43 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

43 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

43 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

50 m. ago British backpacker jailed for four years after hitting pedestrian while drunk on e

Judge says incident involving a young tourist in Perth must serve as ‘cautionary tale’

Events

61 m. ago Home Bargains selling 'ultimate' beauty gift that 'stores all your essentials'

The retailer is stocking a beauty product that could be ideal for festive gifting

Politics

66 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

73 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

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 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 LIVE M6, M62 and M61 traffic misery as lanes closed and queues build on THREE motorways

Roadworks are overrunning at a busy junction while two crashes have taken place

Politics

3 h. ago M6, M62 and M61 traffic misery after lanes close and queues build

Roadworks overran at a busy junction while two crashes took place elsewhere

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

3 h. ago Senate parents shred Trump’s call to limit doll purchases for US kids: ‘What is this, the Soviet Union?’

Senators with children weren’t impressed with the billionaire president’s call for tariff-weary parents to limit Christmas toy purchases

Politics

4 h. ago Wales breaking news plus weather and traffic updates (Friday, December 12)

All of the latest news from across Wales and further afield

Politics

5 h. ago Afghan polio survivor's sock factory provides hope by employing disabled workers

A childhood polio survivor in Afghanistan has set up a small sock factory that employs other disabled people

Events

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

8 h. ago A1M traffic LIVE as 'serious incident' in West Yorkshire sees police rush to scene

Police and Ambulance crews are at the scene of the 'serious incident' on the A1M as the road is shut northbound and traffic is being held southbound with diversions in place

Events

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 'Flying Banana' train set to take final journey after being a British icon for over 50 years

The British Rail Class 43 High-Speed Train (HST), also known as the InterCity 125, gained the nickname 'Flying Banana' due to its yellow design that would whizz by.

Politics