For the first time ever, women in England can now pick up the morning‑after pill free of charge from almost 10,000 high‑street pharmacies, without needing an appointment at a GP surgery or sexual health clinic.
In a landmark move to make banking more inclusive, the UK government has unveiled a new pilot scheme that will let people experiencing homelessness open bank accounts even if they don’t have a fixed address.
The UK government has launched an ambitious plan to dramatically reduce and where possible, end the use of animals in scientific research and testing. Science Minister Lord Vallance and other senior officials unveiled a detailed “roadmap” strategy called Replacing animals in science: a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods.
In a landmark environmental move, the UK government has passed a law banning the sale of wet wipes containing plastic in England. The new regulations are set to take full effect in spring 2027, giving manufacturers and retailers time to phase out plastic-based wipes.
The world-famous Glen Affric National Nature Reserve has taken a giant ecological leap. Managed by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), it has now officially become part of Affric Highlands, the UK’s largest rewilding landscape.
In the years since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015, the world has witnessed a remarkable surge in solar generation, a trend that many analysts point to as one of the clearest signs that global climate policy can drive real change.
It began with a quiet announcement from the World Health Organization, the kind of news that seems small at first but grows larger the more one thinks about it.
It felt like a rallying cry when Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stood in the Danish parliament, her voice firm and unflinching. She said that mobile phones and social media are “stealing our children’s time, childhood and well-being.” Her words landed like a challenge to parents, to lawmakers, and to the tech giants themselves.
The ocean was calm when the morning light broke across the swells, and the photographer on the deck was still warming his hands on a forgotten cup of coffee. Then something sliced through the surface in a perfect black and white arc.
Germany’s city of Heilbronn has been officially named the European Green Capital for 2027, earning one of Europe’s most respected environmental honours after years of sustained investment in sustainability and civic participation.
