England’s last recorded pair of golden eagles lived in the Lake District. After the female died in 2004, the male was left alone for 12 years before his death in 2016.

This marked the end of golden eagles across English skies. Though they have lived on in Scotland, the birds were largely wiped out across England about 150 years ago, with only a few nesting attempts during that time.

However, the UK government recently announced it will support reintroducing the species and has identified eight potential “recovery zones” across northern England and the south-west. This is good news for lots of reasons.

Reintroducing lost species aligns with the government’s 25-year environment plan to restore and recover nature. Golden eagles also have an important heritage as symbols of wilderness, freedom and power. We may even have a moral duty to return them to the landscape, since humans were largely responsible for their loss.

Reintroducing golden eagles would also benefit England’s natural environment, helping return it to a healthier and more dynamic state.

Restoring balance to the food chain

Golden eagles are apex predators, occupying the top of the food chain with no natural predators. The removal of a species like this can cause major shifts in ecosystems, as they exert top-down control.

When apex predators are missing from ecosystems, the middle predators of food chains – or “meso-predators” – become dominant. With its native bears, lynx and wolves long gone, England has a high number of meso-predators. These include badgers, red foxes and other birds of prey. These predators, in turn, can limit some populations of prey like seabirds, waders and gamebirds.

Meso-predators typically avoid areas where apex predators are due to fear of competition or being eaten themselves. So, if golden eagles return then the predation pressure from smaller birds might be altered. For example, on the Isle of Mull in Scotland, meso-predators like kestrels and buzzards tend to steer clear of areas where golden eagles are.

Controlling prey numbers

Golden eagles also have an important role in the ecosystem by regulating their prey species. They hunt various prey, mostly medium-sized birds and mammals like rabbits, hares and occasionally, young deer.

When not controlled by predators, prey populations can boom. This can lead to greater competition for resources and a higher risk of disease spread among these prey species. Prey populations may also overuse resources, which can negatively affect plant growth.

Because apex predators are absent in England, humans must take up the role of controllers. Deer are shot where they are preventing woodland regeneration and rabbits are widely controlled in agricultural landscapes, costing £5 million a year. Although golden eagles are unlikely to reduce deer and rabbit numbers substantially, they may bring some balance back.

Keeping the environment clean

In addition to being excellent predators, golden eagles also scavenge carcasses – the remains of dead animals. Researchers in Spain found that 90% of the golden eagles in their study fed on carcasses.

Carcasses can quickly become disease and toxin reservoirs that may enter the wider environment if left uneaten. This can have consequences for other species, including humans. So scavengers have a crucial role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem.

If reintroduced back to England, golden eagles would join the cleaning crew, which also includes species like red kites, crows and red foxes.

Indicators of a healthy ecosystem

If a pollutant is in an environment, this could affect top predators through a process called biomagnification, where the concentration of the pollutant increases the further up the food chain. If in high concentrations, the pollutant may become toxic and the predator may fail to reproduce, become unwell, or die.

In the 1960s, birds of prey played a pivotal role in making the environmental dangers of certain agricultural pesticides clear in the UK and globally, leading to the widescale ban. Golden eagles could do something similar today.

A complex picture

If golden eagles are successfully reintroduced in England, they could restore balance to food chains, control prey numbers, scavenge carcasses and act as indicators of environmental dangers.

They will join other birds of prey that have been successfully reintroduced to England, such as red kites, ospreys and white-tailed eagles, all of which have been deemed a success.

However, ecological systems are not straightforward and predicting the consequences of the return of golden eagles is complex. As indicated by the risk assessment conducted by Forestry England, at worst the impacts on biodiversity of golden eagles will be neutral. At best it will be beneficial.

Guy Rowles was in the water when he was stung by a venomous jellyfish and suffered life threatening injuries – leaving him tight chested and convulsing before being rushed to hospital

A tourist was rushed to hospital after being stung by the ‘world’s most venomous animals’ that can kill in under fiver minutes.

Guy Rowles, from Australia, was surfing in Fiji when he felt a severe sting on his arm on the first day of his trip.

The surfer was in the water with his father when he rolled off his board and tore the jellyfish tentacles off him.

Rowles was visiting Sujees Surf Stay at Cloudbreak, a reef break in the Mamanuca Islands known for its waves.

