Badger culls to continue in England despite lack of scientific evidence
Badger cull licences have been issued by the government despite its own scientific adviser saying there is “no justification” for doing so. Leaked documents seen by the Guardian show the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs this month issued…
Reality check: the Reform UK party’s claims on the climate crisis examined
Despite 40C record heat in 2022 and the wettest 18 months on record this winter, this general election seems set to test the UK’s political consensus on climate change like never before. Reform UK, the rightwing party that describes itself…
The Breakdown | Premiership final masks turmoil simmering below rugby’s surface
At first glance English rugby has increasing reasons for optimism. A shiny, happy grand final awaits at Twickenham on Saturday involving two teams laden with high-quality homegrown players. The national team are showing genuine signs of life, as they hope…
Children reading fewer, less challenging books, UK and Ireland study finds
Children in the UK and Ireland are reading fewer books than they did last year, according to a new report, as post-Covid absences from school and a lack of dedicated reading time contribute to lower reading abilities. The 2024 What…
County cricket fans deserve better than the T20 Blast’s scattered start
Ball one: Blast off – somewhere, soonish Thursday at 6.15pm and 6.30pm; Friday at 6.30pm (five), 7pm (two) and 7.05pm; Saturday at 4.30pm; Sunday at 2.30pm (three), 3.00pm and 3.30pm (two). That is, as I am sure you know, the…
Why are Green parties polling badly for the European elections?
Voters may deal Green parties a blow that costs them up to one-third of their seats, if polls before this week’s European elections prove correct, in a shift that could lead to a rollback of climate policies with the effects…
China’s lunar probe on way back to Earth from far side of the moon
China’s uncrewed Chang’e-6 probe is on its way back to Earth carrying the first samples from the far side of the moon, in a major achievement for Beijing’s space programme. The probe landed on the lunar surface on Sunday, within…
Nic and Louis Grimoldby on rugby, Parkinson’s and the need to unionise
As several of the Super League’s biggest stars try to establish a new players’ union, the man who led one when the competition launched is appealing for them to get organised and prevent the current generation of rugby players –…
The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry review – fast and loose on the frontiers of America
Kevin Barry, who is equally dedicated to the short story and the novel, has proved since the bog-gothic of his debut story collection, There Are Little Kingdoms (2007), that what marks him out is a restless originality. He has never…
TV tonight: Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer go head to head in first televised debate
Sunak v Starmer: The ITV Debate 9pm, ITVIt’s time for prime minister Rishi Sunak and opposition leader Keir Starmer to go head-to-head in the first televised debate in the run-up to the general election on 4 July. ITV News presenter…