CATEGORIES

A 'Brexit problem': fears over safety of tap water after closure of test labs

The safety of tap water in the UK could be at risk because water companies are unable to use products to clean it, industry insiders have said, as all the laboratories that test and certify these chemicals have shut down.

Golden age Why saving older animals is vital to species' survival

It's not just humans who get wiser as they age - animals do too, according to a growing body of research.

Pom-poms for all Austria's first male and non-binary cheerleaders subvert gender stereotypes

Dressed in short shorts and tight T-shirts, they bounded onto the gymnasium floor. After the female roller derby teams had pushed, pounded and smashed into each other, the men and their pom-poms were now on the same court in Vienna, ready to offer up the exact opposite: a hip-shaking, acrobatic-laced half-time show.

'They get blinded' How underwater noise pollution is posing a threat to Norway's whales

From the moment that the biologist Dr Heike Vester presses play, sounds of static from the fjord fill the room. First comes the constant, steady rumbling of a boat engine. Then, every eight seconds, like a foreboding bass drum, comes the explosion of seismic airguns - extremely loud blasts used in oil and gas exploration that can travel vast distances underwater. And finally, dancing above it all - and at times drowned out by it - are the soaring vocalisations of whales.

Search for suspect of New York shooting 'on right track', mayor says

New York's mayor said the hunt for the man believed to have shot a top health insurance executive was \"on the right track\" as the investigation continued into a third day yesterday.

Trump set to have richest cabinet in US history again, worth £270bn

Enough billionaires and multi-millionaires have been assembled by Donald Trump to fill key roles in his administration to form a football team.

Risk on both sides Could Trump help end the Ukraine war?

Nobody knows when the talks will happen, or in what city. It is unclear who might be sitting at the table, or what format the discussion will take. But at some point in the coming months, the incoming US administration will probably attempt to negotiate an end to Russia's war in Ukraine.

Three climbers missing on New Zealand's highest peak believed dead

Three climbers - two from the US and one from Canada - missing for five days on Aoraki, New Zealand's highest mountain, are believed to have died in a fall.

K-pop and autocrats Jolt to democracy lays bare the two sides of South Korea

In the global battle for soft-power supremacy, a winner has emerged in recent years: South Korea. Spearheaded by the boyband phenomenon BTS, the Korean Wave has turned a country few knew much about into a cultural behemoth.

Syrian rebels close in on Homs as advance on Damascus gathers pace

Syrian insurgents yesterday entered towns north of Homs, the country's third largest city, sweeping along a road that eventually leads to the capital, Damascus, in a lightning-fast advance that has shaken the Middle East.

We could see significant gains for insurgents this weekend, but don't expect a clear outcome

Analysts have described Bashar al-Assad's military as hollowed out by poor morale, defections and corruption

Grief, joy and confusion Loved ones seek hope after rebels' jail release

Oammar Ali has been searching for his older brother for 39 years.

Gaelic noir Primetime gamble pays off for BBC's Irish-language murder mystery

Its setting is remote, desolate, and windy. Its protagonist is a mercurial policeman struggling with his own personal demons. Its subject: a long-lost body found in a mountain bog.

Pride - and criticism: reactions across the Pacific to Moana 2

Audiences across the Pacific have welcomed Moana 2 and cheered seeing aspects of their culture on the big screen, but Disney's portrayal of the demigod character Maui has drawn some criticism for reinforcing stereotypes.

Stage review: An engaging Mowgli takes us on a lively adventure

Here is a startling piece of transformative stagecraft towards the start of Sarah Punshon's production of the Rudyard Kipling favourite.

Murderers face longer in jail for strangling or killing ex-partners

Murderers in England and Wales who kill their former partners or use strangulation will face longer prison sentences, ministers have said.

Jolly king returns but we are subject to charmless shades of fashion queen

A man dies on the sidewalk at the hands of a masked gunman, and much of the commentary around it is unsympathetic.

Ethnic minorities 'less likely to survive' UK stem cell transplant

Black and Asian cancer patients are less likely to survive in the five years after a donor stem cell transplant than their white counterparts, according to the largest study of its kind.

Party like its 1899 Why some young powerful women still want to be debutantes

The event began with an opening dance, then the \"debutantes lined up for a waltz with their fathers\" before being \"passed on to their cavaliers\". \"Family and other guests sat at tables in golden chairs and took it all in, as the chandelier ceiling dripped with decadence.\"

'Watch this space' Musk interest in British politics could have profound consequences

Elon Musk appears to have many obsessions. The world's richest man is evangelical about electric vehicles, space travel and Donald Trump.

'Positive step' Refugees get extra time to find homes

Charities and politicians have welcomed a Home Office trial that will double the time refugees have to find a home before being evicted from asylum accommodation.

Tories Donor stripped of CBE over series of controversies

A top Tory donor and peer has been stripped of his CBE after a string of controversies, including harassing a journalist and making derogatory comments about Pakistanis.

Labour reset PM gives Whitehall 'a shake' amid frustration at progress

It was a reset designed to invigorate Keir Starmer's premiership in the wake of flagging opinion polls, a scandal over the former transport secretary and worries about the economy.

Union boss hits out at Starmer's 'insulting' criticism of civil service

The senior civil servants' union boss has written to Keir Starmer urging him to rethink his \"frankly insulting\" criticism of Whitehall for being comfortable with falling standards.

Agency that recruited indebted farmworkers has licence revoked

A British recruitment agency that brought to the UK Indonesian farmworkers who had debts of thousands of pounds to foreign brokers has had its licence revoked by the labour exploitation watchdog.

Mayor of London expected to be knighted in new year honours

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (pictured), is understood to be in line to receive a knighthood in the new year honours, with other senior politicians also receiving awards.

Mounjaro What is the 'King Kong' of weight loss drugs?

Mounjaro, known as the \"King Kong of weight-loss drugs\", will be available to patients on the NHS in England, but this week it was announced it would be prioritised to people with the highest needs, with the rollout expected to extend over a 12-year period.

Silk roads Chanel hits lavish new heights to lure back Chinese sales

Coco Chanel was an ambitious woman, but even she could not have imagined the scale on which the house she founded now operates.

'A spirit of defiance' Why our appeal this year is focusing on victims of conflict

Why our appeal this year is focusing on victims of conflict

We can't give up on a million children'

The charity taking psychological first aid to Gaza