40 h. ago More than beautiful: the beloved monarch butterfly is one of the world’s great migrators

The hardy travellers can fly for 3,000 miles from the north-east US and Canada to roost in their millions in MexicoMore invertebrate of the year nominationsImagine your body was the weight of a raisin, supported by just a pair of flimsy, gossamer wings. Now imagine that you had to fly for 3,000 miles, avoiding storms, highways and predators, to ensure your species continued.Could you do it? Unless you’re a monarch butterfly, fortunately you won’t have to face such a challenge.Between 24 March and 2 April, we will be profiling a shortlist of 10 of the invertebrates chosen by readers and selected by our wildlife writers from more than 2,500 nominations. The voting for our 2025 invertebrate of the year will run from midday on Wednesday 2 April until midday on Friday 4 April, and the winner will be announced on Monday 7 April. Continue reading...

Politics

61 h. ago A gentle giant: the shy wētāpunga is adept at living in the shadows

New Zealand’s docile, solitary and elusive ‘god of ugly things’ does wonders for the forest-floor ecosystemAre you sick of throwing yourself on the altar of unrealistic beauty standards? Do you long to celebrate the delightfully monstrous, to give the spiny stuff of shadows their day in the sun? Then consider the mighty wētāpunga – an endemic New Zealand insect so revered for its unconventional beauty its name means “god of ugly things”.This forest behemoth is thought to be the heaviest adult insect in the world, with a female weighing as much as a mouse or a sparrow. Its body can grow up to 10cm long (nearly 4in) and its leg span can be as wide as 20cm. Once found across parts of the North Island, the vulnerable wētāpunga – the largest of 70 wētā species – now resides entirely on a smattering of predator-free islands near Auckland.Between 24 March and 2 April, we will be profiling a shortlist of 10 of the invertebrates chosen by readers and selected by our wildlife writers from mor...

Politics

2 d. ago ‘The ultimate circular economy’: how coral holobionts conjure magnificence from nothing

These creatures evolved over millenia to create nature’s finest circular economy, but are now struggling to surviveThere’s no preparing for a first encounter with a thriving coral reef: your attention ricochets between dramas of colour, form and movement. A blaze of fire coral, darting clown fish, crimson sponge, electric blue ray a turtle! Your heart soars, your head spins. Nowhere else will you encounter such density and diversity of life.Corals are the architects of all this splendour. Their immobile forms suggest plants, but they’re animals – solar-powered ones. Each is a colony of thousands, sometimes millions, of tiny coral polyps, each resembling a slimmed-down sea anemone, just millimetres tall.Between 24 March and 2 April, we will be profiling a shortlist of 10 of the invertebrates chosen by readers and selected by our wildlife writers from more than 2,500 nominations. The voting for our 2025 invertebrate of the year will run from midday on Wednesday 2 April until midday on...

Politics

3 d. ago David Tennant shows off new beard as he makes a trendy appearance at the BBC studios in London

David Tennant shows off new beard as he makes a trendy appearance at the BBC studios in London  Daily Mail

Politics

4 d. ago Vote for the beast that may be as ruthlessly predatory as us – the fen raft spider

With a leg-span the size of your hand, the UK’s biggest spider, ultra-rare and known for its extraordinary hunting skills, has many admirersMore amazing nominations here!Meet an Olympian among Britain’s 660 spider species: a palm-of-the-hand-sized arachnid that hunts in three dimensions and can even devour fish.The fen raft spider (Dolomedes plantarius) is a magnificent ambush predator: harmless to humans but lethal if you’re a pond skater, tadpole or even adult dragonfly.Araneae have been feared and discriminated against throughout historyBetween 24 March and 2 April, we will be profiling a shortlist of 10 of the invertebrates chosen by readers and selected by our wildlife writers from more than 2,500 nominations. The voting for our 2025 invertebrate of the year will run from midday on Wednesday, 2 April until midday on Friday, 4 April, and the winner will be announced on Monday, 7 April. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Reminder: Peloton Studios London Temporarily Closed March 31 – April 6, 2025 (and NYC the next week)

Reminder: Peloton Studios London Temporarily Closed March 31 – April 6, 2025 (and NYC the next week)  Pelo Buddy

Politics

7 d. ago Small but feisty: the clever cuttlefish that changes colour to bedazzle predators

