6 h. ago Canadian marine park threatens to euthanize 30 whales if government does not provide funding

Marineland’s warning comes after Canadian official blocked the transfer of the beluga whales to a theme park in ChinaMarineland has threatened to euthanize 30 beluga whales if Canada’s federal government does not provide financial support for the embattled Niagara Falls amusement park. The warning comes after the country’s fisheries minister blocked the transfer of the captive whales to a theme park in China.Marineland, an amusement park, zoo, aquarium and forest occupying nearly 1,000 acres (400 hectares) of land in Ontario, has endured mounting scrutiny over allegations the animals are living in poor conditions. The park, which once saw millions of visitors, did not open for the summer season and is winding down its operations in anticipation of a sale. In February, a lawyer for the park said it was planning to “expeditiously” remove the remaining animals still on the grounds. Continue reading...

Politics

6 h. ago Marine park threatens to euthanize 30 whales if Canada does not provide funding

Marineland’s warning comes after Canadian official blocked the transfer of the beluga whales to a theme park in ChinaMarineland has threatened to euthanize 30 beluga whales if Canada’s federal government does not provide financial support for the embattled Niagara Falls amusement park. The warning comes after the country’s fisheries minister blocked the transfer of the captive whales to a theme park in China.Marineland, an amusement park, zoo, aquarium and forest occupying nearly 1,000 acres (400 hectares) of land in Ontario, has endured mounting scrutiny over allegations the animals are living in poor conditions. The park, which once saw millions of visitors, did not open for the summer season and is winding down its operations in anticipation of a sale. In February, a lawyer for the park said it was planning to “expeditiously” remove the remaining animals still on the grounds. Continue reading...

Events

27 h. ago Major UK air traffic service announces partnership with Ayrshire charity

The partnership will see NATS provide fundraising support and resources to the charity.

Politics

4 d. ago Record Converge funding is ‘watershed moment’ for academic entrepreneurship in Scotland

“The multi-year Scottish Funding Council investment provides the stability we need to plan long-term support for university innovators” – Adam Kosterka, Converge

Politics

1 week ago Trump has called the US postal service ‘a joke’. But don’t expect Amazon to replace it | Niamh Rowe

Amid financial struggles and presidential criticism, USPS is facing challenges. But it plays an essential role in US lifeIn towns where Washington DC is an abstraction, the post office is the front desk of American democracy – sometimes the only public space at all. Here, postmasters are “the human side of government”, as the senator Jennings Randolph put it in 1976. “When such offices are closed,” he warned, “the American flag really comes down.”Championed by Benjamin Franklin in 1775, the roots of the US postal service – whose mandate is to “bind the nation together” – are older than the republic itself. The constitution calls for “post offices and post roads”. The USPS is still legally obligated to provide a “basic and fundamental” service to all Americans. In Scottsbluff, Nebraska, a rural carrier drives more than 700 miles a year to serve just two households.Niamh Rowe is a New York-based writer and podcast producer Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Wisconsin Planned Parenthood pauses abortions amid federal Medicaid funding cut

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin says it will stop scheduling patients for abortions starting next week as it works to provide the service in the face of Medicaid funding cuts in President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill

Politics

2 w. ago Banks tighten debt terms as squeezed UK universities refinance loans

Almost half of the sector’s providers run a deficit, as some institutions secure funding against campus sites

Economics

3 w. ago UK aid for nature hit almost record £800 million last year, analysis shows

An analysis of Government figures shows the UK is on track to achieve its five-year pledge to provide £3 billion in nature-related funds by 2026.

Economics

3 w. ago Starmer says he has confidence in Peter Mandelson despite resurfaced ties to Jeffrey Epstein – UK politics live

PM was grilled by Kemi Badenoch on suitability of Mandelson for job as US ambassador Helena Horton is a Guardian environment reporter.Emma Reynolds, the new environment secretary, had a difficult job this morning: meeting a group of farmers after Labour caused fury in the rural community by introducing a new inheritance tax.The Treasury reserve, designed to be used for “genuinely unforeseen, unaffordable and unavoidable pressures” has recently been used to fund higher public sector pay and compensation payouts.In a letter to ministers, the chancellor said Treasury would only consider providing reserve funds to departments that have already maximised their savings Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Keir Starmer and NATO chief Mark Rutte make major vow to ensure Ukraine stays 'in fight'

Keir Starmer today welcomed Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte to Downing Street, as the UK-led international fund to provide Ukraine with military equipment topped £2billion

Politics