51 m. ago Restaurant in China sparks concern after putting baby lion cuddles on menu

Diners jump at chance to snuggle with cubs but wildlife experts accuse firm of ‘exploiting wild animals for selfies’A restaurant in northern China has been criticised by animal welfare groups for offering an unusual item on the menu: lion cub cuddles.According to a screenshot of a menu circulating on social media, Wanhui – a restaurant in Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi province – has a four-course set afternoon menu costing 1,192 yuan ($166/£124) that includes playtime with the in-house animals. Continue reading...

Politics

59 m. ago Insane 'glow in the dark' creature is photographed in the Australian bush for the first time ever

Ben Alldridge captured the stunning shot of the animal biofluorescing under invisible ultraviolet light.

Culture

2 h. ago Mining companies are pumping seawater into the driest place on Earth. But has the damage been done?

In Chile’s drought-stricken Atacama desert, Indigenous people say desalination plants cannot counter the impact of intensive lithium and copper mining on local water sourcesPhotographs by Luis BustamanteVast pipelines cross the endless dunes of northern Chile, pumping seawater up to an altitude of more than 3,000 metres in the Andes mountains to the Escondida mine, the world’s largest copper producer. The mine’s owners say sourcing water directly from the sea, instead of relying on local reservoirs, could help preserve regional water resources. Yet, this is not the perception of Sergio Cubillos, leader of the Indigenous community Lickanantay de Peine.Cubillos and his fellow activists believe that the mining industry is helping to degrade the region’s meagre water resources, as Chile continues to be ravaged by a mega-drought that has plagued the country for 15 years. They also fear that the use of desalinated seawater cannot make up for the devastation of the northern Atacama region’...

Events

3 h. ago Keeping animals of all sizes, from cats to horses, cool during record heat

With record temperatures hitting the U.S., pet owners have to protect their four-legged family members from dangers like heat stroke and dehydration

Politics

3 h. ago Disneyland is celebrating its 70th anniversary: Here's a look at the park then and now

Disneyland is celebrating 70 years as "The Happiest Place on Earth" with a new show featuring a lifelike animatronic of founder Walt Disney

Politics

9 h. ago Whitmer says 'massive economic uncertainty' is to blame on semiconductor project failure in Michigan

A widely anticipated potential semiconductor project that would have brought a new plant to Michigan has fallen through and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is blaming economic uncertainty

Events

10 h. ago Gillian Anderson reveals how her decision to talk about sex and female pleasure has 'changed lives' as she reflects on the moving impact of her book Want

Released in September, Want, which is inspired by Nancy Friday's 1973 classic My Secret Garden, compiles anonymous letters from women around the world revealing their deepest fantasies.

Politics

12 h. ago Small Canadian town reels after teen boy allegedly assaults eight

Police initially thought the girl was attacked by an animal due her injuries, but later arrested a 17-year-old boyA small rural community in Canada is reeling after police said the horrific attack of an eight-year-old girl was not caused by an animal, as they had suspected, but allegedly by a teenage boy who they have now charged with attempted murder.The residents of Quadeville, a town of a few hundred people in southern Ontario, are questioning local law enforcement’s handling of the case after officials initially told them to keep their children indoors to protect them against a possible offending animal. Continue reading...

Events

15 h. ago Rory McIlroy must scale emotional mountain in search of home Open glory

The Northern Irishman has nothing left to prove, but still has to carry a vast weight of expectation at Royal PortrushThere was a lick of breeze riffling the long grass at Royal Portrush on Wednesday morning, and a lot of swirling talk besides. “Have you seen him?” “I heard he’s over by the putting green.” “He’s on the range.” “I heard he’s on the first now.” Round here everyone’s either looking for Rory McIlroy, looking at Rory McIlroy, or looking back on Rory McIlroy. A stretch of time watching him play is the one thing everyone wants to tick off during their day at the Open, along with a trip to spectator village, and a stop at the golf shop. You can track his progress around the grounds by keeping one ear open for the whispers.Sometimes all this is wind at McIlroy’s back, others it seems to be blowing into his face. Last time the Open was here in Northern Ireland, in 2019, it threw him so far off course that he hooked his opening drive into the crowd and out of bounds, then hook...

