82 m. ago Young country diary: Our local river is clean again – and the birds are back too | Theo

River Wandle, south London: I can see the water from my bedroom window, the pollution has gone and it’s bursting with lifeMost mornings now, I peek out of my bedroom window and immediately feel happy. Right outside, the River Wandle is awake and bursting with life. The grey heron swoops down and swiftly lands with a big splash, then stands up, still as a statue. Once I spotted an electric-blue kingfisher zapping along so quickly that I could barely see it.Sadly, in February at half-term, there was a diesel leak into the river. A putrid stench came out of the water and the shock of the smell was overwhelming. The shimmering rainbow swirl of oil seemed to kill any fish that were in its path. My family and I were so worried, especially about the birds. The community worked together to clear the spill and monitor the river, and someone came to do a clean-up. Continue reading...

Politics

85 m. ago UK is ‘unwelcoming’ and ‘racist’ for overseas NHS health workers, warns top doctor

Leader of Britain’s medics warned the NHS ‘could quite easily fall over’ due to exodus

Events

1 hour ago Photo of Bill Clinton shaking hands with Gerry Adams in 1995 would never have happened if White House got its way

The photo of President Clinton warmly receiving Adams before a Belfast reception almost never existed due to US officials wanting to carefully manage his interactions with political figures.

Events

2 h. ago Darts schedule today and TV running order as Luke Littler in action

The PDC World Championship returns on Saturday for the third round after a brief Christmas break, and defending champion Luke Littler is in action at Alexandra Palace against Mensur Suljovic

Politics

2 h. ago Amid massive sewer upgrade, fishermen and ecologists hope for revival of London's Thames river

Amid massive sewer upgrade, fishermen and ecologists hope for revival of London's Thames river  ABC News

Politics

2 h. ago Boxing Day chaos as Palestine Action protest sparks major disruption at Westfield Stratford

Protesters unfurled a huge Palestinian flag in the centre of the shopping mall

Events

4 h. ago ‘It restored my hope’: how community action is confronting racism in Belfast

An initiative linking people across race, class and faith offers an antidote to silence, hate and growing divisionDonate to the charity appeal hereAs a black woman in Northern Ireland, Maureen Hamblin knows that racism comes in many forms. “It’s not just the smashing in of shop windows,” she says. “It can be quiet, it can be silent.”Bystanders who hear racist remarks and remain mute, as if oblivious, amplify the hurt and leave victims feeling alone and isolated, a recurring experience that left Hamblin drained. “There was a time when I’d lost a lot of faith in white people, in white men.” Continue reading...

Events

4 h. ago Opposition anger as Guinea’s junta leader is frontrunner to be elected president

Mamady Doumbouya accused of betraying his promise to be the restorer of democracy after leading 2021 coupIn September 2021, a tall, young colonel in the Guinean army announced that he and his comrades had forcibly seized power and toppled the longtime leader Alpha Condé.“The will of the strongest has always supplanted the law,” Mamady Doumbouya said in a speech, stressing that the soldiers were acting to restore the will of the people. Continue reading...

Politics

6 h. ago Welcome to Betwixtmas, a time to look ahead with optimism, hope and positivity

Using the start of a new year to change things seems a bit old hat nowadays

Politics

7 h. ago What Ruben Amorim did offers fresh Manchester United hope as Newcastle staff left confused

Man Utd won 1-0 against Newcastle in the Premier League on Boxing Day and here are the moments you might have missed.

Politics

7 h. ago Scots boy who defied doctors gives hope to sick kids who spent Christmas in hospital

Noah Connell, who suffers from Pierre Robin Sequence, has created a Christmas bauble to show ill children there is a "light at the end of the tunnel".

Science

12 h. ago Labour must fix cost of living to see off 'disaster' Nigel Farage, warns TUC

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said Keir Starmer needs to confront Nigel Farage's party head on in 2026, as he warned - 'Working class people can't afford Reform'

Events

18 h. ago ‘We’re devastated’ – Conditional jockey Paul Kavanagh dies aged just 20 after horror car crash on Christmas Eve

JOCKEY Paul Kavanagh has tragically died aged 20 after being involved in a car crash on Christmas Eve. The news sent shockwaves through the racing community after the incident. The collision happened at around 2am on Wednesday morning near Bruree in County Limerick, Ireland. Kavanagh, who was a native of Tuam, County Galway, has been...

