In this week’s newsletter: the archipelago at the centre of the extreme weather phenomenon could help scientists predict how other marine ecosystems will adapt to our warming climate

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The ocean waters around the Galápagos Islands are hot. Very hot. Observed for centuries in the Pacific by fishers, the El Niño weather phenomenon begins when the prevailing trade winds slow, allowing warm water to spread east along the coast of South America. Right now, the pattern is in full flow and will build from this year into next, likely bringing record temperatures to an already overheating world.

If 2026 is not the hottest year on record, 2027 surely will be – and the Galápagos archipelago is in the centre of this climate crisis.

‘It’s only going to get worse’: wildfires forcing firefighters to make impossible choices

Millions face long-term coastal flooding risk in UK without climate action, scientists warn

Slowdown in Arctic ice melt ends after largest winter decline on record

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The American novelist and screenwriter’s memoir covers sex work, Virginia Woolf and Hollywood success

As an eight-year-old in comfortable, solid, suburban California, Michael Cunningham felt compelled to make art before he quite understood what it was, or could do: a painting of souls ascending to heaven, for example, in which paradise resembled the Griffith Park Observatory and the dead were all depicted in profile because their creator felt unequal to the challenge of full faces. There was also a cigar box covered in gold-sprayed macaroni and a clay representation of the animals on Noah’s Ark – anything, in fact, that would challenge the painting of a placid white chicken that hung in a gilt frame on his parents’ wall.

If Cunningham moved on fairly rapidly from the visual arts, either sparing or denying us the fruits of a more fully formed talent, it wasn’t because the impulse to create had withered. Rather, it was that the experience of making material art had functioned as a temporary outlet, being less painful, less embarrassing – both emotions he ascribes to his young, sensitive self – than attempting to capture the world in words.

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Brands are making clothes that can be adapted by the wearer. But with fast fashion giants getting in on the act, perhaps we should just stick to wearing our cardigans backwards

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I’m sitting on my bedroom floor trying to fasten the sleeves back on to a new top that’s just been delivered. I haven’t had an unfortunate accident with scissors; the removable sleeves are a design feature, part of the growing trend for multi-way clothing that is being championed as a win for sustainability – or for anyone moving from air-conditioned office to outside right now. Brow furrowed, I try to attach the puff of red taffeta to the rest of the frilly blouse using the tiny buttons and loops provided. But I’m not having much luck …

I enjoy messing around with clothes. Aged 10, I pranced around a sun-drenched Greek holiday in a top that was really a skirt. But a top with sleeves that detach? I’d lose them instantly, I’m sure of it. Even if I didn’t, would my two-tops-in-one actually curb my rabid appetite for new clothes or would it simply feed the beast; another trend to be devoured and then discarded, just like the sleeves?

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Reporting from some of the poorest seaside towns revealed how young people have been left isolated – but remain resilient and full of hope

If you were asked to summon up images of the coastline of England and Wales, you might think of sunny days, buckets, spades and carefree holidays. But for many young people growing up by the sea, decades of evidence tell a very different story. For them, rather than a picture-perfect horizon full of hope, the sea has become a boundary that swallows up opportunity.

With a 73% decline in funding for youth services in England over the past 12 years, and a lack of opportunities that has led to nearly 1 million 16- to 24-year-oldsnot in work, education or training (Neet), the situation for young people, especially in places of deprivation, has never seemed more desperate.

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From the Tiramisù World Cup in Italy to street food ‘battles’ in Newcastle, your culinary highlights range from the sublime to the delicious
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The town of Menton on the French Riviera is beautiful at any time of the year but becomes even more of a treat during the annual Lemon festival (Fête du Citron, 10-28 February 2027). Its microclimate, courtesy of the Alps to the north blocking colder winds, gives Menton lemons a distinct fragrance, flavour and quality that set them apart. For me, the event transformed a damp cold UK winter into a fortnight of colour, taste and light. There were food tastings, salads made with lemons, tarts, cakes and pies all full of zesty colour and flavour at stalls and markets in the town. There are sculptures made from citrus fruit, parades and exhibitions in the Golden Garden of Light (Jardins Biovès). More than a food festival, it’s a celebration of what nature can give to the world.
April

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Landlords say high costs of running hospitality business outweigh potential savings of business rates discount

One of Andy Burnham’s first policy measures as prime minister is a 20% reduction in business rates for pubs, clubs and live music venues.

The policy, announced on Thursday, is part of a broader agenda to support the high street and will cost £100m.

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Het veenlandschap van Noord-Nederland bevat duizenden laagtes die zijn gevormd tijdens de laatste ijstijd: pingoruïnes. In de prehistorie trokken ze al mensen aan. En nu zijn ze interessant voor wetenschappers.

AMSTERDAM (ANP/RTR) - Frankrijk verzet zich tegen het gebruik van een geavanceerd zelfrijhulpsysteem van Tesla in de huidige vorm op Europese wegen. Nederland heeft de Full Self-Driving-rijassistentiesoftware wel toegelaten. De Franse minister van Transport voorziet echter veiligheidsproblemen.

"In Frankrijk zijn we van mening dat dit systeem weliswaar een aantal technische vooruitgangen met zich meebrengt, maar dat de veiligheidsrisico's nog te groot zijn om toelating in de huidige vorm te rechtvaardigen", meldde de Franse minister Philippe Tabarot. Met het systeem kunnen Tesla-rijders zonder handen aan het stuur door het verkeer gaan, zolang ze als bestuurder blijven opletten.

Nederland was in april het eerste Europese land waar het zelfrijdende systeem werd geïntroduceerd. De RDW diende vervolgens een aanvraag in bij de Europese Commissie om het rijhulpsysteem binnen de gehele Europese Unie te kunnen gebruiken. Het Franse standpunt is de eerste openbare afwijzing van dat Nederlandse initiatief.

Het weekend staat voor de deur en het weer is op beide dagen compleet verschillend. Voor vakantiegangers in eigen land is er goed nieuws: vanaf dinsdag keert het zonnige en warme zomerweer terug.

Het weekend staat voor de deur en het weer laat op beide dagen compleet verschillend. Voor vakantiegangers in eigen land is er goed nieuws: vanaf dinsdag keert het zonnige en warme zomerweer terug.