Author: Andrew Rogers

Jaguar Land Rover has begun a phased restart of its factories after a major cyber-attack shut operations for more than a month. Production resumes this week across the West Midlands, including Wolverhampton, Hams Hall, Solihull, Castle Bromwich, and Halewood. Plants in Nitra, Slovakia, will follow soon, restarting Range Rover and Range Rover Sport lines. The shutdown caused a sharp sales drop — retail figures fell 17% year on year to 85,495 vehicles last quarter. Chief executive Adrian Mardell called the restart “an important moment,” adding the company’s recovery is “firmly under way.” To ease supplier strain, JLR launched a financing…

Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine. They were honored for discoveries on how the immune system prevents attacking the body, known as peripheral immune tolerance. Sakaguchi identified regulatory T-cells — “the brakes of the immune system,” said Prof Adrian Liston. Brunkow and Ramsdell found the FoxP3 gene, essential for these cells’ development. Mutations cause severe autoimmune diseases. Their work explains how the body maintains balance between defense and self-tolerance. Researchers are now testing therapies to boost or suppress T-cells in autoimmune diseases and cancer. “This prize was long overdue,” said Prof…

George Russell won the Singapore Grand Prix for Mercedes with a flawless drive from pole to flag.He said, “The car felt perfect today. I controlled the race from start to finish.” Behind him, tension exploded at McLaren.Lando Norris forced his way past Oscar Piastri at the start.Their contact left Piastri furious. “Are we cool with Lando just barging me out of the way?” Piastri asked his team.He added, “That wasn’t very team-like.”When McLaren said they would review it later, Piastri snapped, “That’s not fair. If he hits me to avoid someone else, that’s a bad job.” Russell stayed calm and…

George Russell underlined his value to Mercedes with a stunning pole position at the Singapore Grand Prix, strengthening his case as contract extension talks continue. The Briton produced a flawless lap to finish almost two-tenths clear of Max Verstappen, a remarkable margin around the Marina Bay street circuit. Verstappen, however, was left frustrated, claiming his final attempt was ruined when he lost downforce behind Lando Norris’s McLaren on an in-lap. The world champion, who aborted his lap, gestured angrily and later suggested the incident would be “remembered.” Norris dismissed the criticism, saying: “They always complain … I didn’t even know,…

Berlin’s thriving urban goshawk population could serve as the model for a new rewilding project in Britain, with conservationists planning to introduce the apex predator to Chester and London. Dr Paul O’Donoghue, director of Rewilding UK, aims to release 15 goshawks into each city, sourced from wild European nests and UK breeders. The project, due to be submitted to Natural England, is intended to restore balance by preying on mesopredators such as crows, magpies and jackdaws, whose numbers have grown unchecked and put pressure on smaller garden birds. Goshawks, once virtually extinct in the UK due to hunting, have flourished…

Ryanair has warned that up to 600 flights a day could be cancelled next week as French air traffic controllers prepare to strike, potentially affecting 100,000 passengers. The walkout, led by the SNCTA union, is scheduled for 7–10 October and is expected to reduce capacity across western European airspace. Routes from the UK to France, Spain, Italy and Greece are likely to be disrupted, as many flights pass over France. Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary called on the European Commission to protect overflights, arguing that non-French routes should not be grounded when French unions strike. “They have the right to strike,…

Autism should not be regarded as one condition with a single underlying cause, according to an international team of scientists who have identified distinct genetic differences between people diagnosed in early childhood and those diagnosed later in life. The study, which analysed genetic data from more than 45,000 autistic people in Europe and the US, found that children diagnosed before the age of six often displayed early behavioural and social difficulties that remained relatively stable. By contrast, individuals diagnosed after the age of 10 were more likely to develop increasing social and behavioural challenges during adolescence and had a higher…

Scientists have successfully created human eggs from skin cells, a development that could transform fertility treatment for people who currently have no other options. The research, led by Prof Shoukhrat Mitalipov at Oregon Health and Science University, offers hope to older women, cancer survivors, and potentially same-sex male couples. “The largest group of patients who might benefit would be women of advanced maternal age,” Mitalipov said, noting the technique could also apply to men’s cells. The method adapts somatic cell nuclear transfer, first used to create Dolly the sheep in the 1990s. Researchers replaced the nucleus of donor eggs with…

New Zealand’s only falcon, the kārearea, has been voted bird of the year in the country’s long-running conservation poll – without the scandals that have often marked the competition. The small, tawny falcon, capable of reaching speeds of 200km/h when hunting, triumphed in a field of 73 native contenders. With only 5,000–8,000 left in the wild, the kārearea is classed as threatened, its ground-nesting eggs vulnerable to introduced predators such as stoats, cats and hedgehogs, while habitat loss and collisions with power lines and nets also take their toll. “The kārearea is just a stunning bird,” said Emma Blackburn of…

Brightly coloured cans boasting words like calm and focus are now a common sight in supermarket aisles. Known as functional beverages, these drinks promise more than refreshment, featuring trendy ingredients such as ashwagandha, lion’s mane mushrooms, L-theanine and magnesium. Their market is booming, with global sales projected to reach €212 billion by 2030, driven by a generation moving away from alcohol and towards wellness-focused alternatives. “These products fit perfectly into today’s wellness culture, where people are seeking convenient solutions,” said Nicolle Cucco, a registered dietitian and trainer at Muscle Booster. She notes that clever branding and rising stress levels make…