Rowles told surfing outlet Stab on Monday: “All of a sudden something hectic stung my arm. It felt like someone had just poured burning hot oil on me.”

The man recalls his arm being on fire, having a tight chest and convulsing on the deck of a boat he was pulled onto.

Rowles was rushed to a hospital in Nadi, over an hour away from where the incident took place.

The surfer said: “I’m looking at my dad going, ‘F** Dad, am I going to die?’

“I was shaking, vomiting, couldn’t really feel my legs.

“Tingles everywhere, but as soon as the guy got off the boat, he started sprinting across the coral… A couple of crew came to help and they’re saying, I’m going to pray for you.”

Before he was driven from the shore to the hospital at high speeds, he made a call to his mother to tell her he loved her.

“The doctor goes, ‘It’s too late for antivenom, you’ve missed your window. It’s been in you for an hour.’ Yeah, I just had to ride it out, really,” he added.

At the hospital they doused the area with vinegar to neutralise remaining stinging cells and remove any remaining tentacles from the skin.

Despite the injury being deemed life threatening, Guy survived the attack.

“They said I was lucky that I didn’t get it on my face or neck.

“And that if I wasn’t young and healthy, it could’ve gone a lot differently.”

Rowles has already taken back to the water surfing and said that the startling experience “definitely puts things into perspective.”

Box jellyfish, named after their body shape, can have tentacles up to 10 foot long covered in nematocysts, which are tiny harpoons attached to a venom-filled bulb.

The marine animal can sting and kill a person in under five minutes and are primarily found in the Indo-Pacific region and northern Australia.

Prior to Mr Rowles sting Fiji’s government issued a health alert about jellyfish in the water.

It said: “The Ministry of Health and Medical Services, with the Ministry of Fisheries, are urging Fijians to take precautionary measures when out at sea with the presence of Box Jellyfish – a poisonous and venomous jellyfish.

“The Ministry of Health & Medical Services is concerned after a number of patients have been presented to the Ministry’s Hyperbaric Unit with breathing problems after being out at sea.

“Members of the public are urged to take proper heed of this advisory and to visit their nearest healthcare facility should they have any signs and symptoms.”

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The park will have a range of water features

A project to transform a former lido into a splash park in a Cambridgeshire town has reached its final stages as the opening has been confirmed. St Neots Splash Park on Huntingdon Road is now in its final stages before opening.

The new splash park will be based at the site of the former St Neots Lido, which operated from 1961 until 2003. The Independent Professional Playground Safety Inspection has been successfully completed, with final commissioning scheduled for the week commencing April 27.

In the latest update, St Neots Aquatic and Leisure have confirmed a soft opening set for May 2, on the bank holiday weekend. Plans for a formal opening event are still being finalised and will be announced shortly.

The park will have a range of water features for families to enjoy. This includes a hydro blast which shoots up a tall stream of water, aqua tent where water flows in a dome, water arch, and a mixture of jets.

Plans were first submitted to Huntingdonshire District Council in 2022 to build the splash park. Construction began last year.

A spokesperson for St Neots Aquatic and Leisure said: The St Neots Splash Park on Huntingdon Road has successfully completed its Independent Professional Playground Safety Inspection, with final commissioning planned for the week commencing 27th April.

“A soft opening is currently planned for 2nd May, giving local families the first opportunity to enjoy this new inclusive outdoor play space. Details of the formal opening will be announced shortly.”

President Donald Trump said he’s “highly unlikely” to extend the fortnight-long ceasefire

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President Donald Trump warned PBS News that should the ceasefire with Iran lapse on Tuesday, “then lots of bombs start going off”.

The remark came during a Monday morning telephone conversation, centred on the ongoing conflict with Iran, as Washington gears up for further peace negotiations mere hours before the truce concludes. Trump informed Bloomberg News that he’s “highly unlikely” to extend the fortnight-long ceasefire announced on April 7.

Amidst the concerning rhetoric, Trump also reportedly indicated to Fox News on Monday that an agreement with Iran would be finalised in Pakistan. Nevertheless, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated the government has no intentions regarding fresh discussions following America’s seizure of an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Al Jazeera.

Iran’s hardline Tasnim news agency, linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that while the US naval blockade persists as an “obstacle”, American communications to Iran “contain further excessive demands that cloud the prospects for the upcoming talks.”

