We often focus on moments of rapid change, but some of the most meaningful progress happens so gradually that it can be easy to miss. A river returning to health. A neighbourhood brought back to life by dedicated volunteers. Renewable energy becoming an everyday part of the landscape. Mental health being discussed more openly, or LGBTQ+ people finding greater acceptance. Shifts that took years – even decades or even longer – to become visible.

We’d love to hear about the positive changes you’ve witnessed over time. They could be personal, local or global; environmental, cultural or social. Perhaps you’ve seen attitudes shift, a long-term project bear fruit, a community come together, or a place, species or landscape recover against the odds.

Using the form below, tell us what changed, how long it took, and why it has stayed with you. We will publish our favourite answers in the next issue of Positive News magazine. We can’t promise to print them all, but we will read them.

Main image: Olezzo

There are currently 118 chemical elements on the periodic table. The last one added was oganesson, which was first created by scientists in 2002.

Seven-year-old Robyn, from Edinburgh in Scotland, wants to know whether scientists will be able to make any more new elements, and how they do it. He joined our host Eloise to ask biochemist Mark Lorch on The Conversation’s Curious Kids podcast.

In each episode of The Conversation’s Curious Kids, a child joins host Eloise to ask a top researcher their burning question. If you’d like to join in with the experiment in this episode, have a few pieces of lego to hand as you listen.

To listen to season two, follow us wherever you get your podcasts, or listen on the Yoto Player via the Discover section on the Yoto interactive audio platform for kids.

You can also listen back to season one and read lots of answers to questions sent in by children around the world in our Curious Kids series.

Got a question? Pop it in an email, or record it and send us the audio to curiouskids@theconversation.com.

This season of The Conversation’s Curious Kids is supported by the University of Southampton in the UK, a world-leading research-intensive university with a global network of international students and campuses in Malaysia and Delhi.

Disclosure statement

Mark Lorch does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Credits

This episode of The Conversation’s Curious Kids was hosted and mixed by Eloise Stevens. The producer was Katie Flood and the executive producer was Gemma Ware. Credits in this episode to The Tom Lehrer Wisdom Channel and the BBC.

The tragedy unfolded at Seaton Carew beach in Hartlepool on Sunday, July 12, when what began as a family day out ended in disaster after two children got into difficulty in the water

A dad who died while trying to save his two children from the sea at a UK beach has been named as Wayne Taylor.

The tragedy unfolded at Seaton Carew beach in Hartlepool on Sunday, July 12, when what began as a family day out ended in disaster after two children got into difficulty in the water. Mr Taylor rushed into the sea in an attempt to rescue them, alongside beachgoer Davey Short and another man who has not been named. Tragically, both Mr Taylor and the second man lost their lives during the rescue attempt.

The RNLI was called to the scene at around 3.45pm and recovered both men from the water. Despite the efforts of emergency services, they were pronounced dead a short time later. The two children were brought to safety and taken to hospital as a precaution. They were not seriously injured.

Mr Short, who also entered the water to help, described the desperate moments as the incident unfolded, The Mirror reported.

He said: “There were three children at the beach with their mam and dad, a boy aged 15, a second boy aged 11 or 12 and a younger girl. The two younger kids were in the sea and started to struggle.

“I saw a second figure next to the boy and he was face down in the water. I discovered afterward the children’s father had gone in to rescue them, was swept away, and didn’t get back out. A second man had also gone in and he drowned as well. He had been out walking his dog with his partner and he ran in to help. She saw the whole thing, it’s devastating to think about that.

“I was the third person to go into the water. The children’s mother was on the beach, she was hysterical and asking if I could help because she couldn’t swim. Her eldest son had gone into the water as well to try to rescue his brother and sister but they were still out there. I managed to swim out and get hold of the boy.”

Following the tragedy, Superintendent Glen Ward, of Cleveland Police, said: “Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of both the men involved in this tragic incident today. Despite the best efforts of emergency services, sadly both men were pronounced dead a short time after being brought out of the sea.

