Julia Donaldson on new book Gruffalo Granny: I’m a big fan of grandmotherhood Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson has said it is “quite a relief” sharing the news of the third book with the world, adding the upcoming Gruffalo Granny reflects the fact she is a “big fan of grandmotherhood”. The third instalment comes more than
Beavers to be released at two sites in South West Beavers are set to be released at two sites in south-west England as part of efforts to reintroduce the species into the wild. Natural England said it has issued two further licences to release the semi-aquatic animals, which engineer the landscape with dams, ponds and
Serial killer Steve Wright jailed for 1999 teenager’s murder Suffolk strangler Steve Wright has been told he will die in jail after being brought to justice for the abduction and murder of schoolgirl Victoria Hall more than 25 years ago. Wright, 67, had admitted the kidnap and murder of the 17-year-old, who disappeared early on
‘No end in sight’ after parts of UK see rain every day so far in 2026 “There’s no end in sight”, forecasters have said after announcing rain has fallen every day of 2026 in south-west England and South Wales. Meanwhile, Aberdeen has seen no sunshine for two weeks – the longest period for the area
UKHSA reports 36 notifications of baby formula cereulide poisoning There have been 36 clinical reports of children suffering symptoms consistent with toxin poisoning linked to recent baby formula recalls, the UK Health Security Agency has said. The UKHSA said it and partner agencies had received 24 notifications in England, seven in Scotland, three in Wales,
Autism rates could be ‘comparable between men and women’ – study shows Diagnosis rates of autism are “more or less equal for men and women”, a new study suggests. Previous work on gender and autism suggested that for every four men or boys diagnosed with autism there would be one woman or girl. And a
Criminals using AI to clone voices and set up direct debits Criminals are using AI to clone people’s voices and set up unauthorised direct debits over the phone, National Trading Standards (NTS) has warned. NTS said “advanced” voice cloning was part of an organised criminal operation that appeared to be targeting older people. Fraudsters began
MPs back release of files on Mandelson appointment as US ambassador MPs have approved the release of documents relating to Lord Peter Mandelson’s appointment as British ambassador to the United States. It comes after the Prime Minister backed down from his original plans for top civil servant Sir Chris Wormald to decide which documents could
Testing period blood for cervical cancer ‘could be new screening method’ Testing period blood for signs of cervical cancer could be a new, accurate way of screening for the disease, researchers say. A regular sanitary pad topped with a blood sample strip can pick up human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes most cases of cervical cancer, and
Peter Mandelson ‘betrayed our country’, Starmer tells MPs Peter Mandelson “betrayed our country” by leaking information to Jeffrey Epstein, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said. At Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir said Lord Mandelson had “lied repeatedly” about his relationship with paedophile financier Epstein during the appointment process to the US ambassador role. The Prime