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Public Health Scotland reports 41.9% of women attended a cervical smear within six months of invitation in 2024-25, down from 51.9% the year before, and overall screening coverage fell to 55.3%.

Spiro has secured $50 million in debt financing from Afreximbank, Nithio and the Africa Go Green Fund to expand its battery-swapping and charging network across several African countries.

The Water Minister spoke at the World Water‑Tech Innovation Summit about the government's New Vision for Water White Paper, published last month, and set out plans for long-term reforms toward a digitally enabled, resilient water system by 2050.

Recent discoveries in China indicate eastern Asia played an important role in Homo evolution over the past 2 million years, and some researchers have proposed new classifications that reassign certain archaic fossils, including material linked to Denisovans, as Homo juluensis and Homo longi.

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park has given conditional approval for a multi-headed cold freshwater shower at Saundersfoot Harbour, sited in a coastal rockery between the slipway and the car park. Documents say wastewater will be trapped, routed to a reservoir and soakaway, and reused to water nearby planting, and a funding bid to Visit Wales has been submitted in parallel.

Cristiano Ronaldo sent a message of support after Lindsey Vonn was discharged from hospital following a crash at the Winter Olympics; Vonn said surgeons, including Dr Tom Hackett, carried out operations that saved her leg.

A new Nature Communications paper used more than 8.3 million records and a list of about 21,000 named species to estimate a conservative global total of 24,705–26,164 bee species, and it reports most undiscovered species are likely in Asia and Africa.

Hundreds of shoppers attended the opening of the expanded Camelia Botnar Foundation charity superstore in Horsham, which now occupies 11,000 square feet; proceeds will support the foundation’s vocational training for disadvantaged young people.

The Department of Health is offering financial incentives, backed by £25 million, to encourage GPs to prescribe weight‑loss injections and refer patients to weight management services after eight months of a phased NHS rollout showed uneven access.

The 10km Dovestone Diamond race will return on Wednesday, May 27 with up to 300 runners and full chip timing, and all profits will support Oldham Mountain Rescue Team's vehicle fund.

The minister of electricity and energy has proposed suspending South Africa's carbon tax after reported pressure from fossil fuel lobbies, and climate scientists argue the law should remain because it is legislated and tied to the country's climate obligations.

Ravensburger sponsored the United Kingdom Jigsaw Puzzle Association's first regional Speed Puzzling Championship in Cardiff, supplying 500- and 1000-piece puzzles and sending a team from its Bicester office.

More than 70 people attended a community dinner at The Ironworks in Leigh, organised by the Southend Hindu Association to share food, music and traditions.

A baby boy, Hugo Powell, was born in December after his mother, Grace Bell, received a womb transplant from a deceased donor at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in 2024.

President Volodymyr Zelensky told the BBC he believes Vladimir Putin has started World War III and urged intensified military and economic pressure; overnight strikes on Odesa region hit energy infrastructure, causing fires and at least one death.

Researchers warn climate change will leave few past Winter Olympic host cities reliably cold by the end of the century, and experts say clearer, enforceable sustainability standards are needed after the IOC's Olympic Games Impact programme was abandoned in 2017.

Actor Robert Carradine has died at 71, and his family said he took his own life after a 20-year battle with Bipolar Disorder; they described him as a "beacon of light" and expressed hope his story will help reduce stigma.

Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke and Donald Faison attended the Los Angeles premiere of the Scrubs revival, which reunites original cast members and opens with a two-episode premiere on ABC on February 25, streaming on Hulu the following day.

The Telegraph reports that a baby boy is the first child in the UK born to a mother who received a womb from a deceased donor.

A Lincoln balloon seller refused an order for 200 balloons and has called for a national ban on balloon releases because of their environmental and wildlife impacts; industry and conservation groups say released balloons create dangerous litter and more than 100 UK local authorities already ban releases.

BBC Radio Surrey and BBC Radio Sussex have opened nominations for the Make a Difference awards, which recognise community contributions across eight categories; nominations close at 17:00 BST on 31 March.

BBC Radio Kent has opened nominations for its Make a Difference awards, which recognise people who give time to improve local communities; there are eight categories and nominations close at 17:00 BST on 31 March.

Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium was illuminated in rainbow colours before the Manchester United match to honour eight-month-old Rupert and to highlight Rupert's Rainbow, a fundraiser raising awareness of his rare condition, alternating hemiplegia of childhood.

A government business case says a high-speed train between Newcastle and central Sydney would cut the journey to about one hour and charge a $31 fare from 2039, with an initial construction cost estimated at A$61.2bn.

Hilsea Lido in Portsmouth will reopen on May 2, 2026 after a £7.75m regeneration funded by the Levelling Up Fund; work restored the pool and added new facilities with operators planning a sauna and community events.

The royal commission into antisemitism will not examine key parts of the December Bondi attack to avoid prejudicing an ongoing criminal trial, the commissioner said. The inquiry will focus on antisemitism and social cohesion and aims to deliver its final report by 14 December 2026.

A choir of about 70 singers performed at Milan's Sant'Antonio church on Feb. 18, calling for harmony and inclusion of people with disabilities as the Winter Paralympics approach; the event is presented as part of the Archdiocese of Milan's outreach around the Games.

A monthly, free Dancing with Dementia programme will begin in Highwoods this month, funded by councillor Alison Jay's locality budget and delivered by the Dance Network Association.

The RNLI will run six open-water coastal swims across the South West from May to September 2026, beginning with the Castle to Castle Swim in Falmouth on May 23. Money raised will go to lifeguard services and volunteer lifeboat crews.

The Thames Valley Qi Gong, Tai Chi and Kung Fu community held a taster day at East Oxford Community Centre on February 21 to mark the Year of the Fire Horse, offering Yin (soft) and Yang (intense) sessions open to adults aged 16 and over.