Exclusive: Ben Goldsmith will work on issues including fishing and green belt preservation to attract green Tories
Ben Goldsmith, the veteran Conservative environmentalist and ally of Boris Johnson, has been approached to write Reform UK’s policies on nature, as Nigel Farage’s party attempts to make inroads with voters put off by his stance on the climate crisis.
Goldsmith will work with the Reform leader and his policy adviser James Orr on policies such as fishing and preservation of the green belt, as party figures admit they are struggling to win over Conservative voters who care about the environment.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
01/29/2026 - 20:14
Eleven endangered skinks released into a gated community in Victoria's Alpine national park will soon become 13, when Omeo, one of the females, gives birth in March. One of Australia's only alpine lizards, guthega skinks live on 'sky islands' above 1,600 metres in two isolated alpine locations – Bogong high plains in Victoria and Mount Kosciuszko in NSW. 'They're extremely vulnerable, given where they live,' says skink specialist Dr Zak Atkins, director of Snowline Ecology. As the climate warms, their alpine zone is retracting, and there's nowhere higher for them to go
Nursing a skink: endangered alpine lizard numbers set to rise after Omeo falls pregnant in Victoria
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01/29/2026 - 13:06
Information tribunal rules Soil Association must disclose salmon farm inspection reports to WildFish campaigners
Campaigners have forced the Soil Association to reveal its salmon farm inspection reports, amid claims that certifying the farmed fish as “organic” is misleading to consumers.
The Soil Association’s Organic scheme, the UK’s oldest and most widely recognised organic certification, defines organic farming as “using methods that benefit our whole food system, from people to planet, plant health to animal welfare.”
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01/29/2026 - 11:18
Emergency pumps are deployed in attempt to stop water inundating homes around River Parrett
‘Like a sea out there’: flooded Somerset residents wonder how water can be managed
Since medieval monks started draining and managing the Somerset Levels, humans have struggled to live and work alongside water.
“At the moment it feels like a losing battle,” said Mike Stanton, the chair of the Somerset Rivers Authority. “Intense rainfall is hitting us more often because of climate change. It may be that in the next 50 years, perhaps in the next 20, some homes around here will have to be abandoned.”
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01/29/2026 - 09:00
Eleven guthega skinks could soon become 13 thanks to a captive breeding program in the Alpine national park
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Eleven endangered skinks released into a gated community in Victoria’s Alpine national park could soon become 13, with a female known as Omeo due to give birth in March.
One of Australia’s only alpine lizards, guthega skinks live on “sky islands” above 1,600 metres in two isolated alpine locations – the Bogong high plains in Victoria and Mount Kosciuszko in New South Wales.
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01/29/2026 - 07:11
Canada has reached a tentative deal for 30 belugas in an amusement park to be shipped to four aquariums in US
‘It’s heartbreaking’: how 30 captive beluga whales have become pawns in row over animal cruelty
Before boarding the plane, the travellers will be given a dose of Valium to calm their nerves. For some, it will be the first time they’ve flown. Others have logged thousands of miles over the Pacific Ocean. Like most weary and anxious passengers, they will be offered minimal personal space on board and food isn’t included in their fare.
But for these jet-setters, the tight quarters and minimal refreshments aren’t meant to maximize airline profits: they’re meant to keep them safe.
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01/29/2026 - 06:00
Despite no criminal charges being brought against them, four officers have been detained since the MV Dali struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, killing six workers
Several crew members of a ship that collided with a bridge in Baltimore almost two years ago are still being held in the US by federal authorities despite the fact that no criminal charges have been brought against them.
In the early hours of 26 March 2024, the MV Dali departed the port of Baltimore bound for Sri Lanka. While navigating the Fort McHenry channel, the 1,000ft-long Singapore-flagged cargo vessel lost power before striking the bridge. The impact resulted in the deaths of six people who were working on the bridge at the time.
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01/29/2026 - 04:28
Small mammals are early warning systems for environmental damage, but many species look almost identical, making them hard to track. Scientists have developed a new footprint-based method that can tell apart nearly indistinguishable species with remarkable accuracy. Tested on two types of sengi, the system correctly identified them up to 96% of the time. It offers a simple, ethical way to monitor ecosystems before they quietly unravel.
01/28/2026 - 12:50
‘Your eyes do not deceive you,’ ABC7 told viewers about unexpected turn during report from Pacific Heights
Live television reporting about an incident where a young mountain lion was safely tranquilized and captured in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood took an unexpected turn on Tuesday when a coyote wandered into the background during the broadcast.
During live coverage of the feline’s capture, the ABC7 News reporter Frances Wang was on camera when an unexpected urban resident passed behind her. A coyote calmly walked through the shot, unnoticed as she continued reporting. Video of the moment quickly gained attention for the visual irony of one wild predator being removed as another freely roamed the city streets.
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01/28/2026 - 12:30
Monarch says he has remained focused despite early criticisms of his beliefs, in new film Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision
King Charles has revealed he “wasn’t going to be diverted” from his environmental campaigning despite criticism in the past in a new documentary showcasing his philosophy of “Harmony”.
In the Amazon Prime Video film, his first project with a streaming platform, Charles recalls past attacks on his outspokenness on the environment, saying: “I just felt this was the approach that I was going to stick to. A course I set and I wasn’t going to be diverted from.”
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