“We are conducting enquiries into the circumstances of what happened today, although the deaths are not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the Coroner.

“I would like to remind everyone that open water comes with serious risks. We know it is inviting in the hot weather, but we would encourage people to refrain from entering any open water at all. Today we have sadly seen the true tragedy that can happen as a result. Please take extra care and enjoy the warm weather as safely as possible.”

Tributes have since been paid to Mr Taylor online.

One family friend wrote on Facebook: “Wayne Taylor (Tim) as the lads would say, you know what they say god only takes the best and that you was, thanks so much for being the most amazing best friend to my Liam, you really did mean so much to him.”

The tribute continued: “I promise to look after our Jade and be there for them all as much as myself and Liam can, because for only the short two years I knew you, you was definitely one of a kind. RIP mate, absolute hero. And RIP to that other gentleman too, my thoughts and prayers are with your loved ones right now.”

A GoFundMe appeal has also been launched to support Mr Taylor’s family with funeral costs and to help his children. More than £31,000 has been donated so far.

In October 2023, their lives changed forever when James Lloyd died suddenly at home due to an undiagnosed blood clot, leaving behind his wife and their two young children, Amelie, now 12, and Chester, now eight.

“The loss of James completely shattered our entire lives. It was so quick and unexpected. Everything changed in a heartbeat.

“He was an incredible husband and an amazing dad. He worked so hard so that one day we could have a more stable financial situation and he so wanted our children to have a better childhood than he did.”

Still paying the mortgage and bills on their family home as they prepare to sell it, they can no longer live there due to the traumatic nature of what happened and so have moved in with her parents.

These circumstances meant a Go Fund Me was set up to help the family with the additional costs in such a difficult time.

Something she had never considered until it was suggested by a friend, the fundraiser is incredibly successful and has made a huge difference to their lives.

You can donate to the fundraiser at the following link www.gofundme.com/f/a-bridge-to-our-next-chapter-help-the-lloyds-move-forward-3x8xj

She said: “It’s been amazing and overwhelming. I can’t express how much it’s helped, and I’m so blown away from the generosity.”

Despite the suffering they have endured since James’ passing, Mrs Lloyd emphasised how much her friends, family, and community in Bolton had helped her through her grief and supported their children.

Describing Bolton as a place where she and her children have been able to make friends and continue going to school, they have been slowly rebuilding their lives there.

She said: “Bolton quickly became our safety net, the kids moved to a school here and we’ve made friends. My parents live next to a park, so it’s been brilliant making friends with lots of dog walkers and their dogs! Both schools have been hugely supportive.”

By bridging this financial gap, Mrs Lloyd emphasised that the fundraising was helping the family on their way to starting a new chapter, bringing much-needed stability to their lives, and giving them the mental space to begin to heal.

The brutal murder of Ann Widdecombe was last night being treated as a suspected politically motivated terrorist attack.

In a dramatic escalation, counter terrorism officers yesterday took over the investigation into the killing of the former Tory minister. It came after the discovery of Russian communist literature and other items of political ideology at the home of the suspected killer.

And it marked a U-turn after the local force, Devon and Cornwall Police, spent days insisting that there was no link to terrorism. Officers, it is understood, are probing whether the 78-year-old may have been bludgeoned to death in a premeditated attack on Reform UK.

They are looking at whether a self-radicalised loner may have considered the pensioner an ‘easy target’ in comparison to more prominent party figures, such as Nigel Farage, who have security.

Last night, Reform accused Devon and Cornwall police of misleading the public in the initial stages of the investigation.

Senior officers were under pressure to explain why they so publicly ruled out terror or a political motivation.

When the bloodied body of the former prisons minister was found on Thursday morning, officers initially focused on a theory that she had disturbed a burglar at her home in Haytor, Dartmoor, even though nothing had been taken from the £600,000 property.