The flamboyant cuttlefish flashes patterns and psychedelic colours and waves its arms in a hypnotic displayMore fantastic invertebrate nominations hereIf you love a feisty rebel, look no further than the flamboyant cuttlefish, on the 10-strong shortlist for the Guardian’s invertebrate of the year 2025. It is small, smart, capable of spectacular displays and has fought against the odds to become the deadliest of its kind.This creative creature is small for its class of cephalopods, which includes octopus, squid and nautilus, at just 6-8cm. Due to the relatively reduced size of its air-filled cuttlebone, a unique internal shell used for buoyancy that lends these molluscs their unique, rather alien-spaceship way of swimming, it cannot float or hover as well as its cousins.Between 24 March and 2 April, we will be profiling a shortlist of 10 of the invertebrates chosen by readers and selected by our wildlife writers from more than 2,500 nominations. The voting for our 2025 invertebrate o...

Politics

7 d. ago Trump warns 'if the EU and Canada work to do economic harm to the USA' they will be hit with 'far LARGER tariffs than currently planned' after slapping 25% on all foreign

The US President plans to impose a 25% tariff on imported cars and light trucks starting on April 3, and earlier in March rolled out an increase in tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from EU

Events

8 d. ago Plans revealed to turn former BBC studios in Maida Vale into 'world leading' music centre run by Hans Zimmer

Dated studios could become a state-of-the-art film and music production arena

Politics

8 d. ago 'World leading' London film and music studio moves closer to reality as Hans Zimmer firm submits plan

'World leading' London film and music studio moves closer to reality as Hans Zimmer firm submits plan  Yahoo News UK

Culture

9 d. ago Major charity shop will close more than half their UK stores in fresh blow to High Street

The charity shop will shut 39 of its 138 shops in the coming days amid declining footfall and spiralling costs. A further 31 have been earmarked for closure between April 1 and March 31 next year.

Politics

1 week ago Camden Film Quarter Moves Forward: Soundstages, Screen Academy & Studio Tours Planned For London Development

Camden Film Quarter Moves Forward: Soundstages, Screen Academy & Studio Tours Planned For London Development  Deadline

Events

1 week ago Heathrow Airport in UK Temporarily Closes After Power Outage

Heathrow Airport in UK Temporarily Closes After Power Outage  TIME

Society

2 w. ago Heathrow Airport in London closed after fire at nearby electrical substation

Heathrow Airport in London closed after fire at nearby electrical substation  USA TODAYLondon's Heathrow Airport temporarily closes due to "significant power outage"  CBS NewsVideo: Fire Engulfs London Substation  The New York Times

Society

2 w. ago London's Heathrow Airport temporarily closes due to "significant power outage"

London's Heathrow Airport temporarily closes due to "significant power outage"  CBS News

Society

2 w. ago Monty Don's urgent weeding warning to gardeners and exact time to act

The warm months and brighter days have arrived. Although it's a task that should technically be done every season, the months of March and April are key to ensuring the grass grows back healthily.

Events

2 w. ago New 'state of the art' film studios get green light in west London

The Vinyl Factory, the developer behind the project, estimates the studio will create over 3,000 permanent jobs

Politics

2 w. ago The best techno clubs in London, from Corsica Studios to XOYO

From FOLD to Venue MOT Unit 18 and The Cause, Arielle Domb names the top venues to hang out in

Politics

2 w. ago New York City paying $500,000 a month to indicted developer who could testify against Mayor Eric Adams

The Adams administration has continued to pay the hotel company of Weihong Hu, a developer accused of funneling illegal campaign donations to the mayor The administration of New York City mayor Eric Adams is continuing to pay over $500,000 a month to a hotel developer who could potentially provide valuable testimony to prosecutors against the mayor and several of his top allies.The developer, Weihong Hu, was indicted last month for allegedly bribing a New York City non-profit CEO. The indictment charges that she gave the nonprofit executive stacks of cash and helped him purchase a $1.3m townhouse in exchange for more than $20m in city-funded contracts for her two Queens hotels and a catering company. Hu has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Continue reading...

Economics

2 w. ago The London Studio Grows with New Launches, Licensing Development Manager

The London Studio Grows with New Launches, Licensing Development Manager  License Global

Politics