10 h. ago Shimmering with an opal shine: New Zealand’s unique blue pearls face threat of warming seas

In New Zealand only a handful of farms produce pearls from abalone, known as pāua, but the molluscs need delicate conditions to surviveRoger Beattie was diving off the Chatham Islands, about 800km east of New Zealand, when he saw his first pāua pearl. Beattie was familiar with pāua, the Māori word for abalone, and their iridescent shells of shimmering purples and greens. But the pearl that had formed inside was unlike anything he had ever seen, gleaming with layers of the pāua’s natural colours.“I just thought ‘heck, that would make amazing jewellery,’” Beattie says. Continue reading...

Events

24 h. ago Harvard University leaders send support to nearly 7,000 international students in the face of Noem’s threat

‘The Trump administration is using international students as pawns,’ wrote one senior professor

Politics

28 h. ago America's most powerful banker Jamie Dimon stuns with warning US faces something worse than recession

America's most powerful banker has warned that the US economy faces a greater threat than a recession.

Events

38 h. ago Zimbabwe come in from cold but left crying for help at early signs of mismatch | Andy Bull

Tourists are in England for the first time in 22 years and faced dual threats of hostile batting and cold weatherOf course the first morning of the summer was the worst morning of the summer. Test cricket, like a bank holiday picnic, is a reliable way to send the English sun running, and Zimbabwe’s first day of Test cricket in this country in 22 years started under thick ripples of ominous grey cloud, and in a freezing breeze. In the shop at the bottom of the Radcliffe Road Stand staff were sent running to the stock room to fetch up fresh boxes of beanie hats and hooded tops, as the crowd, caught short by the sudden dip in temperature after weeks of good weather, made an unexpected run on their supplies of winter clothing.Zimbabwe won the toss, which was the last thing that went their way all day. “We’ll have a bowl,” said their captain, Craig Ervine, and it must have seemed like a good idea at the time. Ben Stokes admitted he would have done the same thing himself given the conditi...

Politics

39 h. ago Sea temperatures around the UK and Ireland soar to 4°C above usual

Waters around the UK and Ireland are gripped by an 'extreme' marine heatwave, experts have revealed.

Politics

42 h. ago Marine heatwave in Wales could see beachgoers facing new threats

The UK and Ireland are currently in the middle of a marine heatwave with some waters now 4C warmer than usual for the time of year

Society

44 h. ago Wild swimmers rejoice! Sea temperatures around the UK and Ireland soar to 4°C above usual

Wild swimmers have flocked to the seaside as waters around the UK and Ireland are gripped by an 'extreme' marine heatwave.

Politics

47 h. ago Labour faces mounting strike threat from doctors, nurses and teachers despite bumper pay hikes of up to 5% set to be unveiled TODAY

The Government is expected to accept recommendations from public sector pay review bodies, set to be unveiled today, that are much higher than budgeted for.

Events

61 h. ago Mexico: ‘Noah’s Ark’ of animals flees cartel violence for new home on coast

Officials at animal refuge near Culiacán, capital of violence-torn Sinaloa state, faced threats from powerful drug gangsHundreds of animals including elephants, crocodiles, lions and tigers have been moved from a violence-torn Mexican cartel heartland to a new home in an operation described as a “21st-century Noah’s Ark”.The transported species, which also included exotic birds, had been housed at the Ostok animal refuge near Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa state, home to one of the country’s most powerful drug gangs. Continue reading...

Events

65 h. ago Labour faces Whitehall strike threat as civil service union demands £18 per hour minimum wage, pay rises of at least 10%, and a shorter working week

Members of the PCS union, which represents workers across Whitehall, are also calling for a minimum London weighting of £5,000 per year.

Economics

3 d. ago With fewer ordinations, seminaries find ways to serve young professionals in other fields

In recent years, many U.S. seminaries have faced existential threats fueled by COVID-19 and a changing religious landscape

Politics

4 d. ago ‘People are buying crossbows faster than I’d like’ – how prepping went mainstream in Britain

Once, getting ready for the apocalypse was for the paranoid. Now, in the face of cyber-attacks, climate breakdown and nuclear threats, the UK government recommends it. Should everyone have a survival kit?This is a great time to be a shopkeeper, if that shop is for those worried about the breakdown of civilisation. “It started with Covid, and people weren’t looking for toilet rolls, put it that way,” says Justin Jones, who runs the online UK Prepping Shop, whose stock ranges from emergency food and wind-up radios to crossbows and body armour.Business is booming, as is the British prepping scene – 22,700 members of the UK Preppers and Survivalists Facebook group, 6,000 in the UK Preppers Club Facebook group. The scene is not as well-known as its US and Canadian equivalents, but that’s partly by choice. “Preppers are by nature a little bit secretive,” says Bushra Shehzad, who is researching prepping for a PhD in marketing and consumer behaviour at Newcastle University. “They are scepti...

Politics

4 d. ago ‘People were buying crossbows faster than I’d like’ – how prepping went mainstream in Britain

Once, getting ready for the apocalypse was for the paranoid. Now, in the face of cyber-attacks, climate breakdown and nuclear threats, the UK government recommends it. Should everyone have a survival kit?This is a great time to be a shopkeeper, if that shop is for those worried about the breakdown of civilisation. “It started with Covid, and people weren’t looking for toilet rolls, put it that way,” says Justin Jones, who runs the online UK Prepping Shop, whose stock ranges from emergency food and wind-up radios to crossbows and body armour.Business is booming, as is the British prepping scene – 22,700 members of the UK Preppers and Survivalists Facebook group, 6,000 in the UK Preppers Club Facebook group. The scene is not as well-known as its US and Canadian equivalents, but that’s partly by choice. “Preppers are by nature a little bit secretive,” says Bushra Shehzad, who is researching prepping for a PhD in marketing and consumer behaviour at Newcastle University. “They are scepti...

Politics

4 d. ago Bees face new threats from wars, street lights and microplastics, scientists warn

University of Reading report says conflicts including war in Ukraine among 12 most pressing threats to pollinatorWar zones, microplastics and street lights are among the emerging threats to the bee population, according to scientists.Bee experts have drawn up a list of the 12 most pressing threats to the pollinator over the next decade, published in a report, Emerging Threats and Opportunities for Conservation of Global Pollinators, by the University of Reading. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago British man is found guilty of stalking US influencer he followed to Bali with rope in suitcase after bombarding her with 'creepy' messages and kidnap threats

'Delusional' stalker Rob Keating faces jail after being found guilty of threatening to kidnap American travel influencer Alexandra Saper, then travelling to her home in Bali with rope in his case.

Events

9 d. ago James McAtee Man City transfer truth revealed as four players face exit threat

Here are your morning Man City headlines on Thursday, May 15

Sport

9 d. ago Lowe hits out at ‘coward and viper’ Farage after CPS say he will face no charges

Former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe will face no charges over claims he threatened the party chairman.

Events

1 week ago Western North Carolina faces ‘first noteworthy flooding threat’ since Hurricane Helene

The region is still recovering following the effects of last fall’s deadly storm

Events

1 week ago Briton faces threat of extended Saudi prison sentence for tweet

Foreign Office denied access to trial and British lawyer is still not clear what offence Ahmed al-Doush has committedAs Donald Trump and the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, prepare to meet in Riyadh on Tuesday to celebrate a “golden age” in trade, a British national will appear in a Riyadh court facing the threat of an extended prison sentence for a tweet. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Meghan Markle faces $10 million lawsuit threat over bath salts recipe — lawyers dismiss claims

The Duchess of Sussex’s bath salts recipe is a mixture of salts, essential oils, and arnica oil

Politics