Lawns that are only cut once a month can give low-growing plants a chance to flower, letting insects thriveLawn mowers are back in action now that June is wet and the grass is growing again after the spring drought, but it’s worth mowing less often to let wildflowers and their insect pollinators thrive.A survey by volunteers for the charity Plantlife found that 80% of lawns supported the...

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PM leads daily briefing; former PMs condemn merger of FCO and DfID; Johnson makes U-turn on free school meals after Rashford campaignBoris Johnson’s press conference - SummaryWhat PM’s vivid language says about his attitude to foreign policyNo 10 announces U-turn on free school meals over summer holidaysDeath rate in London now below seasonal average, says ONSCoronavirus global updatesSee all...

Boris Johnson has claimed the biggest breakthrough yet in treating patients with coronavirus has been made by a team of British scientists after the biggest controlled trial of treatments in the world. Dexamethasone, a cheap steroid, is widely available for use in the NHS alreadySteroid found to help prevent deaths of sickest coronavirus patientsUK coronavirus live: Johnson hails 'breakthrough' of...

Morrisons phone line | Two-metre distancing | Panting jogger | Testing shambles | Alien civilisationsI would like to put in a good word for Morrisons, the only supermarket with an intelligent management. Because they understand that elderly, self-isolating people may not be computer-literate. Other supermarkets only sell their goods via computer and answering machines. But if elderly customers...

Exclusive: Prof John Drury says cooperation more prevalent than selfish behaviourCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageFrom empty supermarket shelves to crowded parks, public behaviour has come in for criticism during the Covid-19 outbreak.But blaming the spread of Covid-19 on selfishness or thoughtless behaviour is misguided and distracts from the real causes of...

Trial shows dexamethasone responsible for survival of one in eight patients on ventilatorsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA cheap steroid has become the first life-saving treatment in the Covid-19 pandemic, described by scientists as a major breakthrough and raising hopes for the survival of thousands of the most seriously ill.Dexamethasone is cheap, available from...

The government was shown how to contain coronavirus – but chose to prioritise centralised control and private interestsMost people agree that England’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis has been slow and disorganised; a fact made worse by the government’s willingness to squander public trust by massaging data and spinning the facts to save face. Yet its shambolic approach to testing and...

Buxton, Derbyshire: Some mysterious mechanism – hunger possibly – caused the shoal to wind onwards and entwine a rockIt is remarkable how the signal to breed hardwired into the brains of toads brings the creatures to the ponds at Lightwood in such numbers. Yet thereafter one is struck by their almost total invisibility. Since the April frenzy involving perhaps 10,000 adults I have seen one....

Following on from several listener questions about the role of air conditioning in spreading or dissipating Covid-19 in buildings and on public transport, Hannah Devlin asks Dr Lena Ciric whether we should be turning our AC systems on or off Continue...

Professor says early vaccines may not stop virus being contracted but prevent recipients developing severe Covid-19 illnessCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageResearchers at Imperial College London will this week begin clinical trials of a possible coronavirus vaccine in 300 people.The healthy participants, aged between 18 and 70, will all receive two doses of the vaccine...

China reimposes partial lockdown in capital to tackle new cluster; US authorities revoke emergency use of hydroxychloroquine; two imported cases in NZ. Follow the latest updatesNew Zealand reports two cases in returning travellersBeijing lockdown tightens as new coronavirus outbreak spreadsUS revokes emergency approval of hydroxychloroquine for Covid-19Covid-19 can damage lungs of victims beyond...