The suspect was captured on CCTV leaving his property shortly before 8am on Wednesday with what appears to be a pole in the pocket of his shorts

Two days after the murder, detectives arrested a local labourer in error, before later detaining a 28-year-old man 270 miles away in Rotherham on Saturday night. The Mail has learnt that items of varying political ideology, including Russian material, have been found at the suspect’s home and on electronic devices.

But investigators do not believe there is any evidence of hostile state involvement.

Counter terrorism police are investigating whether the ‘lone wolf’ targeted Ms Widdecombe due to her political views, which she frequently expressed during regular appearances on TV and radio defending Reform as the party’s immigration and justice spokesman. The former Strictly contestant was well known for her beliefs, including opposition to abortion and gay rights.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed yesterday that the British white suspect, who the Mail is not naming, was not known to the Government’s deradicalisation programme, Prevent. Police are making inquiries about his mental health.

Officers believe the murder on Wednesday may have been premeditated. The accused is not thought to have known the victim, whose home had featured on a TV programme broadcast just days before her death.

The unmarried former MP, who has lived alone since her retirement in 2010, was last seen on a Talk TV show around 8am on Wednesday.

She had been scheduled to appear on Channel 5’s Matt Allwright show that afternoon but suddenly stopped responding to WhatsApp exchanges with a producer.

Counter terrorism police are investigating whether the ‘lone wolf’ targeted Ms Widdecombe due to her political views

Footage shows a group of armed officers descending on the suspect’s property in Rotherham on Saturday

Police believe she was attacked at around 12.30pm, nearly 24 hours before she was found by her gardener.

Devon and Cornwall Police waited more than 24 hours to announce a murder investigation, before Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said on Friday night: ‘The incident is not being treated as terrorism.’

When asked if Ms Widdecombe had been targeted because of her politics, he replied: ‘No… it’s early stages of the investigation. I’ve got no information to believe that it is a politically motivated crime.’

The suspect was later arrested at his home in Rotherham at 9pm on Saturday after police traced a car allegedly parked on the victim’s drive during the attack. CCTV from early on Wednesday showed a figure leaving the Rotherham address, appearing to carry a wooden stick in his shorts pocket.

As the force announced Saturday’s arrest, Mr Longman again denied any suggestion of a political motive. He said: ‘There is still no information to suggest that this is a terrorism-related incident. At this stage, there is nothing to suggest that it was politically motivated.’

Forensic officers were seen heading into the house in Rotherham after the arrest on Saturday

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Yesterday the probe was taken over by Counterterrorism Policing South East which announced the suspect had been re-arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

Reform UK board member Gawain Towler criticised the police, saying: ‘In the past, they’d have said all avenues of investigation are open but this time they tried to close out avenues of the investigation. In a time when trust in the police is at an all-time low, this just plays into that they are trying to massage public opinion.’

The killing has reignited fears about MPs’ safety following the murders of David Amess and Jo Cox.

The suspect, who remains in custody, was the son of a teaching assistant. Relatives said he had become reclusive after the sudden death of his engineer father last year.

Additional reporting: Nick Craven, James Tozer and Ryan Hooper

By MARK DUELL, DEPUTY CHIEF REPORTER (DIGITAL)

Published: 01:21 BST, 14 July 2026 | Updated: 07:23 BST, 14 July 2026

It currently costs £5.50 to drop someone off outside the terminal at Manchester Airport

Manchester Airport’s controversial drop-off fees could be reviewed by the government as part of a potential national probe into the practice.

It costs £5.50 to drop someone off outside Manchester Airport’s terminals for five minutes, £6.50 for 10 minutes, or £25 for half-an-hour. Motorists are charged with ANPR cameras, and have to pay online by the end of the next day after their visit.

Although visitors can also drop passengers off further away from the Manchester terminals free-of-charge, who complete their journey to check-in on a shuttle bus, the charges have long been subject to debate, with Andy Burnham even weighing in on them when he was the mayor.

