4 h. ago Universal Credit rule change to help more working parents get help with childcare costs

WORKING parents on Universal Credit are set for a major boost, as the Government unveils new support to cut the crippling cost of childcare. Ministers have confirmed that Universal Credit rules will change next year to stop families from falling into a "debt trap" when they try to return to work. The strategy targets one...

Society

4 d. ago Testing at A&Es part of plan to end new HIV cases in England by 2030

Labour announces prevention programme as well as efforts to re-engage people who have fallen out of medical careEnding new HIV transmissions in England by 2030 is within reach thanks to an action plan that will include routine testing at A&Es, the government has said.The HIV action plan, to be unveiled on World Aids Day on Monday, aims to re-engage the thousands of people who have left HIV care, bringing them back to lifesaving treatment. The £170m package also includes funding for opt-out HIV testing at A&Es during routine blood tests in areas with the highest rates, including London and Manchester. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago New trial allows HIV testing kits delivered to your door with results on phone

A groundbreaking £5 million trial, to be unveiled in the government's HIV Action Plan published on Monday, will see home testing kits ordered at the touch of a button

Politics

1 week ago The Guardian view on animal testing: we can stop sacrificing millions of lives for our own health | Editorial

New technologies can reduce our reliance on animal experiments. This isn’t just morally right, it could have scientific and economic benefits tooScience is a slaughterhouse. We rarely acknowledge the degree to which animal life underwrites the research that provides us with medicines, or the regulation that keeps us safe. Live animals were used in 2.64m officially sanctioned scientific procedures in the UK in 2024, many of them distressing or painful and many of them fatal. But the government’s new strategy to phase out animal testing – published earlier this month – suggests that in the near future emerging technologies can largely replace the use of animals in our scientific endeavours.The UK previously banned cosmetics testing on animals, and has already taken steps to regulate and reduce their use in research. But some needlessly cruel experiments still take place: the forced swim test (FST) for example, in which a rodent is placed in a body of water it canno...

Society

2 w. ago Cop30 climate summit in Brazil disrupted after fire breaks out in venue

Event thrown into confusion after conference centre evacuated but UN says no one hurtBrazilian president will take fossil fuel phase-out plan to G20 summitTalks at the Cop30 climate summit in Brazil were disrupted on Thursday after a fire broke out in the venue, triggering an evacuation just as negotiators were hunkering down to try to land a deal to strengthen international efforts to address climate change.António Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, had appealed earlier in the day for a deal from the summit, welcoming calls from some for clarity on the hotly disputed subject of weaning the world off fossil fuels. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Families in suburbs and shires 'face even HIGHER council tax bills' as ministers announce billions of pounds in government funding will be shifted to Labour's urban heartlands

The government is facing a bitter backlash after unveiling a 'fairer' funding system targeting central resources on areas classified as suffering 'deprivation'.

Politics

3 w. ago Worth a shout? Yelling is best way to deter gulls, UK study suggests

Animal behaviourists tested 61 gulls in Cornwall to find most effective method of countering feathery threat Some people respond to the unwanted attentions of a gull eyeing up a bag of chips or a Cornish pasty by frantically flapping their hands at the hungry bird while others beat a rapid retreat into the nearest seaside shelter. But researchers have found that a no-nonsense yell – even a relatively quiet one – may be the best way to get rid of a pesky herring gull.Animal behaviourists from the University of Exeter tried to establish the most effective method of countering a feathery threat by placing a portion of chips in a place where gulls were bound to find them. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago UK Government unveils plan to phase out animal testing in 'ambitious' move

A UK minister has set out plans to phase out animal experiments in science

Politics

3 w. ago Britain's ambitious plan to end animal testing: UK government reveals shift away from 'suffering' creatures toward futuristic organ

Science ministers have laid out their ambitious plans to eliminate the use of animals in research, marking a significant step away from the 'suffering' of millions of creatures in the UK.

Politics

3 w. ago UK minister unveils plan to cut animal testing through greater use of AI

New funding for researchers and streamlined regulation part of roadmap for phasing out use of animals in scienceAnimal testing in science would be phased out faster under a new plan to increase the use of artificial intelligence and 3D bioprinted human tissues, a UK minister has said.The roadmap unveiled by the science minister, Patrick Vallance, backs replacing certain animal tests that are still used where necessary to determine the safety of products such as life-saving vaccines and the impact pesticides have on living beings and the environment. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Unrwa has the capacity and expertise to support a postwar Gaza. We want to help make this peace work | Philippe Lazzarini

With a ceasefire in place, rebuilding must begin, justice be delivered and healing seriously addressed by Palestinian and Israeli societiesPhilippe Lazzarini is the commissioner-general of UnrwaAfter two years of brutal warfare in Gaza, a fragile ceasefire – the first phase of US president Donald Trump’s 20-point plan – offers some respite to an exhausted population. For my Unrwa colleagues on the ground in Gaza, the constant fear of being killed by bombs and guns may have abated, but there is still much to worry about – access to shelter, food and clean water remains challenging, and winter is approaching fast.There is no time to lose in tackling widespread hunger and disease. The scale of physical and psychological trauma is immense, and expectations about access to healthcare and education are growing. The next weeks and months will determine whether this watershed moment will lead to a new dawn or be a prelude to greater despair.Philippe Lazzarini is commissioner-general of the ...

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