The process to make antivenom has barely changed in a century: snakes are milked, their venom is injected into horses, and their antibodies are harvested to form the basis of the product. The resulting treatments are difficult to administer, can trigger severe side effects, and the quality varies from batch to batch. 

“The big four snakes contribute to 70 per cent of poisonous bites [in India]… so 30 per cent of poisonous snakes are not covered, even to begin with,” said Dr Yogesh Jain, a public health physician in Chhattisgarh state and a member of The Global Snakebite Taskforce. 

“But there are huge quality and efficacy issues even against these 70 per cent of bites. We’re relying on a 100-year-old technique of getting antivenoms, and at least 50,000 people are dying every year,” he told The Telegraph. 

“There’s a real need for new technology. We don’t have a safe and appropriate antivenom for the largest majority of people in rural India.”

Now, scientists are hopeful that they have developed a potential alternative. 

In the latest study, published last week, researchers showed that an experimental antivenom cocktail with five components protected mice against lethal doses of antivenom in Indian cobras, even when delayed by up to 20 minutes – a scenario that mimics the real-world lag between a bite and treatment.   

“If you go 10 years back, people didn’t think you could make sufficiently simple products with new, modern biotechnology that could cover all these different snake venoms,” said Prof Andreas Laustsen-Kiel, head of the Section of Biologics Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark and co-author of the paper. 

“People simply believed it was too complex, too expensive to manufacture, and so on… But the data we are gathering is convincing enough to say this is something that could make a huge dent in the lost lives and limbs snakebite causes every year.”  

The antivenom itself was based on lab-made nanobodies – antibodies derived from a group of animals including camels, llamas and some species of shark. Scientists believe their structure means they could be a more potent, more precise, more temperature-stable alternative to man-made monoclonal antibodies – and cheaper to manufacture.

“The latest study builds on an earlier discovery of nanobodies that can protect across a broad spectrum of African snakes,” said Prof Nicholas Casewell, director of the Centre for Snakebite Research and Interventions at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, who has previously collaborated with Prof Laustsen-Kiel.

“In this paper they have iterated and demonstrated that a narrow number of nanobodies can protect against Indian cobras and king cobras. This demonstration brings the nanobody technology closer to market,” he added.

But that is likely still years away, depending on how much funding the researchers can attract. The next steps – a larger animal study, scaling up manufacture, and launching human trials – are expensive. 

“If money was no issue, we could probably be testing in humans in 1.5 to three years from now,” said Prof Laustsen-Kiel. “But since money is a big issue, it is more likely that human trials won’t be able to start until 2.5 to four years from now.

“But I really think that this [study shows] there’s no doubt that biotech can deliver better antivenoms. The question is whether people are willing to fund it,” he said.

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Dani Dyer and Nikitz Kuzmin have been paired together once again on Strictly Come Dancing

Strictly Come Dancing 2026 has been hit with a fix storm.

The glitzy BBC programme has returned for another series with new famous faces hoping to lift the glitterball trophy at the end of the competition.

The 15 celebrities taking part all learned the identity of their professional dancer partner during Saturday’s (September 19) pre-recorded launch show which saw new presenters Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe make their debut.

Love Island series three winner Dani Dyer is back in the running for a second chance after a horror injury forced her to withdraw from the competition last year.

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After fracturing her ankle Dani told fans: “Apparently, doing the quickstep on a fracture is not advisable. It was so hard because I was having the best time of my life. [After I quit] I couldn’t leave the house, because I knew if someone said to me, ‘Are you OK?’, I’d just cry. It’s been really testing my mental health.”

Dani was partnered up with the professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin last year and was replaced by West End star and fellow Love Island champion Amber Davies, who reached the final of the 2025 series.

During the 2026 launch show, Dani learned that she’d been paired with Nikita once again and fans were left rushing to social media to share their thoughts.

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one fan penned: “So Dani and Nikita are reunited yayyy.”A second said: “Love that Dani and Nikita have been paired together again #strictly.”

However, one viewer asked: “Is it fair that Dani has Nikita again? I’m happy about it but Jamie Laing was told he couldn’t have Oti again due to the advantage of having danced together before so I’m surprised the same rule doesn’t apply to Dani.”

Another agreed: “I can’t remember how long Nikita and Dani were together for last year, but is that a bit of an unfair advantage as they already know each other.”

Speaking to the BBC ahead of the new show, Dani revealed: “I’m probably most nervous about getting out on that dancefloor for the first time and being judged!

“I’m quite sensitive and definitely my own biggest critic, I’ll probably overthink everything. But if I’m really honest, my biggest fear is getting injured again.

