Spring warming faster than other seasons in UK: Report
Data from Nature’s Calendar, a citizen science project by the Woodland Trust, tracks climate impacts through sightings of plants, animals, and fungi.
The Joint Nature Conservation Committee found that key biological events marking the start of spring are occurring about nine days earlier than 25 years ago. (Representational image: iStock)
Vivek Mishra works as an Assistant Editor with Eastern Eye and has over 13 years of experience in journalism. His areas of interest include politics, international affairs, current events, and sports. With a background in newsroom operations and editorial planning, he has reported and edited stories on major national and global developments.
SPRING has warmed more than any other season in the UK, with temperatures rising by 1.8 degrees Celsius since 1970, according to a report by Climate Central.
BBC Weather reported that while all four seasons are warming, autumn follows as the second-fastest warming season, with a 1.6-degree Celsius increase.
The Joint Nature Conservation Committee, which advises the UK government, found that key biological events marking the start of spring are occurring about nine days earlier than 25 years ago.
Data from Nature’s Calendar, a citizen science project by the Woodland Trust, tracks climate impacts through sightings of plants, animals, and fungi.
According to Nature’s Calendar, frogspawn sightings in 2024 were the earliest on record, averaging 24 February—17 days earlier than usual.
Alex Marshall from the project said, "Spring is getting earlier due to higher temperatures, particularly at the start of the season."
She noted that warmer winter weather can mislead species like frogs into early reproduction, leaving them vulnerable to late frosts.
BBC Weather also reported that climate change is leading to more extreme weather, affecting seasonal patterns.
Met Office data suggests that for every 1-degree Celsius increase in October temperature, trees shed their leaves two to three days later.
Scientists warn that changing seasonal timings could disrupt the food chain, creating challenges for various species.
Author Sally Rooney says she will continue to back Palestine Action, despite the group being proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK.
Writing in the Irish Times, she pledged to use her book earnings and public platform to support the group’s activities.
The Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has defended the ban, citing security risks and evidence of violent action.
Palestine Action has targeted UK arms companies and was linked to an incident at RAF Brize Norton, causing £7m worth of damage.
Sally Rooney reaffirms support
Irish novelist Sally Rooney has said she will continue to support the pro-Palestinian direct action group Palestine Action, even after its proscription as a terrorist organisation in the UK.
In an article published in the Irish Times, the award-winning writer of Normal People and Intermezzo said she would keep using the proceeds of her work — including residuals from the BBC adaptations of Normal People and Conversations with Friends — to fund the group.
“If this makes me a supporter of terror under UK law, so be it,” she wrote, describing her stance as part of resisting “genocide” in Gaza.
UK government’s stance
The group was banned by the UK government in July 2025. Defending the decision, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper argued that Palestine Action was not “a regular protest group known for occasional stunts” but an organisation linked to repeated unlawful activity.
She pointed to an “Underground Manual” allegedly produced by the group, which she said offered “practical guidance on how to identify targets to attack and how to evade law enforcement”.
Cooper added she had received “disturbing information” about future planned attacks, and warned: “These are not the actions of a legitimate protest group.”
Activities and legal cases
Since the ban, more than 700 people have been arrested, including over 500 at a central London demonstration last week.
The group’s most high-profile action came in June 2025, when members broke into RAF Brize Norton and sprayed two aircraft with red paint, causing an estimated £7m in damage.
In August 2024, alleged members also broke into Elbit Systems UK in Bristol — a subsidiary of the Israeli defence company — an incident which has led to criminal charges including aggravated burglary and violent disorder. The trial of 18 defendants is scheduled for November 2025.
Rooney’s history of activism
Rooney has previously spoken out against the group’s proscription, describing it in the Guardian earlier this year as an “alarming attack on free speech”.
In 2021, she refused permission for her novel Beautiful World, Where Are You to be translated into Hebrew by an Israeli publisher, saying she would only work with a company aligned with the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement.
In her latest opinion piece, she criticised the UK government for what she described as eroding citizens’ rights and freedoms “to protect its relationship with Israel”.
