A two-year-old beaver named Nibi that has won the hearts of thousands online is at the center of a court battle.

Nibi has lived with Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, since she was rescued as a baby, but the organization filed an emergency injunction against the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) after the state office told rescuers to release Nibi into the wild.

The issue began after the rescue organization sent a request to MassWildlife for Nibi to be an educational beaver, which would allow Nibi to be taken to schools and libraries. The application was rejected, and MassWildlife said Newhouse Wildlife Rescue would have to release the beaver back into the wild, the rescue organization said in a Facebook post.

Jane Newhouse, founder and president of the rescue organization, told the Associated Press that Nibi would struggle to survive if released since she doesn’t know how to build dams or store her food before the winter. Newhouse also said she’s concerned about how Nibi would interact with wild beavers as the organization has tried to connect Nibi with other beavers without success.

Newhouse could not immediately be reached for comment.

On Tuesday, a judge ruled that Nibi can stay at Newhouse Wildlife Rescue until a full hearing takes place.

The news came after public outcry, including a petition on change.org calling for Nibi to be protected from “unnecessary removal” that has received nearly 30,000 signatures. Even Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey got involved, vowing that the state would “do everything we can to protect Nibi,” NBC Boston reported.

A spokesperson for MassWildlife said in a statement to TIME that the department is “committed” to protecting all wildlife, including Nibi. “Nibi will remain in place at this time while we work with Newhouse Wildlife Rescue on the best steps forward,” the spokesperson said.

A hearing over Nibi’s case is scheduled for Friday.

Newhouse posted a video of Nibi on the organization’s Facebook page on Wednesday, updating the beaver’s devoted fans on the situation.

“So Nibi’s safe now,” Newhouse said in the video. “I want you all to know that Nibi’s doing great. She’s totally fine, living her best life.”

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People who may not know they need to file a tax return for the first time are being warned to check their position and register for self-assessment by the deadline of October 5, or risk potential fines and penalties.

Those who may need to file a tax return for the first time include newly self-employed people, new landlords, new partners in business partnerships, those who earned more than £150,000 during the year, people affected by the high-income child benefit charge and those using online platforms to generate income.

Advisers are particularly worried about the latter group who include gig economy workers and people with so-called “side hustles” because they will also be affected by new platform reporting rules, that sparked panic earlier this year.

Tax experts say anyone using online platforms to sell goods, arranging short-term property lets or securing private hire or food delivery work should ensure they accurately report their earnings and register for a tax return, if required.

12.1mnThe number of self-assessment tax returns filed in the 2022-23 tax year

From next year, for the first time, HM Revenue & Customs will be able to cross check individuals’ declarations against data received from online platforms.

“It’s very important that if you are required to file for the first time that you meet the October 5 deadline to register with HMRC,” said Dawn Register, head of private client services at BDO, an accountancy firm. “Ignorance of the rules will not always be an acceptable excuse in HMRC’s eyes.”

Under regulations that came into effect on January 1, platforms such as Amazon, Airbnb, Deliveroo, eBay, Uber and Vinted are required to collect and report seller information and income to the UK tax authority. The first reports will be sent to HMRC by the platforms in January 2025.

Platforms will not be required to report the details of those using their sites or apps who make 30 or fewer sales a year and sell items for less than a total of €2,000 (approximately £1,700).

The rules which are part of an international reform agreed in 2020, came into force in a number of countries this year, and will mean data is shared internationally between tax authorities.

Experts at the Low Income Tax Reform Group, a charity, accused HMRC of not doing enough to make online sellers aware of the fact they may need to file a tax return and pay tax on their online trading income.

They called on HMRC to avoid a repeat of what happened earlier this year when reports of the new reporting rules caused widespread confusion and the misconception that a new “side-hustle” tax had been introduced.

Claire Thackaberry, LITRG technical officer, said time was “running out for HMRC to defuse this ticking time bomb”.

“The information that HMRC will receive from platforms will be presented by calendar year, therefore covering more than one tax year,” she said.

“This could make it more difficult to work out when tax is due. Many people will turn to HMRC for help. However, January is an extremely busy time for HMRC ahead of the self-assessment tax return deadline and this will make it harder to speak with someone.”

She urged HMRC to work with platforms and online sellers to help people understand and meet their tax obligations in time.

HMRC described LITRG’s points as “scaremongering”.

The tax authority added: “For people selling personal possessions online absolutely nothing has changed, so it’s deeply disappointing to see this scaremongering from LITRG.

“We’ve recently published and promoted guidance for online sellers and we run an extensive self assessment campaign every year, which reminds people to check if they need to file a tax return.”

The deadline for telling HMRC you need to file a tax return for the 2023-24 is October 5. Paper returns must be filed by October 31 and the deadline for submitting an online return is midnight on January 31 2025.

A MAN who’s racked up over 31,000 hours in the air has revealed a lesser-known holiday destination in Europe is one of his favourite places to visit.

Fred Finn, 84 is the Guinness World Record holder for being the most travelled man – his time in the air equates to one hour for every day he’s been alive – and among the lesser-known places in the world he recommends visiting is Georgia.

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Having crossed hundreds of borders and flown in some of the most iconic aircraft of all time, including 718 flights on Concorde, the travel fanatic has a fair few recommendations when it comes to places to visit.

Fred’s travelled to all corners of the globe, but Georgia is one of the places in Europe he enjoys most.

He told Sun Travel: “People don’t really know about Georgia.

