How climate change is pushing giant whales to Greenland

Giant whales are now moving into inaccessible areas in East Greenland after climate change has warmed the sea and melted ice caps.

Due to the ice blocking them whales have not normally been seen in these waters, but now a decades-long study has recorded hundreds of the species feeding in ice-free seas along the coast in summer.

Scientists describe the result of the melted ice as seasonal Arctic “feeding frenzies”.

A huge increase in whale sightings

The difference is striking – ship-based surveys did not record a single humpback whale sighting there until 2006.

Then in 2007, seven were seen and in 2024, there were 150 ship-based sightings.

An estimated 4,000 humpback whales, 6,000 fin whales and 6,000 minke whales travelled to the Greenland Sea in the summer of 2024.

Rising sea temperatures have meant fish have travelled to the waters of East Greenland and the whales have moved in to feast on them. Scientists estimated the three whale species would eat 800,000 tonnes of fish and krill during a summer feeding season.

• However, the relocation of the whales means they share a habitat with other whales such as narwhals and belugas, and can displace them in some instances.

Five things to know after major cancer vaccine breakthrough

Cancer vaccines given as treatment for the disease have moved a step closer after promising results in a landmark trial.

Vaccine could halve cancer recurrence

The treatment, developed by Moderna and Merck, is based on the same technology used to make Covid vaccines. It was given to patients with high-risk melanoma who remained free of cancer after surgery.

The manufacturers have not yet said exactly how much the treatment reduced cancer return, but a previous small study found the treatment halved its recurrence.

The vaccine works by revving up the immune system so it is better able to recognise the unique proteins made by the cancer cells’ mutated DNA. Treatment involves surgically removing the patient’s cancer, then genetically sequencing the tumour cells to make mRNA.

• The mRNA is then injected into the person’s body, and their cells start producing the cancer proteins in small amounts. This trains the person’s immune cells to react more aggressively to the cancer cells.

The vaccine, which is called Intismeran, is personalised to each patient’s tumour. It is used along with another cancer drug already prescribed by the NHS, Keytruda.

The combination treatment “has the potential to establish a new treatment paradigm, helping patients remain cancer-free for longer”, said Professor Georgina Long, the study’s principal investigator and medical director of Melanoma Institute Australia.

When will it be used in the UK?

• The treatment could be at least a year or two away from being used within the NHS.
• The manufacturers first need to file for approval of their treatment with the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
• Then, the financial body Nice would need to decide if the treatment could be administered on the NHS, if it determines it to be cost-effective. 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are planning to move back to Britain more than six years after relinquishing their royal duties and leaving the UK for California.

There are currently no plans for either Harry or Meghan to return to their official working roles within the Royal Family. However, the move raises the possibility that the couple could return to their posts in the future.

• Harry and Meghan stood down from their roles as working royals in 2020. The pair, in part, made the decision to due to media intrusion and the inability to set up their “SussexRoyal” brand.

What has been the King’s reaction?

King Charles was informed of the move on Sunday and it is understood he is pleased for the opportunity to see them on a regular basis.

However, it is reported the King is clear that the Duke and Duchess’s status as non-working royals and private individuals, in keeping with their previously expressed wishes, will remain unchanged.

What arrangements are being made?

Security arrangements for the Duke and Duchess have not yet been disclosed, but the government has so far refused to provide Harry with taxpayer-funded police protection when in the UK.

The couple will reportedly retain their homes in Montecito, California, and Portugal, while the Duchess will continue to run her lifestyle brand, As Ever, from their new base.

How did we get here?

• Harry and Meghan married in May 2018 and originally worked closely with Prince William and Kate as senior members of the Royal Family.
• Reports later emerged of a rift between the two couples and in March 2019, Buckingham Palace announced Harry and Meghan would set up their own, separate household.
• Around a year later, the couple said they were scaling back their involvement with the Royal Family and would split their time between the UK and US.
• Harry and Meghan then made a series of startling allegations about the family.
• The couple then formally relinquished their royal titles and took part in a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Trump threatens Iran with ‘economic D-Day’ – the latest

Donald Trump has threatened Iran with “economic D-Day” in a post on Truth Social and warned he will launch tougher economic measures on any country that does business with Tehran.