Iran “remains fully prepared for military confrontation and to once again punish the US,” Tasnim stated, reports the Mirror US.

Throughout the conflict, which commenced on 28th February, the Trump administration and Iranian state media have persistently provided conflicting narratives regarding both the hostilities and the peace negotiations. Complicating matters further, the president informed the New York Post that the US delegation, which includes Vice President JD Vance, were en route to Islamabad for the negotiations.

However, doubts have emerged as to whether Vance actually travelled with the delegation on Monday. CNN’s White House correspondent, Alayna Treene, wrote on X this morning: “VP Vance’s motorcade just pulled up at the White House.”

Speculation has been rife that Vance was removed from the negotiating team following the collapse of the previous round of US-Iran peace talks, during which he was unable to identify a specific stumbling block.

On Sunday, Trump reverted to his trademark intimidation tactics, posting a string of threatening messages on Truth Social.

“We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!” Trump wrote.

In a similar vein, the president told Fox News Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst: “If they don’t sign this deal, the whole country is going to get blown up.”

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It captures the young monarch, just a few years into her reign, minus a tiara but draped in her weighty Garter robes, composed and gazing into the distance, with Annigoni having taken influence from a remark the Queen made to him during a sitting about how, as a child, she enjoyed watching people and cars from her window in the Palace.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — An armed man standing atop one of the historic Teotihuacán pyramids opened fire on tourists Monday, leaving one Canadian tourist dead and six people injured at the archaeological site an hour north of Mexico’s capital, authorities said.

The shooter later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to a statement.

The local government said four people were wounded by gunshots and two were injured from falls. The victims were taken to hospitals for treatment. They include Colombian, Russian and Canadian tourists, the local government said. The extent of their injuries was not immediately clear.

Video and photos published by local news organizations show a man standing with a gun on top of a pyramid while people duck for cover. A number of gunshots ring out in the videos.

The incident took place shortly after 11:30 a.m. when dozens of tourists were at the top of the Pyramid of the Moon. A man standing on the structure’s platform began firing upward, according to a tour guide who was at the scene and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for safety reasons.

“Some people, because they were scared … threw themselves face down on the ground, and the rest of us started to go down,” the guide said, recounting how the shooter, upon seeing the tourists descending the pyramid’s steps, began firing.

Another group of visitors lay motionless on the pyramid’s platform to avoid being targeted by the shooter.

The first to respond to the shooting were the police officers providing security within the archaeological ruins, and shortly afterward a National Guard unit arrived in a van to handle the emergency.

In past years, staff at the archaeological site carried out security scans before people entered the area but have since stopped.

The guide showed a video that he took showing a woman limping and her back covered in blood and another man’s arm being bandaged.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote on social media that the shooting would be investigated and that she was in touch with the Canadian Embassy.

“What happened today in Teotihuacán deeply pains us. I express my most sincere solidarity with the affected individuals and their families,” she wrote.

Anita Anand, Canada’s foreign affairs minister, said on X that as a “result of a horrific act of gun violence, a Canadian was killed and another wounded in Teotihuacán” and that her “thoughts are with their family and loved ones. ”

The Teotihuacán pyramids are a series of massive structures on the outskirts of Mexico City built by three different ancient civilizations. As one of Mexico’s most important touristic destinations, the site drew more than 1.8 million international visitors last year, according to government figures.

Security officials found a gun, a knife and ammunition after the shooting.

___

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

First Minister John Swinney has “politely” declined an invitation from Donald Trump “due to the election“.

John Swinney has “politely” turned down an invitation from Donald Trump to attend a state banquet at the White House next week, the Scottish Government has confirmed.

The four-minute phone call from the US president took place on Monday April 20, and it is understood the invitation was the focus of the call.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said the First Minister declined the invitation as the event comes in the midst of campaigning for next month’s Holyrood elections.

It is understood Mr Swinney took the call in his capacity as First Minister, which he remains throughout the election campaign.

The banquet is being held as part of the King and Queen’s forthcoming state visit to the US.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “President Trump called First Minister John Swinney today to invite him to the State Banquet at the White House next week.

“Due to the election, the First Minister politely declined the invitation.”

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Neil’s father Peter Howarth died at Ulster Hospital on October 10 2024.

