tier Chinese city. Large shopping malls featuring western chains including Starbucks and KFC stand alongside street after street of busy local restaurants, where people sit outside and children play late into the evening, enjoying the relative relief of the cooler temperatures that arrive after dark in Inner Mongolia’s baking summer.But a short drive into the city’s suburbs reveal another typical, less hospitable, Chinese scene. Factories crowd the city’s edges, with chimneys belching white plumes of smoke. As well as steel and silicon plants, Baotou is home to China’s monopoly on rare earths, the metallic elements that are used in oil refining equipment and car batteries and that have become a major sticking point in the...

Politics

2 w. ago Republican hawks vs Maga isolationists: the internal war that could decide Trump’s Iran response

Trump could decide to help Israel by joining the fight against Iran, or refrain from involving the US in a new overseas war – either choice will upset his supportersFollow live updates in the Middle East crisis As Donald Trump considers a direct intervention in Israel’s conflict with Iran, another war has broken out in Washington between conservative hawks, calling for immediate US strikes on uranium enrichment facilities, and Maga isolationists, who are demanding Trump stick to his campaign pledge not to involve the US in new overseas wars.At stake is whether the US could target the mountain redoubt that is home to the Fordow fuel enrichment plant, a key uranium enrichment site hidden 80 to 90 metres underground that cannot be targeted directly by Israeli jets – although they can attack some of the infrastructure that allows the plant to operate. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago 'Best place' to put peace lily in homes to keep plants happy and flowering

Peace lilies are a popular houseplant, but many people struggle to get them to flower. A gardening expert has shared the 'best location' to place a peace lily to ensure it blooms beautiful flowers

Politics

3 w. ago Gardener's three easy ways to kill ivy in your garden for good

English ivy can be a wonderful addition to the garden, but if it's not kept in check it can cause havoc to the walls of a home. Here are three ways to kill the plant for good

Events

3 w. ago Operation Mincemeat: Fake documents planted on dead body tricked Hitler and won WW2

The daring plot, in which a homeless man's corpse was planted in the sea to fool Hitler into changing tactics, has gone down in history. But until now no-one knew how important was the role of MI5 secretary Hester Leggatt

Events

3 w. ago 6 plants banned in the UK and what to do if you spot them in your garden

If you notice any of your garden plants growing out of control, make sure to check that they aren't any one of these six plants which can wreck ecosystems and damage your home

Events

3 w. ago Rachel Reeves to sign off funding for Sizewell C nuclear power plant

The Chancellor will announce £14.2billion to pay for a new reactor at the site in Suffolk, with the plant eventually powering 6million homes.

Economics

3 w. ago 'One rule for them and another for us': Ed Miliband is blasted by Brits who are being forced to object to energy plant plans near their homes AGAIN

Householders in Walsall, West Midlands say it is 'one rule for them and another for us' as a potentially explosive energy system is set to come to green belt near them.

Economics

4 w. ago Gardeners urged to plant 12 flowers now to banish insects from your home

To avoid dealing with the annoying mosquitoes this summer, gardening experts have named the 12 plants that will help you keep any insects away from your outdoor spaces - and it works.

Politics

4 w. ago Tomato plants grow 'best ever fruit' with homemade fertiliser 'like liquid gold'

Tomato plants need a lot of nutrients to grow healthily and produce fruit compared to other crops - and it turns out that the main ingredient to make the best fertiliser is hiding in your garden

Politics