A haiku looks like the easiest poem to write. Three short lines, a few syllables, finished before your tea goes cold. That apparent simplicity is exactly why this format works so well for writing about the climate crisis, and why it is where I send researchers who tell me they cannot write poetry.

Before you write one, it helps to unlearn the rule you were taught at school.

Most of us were told a haiku has three lines of five, seven and five syllables. In English, that is a myth. Japanese counts a unit called the mora (in haiku circles, the on), which behaves differently from a syllable. “Tokyo” is two syllables to my northern English ear and four morae in Japanese. Anyone who insists on a strict 17-syllable count is being a pedant. Aim for 17 syllables or fewer, then stop counting and start noticing.

A haiku includes four things. The poem must be about nature. If it turns out to be about human nature, you have written a senryū, which is a fine thing, just a different one.

Every haiku carries a kigo, a single seasonal reference: a flower, a fruit, an animal, a festival that fixes the poem in one season.

A haiku is written in the present tense, a snapshot, roughly a live photo of the world, or about as long as it takes me to fall off my chair. And, at its best, it has a kireji, a cutting word that pivots the poem. English has no cutting words, so we make the turn with punctuation, or with a plain contrast between one image and another.

Why the haiku suits the climate crisis

That final ingredient, the turn, is the reason the haiku is so well suited to climate. A haiku builds a scene and then breaks it. Things are one way, and then they are another. Climate change has exactly that shape, which means the form itself can carry the science.

Here is one of mine, written about the American pika, a small mountain mammal that has died out across a 165km² stretch of California’s northern Sierra Nevada as temperatures have risen and snowpack has fallen.

Balanced on a rock

orange sneezeweed in your mouth;

you drop in the heat.

Look at how little it has to do. Orange sneezeweed is the kigo, a wildflower the pika gathers and dries in the sun. The tense is present, so we are with the animal as it feeds. The semicolon is the cutting point. Before it, a creature is alive and busy. After it, the creature is gone, undone by heat it cannot escape. The poem never mentions degrees or decades. The form delivers the loss for you.

The same trick works in either direction. You could write the turn the other way, from a damaged world to a recovering one, for a poem about the ozone layer healing, or a river coming back to life.

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Haiku has captured the essence of seasons for centuries – new poems contain a trace of climate change

The climate crisis has a communications problem. How do we tell stories that move people – not just to fear the future, but to imagine and build a better one? This article is part of Climate Storytelling, a series exploring how arts and science can join forces to spark understanding, hope and action.

Why bother, when you could write a paper?

Because a poem reaches people a paper never will, and reaches a different part of them. British poet Percy Bysshe Shelley called poetry “a mirror which makes beautiful that which is distorted”.

A haiku holds that mirror up to a warming world and asks the reader to look again at something they had stopped seeing. Science does not hold the only licence on knowledge, and a researcher who can move a reader as well as inform one is a more powerful communicator for it.

There is a deeper reason too. The kigo assumes the seasons stay where we left them. As the climate shifts, they do not. Researchers who have analysed decades of English-language haiku have found the seasonal markers themselves starting to slip, blossom arriving early, snow arriving late. The form that was built to fix a season is now quietly recording its disruption.

Now write one

Pick a piece of research, yours or someone else’s. Find the living thing at the heart of it. Give it a season, put it in the present, and find the moment everything turns. You will probably have a draft inside five minutes, which is about how long it takes the researchers in my workshops.

If you are an academic in the UK or Ireland, The Conversation’s Climate Poetry Award is open until September 1 2026: a climate poem of three to 40 lines, plus 250 words on the research behind it. Write the haiku first. Then see what else poetry is willing to do for your science.

A banker and former British Army officer has been arrested nine years after allegedly throwing a woman under a bus in Putney.

In May 2017, the ‘Putney Pusher’ pushed the woman on Putney Bridge, and his identity has remained unknown ever since.

The driver of the bus managed to swerve out of the way and avoid hitting the 33-year-old woman, but shocking CCTV footage sparked a years-long manhunt to find the suspect.

The ‘millionaire’ suspect reportedly has ties to several European royal families and works as a director at a private bank after serving with the British Army.

Now, the Metropolitan Police have said a 44-year-old man has been arrested and taken into custody on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm.

They added: ‘The arrest relates to an incident on 5 May 2017, where a woman was pushed into the path of a bus on Putney Bridge in Putney.’

After issuing a widespread plea for any leads, police were forced to close the case, despite two arrests and the questioning of 50 suspects.

The bus driver, Oliver Salbris, was labelled a hero for his quick actions in swerving to avoid the woman.

He told the Sunday Times in 2017he thought he was going to hit her: ‘If I hadn’t swerved, I would have smashed her head.

‘It was reflex. The consequences would have been terrible for her – and for me,’ he said.

He said the jogger ‘looked like he was doing it on purpose’.

‘He needs to be caught and to explain himself. He needs to be prosecuted,’ Mr Salbris added.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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The action would have had an impact on anyone else flying out to the World Cup, as well as Scottish school summer holidays and next month’s Commonwealth Games.