However, drivers’ charges could be reviewed after the House of Lords forced the government to re-examine the practice.

Liberal Democrat and Conservative Lords refused to back the Civil Aviation (Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform) Bill, sending it back to House of Commons and forcing the government to conduct a review of the charges.

Shadow transport minister Lord Moylan accused airports of raising passenger drop-off fees with ‘great enthusiasm’, insisting a review was needed to examine the impact on users.

Lord Moylan told the House of Lords on Monday that drop-off fees are particularly damaging for families, as well as older and disabled passengers, who ‘do not have a realistic alternative to being dropped off at the terminal’.

“The Government has gone some way to improve protections for disabled passengers in aviation,” he said. “But it’s no good strengthening rights inside the airport while supporting surface access policies that make it harder and more expensive for disabled passengers or those assisting them to get to the terminal in the first place.”

Former UUP leader Lord Empey described the fees as ‘out of control’, arguing ministers need to step in.

“The fundamental point is that this is now a revenue stream that didn’t exist a relatively short period of time ago,” he said.

“It’s rapidly increasing, and it will continue to increase either because the airports feel it is a way of making money, or because some people think policies – that we force people away from the drop-off and onto public transport – that has its own advantages. But that only applies in limited cases, and it is certainly not universally spread around the country.”

Baroness Grender of the Liberal Democrats also offered her party’s support, saying airport users are captured and have no means of shopping around for cheaper parking.

However, transport minister Lord Hendy insisted the fees are already subject to consumer protection law. He added the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has previously found ‘insufficient evidence’ to justify an investigation.

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He said: “Their arrangements are already subject to consumer protection law, competition law, and industry standards, with enforcement and redress where practices are misleading, unfair, or non-compliant.

“There are also established mechanisms to review airport drop-off charges where concerns arise, the CAA has already examined airport surface access, including competition, consumer issues, and the transparency of information options and charges, and found insufficient evidence to justify a competition or consumer law investigation.”

The rest of the Bill will give ministers the power to set new rules around when aircraft can take off and land, what airlines have to do when someone’s luggage goes missing, and price transparency. It will also give authorities new powers to fine airlines which fail to look after disabled people.

“It’s the worst thing I’ve seen and shows how dangerous the tides can be.”

An eyewitness has told how a man died after going into the sea to try and save his children in what was the ‘worst thing he’s seen’.

The tragic incident happened at Seaton Carew in Hartlepool on Sunday (July 12). The witness said the father rushed into the water after his children were caught in what he described as a ‘riptide’.

Tragically, the dad died alongside another man who had been walking his dog and leapt into the water in an attempt to help the children. Davey Short, 48, from Bishop Auckland, helped pull one of the children to safety and has spoken out about how the harrowing events unfolded.

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The incident, described as a ‘major operation’ by onlookers, prompted a response from Cleveland Police and RNLI lifeboats, after two children ‘got into difficulty’ in the water. Both children survived, with emergency services remaining at the scene on Monday following Sunday’s tragedy.

Relatives of those who died are being supported by specially-trained police officers, reports Teesside Live. Mr Short, a painter and decorator, said: “There were three children at the beach with their mam and dad, a boy aged 15, a second boy aged 11 or 12 and a younger girl. The two younger kids were in the sea and they’d started to struggle in the waves.

“I had taken a stroll along the beach from my mother’s home nearby and was planning to have a dip but the sea looked a bit choppy and rough so I sat down on a sand dune looking out to sea. I realised that there was a child in some trouble they were getting buffeted by the waves and as I looked I saw a second figure next to the boy and he was face down in the water.

“At first I thought he was snorkelling but I realised something had gone wrong. I discovered afterward that the children’s father had gone in to rescue them, was swept away, and didn’t get back out.

“A second man had also gone in and he drowned as well. He was a guy who had been out walking his dog with his partner and he ran in to help. She saw the whole thing, it’s devastating to think about that.