Events

18 h. ago UN experts raise ‘grave concern’ over treatment of Palestine Action

Special rapporteurs say handling of prisoners raises questions over UK’s obligations under human rights lawsUN experts have expressed “grave concern” for the wellbeing of Palestine Action-affiliated hunger strikers and warned their treatment raises questions about the UK’s compliance with international human rights laws.Eight prisoners have been on hunger strike while awaiting trial for alleged offences relating to Palestine Action before the group was banned under terrorism legislation. Qesser Zuhrah, 20, and Amu Gib, 30, who are being held at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey, were on hunger strike from 2 November to 23 December. Heba Muraisi, 31, who is at HMP New Hall, joined the pair on 3 November. The group also includes Teuta Hoxha, 29, Kamran Ahmed, 28, and Lewie Chiaramello, 22, who is refusing food every other day because he has diabetes. Continue reading...

Politics

18 h. ago Love Island’s Chyna takes subtle swipe at Neil Jones’s family on Christmas Day after shock feud

CHYNA Mills threw shade at Neil Jones' family just weeks after going public about their row and accusing them of racism. Ex-Love Island star Chyna, 27, seemed to take the dig at her Strictly pro-dancer beau's family during their Christmas celebrations. Chyna and Neil looked loved-up in matching The Grinch pyjama sets and posed for...

Events

18 h. ago Harry Redknapp says he’s ‘in Champions League’ after Jukebox’s King George hit

Former football manager’s horse wins Kempton thrillerCheltenham Gold Cup up next for the gutsy winner“Today, we’ve gone into the Champions League,” Harry Redknapp, the owner of The Jukebox Man, said after his horse had fought back to win an extraordinary three-way photo-finish in the King George VI Chase here on Friday. “We got into the Premier League, which was fantastic, but today we were taking on the Real Madrids and Barcelonas and he proved he can compete with them and win against them, which was an amazing feeling.”It was, in truth, simply an amazing race from start to finish, with one of the most enthralling passages of action from the home turn to the line that anyone here could recall in a Grade One steeplechase. Kempton is unloved by the Jockey Club, its owners, which has signed over an option to developers that would see it bulldozed for housing, but its speed-favouring, right-handed track is something special and unique in British jumping and here it produced an all-time...

Sport

18 h. ago Frank Lampard and Coventry get Championship promotion boost as Middlesbrough handed blow

Boxing Day saw a full round of Championship matches take place with Coventry City, Middlesbrough, Stoke City and Ipswich Town in action

Politics

18 h. ago Scots teen busker donates bagpipe earnings to feed homeless at Christmas

Cailean Acamovic,, 13, busked with his bagpipe on the cold streets of Edinburgh to raise money for the city's homeless community.

Politics

18 h. ago The Repair Shop's Will Kirk shares how he really feels about co

Will Kirk has opened up about his true thoughts on his co-stars from BBC's The Repair Shop, with the furniture restorer admitting he sees them "more than my own family"

Politics

19 h. ago Defunding fungi: US’s living library of ‘vital ecosystem engineers’ is in danger of closing

These fungi boost plant growth and restore depleted ecosystems, but federal funding for a library housing them has been cut – and it may be forced to closeInside a large greenhouse at the University of Kansas, Professor Liz Koziol and Dr Terra Lubin tend rows of sudan grass in individual plastic pots. The roots of each straggly plant harbor a specific strain of invisible soil fungus. The shelves of a nearby cold room are stacked high with thousands of plastic bags and vials containing fungal spores harvested from these plants, then carefully preserved by the researchers.The samples in this seemingly unremarkable room are part of the International Collection of Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (INVAM), the world’s largest living library of soil fungi. Four decades in the making, it could cease to exist within a year due to federal budget cuts. Continue reading...

Politics