Matthew Pearce

The Fire Brigades Union is calling for increased funding, better equipment and stronger national resilience as UK firefighters face an unprecedented season of wildfires, heatwaves, flooding and drought. More than 120 firefighters are tackling a major blaze in the New Forest, while fires near Mansfield and elsewhere have strained local resources. London emergency calls rose 31% above the five-year average between April and July, with hundreds of wildfires and water rescues recorded. Authorities said 71.3% of England was experiencing flash drought, affecting water supplies, agriculture and the environment, while millions of people faced water-use restrictions. The government and emergency services are focusing on immediate response and long-term preparedness as climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather.

Foraging is becoming more popular as people seek inexpensive food and closer connections with nature, but conservation groups warn that over-harvesting can damage habitats and deprive wildlife of food. Foragers are advised to avoid rare species, take only small quantities—around 10% of what is available—and respect sites where picking is prohibited. Ecologists and foraging educators argue that responsible gathering can increase biodiversity awareness, encourage people to defend green spaces, and inspire urban planting that benefits pollinators, birds and insects.

More than 1,500 commercial vessels stranded in the Gulf since the Strait of Hormuz closed on 28 February have accumulated extensive marine growth on their hulls, potentially creating a major pathway for invasive species when shipping resumes. Marine biologists warn that barnacles, algae, mussels, larvae, parasites and pathogens could spread through global ports, threatening native species, fisheries, power infrastructure and valuable habitats. Warm, highly saline regions such as India and Singapore may face particular risks. Researchers and the International Maritime Organization recommend inspecting and cleaning vessels, monitoring incoming ships, detecting invasive species early and preparing rapid-response plans.

After Don Edkins’s son Max died in Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302’s 2019 crash, Don and Max’s brother Teboho made the documentary An Open Field about grief rather than the disaster itself. The film contrasts the Edkins family’s mourning with the structured Orthodox Christian Tewahedo rituals of the Ethiopian community living near the crash site, which the filmmakers came to see as a source of solace. It also touches on relatives’ unresolved demand for accountability from Boeing, whose 737 Max aircraft was involved in two fatal crashes linked to the MCAS system. The filmmakers differ in emphasis: Don wants to confront corporate greed and corruption, while Teboho seeks a less personal, more contemplative exploration of mourning.

Research by social anthropologist Kriti Kapila finds that dowry deaths in India have increased dramatically, from 1,841 in 1988 to 6,516 in 2022, while generating less public outrage and political mobilisation. Although dowries were banned in 1961, demands remain widespread and can lead to abuse, murder or suicide. The study links the decline in protest to a shift from staged kitchen-fire murders to suicides, which are more easily treated as private shame, as well as to sex-selective abortion, caste and class hierarchies, and tighter control or self-censorship of dissent. Kapila argues that these changes have weakened collective solidarity against violence affecting women and girls.

Scientists led by Florida Atlantic University have created a highly detailed three-dimensional digital reconstruction of a female vaquita skeleton using medical CT scans, micro-CT imaging and photography. The freely available dataset allows researchers worldwide to study the species without handling rare and fragile specimens and could support museum replicas, education and conservation. Only an estimated seven to 10 vaquitas remain in Mexico’s northern Gulf of California, down from about 600 in 1997, with illegal-fishing gillnet bycatch targeting totoaba identified as the main cause of decline.

A western reef heron has been sighted in north Wales for the first time on record in the UK, attracting hundreds of birdwatchers. Experts say increasingly mild winters linked to climate change are enabling tropical and Mediterranean bird species to reach and survive in Britain, with other rare sightings including a squacco heron in Lincolnshire and a black-winged kite in Norfolk. Although a sudden influx of western reef herons is not expected, further sightings are considered likely as species ranges shift northward.

Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve is using electrifiable netted fences, seasonal wardens and visitor education to protect little terns and ringed plovers from disturbance caused by tourism, dogs and coastal development. Little tern numbers at the reserve rose from 25 breeding pairs producing 15 fledglings in 2020 to 138 pairs producing 201 fledglings in 2025. Conservationists say the measures are increasingly important as climate change, flooding, predators and growing visitor numbers put pressure on vulnerable ground-nesting birds, while the reserve’s popularity also contributes significantly to the north-east economy.

A Barcelona Institute for Global Health study warns that aid cuts by the UK, France and Germany could contribute to more than 11.5 million preventable deaths by 2030. UK official development assistance is projected to fall 45% from 2020 to 2026, with estimated effects including 1.1 million additional unintended pregnancies, 375,000 unsafe abortions and more than 1,000 maternal deaths. French and German reductions are also linked to hundreds of thousands of deaths, reduced disease prevention and millions of people losing food assistance. The report argues that European governments are replacing development spending with defence investment, weakening global health systems and potentially increasing instability. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper defends the cuts as a modernization aimed at maximizing impact and protecting taxpayers while maintaining Britain’s international commitments.

The Natural History Museum’s exhibition Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep explores the marine reptiles, ammonites, squid relatives and other predators that dominated the oceans while dinosaurs lived on land. Experts explain how warmer, high-CO2 Jurassic seas shaped marine life and compare prehistoric creatures such as ichthyosaurs and mosasaurs with modern species. The exhibition also warns that today’s rapid ocean warming, acidification and deoxygenation are disrupting food chains and ecosystems faster than many animals can adapt.