Context
The war in Gaza began after Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. Israel’s subsequent military campaign has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health ministry figures, which the United Nations treats as broadly reliable.
Israel rejects allegations of genocide, but several international human rights organisations say its conduct amounts to genocide against Palestinians.
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Senior civic leaders, academics, and business figures attended this landmark event
First-ever official Indian Independence Day celebration hosted by the Consulate in Newcastle upon Tyne.
JM Meenu Malhotra DL, Honorary Consul General of India in England, led the event and hoisted the tricolour.
Cultural highlights included Mi Marathi Dhol Group, a classical dance by Madhura Godbole, and a Tamil flash mob by Spice FM.
Senior civic leaders, academics, and business figures attended, making it a landmark occasion for the Indian community in the North East of England.
Newcastle hosts first-ever official Independence Day event
The Indian Consulate in Newcastle upon Tyne hosted its first-ever official Independence Day celebration this week, coinciding with India’s 79th Independence Day. The event, hosted at the Civic Centre, coincided with India’s 79th Independence Day and was attended by a cross-section of civic leaders, academics, business representatives, and cultural figures.
The Indian Consulate in Newcastle upon Tyne hosted its first-ever official Independence Day celebration this weekAMG
Meenu Malhotra leads the ceremony
The ceremony was led by JM Meenu Malhotra DL, the Punjabi-born Honorary Consul General of India in England, who hoisted the Indian tricolour for the first time in Newcastle’s history.
JM Meenu Malhotra DL, the Punjabi-born Honorary Consul General of India in EnglandAMG
“It is a proud and historic moment for all of us here in the North East of England,” said Mr Malhotra. “On behalf of the Indian Consulate and my office, I extend warm greetings to everyone celebrating India’s 79th Independence Day with us today.”
Following the flag hoisting and national anthem, keynote addresses were delivered by Mr Malhotra, the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear, and the Deputy Lord Mayor of Newcastle, Councillor Jacqui Robinson.
The Deputy Lord Mayor of Newcastle, Councillor Jacqui Robinson with Mr Meenu MalhotraAMG
Cultural performances add colour
The celebrations opened with traditional drumming by the Mi Marathi Dhol Group, followed by a graceful classical dance performance by Madhura Godbole. The formal ceremony began at 11:00 am, concluding with a Tamil flash mob organised by Spice FM, which enthralled the audience.
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Prominent attendees
The event drew notable figures, including Chris Whitehead, Kieran Fernandes, Susan Dungworth, Ciaron Irvine, Andy Long, Peter Heath, Keith Carruthers, Councillors Irim Ali, Hayder Qureshi, Deborah Burns, Taylor Wendy, Sadiq Mehrban, Colin Ferguson, and Doc Anand.
Business leaders Bunty Malhotra and Nidhi Malhotra Anand were also in attendance, along with cultural representatives from Beamish Museum and North East Museums.
A proud moment for the community
Closing the event, Mr Malhotra emphasised that the occasion represented “a proud and historic day for Indians in the North East of England,” underlining the growing cultural presence of the Indian diaspora in the region.
London mayor Sadiq Khan said he would be willing to meet Donald Trump, even as he warned the US president could be “inadvertently radicalising people” and was “not a force for good”.
The Labour politician dismissed Trump’s recent jibes during a visit to Scotland, where the president called him “a nasty person” who had “done a terrible job”. Khan said the remarks were “water off a duck’s back”, though at times they made him feel “nine years old again” and “in the school playground”.
Speaking at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Khan criticised Trump’s record. “Somebody who has views like he does about black people, about women, about gays, about Muslims, about Mexicans, thinks I’m nasty. Really. He is the leader of the free world, arguably the most powerful man in the world, and really,” he said.
Khan noted that since Trump began his second term in January, “there have never been more Americans applying to British citizenship and living in London”, adding: “I think Americans have got good taste by and large.”
The mayor said he hoped Trump would come to London on his state visit next month, stressing that the capital’s “diversity” was a strength. But he warned that some of Trump’s rhetoric risked moving “potentially dangerous” views into the mainstream.