Potential strike action by workers at two companies operating at Glasgow Airport has been called off after pay deals were agreed. Nearly 400 Unite members working for ICTS and Menzies Aviation voted to down tools following the rejection of “unacceptable” pay offers.

However, after discussion between the union and employers, both companies have come back with improved offers which workers are happy with. The action would have impacted further World Cup flights as well as summer holidays with Scottish schools finishing up this month, and the Commonwealth Games which kick off at the end of July.

It follows the news last week that workers employed by Aberdeen Airport had agreed a pay deal to avert a potential strike there. However, an unresolved dispute between remains between Unite members and Edinburgh Airport which could lead to industrial action if no deal is agreed.

Security firm ICTS, which operates the security search areas and employs around 230 people at Glasgow Airport, has agreed a two-year pay deal. A five per cent increase in basic pay and shift allowances, backdated to January 1, will be implemented for 2026 and includes a one-off bank holiday.

In 2027, workers will receive in increase of one per cent plus the RPI inflation rate alongside a boost to terms and conditions. Dispatchers, allocators, airside agents and controllers employed by Menzies Aviation will receive a 4.4 per cent increase backdated to January as well as a pay increase in July of between five and 11.1 per cent.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Hundreds of frontline workers at Glasgow Airport have secured vastly improved pay deals. This is a direct result of the workers refusing to accept their employers’ pitiful pay offers and to fight for better pay which they successfully secured after the threat of strike action.”

Carrie Donoghue, Unite industrial officer, said: “Unite is pleased to have delivered two pay deals covering Menzies Aviation and ICTS workers based at Glasgow Airport. The resolution of these disputes removes the threat of strike action at Glasgow Airport and ensures that no disruption happens during the extremely busy summer period.”

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KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — The number of confirmed Ebola cases in Congo has increased to 782, with 181 deaths, the Congolese Ministry of Health said in a statement on social platform X on Sunday evening.

However, the number of cases in Congo is believed to be higher because the outbreak was confirmed on May 15, weeks after it is suspected to have begun, and the contact tracing coverage rate is at 56%, a sharp decrease from last week.

The latest Ebola outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved vaccine or treatment, unlike the “Zaire virus,” which was responsible for most of Congo’s past 16 outbreaks of the disease.

Fifty-six people have recovered, and the current fatality rate of the outbreak is 23%, the Ministry said.

The outbreak is concentrated in Congo’s eastern province of Ituri, which accounts for more than 90% of the cases. Cases have also been recorded in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, and have spread across the border to Uganda.

Nearly a million people have been displaced by conflict in Ituri, according to the U.N. humanitarian office, making contact tracing difficult as people flee attacks or move frequently in the vast province with dense forests, poor roads and remote villages that can take days to reach.

Tracing is also difficult among the thousands of artisanal miners who regularly move between remote sites in the mineral-rich region.

Attacks on health workers from angry residents, skepticism among some locals, and armed conflict in hot spots continue to challenge efforts to stop the outbreak.

Last month, U.S. officials said Washington intends to send Americans exposed to Ebola while abroad to a new facility in Kenya rather than flying them back home. They said the center would be located at Laikipia Air Base with a capacity of 50 quarantine beds. The move led to protests over the plans to build an Ebola quarantine center, which was later halted by the courts.

The honour was made as a testimony of Dr Raby’s services to higher education.

With a 155-year heritage in creative education, The Northern School of Art is the only specialist arts and design school in the North East.

The prestigious honour recognises Dr Raby’s leadership during a period of significant progress which has seen the school become one of the UK’s leading specialist providers of creative education.

Dr Martin Raby, Principal of the Northern School of Art, honoured with the OBE in recognition of his work in higher education (Image: The Northern School of Art)

During his 18-years as principal, the school secured degree awarding powers in 2024, enabling it to award its own qualifications for the first time in its history.

The school has also achieved the rare distinction of securing three successive Ofsted outstanding ratings for its Middlesbrough-based further education provision.

Students at The Northern School of Art celebrate ‘outstanding’ Ofsted recognition in February 2025 (Image: The Northern School of Art)

It has twice received an overall Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Gold award, the highest rating awarded to a university or college by the Office for Students (OfS) in England, for its higher education provision in Hartlepool.

The Northern School of Art’s Hartlepool campus (Image: The Northern School of Art)

Dr Raby has also overseen the transformation of the school’s estate during the past decade, working closely with partners including Middlesbrough Council, Hartlepool Borough Council and Tees Valley Combined Authority.

Together they have delivered a purpose-built further education campus in Middlesbrough, substantial new teaching facilities in Hartlepool and the establishment of the Northern Film and TV Studios.

Backed by support from North East Screen, the commercial studios are playing an increasingly important role in attracting television and film production to the region.

It has created opportunities for students, alumni and crew returning to the North East.

Production activity is set to grow further through planned enhancements to the studios and the development of a production village, a collaborative project involving the school, Hartlepool Borough Council, Tees Valley Combined Authority and North East Screen.