A study found that floral buzzing, the vibration bumblebees use to release pollen, consumes roughly as much energy as taking off in flight and can last longer, making it one of the bees’ most demanding activities. Researchers measured the metabolic costs in three colonies of buff-tailed bumblebees and found that buzzing, grooming and carrying the heavier pollen load place substantial demands on their energy budgets. Declining nectar supplies linked to climate change and habitat loss could therefore affect which flowers bees visit and which plants they pollinate, adding pressure to already declining UK bumblebee populations.

The Cockrow Bridge in Surrey is set to connect two heathland nature reserves divided by the A3 motorway, allowing reptiles, insects, birds and mammals to move between fragmented habitats. Built by National Highways as part of the M25 improvement scheme, the £3.7m bridge uses transplanted heathland, sand piles and logs to support species including sand lizards, adders, nightjars and Dartford warblers. Experts argue that road networks contribute significantly to genetic isolation and biodiversity loss, while examples from the Netherlands and North America demonstrate the effectiveness of wildlife crossings. Supporters say the bridge could provide a model for allocating 1% to 3% of future road-project costs to habitat connectivity, although the UK lacks a standard method for valuing these ecological benefits.

The war involving Iran, the US and Israel has disrupted fertiliser and ammonia supplies, driving urea prices up by 60% to 70% and raising the risk of a global bidding war. Yara CEO Svein Tore Holsether warns that poorer African countries could be priced out of fertiliser, threatening crop yields and food security, particularly because many already face poor soil health and limited food reserves. Ethiopia and Kenya are especially exposed to Middle Eastern nitrogen fertilisers. The European Union is offering state support and grants to farmers, but comparable assistance is largely unavailable in sub-Saharan Africa, where disruptions could affect both the imminent sowing season and preparations for 2027 crops.

Conservation biologist Moreangels Mbizah founded Wildlife Conservation Action after witnessing a lion kill a child in a Zimbabwean village, realizing that protecting wildlife without addressing community losses was incomplete. The organization works with communities in the Mbire district using trained guardians, GPS alerts and portable livestock enclosures known as mobile bomas. It reports reducing human-wildlife conflict by up to 98%, protecting nearly 18,000 livestock across 2.6 million hectares of the Zambezi Valley. Mbizah also promotes opportunities for young African women in conservation and argues that protecting lions depends on protecting the people who live alongside them.

An inquest found that medicinal cannabis prescribed to Oliver Robinson probably contributed to his suicide and acted as an obstacle to appropriate psychiatric and addiction care. Robinson, who had depression, bipolar disorder and cannabis dependency, experienced escalating violence, homelessness, financial hardship and worsening mental health after receiving prescriptions from Curaleaf Clinic. His brother Alexander is campaigning for a ban on prescribing cannabis to people with serious mental illness, mandatory coordination with NHS mental-health teams, face-to-face assessments for complex cases, stronger Care Quality Commission oversight and compulsory reporting of serious harms. The case comes amid a rapid rise in privately prescribed unlicensed cannabis products, while Curaleaf says its decisions are multidisciplinary and clinically governed and regulators are reviewing the coroner’s findings.

Three people—a 31-year-old man, a 48-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman—were killed in a collision involving a red BMW, grey Volkswagen and white Audi on the Armagh Road near Moy. Four others were injured, with three remaining in hospital. The PSNI and emergency services attended, police inquiries are continuing, and the road remains closed while witnesses are asked to come forward. Local political representatives expressed condolences to the victims’ families and affected communities.

Eddie Hill, 20, and Jayden Long, 19, from Norfolk, were found dead in Eryri National Park after losing contact with family and friends during a hike on Yr Wyddfa, also known as Snowdon. Three mountain rescue teams, RAF rescuers, search dogs and a coastguard helicopter conducted an extensive search in severe winter conditions. Relatives and friends paid tribute to the men, while North Wales Police confirmed their identities and said the coroner had been notified. Rescue leaders and the Llanberis community council praised the teams’ efforts and urged people to take extra care in the mountains.

Resident doctors in England have begun a five-day strike, the 14th walkout since March 2023, after overwhelmingly rejecting the government’s latest offer. The proposal would have expanded specialist training places but did not increase pay in the current financial year. The British Medical Association says doctors want a long-term plan for pay restoration and genuinely new jobs, while NHS England warns that the action could disrupt more patients than recent strikes because of high winter flu-related hospital admissions. The government says talks were constructive but failed to avert the strikes and is now focused on limiting disruption.

The United Grand Lodge of England, together with women’s and mixed Freemasonry organizations, has sent the Metropolitan Police a letter before claim seeking to suspend its requirement that serving and prospective staff declare Freemasonry membership. The organizations argue that the policy is unlawful, discriminatory, and incompatible with equality and data protection rights, while the Met says it is intended to improve transparency and public confidence in police impartiality. The force introduced the requirement after a staff survey found that two-thirds supported it, though membership itself remains permitted.

Harry Roberts, who murdered three Metropolitan Police officers in Shepherd’s Bush in 1966, has died aged 89 after a short illness. His killing of Christopher Head, David Wombwell and Geoffrey Fox prompted a 96-day manhunt and led to a life sentence with a 30-year minimum tariff. Roberts served 48 years before being released on licence in 2014, a decision that angered policing representatives and has renewed debate over parole, sentencing and whether life imprisonment should mean life for those who kill police officers.