“I was the third person to go into the water. The children’s mother was on the beach, she was hysterical and asking if I could help because she couldn’t swim.

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“Her eldest son had gone into the water as well to try to rescue his brother and sister but they were still out there I managed to swim out and get hold of the boy. I told him “swim to me, swim to me” and I managed to grab hold of his hand and pull him towards the shore.

“The waves were strong and they were pushing us around and I lost my grip but with the help of another guy I got hold of him a second time and managed to get him to the shore. I realised all three children were safe and accounted for but their dad was still in the water and I knew that he had gone.

“He was out there for maybe 40 minutes before the rescuers could get to him. I helped the mother to move their things from the beach and carry them over to the ambulance where the kids were being checked over.

“I felt for those children and for their mum, they saw it all happened and it’s something that will never leave any of us. I didn’t sleep a wink last night. Every time I closed my eyes I could see the man in the water.

“They were just a nice, normal family having a day out at the beach on a lovely hot day and this happened out of the blue. My heart goes out to them. People have been in touch to thank me for what I did but what else could I do when children were in danger like that?

“I’m a father myself and I hope someone would have done the same for my kids. It’s the worst thing I’ve seen and shows how dangerous the tides can be.

“I’m also thinking about the poor partner of the other man. They were just having a Sunday walk along the beach and he did everything he could for a family he didn’t even know, it cost him his life.”

In an update, Temporary Chief Superintendent of Cleveland Police, Helen Wilson said: “Our thoughts remain with everyone affected by the incident in Seaton Carew yesterday. We are continuing to carry out enquiries on behalf of the Coroner, and officers are supporting the families involved in this incident.”

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT Since it opened in 1999, Jaslyk stood as a symbol of Uzbekistan’s terrible human rights record, a ‘house of torture’ for thousands of religious prisoners, government critics, and others. Some inmates never made it out alive

A man had fingernails ripped from his hands and suffered horrific last moments as he was plunged into scalding hot water before he died in ‘The House of Torture.’

Also dubbed the ‘Place of No Return’ Jaslyk prison, north-west Uzbekistan where human rights activists and ex-inmates have argued it is a hotbed of human rights violations, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Muzafar Avazov, a so-called religious prisoner was found with 60 to 70 per cent of his body burned by “doctors who reported that such burns could only have been caused by immersing Avazov in boiling water”.

HRW documented Avazov and Husnidin Alimov’s deaths in 2002, as suspicious deaths showing clear signs of torture. Based on witness accounts, HRW said Avazov also had a bloody wound on the back of his head and heavy bruising on his forehead and neck. His fingers had no nails.

Valeriy Parijer, a businessman with dual Russian-Israeli citizenship was in Uzbekistan since 2002, was transferred to Jaslyk in 2012. Parijer’s original prison sentence was expiring so instead of being released he was moved and handed an additional five-year term in Jaslyk for “breaking prison rules”.

Parijer’s wife, Irina, says Parijer experienced “horrendous suffering.” She said: “They put needles under his fingernails,” Parijer told RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service, and was placed inside an iron box for hours in the summer heat.” She feared for her husband’s life, and doesn’t believe Parijer would survive another five years in Jaslyk. Protests in her husband’s name were held outside the Uzbek Embassy in the Israeli city of Ramat Gan.

Other former inmates recalled vile methods of torture, including electric shocks, sexual assault, the pulling out of prisoners’ fingernails, and long stints of solitary confinement without food or drink.

Yusuf Juma, an Uzbek poet and dissident who spent three years at the remote prison facility was imprisoned in 2007 after he challenged President Karimov’s right to run for a new term in office.

He said: “I don’t know which is worse — Jaslyk or Nazi concentration camps during World War II. Jaslyk is nothing less than a death camp. It feels like there is no limit to the cruelty the prison officers there are capable of.

“Every month, they would keep me in solitary confinement for 15 days. Another 15 days of each month I would spend in another facility in the town of Nukus, some 500 kilometers away.