Mountain-breeding dotterels - small wading birds with rusty orange chests - migrate from northern Africa and southern Europe to mountainous regions in the UK every summer to breed, mainly in the Grampian Mountains in the northeastern Highlands of Scotland. Monitoring has, however, shown that dotterels have suffered significant reductions in both their range and population sizes over the years. According to a 2025 national survey from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), numbers have fallen 89% since observation began in 1988. Their population has also declined since their last survey in 2011 by 74%, with the dotterel's remaining numbers now restricted to the eastern and northern Highlands of Scotland. While their global population is classed as "least concern" over their extinction risk on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List, RSPB conservationists warn it could be the first time the UK has documented a species being driven towards extinction locally as a result of climate change. 'Disappearing before our very eyes' "Dotterel are in steep decline, and we are seeing them disappearing before our very eyes," Dr Leah Kelly, RSPB conservation scientist, said. "The fact they need mountaintops to breed has made them particularly susceptible to habitat loss as climate change alters their montane environment." The RSPB survey notes that species which depend on mountainous habitats are particularly vulnerable to climate change, as hotter and drier temperatures push them higher and higher up in the landscape until they have nowhere left to go. Read more:Dwindling snow on Scottish hills 'very visible record' of climate change During their observation, RSPB members looked for male dotterels, which unusually stayed on the nest to incubate the eggs, to estimate the size of the breeding population. It found just 22 of the 217 sites surveyed contained any breeding males, with no breeding dotterels discovered in England, Wales or southern Scotland. In total, 33 males were recorded in the survey. Conservationists estimated a total of 112 breeding males across the UK as a result. The RSPB added that a similar rate of decline was seen in and out of "special protected areas" - which they said suggests the main cause of tumbling populations was the same across all mountain areas. They also said climate change, in combination with overgrazing, has affected their preferred food of alpine vegetation and cranefly larvae. See more from Sky News:HMRC admits to overtaxing 1.4 million pensionersMore amber heat health alerts issuedRestore leader describes Dunblane as 'one murder' It comes as Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper signed a document which required the UK to officially ratify a landmark United Nations ocean protection treaty. The government announced that it had signed the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement - or "High Seas Treaty" - which aims to help safeguard delicate ecosystems across international waters, which make up nearly two-thirds of the world's ocean.

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) has issued a call-out for additional electricity supply or for energy users to power down on Thursday evening as the UK deals with the third bout of extreme heat in as many months. Money blog: Does the UK offer the least generous state pension in Europe? The first and second time such a summertime notice was issued was on back-to-back days during last month's heatwave. So-called electricity margin notices (EMNs) are a part of balancing expected power supply and demand and do not mean a risk of the lights going off. They are typically issued only during cold, still snaps when little wind energy is generated and homes and businesses are using a lot of power. Before June this year, the last time such a notice had been issued was in January 2025. Before then was a cold period in March 2023. Usually electricity use is lower in the summer months, but use of fans and increased adoption of air conditioning during heatwaves have ramped up demand. High temperatures in France, from whom Britain imports energy, have meant some nuclear reactors have had to power down as they cannot sufficiently cool. In recent months, the NESO had set out plans on how to deal with excess supply during this year's hot months in anticipation of the typical lower demand. Demand on expensive gas Adding pressure to the electricity supply-demand balance is the fact wind was generating just under 5% of Britain's electricity on Thursday morning, with the majority (37%) coming from gas-fired plants, according to National Grid live data. On a day in March, a record 50% of British electricity was generated from wind energy. Gas, in general, is more expensive than renewables but has been even pricier due to the unseasonable demand and the Iran war. Compounding this is the fact European gas storage facilities, which buy up the fossil fuel when prices are lower, are depleted. The price of UK wholesale gas is 116 pence per unit, significantly above pre-Iran war levels but below the three-year peak seen in March. These wholesale costs impact the energy bill price cap set by regulator Ofgem. And it tends to be gas facilities that power up to meet demand during times of tight supply, thereby setting the overall price of electricity. It is the most expensive electricity suppliers that dictate the overall price. Hottest part of the heatwave to come Temperatures in England could reach as high as 35C or 36C on Thursday and Friday, the Met Office said. The heat will gradually ease across southern and eastern parts of the UK during the weekend and into next week, it added.