Politics

15 h. ago Smurfs review – Rihanna is star turn of the new generation of floppy

James Corden and John Goodman join the singer voicing the Belgian creatures in this uninspired, unengaging kids’ animationThe star vocal turn of the very moderate new Smurfs film is Rihanna, phoning in an undemanding audio contribution as the female character named “Smurfette”. But there is little to no music in this laborious slice of content, one of the many frustrating and disconcerting things about it. And for me, this film shows yet again that there is something about the Smurfs, those little Belgian creatures with blue skin and floppy-protuberant hats, which is basically kryptonite to comedy and entertainment.The script by Pam Brady (justly respected for her work on South Park and Team America: World Police) follows the template of being pretty bland for the sweet Smurfs themselves, but is sharpened up with one or two properly funny lines for the all-too-brief scenes featuring the evil wizard characters Razamel and Gargamel (both voiced by JP Karliak) whom the Smurfs are up ag...

Politics

16 h. ago Trader Joe’s are being targeted by ‘extreme’ animal rights groups in California

At least two members of Direct Action Everywhere have glued themselves to surfaces inside Trader Joe’s stores and corporate office

Events

16 h. ago Bear that bit man in Norway roams free after hunt in which wrong animal shot

Search for female and her cubs on hold to campaigners’ relief after court had quashed injunction against cullThe hunt for a brown bear that bit a man on the elbow has been put on hold, the Norwegian environment agency has announced, in a case that angered animal rights campaigners after officials shot the wrong bear.The agency said on Wednesday it did not now plan to act on a bear-culling order it issued in late June in Jarfjord, near the border with Russia, after a female bear bit a man’s arm, leaving him needing stitches. Continue reading...

Politics

16 h. ago Truth behind golden retriever tourist attraction as dogs kept in 'woefully inadequate' conditions

Some of the animals died from the cruel conditions at the facility

Politics

16 h. ago 'I'm stressed, skint and now I'm dreading the long summer holidays'

Resident agony aunt Coleen Nolan has advice for a reader struggling to make ends meet and is worried about how to keep her children entertained while school's out

Politics

16 h. ago Golden retrievers killed each other in fights and were left without fresh water at popular attraction where tourists paid to play with the dogs

The owner of the Golden Retriever Experience has been banned from keeping dogs for ten years after his animals were found to be living in terrible conditions.

Events

17 h. ago Plants talk to animals and let them know when they're stressed say boffins

Female moths refuse to lay eggs on tomato plants if they make distressed noise say researchers - and they make all sorts of decisions based on what they hear

Politics

18 h. ago Children under five at risk from only consuming plant milk, say experts

Nutritional experts working for the UK Government have raised concerns over the nutritional value of plant milk for children under five

Events

18 h. ago The Collective founder opens "festival inspired" wellness club in Shoreditch

Merchant raised £35 million to convert former Victorian textile warehouse into sanctuary for stressed out Londoners

Politics

18 h. ago Hunt for bear that bit man in Norway to resume after wrong animal shot

Anger deepens among animal rights campaigners as court rules hunt can go ahead despite officials killing wrong bearThe hunt for a brown bear that bit a man on the elbow can resume, a Norwegian court has ruled, deepening anger among animal rights campaigners after officials shot the wrong bear.The Norwegian environment agency issued a bear-culling order in late June in Jarfjord, near the border with Russia, after a female bear bit a man’s arm and left him needing stitches. The decision caused outrage after nature inspectors who were tracking her lost the trail and killed a male bear by mistake. Continue reading...

Politics

19 h. ago Wales facing shortage of teachers as students put off by long hours, high stress and workload

The Welsh Government education reform agenda "is quite seriously threatened if the crisis in initial teacher education is not addressed", Senedd warned

Society