68 h. ago Failure to tackle dependence on food banks in UK driving public discontent

One in six households went hungry last year, says Trussell, with Britain facing ‘new normal’ of severe hardshipDowning Street’s failure to tackle child poverty and reduce food bank use is helping to drive public discontent with falling living standards and fuelling a desire for political alternatives, the UK’s biggest charity food provider has warned.Trussell said one in six UK households went hungry last year and, without ambitious policies to tackle deepening poverty, Britain faces the prospect of locking in a “new normal” of increasingly severe hardship across society. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Warming seas threaten key phytoplankton species that fuels the food web, study finds

New research suggests that a tiny phytoplankton that is an essential part of the marine food web may decline sharply as oceans warm

Events

4 d. ago ‘The cultural landscape is decimated’: Louise Alder on stage fright, arts funding and the Last Night of the Proms

The great soprano will be the first British singer to top the bill at the Last Night in over a decade. So why does she advise her younger colleagues to leave the country?It’s the height of the August heatwave when I sit down opposite British soprano Louise Alder in a fiercely air-conditioned central London office. We’re here to discuss her headline performance at this year’s Last Night of the Proms but, as a seasonal warmup, I ask whether she’s had a break this summer. Alder looks faintly amused, then reminds me she’s been at Glyndebourne doing three performances of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro every week since the end of June. In fact, she was on stage as the Countess barely 12 hours earlier.“It’s never-ending,” she says. “I don’t want this to come across negatively – it’s been the most amazing contract – but an extremely long run. Twenty shows, which I think is the longest single run that Glyndebourne has done.” Days after the show closed, the company performed it again at the Prom...

Politics

9 d. ago Next's waterproof coat that 'feels like a duvet' and 'looks more expensive'

Keep warm and dry during the rainier season with this Next coat.

Politics

1 week ago ‘The forgotten forest’: how smashing 5.6m urchins saved a California kelp paradise

Pollution, warm oceans and hungry urchins devastated Pacific kelp. Now, thanks to divers with hammers, one of the world’s most successful rehabilitation projects has helped it reboundOn an overcast Tuesday in July, divers Mitch Johnson and Sean Taylor shimmy into their wetsuits on the back of the R/V Xenarcha, a 28ft boat floating off the coast of Rancho Palos Verdes, south of Los Angeles. Behind them, the clear waters of the Pacific are dotted with a forest of army-green strands, waving like mermaid hair underwater.We are here to survey the giant Pacific kelp, a species that once thrived in these ice cold waters. But over the past two decades, a combination of warm ocean temperatures, pollution, overfishing and the proliferation of hungry sea urchins that devour the kelp has led to a 80% decline in the forest along the southern California coast. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Five common household items could be attracting spiders into your home

September marks the start of mating season for spiders which means they will start to seek warmer, dry environments.

Society

2 w. ago Met Office maps show exact areas of UK set to be battered by rain this week

The Met Office has said that this summer is on track to "almost certainly" be the warmest on record, but the end of the season is likely to be dominated by "unsettled and changeable" weather.

Politics

3 w. ago Banish spiders and dust mites from your bed using 2 household ingredients

As the weather cools, spiders are more likely to venture into our homes in search of warmth. Fortunately for arachnophobes, there's an easy way to keep them out of your bedroom

Events

3 w. ago Scientists are baffled to discover a SLOWDOWN in melting of Arctic sea ice

Despite rising temperatures, an analysis by experts from the University of Exeter has revealed that the Arctic has been melting at a slower rate for the past 20 years.

Politics

3 w. ago At 19 I had to flee my country, afraid for my life – without even saying goodbye to my family

Mohanad was a medical student in Sudan, but he had to leave in secret, hiding in a vegetable truck, until he reached Libya, where he was kidnapped repeatedly. That was only the start of his perilous journeyFor three days, Mohanad had been lost at sea in an overcrowded wooden boat. Travelling across the Mediterranean from Libya to Europe, he and the other passengers had run out of food and water, were running out of fuel, and had mixed their remaining sugar with sea water to see if they could drink it. “It was madness,” he says.Weak and exhausted, passengers began drifting in and out of consciousness. Mohanad kept waking up an Ethiopian man – who was nearer the edge of the boat – worried he might fall in. At night, there were large waves, and Mohanad slept for a while himself, but was woken by a loud splash. People began screaming the Ethiopian man’s name. He had slipped over the side into the water. They turned the boat around to look for him, but he had drowned. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Greek island with paradise beaches to visit when crowds are gone and it's 26C

The beautiful Greek island in the Aegean Sea, known for its stunning beaches, warm weather, and rich history is a great spot for a late-season holiday

Politics

3 w. ago Inflation: UK rate rises to 3.8%, what is it, and what does it mean for mortgages, borrowing, and spending?

Households face pricier food, fuel and travel as experts warn the squeeze could drag into 2026 ✈️

Economics

3 w. ago UK inflation rises by more than expected to 3.8% amid higher food prices

Annual July rate all but rules out possibility of a further Bank of England interest rate cut this yearBusiness live – latest updatesInflation rose again last month, to a higher than expected 3.8%, amid higher food and fuel prices, adding to fears that the Bank of England will delay further interest rate cuts.Figures showed the annual rate as measured by the consumer price index (CPI) climbed from June’s 3.6% reading, sitting above the central bank’s 2% target for the 10th consecutive month. Continue reading...

Economics

3 w. ago Rats and mice will more likely invade your home if you own these 6 everyday items

As summer comes to a close, you may see an increase in rodent activity around your home. This is because they'll be searching for a warm spot to make their homes over the cold winter period.

Events

3 w. ago ‘Too hungry to think, too weak to sit upright. Concentration slips away’: the struggle to stay focussed as an academic in Gaza

It is hard to keep the mind sharp when the body is thin and dehydrated, but solidarity is teaching starving students their thoughts still matterI must admit: I write this piece while starving – too hungry to think clearly, too weak to sit upright for long. I do not feel ashamed because my starvation is deliberate. I refuse my hunger even as it decays me. I can survive no other way.Since 2 March 2025, Israel has imposed a full blockade on Gaza. Little aid – food, medicine, fuel – is getting in or being distributed. The markets are empty and bakeries, community kitchens and fuel stations are shuttered. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago ‘Too hungry to think, too weak to sit upright. Concentration slips away’: the struggle to stay focused as an academic in Gaza

It is hard to keep the mind sharp when the body is thin and dehydrated, but solidarity is teaching starving students their thoughts still matterI must admit: I write this piece while starving – too hungry to think clearly, too weak to sit upright for long. I do not feel ashamed because my starvation is deliberate. I refuse my hunger even as it decays me. I can survive no other way.Since 2 March 2025, Israel has imposed a full blockade on Gaza. Little aid – food, medicine, fuel – is getting in or being distributed. The markets are empty and bakeries, community kitchens and fuel stations are shuttered. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago ‘What I eat in a day’ videos are everywhere. Are they a toxic influence or helpful reminder to eat well?

Influencers are sharing everything they eat in a day as part of a viral social media trend but is this fuelling unhealthy obsessions with food asks Chloe Laws

Events