Artwork that hung for centuries at St John’s Almshouse in Sherborne will be sold to raise funds for social housing “The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and He adds no sorrow with it,” so says the Bible, Proverbs 10:22. On Friday, a church almshouse was counting its blessings after discovering that a triptych painting that has hung in the chapel for centuries is a 15th-century Flemish masterpiece worth £3.5m. Continue reading...

While many of us were still worrying about Snapchat and screen time, teens had already expanded their digital repertoire.

Culture minister says government will propose ending the 25% rate, the highest in the world, in its budget bill Denmark is to stop charging VAT on books in an attempt to get more people reading. At 25%, the country’s tax rate on books is the highest in the world, a policy the government believes is contributing to a growing “reading crisis”. Continue reading...

Migrants and their property have been targetted across Northern Ireland by rioters following the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl in the town of Ballymena.

Government defence expert Fiona Hill warns UK to respond to threats by becoming more cohesive and resilient

Paramilitaries and organised crime gangs make it UK’s most dangerous place to be a reporter, rights group says Journalists in Northern Ireland routinely face attacks and death threats from paramilitary and organised crime groups that act with impunity, according to Amnesty International. Reporters have been physically assaulted and told they will be shot, stabbed, raped or blown up, making Northern Ireland the most dangerous place in the UK for journalism, a report said on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Adoption UK says families at breaking point and funding cuts are ‘morally and economically nonsensical’ A growing number of adopted children are at risk of returning to the care system as funding cuts and lack of support pushes England’s families into crisis, charities have warned. Adoption UK said cuts to funding were already having a “devastating” effect on children who have been adopted, describing them as “morally and economically nonsensical”. Continue reading...

Webcam set up to monitor egg-bearing nest atop oak tree guarded by dozens of volunteers in Usk valley At 9.15am the male bird took off and soared towards the reservoir in search of a meal. Sixty minutes later he was back, and over the next hour or so he and his mate took turns sharing the fish he had caught and sitting on their three eggs. The appearance of these two ospreys on farmland in the Usk valley in mid-Wales is seen as a milestone in the recovery of the species. Continue reading...

We are tottering on the edge of dictatorship. Powerful voices across institutions, from politics to academia and religion, must speak out

Caitlin Moran: One stop advice shop for understanding and helping teenage boys Obviously I don’t want to spoiler it for anyone waiting for their partner to come home and finish the series – HURRY UP S...

Vivian Jenna Wilson tells Teen Vogue she feels obliged to take stand for trans rights as Trump attacks community

Friendships become closer and more fulfilling as you get older argues the novelist, because by the time you reach middle age everyone has faced dramatic challenges, disappointments and sorrows – and being honest about them is a powerful point of bonding

The spectacular estuary is a haven for thousands of migrant birds each winter, and perfect to explore on foot and by boat The Christmas market doesn’t know what’s hit it. At 8.30 on a mid-November morning Exeter is a whirl of white, a city half-blinded…

YouTube video by Jessica Beaumont