“He inadvertently – I’m not going to suggest he does it deliberately – he inadvertently could be radicalising people with views that could lead to them doing things that are dangerous,” Khan said.
Still, Khan said he would be “more than happy to meet President Trump” to show it was possible to be both British and Muslim. “If there was an opportunity to meet President Trump, I would be more than happy to do so,” he said. (Agencies)
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Healthcare professionals from India, Africa and other Asian countries account for 23 per cent of HSE nurses and midwives, according to the Irish public health service provider. (Representational image: iStock)
IRELAND'S Health Service Executive and the largest nurses’ union have spoken out against the “racist abuse and assaults” targeting members of the Indian community and cautioned that their exodus would have a “dramatic impact" on the healthcare sector.
In a statement on Wednesday (13), the Health Service Executive (HSE) said the effective operation of many essential health services in Ireland would be “seriously threatened” without the support of the thousands of international staff employed in the country’s hospitals and community services.
Healthcare professionals from India, Africa and other Asian countries account for 23 per cent of HSE nurses and midwives, according to the Irish public health service provider.
“The HSE unequivocally condemns all incidents of racist abuse and assaults of people from abroad, their families and the wider community. It is unacceptable. People should not be afraid to leave their house or go to work for fear of abuse,” said Anne Marie Hoey, chief people officer of the HSE.
“We are proud of our organisation’s diversity and are dependent on all our staff for the delivery of frontline, essential services… We are deeply grateful to international workers who have chosen to move their lives and families to Ireland to work with the HSE and help provide essential care and support for patients,” she said.
Hoey said the HSE was “saddened” to hear reports that some international staff, now fearful for their personal safety, are considering moving away.
“This will have a dramatic impact on staff levels and the provision of health services and should be a cause for alarm for people in this country,” she said.
The intervention came after a spate of violent assaults on Indians in the capital Dublin and other regions were reported to the Irish police force, An Garda Síochána.
Last week, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) condemned the “racially motivated abuse” of its workers and called for robust action against the perpetrators.
The Indian Embassy in Dublin earlier this month issued a safety warning after "an increase in instances of physical attacks reported against Indian citizens in Ireland recently".
Indians "are advised to take reasonable precautions for their personal security and avoid deserted areas, especially in odd hours", the embassy said in a statement.
The Irish embassy in New Delhi said it "condemns" the attacks and said it was in contact with police regarding investigations.
Local media reported that a six-year-old girl of Indian origin was assaulted and called racial slurs earlier this month in southeast Ireland.
The Irish Times also reported that an Indian taxi driver was attacked with a broken bottle by two passengers in Dublin and told to "go back to your country".
There are around 80,000 people of Indian descent in Ireland, according to various estimates – around one per cent of Ireland's population.
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Ricky Jones attends an anti-racism protest in Walthamstow, London. (Photo: Reuters)
A COUNCILLOR was on Friday (15) acquitted of encouraging violent disorder for saying far-right activists should have their throats cut amid riots last year, drawing claims from right-wing politicians of a hypocritical "two-tier" justice system.
Ricky Jones made the comments at a counter-protest in London after three girls were murdered in Southport last summer and he was suspended by the Labour party.
Jones, 58, was cleared by a jury following a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court. He had made the remarks to a crowd gathered near an immigration advice centre in London after reports that far-right supporters were planning a protest.
"They are disgusting Nazi fascists ... We need to cut all their throats and get rid of them all," he said, running a finger across his throat.
Jones gave evidence that he did not intend his words to be taken literally and said his comments referred to far-right stickers with hidden razor blades found on a train.
Right-wing politicians and activists said his case was an example of how Britain had an unfair police and justice system, with those who voice concerns about immigration treated differently to those who support liberal or left-wing causes.
They contrasted Jones' treatment with that of Lucy Connolly, the wife of a Conservative councillor who was jailed for 31 months for inciting racial hatred for a post urging mass deportation of migrants and the burning of their hotels.
Unlike Jones, she had pleaded guilty to the offence.
Misinformation on social media last year said the teenager who committed the Southport murders was an Islamist migrant, fuelling days of violent riots including attacks on mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers.