Emperor penguins

Researchers have discovered 11 penguin colonies in Antarctica increasing the number of colonies known about by 20 per cent. Satellite images revealed distinctive stains on the ice from droppings. The discovery was hailed as exciting and Philip Trathan, of the British Antarctic Survey, said the region needs to be closely monitored in light of climate change.

The 96-year-old, who has lived through childhood poverty, war and, most recently, the coronavirus pandemic, sailed through an exam that makes him Italys oldest university graduate. Last week, the former railway worker stepped forward to receive his diploma and laurel wreath, applauded by his family, teachers and fellow students more than 70 years his junior. Mr Paterno said he struggled a little with the video calls that replaced classroom teaching during the coronavirus shutdown, but he was not put off by the disease itself after the war and everything else he had been through in life.

Plans to build a 6.5-acre park in Manchester were revealed this week following concerns about access to open space during the coronavirus lockdown. Mayfield Park will be Manchesters first city-centre park in more than a century. The Government said it will contribute 23m to help transform the area between Piccadilly Station and Mancunian Way.

BP has pledged to almost halve its oil and gas production within a decade and shift its focus to renewable energy as the company reinvents itself to survive in a greener future.

Despite the lack of a music festival season, retailers say that shoppers have been busy buying tents, sleeping bags and cooking equipment. Many staples have sold out, as part of the UK staycation boom.

Efforts to restore British native populations have been given a boost of nearly 1.2m to recreate habitat for the shellfish around the coasts. The Zoological Society of London, and partners Blue Marine Foundation and British Marine, have been awarded 1,180,000 by the Peoples Postcode Lottery.

A three-year-old British boy has become the youngest person to reach the summit of a 10,000ft mountain, while his seven-year-old sister became the youngest person to climb the mountain unaided. Jackson Houlding, the son of professional climber Leo Houlding, and his sister Freya, made it to the top of Piz Badile in the Alps on the border of Switzerland and Italy. Mr Houlding said: My daughter climbed it all by herself, all the way, including all the hiking and everything it was very impressive.

A prototype of the companys next-generation Starship has successfully flown to an altitude of 150m, paving the way for a craft capable of carrying humans to the Moon and Mars. The uncrewed test vehicle, which the company hopes to use one day to colonise Mars, rose up on a plume of exhaust before deploying its landing legs and touching down softly.

The detectorist is toasting success after discovering a hoard of silver English Civil War-era coins worth at least 100,000 in a field owned by his local pub in Suffolk. It comes after a decade-long search for treasure which has taken him around the globe. To make sure the haul was not pilfered, he stayed up for three nights to deter any so-called nighthawks.

The first really effective treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) could be available within five years after researchers raised hopes that they had discovered the holy grail of MS therapy. Scientists have identified a natural mechanism in the body that could be boosted with an existing diabetes drug to protect against the nerve damage at the centre of the disease. This would not only halt progression of MS but may partially reverse it as well. At the moment, treatments help to alleviate the symptoms of relapsing remitting MS, the milder, more common form of the disease although these do little to slow its progression.

The 85-year-old widow was reunited with her long-lost wedding ring after hundreds of people turned online detective. The gold band was found in a plant pot by tour guide Debbie Davidson when she took up gardening to pass the time during lockdown in Edinburgh. She shared her find on social media, where users tracked down Alices daughter, who shared the news with her mother.

Britains pubs and restaurants enjoyed their busiest Monday of the year following the launch of the Governments Eat Out to Help Out scheme. Chancellor Rishi Sunaks initiative allows diners 50 per cent off meals Monday to Wednesday in August at partaking restaurants, with a 10 cap per head on the discount. The restaurant-booking platform Opentable said there was a 10 per cent jump in the number of diners on Monday compared with the same day last year.

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From emperor penguins to 96-year-old graduates, here's the good news this week - iNews