Author: Darren Smith

Ministers have ordered water companies to step up monitoring after the driest April to September in more than a century left reservoirs dangerously low, though household supplies are not currently affected. A severe drought has been declared in parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex, prompting the Government to activate measures to protect water supplies. According to the Government, the South East and South West had their driest April to September in more than 100 years. Water companies have been ordered to increase monitoring and take further action to prevent disruption. Household supplies will remain uninterrupted…

The park has been closed since Saturday’s fatal incident. An inquest opened on Thursday into the death of William Chapman, 24. Yorkshire Wildlife Park will reopen on Friday 16 October and has confirmed that Altai, the tiger involved in the death of William Chapman, will not be euthanised. The park has been closed since Mr Chapman died after entering the tiger enclosure on Saturday 10 October. An inquest heard on Thursday that he died from severe injuries sustained in the incident. The hearing was also told he had a history of mental illness and a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The park’s…

The defender is available for Sunday’s game after clear-the-air talks with Michael Carrick and senior club figures, but the head coach has not said whether he will play. Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has apologised to the club, its fans and his team-mates after criticising the club’s hierarchy in an interview following Tuesday’s defeat by Atletico Madrid. BBC Sport reports that he has been fined but made available for Sunday’s trip to Leeds. Whether he starts at Elland Road is Carrick’s decision, and the head coach is expected to speak at a press conference on Friday. Kick-off is at 2pm…

Health officials are investigating a possible foodborne illness outbreak linked to a shared meal at the Lebanon site. No cause has been identified, and Walmart says none of its products were involved. Nineteen people were taken to hospital after a suspected food poisoning incident at a Walmart distribution centre in Lebanon, Tennessee, local broadcasters WKRN, WTVF and WSMV reported. The Wilson County Emergency Management Agency said about 25 to 30 people were assessed at the scene. Responders had first been told that 80 or more people were affected. WTVF reported that the incident followed a potluck meal. The Tennessee Department…

Police in Bend say there is a large presence at Silver Rail Elementary School and have asked the public to avoid the area. Families have been directed to a nearby church. Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, was placed on lockdown on Thursday 15 October after a report of an active shooter. Bend Police Department officers are at the school investigating. In a statement, the department said: “The Bend Police Department is currently at Silver Rail Elementary School after a report of an active shooter. There is a large police presence in the area. Please avoid the area.” Police…

Researchers say a 75,000-year-old skeleton shows a individual who survived a smashed face, was probably looked after, and was later struck by what may have been a wooden spear. Neanderthals were not the unintelligent cave dwellers of popular imagination, according to researchers who have studied a partial skeleton found in a cave in Iraq’s Zagros Mountains. The remains, dated to about 75,000 years ago, include a left shoulder blade, some ribs, a nearly complete right hand and seven teeth. The individual, named Shanidar A, bears evidence of a serious facial injury that was survived and a penetrating wound that may…

The US biotech firm’s new platform has produced a shortlist of DNA targets that could be tested in the dodo’s closest living relative, though no living dodo has been recreated. Researchers at Colossal Biosciences say they have used artificial intelligence to identify more than 2,300 pieces of regulatory DNA linked to the dodo’s characteristic skull and beak. The company describes it as a major step in its effort to bring the extinct bird back. The findings give scientists a genetic roadmap for recreating some of the dodo’s recognisable features in the Nicobar pigeon, its closest living relative. The researchers stress…

No one matched all six numbers in Wednesday’s draw, so the top prize carries forward. One player has won £1m in Wednesday’s National Lotto draw, but the jackpot was not won and is now estimated at £3.4m for Saturday. The winner matched five of the six main numbers plus the bonus ball. No one matched all six. The next draw is on Saturday 17 October. Winning numbers The draw on Wednesday 14 October, numbered 3,215, was held in two rounds. The research notes say each £2 line is entered into both, so players should check their numbers against each round.…

The long-running shower is known for slow, bright fireballs, though forecasters stress it is a minor display with only a handful of meteors an hour. The annual Southern Taurid meteor shower peaks this evening, Wednesday 14 October, according to the American Meteor Society. It is known for slow-moving and exceptionally bright fireballs. The meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Taurus, although the brightest can flash across any part of the sky. The display is considered minor, but it has staying power, lasting for weeks and months through the northern hemisphere’s autumn, according to EarthSky.com. Why it happens The shower…

The Argentina defender is said to be unlikely to get a new contract, in a day of transfer speculation that also links Arsenal and United with Newcastle’s Bazoumana Toure and Getafe with Jadon Sancho. Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez’s future is uncertain after he criticised the club’s hierarchy, according to Sky Sports. The 28-year-old’s contract expires next summer, and there are doubts it will be extended. The reports are among a series of transfer stories involving Premier League and European clubs. All of them are speculation, and none has been confirmed by the clubs. Martinez and United Sky Sports reports…