“Kutaisi has tremendous history and Batumi on the coast is like the Monaco of the Black Sea.

“The food is good, the dancing they do is fantastic. It’s got the highest mountain in Europe, it’s got villages and lakes. It’s also very hospitable there.

“And it’s the oldest wine producing country in the world, they’ve been doing it 5,000 years.”

The Saperavi grape is a native Georgian grape variety that is used to make many of the country’s most well-known wines.

Fred explained its a red grape that’s red or black the whole way through.

Not like grapes you get in the UK that are white in the centre.

He said: “This is what makes the wine superlative.”

Georgia also has a local drink called Chacha, a distilled white wine drink.

Fred explained: “It’s probably about 80 percent proof, but it’s actually quite pleasant.”

Georgia is considered a budget-friendly destination with cheap food and low-cost activities, especially compared to Monaco.

Ukraine was another one of Fred’s favourite lesser-known places to visit before the war started.

He said: “I love it because of its tremendous history and my family are also from there.

“It’s lots older than its neighbour that’s causing it a war – it’s 700 years older than Russia – so the history there is fantastic.

“Kyiv turned 1500 years old a month or so ago, I think it’s probably the most beautiful city in Europe. I love it.

“When Ukraine wins this war, it will be another nice place to go.”

Fred has now written a book called Sonic Boom where he shares the incredible journeys he’s undertaken over the years, as well as the evolution of commercial aviation and its impact on global culture.

The book is available for pre-order now here.

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Former Chief Pilot and Director of British Airways, Al Bridger has shared how food on flights has changed through the years in his book Flavour of Flight: The Food and Drink of British Airways.

A WETHERSPOONS-obsessed couple has visited 500 Wetherspoons and they always buy the same dish.

Phil, 77, and Julie Fox, 74, challenged themselves over 15 years ago to sample all 809 of the pubs in the UK.

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They reached a huge milestone with their 500th boozer – The William Adams in Gorleston-on-Sea, Norfolk.

But Phil admitted it may be “impossible” for them to complete the challenge because they would have to visit the six boozers that are located in airport departure lounges.

They always get the halloumi wraps as they are their favourite.

Phil, a former newspaper production worker, said: “We nearly called it quits when we reached 500 but that wouldn’t have lasted long.

“It’s impossible to do it though because we would have to book holidays abroad, because there’s two at Birmingham Airport.

“So it’s a bit of a trek to go to Birmingham, just to fly to Spain for Wetherspoons.

“But we wrote ‘500’ on a piece of cardboard to prove to our family that we’ve actually done it.”

Grandfather-of-seven Phil originally came up with the idea in 2007, while drinking in his local ale house and said it has been a great way to see other parts of England.

But the pair originally set out to visit just 100 of the pubs, which are nicknamed “spoons.”

Phil, of Halifax, West Yorks., said: “We ran out of conversation and we were staring at each other, so I asked her how many spoons we had been to.

“I worked out we had been in maybe 70, so we decided to do 100.

“We then went for 200 and it’s carried on – it’s become a part-time hobby.”

Julie and Phil will plan trips to different parts of the UK so they can visit the pubs and will sometimes stay in a Wetherspoons Hotel.

Phil said: “We’ve stayed in the hotels, the ones we’ve stayed in are all quite nice.

“But we will often stay in a Travelodge or a Premiere Inn because of the costs, they are always cheap.

“We did London last year, so we went to eight pubs that all have the word moon in the title, so that was a nice holiday.”

The pair, who have five children between them, say their favourite pub is The Stamford Post in Stamford, Lincs.

He said: “We used to love the one in Keswick but we’ve got a new favourite.

“It’s called the The Stamford Post – we’ve been there a few times and even visited a few days ago.

“It’s an old newspaper office but it’s really, really nice inside – they modernised it and everything.”

Julie, a retired retail worker, and Phil both try and have something different every time they visit the boozers.

Phil prefers a IPA beer while Julie often goes for a lager such as San Miguel or Cruzcampo – but both of them love the halloumi wrap.

He said: “There is a good selection of beers, I’ve drifted towards the IPAs and they always have them.

“You go into a lot of modern pubs and they just have lagers, but Wetherspoons come at a good price as well.

“The food is good and my wife likes a beer, but she likes San Miguel and Cruzcampo.

“They are always introducing new things onto the menu, they are introducing a load of Korean things now, like crunchy chicken with coconut rice.

“We try all the food – we love the halloumi wraps and they are a good price.”

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GB News has asked a High Court judge to temporarily block Ofcom from sanctioning it for what the regulator says would be the channel’s twelfth breach of its code in less than two years.

The channel is seeking to challenge Ofcom’s provisional decision that a Q&A with then-prime minister Rishi Sunak, which aired on 12 February, was a “serious” breach of its rules, and that attempts to adhere to them were “wholly insufficient”.

In a hearing on Thursday, lawyers for the broadcaster said that the regulator had acted unlawfully by finding that the breach was “serious and repeated”, and asked a judge to pause Ofcom’s “sanctions process”, pending it getting the green light to challenge the watchdog’s decision.

Mr Justice Chamberlain will rule on whether GB News can challenge the decision, and whether Ofcom should be blocked from handing down its sanction in the meantime.

Tom Hickman KC, for the channel, said: “We say that by launching an investigation within three days, Ofcom failed to provide GB News a reasonable and fair opportunity to comply with [Ofcom’s rules].”