Rachael Bews, co-founder of Nu Coton, told the firm in advance that she would need to breastfeed her five-month-old daughter during the day at the event in Fife. The 33-year-old, from just north of Inverness, said she received a call from Amazon while she was already travelling to the course, telling her that the company could not accommodate her circumstances at the fulfilment centre where the programme was being held. Ms Bews posted on LinkedIn: "I assumed they'd be able to accommodate me breastfeeding my baby during the day, with my husband caring for her nearby so I could fully participate. "I completely understand the need for strict health and safety rules in an active industrial environment. "But the practical outcome is that I can't take part on the first day because there isn't a workable way for me to breastfeed my baby during the programme." An Amazon spokesperson said the company provides paid breastfeeding breaks, flexible scheduling to support breastfeeding needs, and dedicated, private lactation rooms for expressing milk. They added: "However, for health and safety reasons, we are unable to allow children under the age of six on any of our fulfilment centre sites. "We sincerely apologise to Ms Bews that our site access policy was not communicated clearly before she travelled to the event. That should not have happened, and we understand her frustration. "We are reviewing our communications process to prevent this from happening again, and have invited her to join us at a future event." Ms Bews said the plan was for her husband to care for her daughter elsewhere on the campus while she attended the workshops. She planned to leave to feed her baby when needed, and claimed she wasn't expecting to bring her daughter into the fulfilment centre itself. Ms Bews said she had already spent almost £80 on train tickets, and was travelling to the Dunfermline campus when she was told that, due to health and safety requirements, babies and young children could not be brought on site. "I felt really, almost humiliated," Ms Bews later said. "It was something that I honestly hadn't even considered would be an issue, and the fact that it turned out to be a barrier to my participation made me feel really isolated." Read more from Sky News:Suspect on the run after mother and children found deadYounger children now able to use passport e-gates She said she has seen other respected peers and colleagues participate in Amazon accelerator programmes, and she said they have benefited from the opportunity. Ms Bews added: "So, the fact that because I have a baby and I wasn't able to participate within that initial session of the accelerator that's such a key part of the programme made me feel very isolated and really upset and really disappointed because I've been looking forward to it." Ms Bews said she was grateful for Amazon's understanding of her frustration, but she said she does not believe that is enough. "I believe that all organisations who are running opportunities like this should ensure they are inclusive for all breastfeeding mothers and all parents," she said. "A babe in arms should really be permitted on site of events and programmes such as these to enable mothers to continue breastfeeding, so they're not having to choose between accessing valuable opportunities and feeding their babies."

Shigella cases transmitted through sexual contact spread more than twice as fast in terms of distance as other strains of the infection and are becoming increasingly resistant to treatment, according to a study led by the University of Cambridge and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Shigella, the bacteria behind dysentery, is most commonly found in faeces and contracted through contaminated food and causes diarrhoea, stomach cramps and fever. Certain strains - specifically shigella sonnei and shigella flexneri - can be spread through sexual contact, primarily among gay and bisexual men. UKHSA figures show that there were 2,560 cases of sexually transmitted shigella in England in 2025, up from 2,052 in 2023. The study, published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, analysed 3,514 samples of shigella from people over the age of 16 in the UK between 2004 and 2020. Over a two-and-a-half-year period, the sexually transmitted shigella strains were found to spread an average distance of 117km, compared with 46km for non-sexually transmitted strains. The study also found that 70% of sexually transmitted shigella strains were resistant to at least one clinically relevant antibiotic, compared with 40% of non-sexually transmitted cases and 49% of cases contracted while travelling. Researchers said the findings show "the distinct and intensifying sexual transmission of shigellosis, highlighting the urgent need to address sexually transmissible shigellosis as a distinct health threat". Professor Kate Baker, from the University of Cambridge's Department of Genetics, said: "Many men who have sex with men are unaware of the serious and increasing risk posed by sexually transmitted shigella. "Sexual infection is now a sustained part of shigella transmission in the UK. "It is vital that this message reaches the communities most affected, so we can help to prevent the spread." Read more from Sky News:Disability benefits 'not fit for purpose', new report findsAmazon apology after breastfeeding boss barred from business course Prof Baker added: "If you start to feel unwell, or are recently recovering from a scary bout of diarrhoea, do not engage in sexual activity until two weeks after you're fully recovered, mention your sexual history to your doctor if you seek medical care, and ask about having a full sexual health screen." Marc Tweed, from the Terrence Higgins Trust, said the "growing problem" of shigella among some sexual networks is "a real cause for concern" and urged anyone who thinks they might have shigella to contact their local sexual health clinic.

Among the threats posed by AI are a potential stock market bubble, heightened cybersecurity vulnerabilities and AI companies' increasingly complex and opaque debt, the UK central bank said in its twice-yearly financial stability report. The Bank's Financial Policy Committee also questioned the basis for the anticipated economic benefits of using AI, saying there is "uncertainty over the scale and timing of future productivity gains" and companies' ability to make money from AI. Money blog: Capital gains tax changes Burnham could make It added that AI has the potential to increase productivity "across a range of sectors", and support long-term economic growth and developments in AI have already supported growth in some regions. Advanced AI models are "increasingly capable" of launching cyberattacks at greater scale due to "rapid progress" in cutting-edge AI since the last financial stability report was published in December. This progress presents a "significant increase" in the risks to financial stability and requires firms and authorities to revisit whether the resilience of key technology providers is sufficient. A tech bubble? The valuations of AI companies are based on earnings forecasts, which are "highly uncertain", the report continued. Some of the world's most valuable companies, like chipmaker Nvidia, have seen their share prices soar as they invest in AI or benefit from AI demand. Those valuations "have also become more stretched" with the rise partly driven by "a narrow set of AI-related companies, increasing market concentration in some global indices", the biannual report said. Borrowing by such companies has increased rapidly, leading to a pace of investment that is "unprecedented historically". That could pose a risk to financial stability too due to "increasing complexity and opacity in debt structures". Iran war threats The report highlights a series of pressures, including uncertainty about energy prices and interest rates after the war in Iran. During the conflict, oil and gas prices rose sharply from fossil fuel supply disruption and infrastructure damage. But "substantial uncertainty remains", the Bank said, as energy prices and interest rate markets "have remained volatile". Since the last report, the Bank said, the likelihood of other vulnerabilities "crystallising at the same time has increased", "potentially amplifying their combined impacts on financial stability". The Financial Policy Committee exists to ensure the UK financial system can handle economic shocks and risks. It concluded the financial system has remained resilient and continued to support the UK economy.