The head of Porton Down, the government’s military research facility, appears to have contradicted claims by the foreign secretary over the poisoning of a former spy, Sergei Skripal. Boris Johnson seemingly confirmed that scientists had “no doubt” that the nerve agent used was made in Russia. But Porton Down now says it has “not identified the precise source”.
In the 1990s campaigns to tackle cot deaths were amazingly successful – reducing the tragedy of sudden infant deaths by 81 per cent in the UK. But since then the number of cases has remained constant at around 300 a year. Now scientists have identified a particular gene that could be a factor in some…
When a former Russian spy and his daughter were found slumped on a park bench in Salisbury, it wasn’t long before investigators started looking at the Kremlin with suspicion. But how strong is the UK’s evidence against Russia? And what do the experts think?
A week after the nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in Salisbury, hundreds of people who went to the city’s Zizzi restaurant or the Mill pub have been told to wash their clothes and possessions. The risk is very low, but some members of the public want to know why the advice wasn’t issued earlier.
The government has announced its ambition to reduce the number of calories in some popular foods by 20 per cent by 2024. Will this really help the nation lose weight? There’s often confusion and debate about how best to tackle the UK’s obesity epidemic. Some commentators have blamed obesity on over-consumption of certain food types like…
At least four people have died in car crashes as heavy snow sweeps across the country. Forecasters are predicting up to 10 centimetres of snow for many places, with hundreds of schools closed down, trains disrupted and flights cancelled and flights disrupted. And there’s more snow on the way – plus for parts of the…
Liam Dutton
With the coldest spell of weather for at least five years set to bring disruptive snow to the UK this week, here are useful tips that will help you stay up to date and be prepared for what’s to come.
It appears that the drugs DO work. Scientists say that they have resolved one of the most hotly debated topics in medicine – whether anti-depressants are effective in treating depression. A huge study carried out over six years has found that all 21 common anti-depressants are more effective than dummy pills. Doctors hope it will…
What would happen if the water simply ran out? That’s the nightmarish reality facing four million people in Capetown, which may soon be forced to turn off its taps after drought and population growth brought reservoir levels dangerously low. Officials say supplies could dry up by mid April.
Dr Irene Pepperberg, comparative psychologist at Harvard University, discusses talking animals.
The foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, has hinted at the prospect of building a road bridge between the UK and France. FactCheck asks whether such a project would be feasible – and what challenges engineers would be up against.
Liam Dutton
Earlier this week, I criticised the Irish Met Service, Met Eireann, for naming Storm Fionn. Here’s why I did this and how I think Met Eireann and the Met Office can improve the storm naming system.
Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to Environment Minister Therese Coffey and I began by asking her why it will take until 2042 to get rid of avoidable plastic waste.
Theresa May has promised to tackle what she describes as a “scourge” of plastic waste. The Prime Minister visited a bird sanctuary as she outlined her 25-year plan for the environment. Critics say her plans need to be backed with legislation and take too long to do anything. But does her wider environment plan really…
Environmentally friendly farming will be the watchword once Brexit has happened. That was the message from Environment Secretary Michael Gove today as he set out plans to pay farmers for their stewardship of the countryside rather than how many acres they have. Mr Gove did admit, however, the current EU system of subsidy many farmers…