Throughout his career, Dr Raby has championed social mobility through education, helping thousands of students from diverse backgrounds to access further and higher education, leading them to pursue careers in the creative industries.

Many of those successful students are the first in their families to progress into higher education or employment in the sector.

His contribution extends beyond the institution through support for regional regeneration, economic development and skills growth across Tees Valley and Hartlepool.

Through employer partnerships, civic leadership and a commitment to creative excellence, he has helped school to become a nationally recognised institution and an important anchor organisation supporting the future prosperity of the region.

Dr Raby, now OBE, said: “I’m delighted to receive this honour, which reflects the remarkable achievements of The Northern School of Art and the dedication of everyone associated with it.

“Whilst our key partners have been magnificent in the support that they have provided as we have transformed the school, what is truly special is the exceptional efforts of my colleagues, who are incredibly dedicated to supporting our students.

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“The real transformation is what our students can achieve by studying with us, growing as creative practitioners thanks to the quiet dedication of our staff teams, whether they are FE students, going on to undergraduate study, or our graduates, progressing to impressive careers in the creative industries.

“I could not wish for a better group of colleagues, and it is an honour to lead them, supported by talented governors, as the school continues on its trajectory of growth and development.”

The new OBE recipient pledged: “There is much more to come.”

The supermarket chain has already reduced prices on more than 1,000 products since the start of the year, including everyday staples such as fresh meat, fruit and vegetables, eggs, milk, bread, and yoghurt.

Recent discounts include Mature Cheddar, now £2.49 down from £2.79, cherries (200g) at £1.39 down from £2.29 and 4 Beef Quarter Pounders at £2.89 down from £3.49.

Richard Bourns, chief commercial officer at Lidl GB, said: “We know customers continue to face pressure on their household budgets, especially heading into the summer months.

“Our £250 million investment in lowering prices on over 1,000 products ensures customers get even better value.

“This latest investment, combined with a significant increase in promotions via the Lidl Plus app, reinforces our unwavering commitment to deliver the highest quality products at the lowest possible prices.”

Lidl has also ramped up investment in its Lidl Plus app, launching ‘Lidl Points’—a flexible rewards programme that lets shoppers redeem them through an in-app marketplace for products or money-off coupons.

Other features include personalised coupons, Rewards of the Week, and seasonal offers.

The retailer recently became the UK’s fifth-largest supermarket, with more than three in five households now shopping at Lidl.

Elsewhere, the chain has announced plans to open more than 50 new stores within a year as part of a £600 million investment in UK infrastructure.

Lidl reveals 1,000 areas where it wants to open new stores

Lidl has revealed a ‘wish list’ of more than 1,000 areas where it would like to open new stores.

You can see the full list of locations on its online site requirements brochure.

Chief real estate officer at Lidl GB, Richard Taylor, said: “At Lidl GB, we currently have one of the most ambitious store opening programmes of any supermarket.

“We’re more committed than ever to bringing our high-quality and low-priced products to even more communities across the country.

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“All of our stores deliver more than just affordable products.

“Each one also brings quality jobs and opportunities for British suppliers to showcase the best home grown produce and support local good causes in the communities each one serves.

“In uncertain times, shoppers and communities can count on us.”

Have you noticed a cut in prices at your local Lidl? Let us know in the comments.

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States and Iran reached an initial agreement early Monday that would extend their shaky ceasefire and lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, but challenges immediately loomed, including Israel insisting it would hold onto land seized in Lebanon as it battles Hezbollah.

Details of the deal, which would potentially allow desperately needed oil and natural gas to reach the global market through the critical waterway, were not immediately released. Iran signaled implementation would not start until the signing, which key mediator Pakistan said would take place Friday in Switzerland.

But the memorandum of understanding over the war already faced hurdles. Israel’s continued hostilities with the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon, where Israel bombed Beirut’s southern suburbs Sunday, nearly derailed the negotiations. Israel joined the U.S. in launching the war on Feb. 28.

Israel says it won’t withdraw from Lebanon

In the first official Israeli comments after the announcement of the deal, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel won’t withdraw from land seized in Lebanon as the interim deal is pending. Katz said Israel plans to stay “indefinitely” in lands it holds in Lebanon, as well as Syria and the Gaza Strip. Iran has tied the interim deal over the war to halting Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Katz also threatened that if Iran attacks Israel over Israeli strikes in Lebanon, Israel will strike Iran with “great force.”

Over the past 2 1/2 years, Israel has taken control of areas in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria amounting to 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of territory — an area that is slightly smaller than New York City.

Meanwhile, the deal between the U.S. and Iran gives just 60 days to resolve what to do about Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium and its atomic program. That took years to resolve in Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from that accord in his first term, setting the stage for the tensions that culminated in the war.

“Congratulations to all!” Trump wrote on social media as he celebrated his 80th birthday Sunday with a UFC cage match fight at the White House.

He added, “I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade,” which was imposed in retaliation for Iran’s grip on the crucial waterway.