11 h. ago A new start after 60: I quit my job, bought a camera – and became a successful wildlife photographer

On retiring at 56, Michelle Jackson needed a big new challenge. So she picked up her first proper camera and was soon spending 20 hours a week in the field, and winning awardsA few weeks ago, Michelle Jackson was in the Peak District, hiding beneath a camouflage net with her camera, waiting for badgers to emerge at sunset. For more than two hours she watched the skylarks and curlews, her hopes intensifying during the 45-minute window in which the light was perfect.At last the heather moved. A badger’s head appeared. “Their eyesight is poor, but they can smell you,” Jackson says. At 66, she has won national and international awards as a wildlife photographer. Although the desire to get the shot “drives” her, for a while she simply watched. “You want to embrace what’s there. It’s so special to see wildlife up close.” Continue reading...

Culture

3 d. ago Week in wildlife: a lucky osprey, a miraculous hare and a political fox

The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Scottish loch with mysterious castle in its centre named country's best kept secret

Loch an Eilein in the Cairngorms has been named Scotland’s best kept wild swimming secret, with its peaceful setting and an island castle in its middle

Politics

7 d. ago Charlize Theron makes deadpan dig at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s lavish wedding

‘I think we might be the only people who did not get an invite to the Bezos wedding,’ joked the Oscar winner

Events

7 d. ago Fans 'crying' as fate of beloved Ryan Murphy drama finally revealed

Doctor Odyssey viewers have been awaiting the green light for season two

Sport

9 d. ago How wedding guests are coping with rising costs: ‘the total will come to £3,000 this year’

As celebrations become more lavish, those invited face higher costs. Here’s how some people juggle spending and expectationsBy the time Layla had paid for flights, booked a hotel, bought a dress and contributed to the honeymoon fund, her friend’s wedding had cost her more than £1,600 – and it is just one of three she is attending this summer.With more couples planning bigger celebrations – often with multiple events, and with some away from home, guests are left footing ever bigger bills. Continue reading...

Economics

1 week ago Week in wildlife: an orphaned sloth bear, swimming hippos and cheeky New Forest donkeys

The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Landscaper arrested after inviting hundreds to unauthorized party while homeowners away, cops say

Michael Brown is accused of inviting as many as 400 people to the house party in the Charlotte suburb of Weddington

Society

1 week ago Drugs kingpins guilty of plotting murder and running drugs empire on EncroChat

The plot was scuppered by Scotland Yard officers who accessed the defendants’ secret discussions.

Events

2 w. ago ‘We had therapists on standby’: Chris Tarrant on making Who Wants to Be a Millionnaire?

‘We knew the prize money had to go up fast. No one would say, “Better not put the kettle on in case somebody wins a quid”’I was responsible for the schedule. I’d listened to Chris Tarrant doing this game on the radio – Double or Quits – which was brilliant. I was intrigued by its TV version, called Cash Mountain, because it was well known in the industry that various people had turned it down. I invited the producer, Paul Smith, to pitch the full idea to me and Claudia Rosencrantz, ITV’s controller of entertainment. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Photographer from Glasgow captures amazing wildlife on a 'secret' African safari

While most wildlife photographers chase summer sightings, one Scottish traveller discovered a different kind of magic by heading to Kenya during its most overlooked time of year - the green season.

Culture

2 w. ago Week in wildlife: acrobatic dolphins, a lost baby raccoon and a pair of Bambis

The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Met Office calls on public to honour loved ones in search for new storm names

People are being invited to put forward names on the Met Office website

Events

2 w. ago First look at David Attenborough's immersive experience at Natural History Museum

Photographs from the exhibition preview reveal dazzling wildlife imagery, as well as breathtaking landscapes and star-filled skies

Culture

3 w. ago Week in wildlife: a flying zebra, chilling pelicans and a ghost elephant

The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Wildlife photographer invites people from Scotland on his 'secret' green season tour of Kenya

Animal lovers from Scotland are being sought to head to the African wilderness this green season to witness an experience like no other.

Society