“I’m going to do everything I can to look after myself, stay positive, and just enjoy every moment of the experience. Doing the Quickstep definitely scares me a little.”

However, when it came to her getting the call, she admitted she cried, adding: “I didn’t want to assume after everything that happened last year that I would get another chance.

“I can’t wait to finally get the opportunity to properly experience the Strictly journey. I am excited, nervous, and emotional – all the feelings!

“But more than anything, I can’t wait to get stuck into learning how to dance and make the most of every single moment. As long as I don’t trip over my own feet I will be happy!”

Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday, September 26 at 6.15pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer

At around 1.05am last Sunday (September 13), an Audi is believed to have been rammed by a Mitsubishi on Front Street, Consett.

One of the occupants of the Audi is then alleged to have fired shots towards an occupant in the Mitsubishi before making off from the scene.

(Image: Joshua Nichol)

Nobody was injured during the incident, according to police.

Yesterday (September 18), armed police arrested a 37-year-old man in Burnhope and brought him into police custody for questioning.

Today (September 19), David Railton, of Framwellgate Moor, in Durham, has been charged with attempted murder.

He has been remanded in custody to appear at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court on Monday (September 21).

(Image: Joshua Nichol)

A large police cordon was put up between the junctions with Albert Road and Medomsley Road on Friday, blocking off several businesses.

Further searches have also been carried out at a house in the Framwellgate Moor area of Durham in connection with the investigation.

Detective Chief Inspector Gary Atkinson, from Durham Constabulary, said: “We understand this incident will have caused a great deal of concern and alarm in the local community.

(Image: Joshua Nichol)

“As a result, we have increased our patrols in the area to provide reassurance to residents.

“I’d like to thank the community for their patience and support while we carried out our enquiries at the scene.

“I would urge anyone who has any information about this incident to please report it, either directly to the police or anonymously to Crimestoppers.”

During the incident, residents and business owners were left baffled by the police presence.

One business owner told The Northern Echo: “They’ve been here about an hour.

“There was a line of officers sweeping the street. I’m not sure what they are looking for.

“We’ve had cannabis raids before, but this is different to that.”

A resident, who wishes to remain unnamed, added: “I don’t know what’s happened, but five or so officers were sweeping the path.

“It looked like they were looking for evidence.”

This is the moment seven migrants are discovered hiding in the back of a lorry as traffickers begin to favour smuggling people via lorries instead of small boats. 

In the video, police surround the rear of a yellow lorry parked on Britannia Road in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, at around 3.25pm on Thursday. 

A man wearing a high-vis orange vest opens the doors as officers repeatedly ask members of the public to stop filming the incident. 

One bystander could be heard muttering, ‘What is going on?’, before men, believed to be migrants, begin crawling from the vehicle.

Wearing hooded tracksuits, they can be seen clambering down from a height within the lorry as officers wait for them to reach the ground. 

Hertfordshire Police has since confirmed seven people were found in the lorry and later detained. 

The driver, a man in his 30s, has been arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal entry.

It comes as security sources say there has been an increase in migrants setting their sights on lorries and other vehicles instead of small boats in a bid to reach the UK. 

Some are trying to jump into moving lorries or even slice through roofs of vehicles in a bid to get to Britain undetected. 

Hertfordshire Police has since confirmed seven people were found in the lorry and later detained

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It comes as more beach patrols, coupled with bad weather, have seen a 45 per cent reduction in those arriving by small boat compared to this time last year. 

However, recent figures also indicate more than 200,000 migrants have arrived in the UK via the English Channel since 2018. 

In 2025, 5,874 vehicle-borne stowaways were detected by authorities in French ports, rising from 4,794 in 2023, according to the BBC. 

Border Force relied on intelligence-led screening rather than every single vehicle entering the UK being checked manually.  

A source told GB News: ‘Despite the understandable focus on the boats crisis, attempts by migrants to board UK-bound lorries and other vehicles has never gone away.

‘It’s not the major crisis it was almost a decade ago before the smugglers switched much of their attention to the use of dinghies, but it remains a persistent problem.’

Another insider said it is not known how many illegal migrants make it to British shores.  

If undetected both in France and on arrival to the UK, they will likely ‘exit the vehicle at some point and disappear off undetected by the authorities’, they added.

‘And we can only know what we know; if they slip through, we’ve no idea how many might have managed that,’ the insider said.

Last May, figures showed more than 200,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel since 2018.

Just over a third of this number arrived since Labour took power in July 2024, according to analysis of government data.

The remaining two-thirds made the journey under the Conservative governments of the previous four prime ministers.