The threat comes after a 60-day ceasefire – which was largely ignored when hostilities resumed around a month in – officially expired on Monday.

Trump’s latest is an attempt to ramp up the economic pressure on Iran as the war continues almost five months on from Israel and America’s first strikes, and the ensuing shocks to oil prices.

Trump’s crackdown

ANY country that allows its financial institutions, businesses, airports, or government entities to provide any type of lifeline to Iran will itself face TREMENDOUS Economic Consequences.

Donald trump writing on truth social

Iran loses key economic stream

• The declaration by Trump comes a day after the United Arab Emirates severed all economic ties with Iran.
• This was prompted by the UAE’s defence ministry saying it detected two Iranian missiles targeting maritime traffic.
• Iranian entities have long used Dubai’s financial system to transfer money through exchange houses and shell companies.

The dog food recalled after reports of pets losing sight

A premium pet food brand has recalled all of its fresh meals following reports of suspected eye problems in dogs.

Here is everything you need to know.

What has happened?

The brand Years said owners should stop feeding its fresh meals to dogs “immediately”, and told them not to feed the meals to any other animal, or to donate or sell them. The firm runs a subscription-service delivering “personalised” gourmet meals for dogs.

What are the eye problems?

• Years said it had 192 customers report “potential, yet unverified, eye issues” out of roughly 40,000 customers.
• The condition is known as sudden bilateral dry eye. Dry eye occurs when a dog is unable to produce tears, making their eyes very sore.
• Affected dogs may rub at their eyes, squint or be sensitive to light.
• Some experts say the condition can require lifelong management.

Years said the recall followed reports of some dogs having a potential eye reaction to buckwheat, an ingredient in its meals.

• Buckwheat was reportedly added to the meals several months ago.
• Years told customers that their subscription will be paused for an initial period of six weeks while it makes fresh meals using quinoa instead of buckwheat.

What the company said

Further independent laboratory testing around the buckwheat supply is ongoing. Years has chosen to voluntarily recall the meals as a precautionary measure, without causation having yet been proven.

Years says on its website

How AI is threatening musicians as regulations fall behind

Musicians face being “squeezed out” and “marginalised” from their industry by AI, a study from Queen’s University Belfast has warned.

What you need to know

Dr Katherine Pittalis has examined how AI is used in music-streaming platforms, online retail for concert tickets and music-related content on social media.

She says that UK music regulations lag “woefully behind” that of the EU and US in terms of transparency around malicious actors’ use of bot technologies.

Pittalis’ research investigates “metric bots” – which can inflate metrics such as likes and follows on social media – as well as “artificial musicians”, which utilise deepfake technology to create an AI “influencer”.

• These phenomena are becoming ever-more sophisticated to circumvent rules on their platforms.

• The research found evidence of scams where consumers bought high-demand concert tickets for inflated prices, only to find they never existed.
• Bots were also occasionally found to be moderating highly unregulated “buy and sell” groups on platforms like Facebook.
• Pittalis is also looking at AI-generated music, as musicians start to use AI in their production and sometimes whole songs are created with it.

The products that increased in price most since 2021

Inflation has risen by a cumulative 28 per cent since the cost-of-living crisis began, but the prices of some products have risen by much more than others according to research by AJ Bell.

Olive oil

A combination of poor harvests and higher energy costs mean the price of olive oil has risen by 116.3 per cent.

A staple of many people’s diets, egg prices have risen by 56.7 per cent.

Now seen by many as a luxury, takeaways and fast food are up by 38.1 per cent.

Motor insurance

Factors similar to those that pushed up gas prices have seen the cost of electricity surge by 40.8 per cent.

The items that have fallen in price over five years

Sound and vision equipment has experienced the sharpest fall, at 30 per cent. Decades of technological advances have seen the price of computers also decrease, by 24.6 per cent. Motorcycles also dropped in price by 5 per cent.