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When Neil Howarth’s father collapsed during a long dog walk, everything in the family’s life was quickly turned upside down.

Peter Howarth had suffered a stroke but tests revealed he also had stage four cancer and he died six months later, a week after the death of his dog Molly.

Life had changed very suddenly, especially for Neil’s mother Rosemary Howarth, but he said support from the charity Marie Curie helped her to process her grief and rebuild her confidence.

READ MORE: Belfast City Marathon is supporting cancer charities across Northern Ireland in AprilREAD MORE: ‘I’ve survived two open heart surgeries and a stroke at just 24 years old’

On Sunday April 26, Neil and his wife Sadhbh will run the TCS London Marathon for Marie Curie, the event’s charity of the year, to raise money so others can benefit from that support.

“My mum relied a lot on my dad to make a lot of the life decisions,” Neil, 36, a software sales director from Greenwich, south-east London, told the Press Association.

“Suddenly her world has changed overnight. So to have people that she can speak to with no judgment, no strong opinions, just to listen and advise, was really, really important for her and made a big difference.”

Peter, an IT helpdesk technician, and Rosemary, a children’s nurse, moved to Portaferry, in County Down, Northern Ireland, from Oxfordshire after they retired.

“They fell in love with Northern Ireland when they saw the coastline, when they got to know the people as well, it made them feel like a real community,” Neil said.

“His dream was to retire and have a view of the sea. He’d done that two years prior so he was only really just getting into it when he got the news.”

Peter was 63 when he collapsed during a long walk with Molly in April 2024.

The cancer diagnosis was a shock to the whole family, Neil said, especially as Peter was “very fit and healthy, very active, didn’t drink and smoke, none of those typical things”.

“I count myself very lucky that we still had a few months after that, we could spend together and make more memories. I try and look at it at that perspective. Some people aren’t as lucky,” said Neil, who moved to Northern Ireland with Sadhbh that summer to help with Peter’s care.

He said his father was “fiercely independent and didn’t want to put people out”, but “the situation changed quite quickly”.

“He spent most of the time at home, there were a few hospital visits and then he very quickly went to the hospital.”

Peter died at Ulster Hospital in Dundonald, County Down, on October 10 2024.

“All the staff in there were amazing with him, very caring and kind,” Neil said.

“They were very, very good to him and to us.”

Life was different for them all but especially for Rosemary after the deaths of both Peter and Molly.

“Her world changed upside down within a week which is even more testament to the support we could get from Marie Curie,” Neil said.

“We gave her some encouragement to use the support line. It’s for everyone, I think that’s what I wanted to get across. She’s not someone who often looks for support and she wasn’t necessarily expecting anything from it but when she’d started that conversation it really helped her to process things.”

He said his father’s death could have left Rosemary, now 75, “very isolated”, but Marie Curie’s support has helped her to become more independent.

“She’s almost had to reinvent herself at her age,” he said.

“For me it’s also very helpful to know that there’s people there to support her and give her advice as well.”

He added: “I look at how she was two years ago and where she is now and it’s a complete difference in terms of what she can do, her independence. She’s back driving again, spending time with the local community.

“That’s all a result of the support that was given at the time to help her through the situation. Without that she wouldn’t be where she is now.”

Neil also ran the TCS London Marathon for Marie Curie in 2025 and he was able to tell his father he had a confirmed place before Peter’s death.

“He’d ran the London Marathon 25 years previously so for me that was a real inspiration that I could follow in his footsteps.

“Although he’d passed before I’d done the London Marathon, I knew he was very proud and there with me as well.”

Neil said running has helped him to process his emotions, adding “it’s also good to be able to give back”.

“From spending time with Marie Curie and doing some of the run clubs I’ve met some of the incredible nurses as well.

“They do some absolutely incredible things day in day out so it’s the least I can do to be honest to raise money.”

On Sunday, tens of thousands of people will head to TCS London Marathon start lines in Blackheath and Greenwich Park in south-east London, including Neil and Sadhbh, 31, a software sales manager.

“I’m about 800m from the start line so a little bit of a head start over everyone else not having to get up at the crack of dawn,” Neil said.

“Unlike the other 60,000 people I’ve got a bit of a lie in on Sunday morning.”

– To sponsor Neil and Sadhbh: https://2026tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/sadhbh-carson-howarth

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