That data is based on official statistics from 2018 to 2025 and provisional figures recorded so far this year.

Successive governments have tried to work with France to disrupt crossings and have revised asylum rules to deter migrants. 

In April, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood signed a three-year agreement with French authorities to pay £662million to support beach patrols.

Ms Mahmood is seeking to overhaul the asylum system to deter crossings and deport people more easily, including proposed changes to make refugee status temporary.

Under the current Labour government, ministers scrapped the Conservatives’ multimillion-pound deal to send migrants who crossed the Channel from France to Rwanda. Just four volunteers were sent before the policy was ditched.

But the move has prompted a legal battle with the East African nation seeking to sue Britain for more than £100million claiming it has breached the terms of the agreement and is owed money – something lawyers for the UK deny.

A police spokesperson said: ‘Police were contacted at around 3.25pm on Thursday 17 September to report concerns about a lorry in Britannia Road, Waltham Cross.’

‘Officers attended the scene and seven people were located inside.

‘All seven have been detained.

‘The driver of the lorry, a man aged in his 30s, has been arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal entry.

‘Officers are working closely with the immigration service.’

The Daily Mail has approached the Home Office for comment.

A large emergency services presence has been reported at a multi-storey car park in Manchester city centre.

An air ambulance was seen landing on the top floor of the car park in the Northern Quarter this evening, and part of Turner Street outside the Abel Heywood pub has been cordoned off.

Pictures from the scene show several police cars and ambulances in attendance, the Manchester Evening News reports.

The Mirror has contacted Greater Manchester Police for further information.

A long-serving Cambridge City Councillor has joined the Green Party as they welcome a ‘tireless campaigner’

A veteran Cambridge councillor has joined the Greens as he says the party is the “right place to fight” to “build a better future”. Cllr Dave Baigent, who represents Romsey, has been a councillor since 2014 and was previously a member of the Labour party.

He left the party in 2025, saying he could “no longer stay silent over the Gaza genocide” before joining Your Party, the left-wing party set up by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana. The newest member of Cambridge City Council ’s Green Group brings their number of councillors up to 13 after winning seven seats in May’s local elections.

Cllr Baigent said: “Helping people has been at the heart of everything I have done. I have always believed in taking action rather than simply talking about change, and I have never been afraid to stand up for the issues that matter to our community.

“With the climate crisis affecting communities across the world, I believe the Green Party is the right place to fight for the urgent action needed to build a better future.”

Cllr Sefira Davison was elected leader of the Cambridge Greens earlier this week as Cllr Naomi Bennett stood down to focus solely on being the party’s finance spokesperson. Cllr Davison, who represents Arbury, called the party’s newest addition a “tireless campaigner” who has “never shied away from championing local residents”.

She said: “He’s a great addition to our Green team, with many years of experience as a strong ward councillor and we look forward to working together to deliver the best result for residents, in Romsey and across the city.”

Cllr Jacqui Whitmore, who also represents Romsey, said: “County Councillor Darren Green and I are thrilled to welcome a fellow Romsey colleague to the Green Party. Dave has consistently worked with us with integrity, compassion, and a focus on delivering practical solutions and I have come to appreciate his deep knowledge of Romsey.

“He shares our commitment to putting local people and communities at the heart of decision-making and will make a great addition to the team.”

Cambridge’s Greens gained their largest ever share of the city’s seats in the 2026 local elections and became the council’s official opposition. It marked the first time in over a decade that the Labour Party lost control, though remaining the largest party, with council leader Cameron Holloway one of six councillors who lost their seats to the Greens as Labour suffered defeats nationwide.

There will also be a café and butchery

Plans have been approved for a new farm shop in a Cambridgeshire village. Barnack is a small and historic village that straddles the Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire border.

It’s surrounded by scenic countryside and filled with idyllic homes. The village is set to add another attraction to it, as Mill Farm in Wittering Ford Road is set to open a new farm shop and café. It also sought to add a butchery and kitchen/preparation base for an outside catering business.

This will be the first farm shop in Barnack, with the closest in Helpston Heath. The new café, farm shop and butchery will be set over two buildings measuring up to 429 sqm in total. The site will have nine parking spaces and two spaces for vans.

Local highways were consulted during the application process and shared no objections to the site if two conditions were met. These were in relation to making improvements to the access of the site in the “interest of highway safety”. Highways also said there should be “adequate space” for vehicles to enter. Cambridgeshire Police was also consulted.

The police said there was a “medium risk” of crime in the area of the site. However, the force recommended that CCTV be added to “help deter vandalism or burglary”, add lighting to the car park and also install an intruder alarm.

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