From floodplain restoration to master-planned communities, Vermont and other US states are testing how best to protect people from extreme floods A black and red kayak sits propped up outside Tygart Mountain Sports in Ludlow, Vermont, strapped to the pillar as an invitation for passers-by to enter the ski and mountaineering store. Moments later, a…

Getty Images By Anthony Zurcher North America correspondent @awzurcher Donald Trump’s mounting legal troubles have not dented his status as the clear frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. In fact, the criminal charges have strengthened his position. Why? The former US president has been indicted twice in the past four months – once…

The origins of the very earliest life on Earth have long fascinated scientists. Can we recreate the conditions that gave rise to it? Some 4.5 billion years ago, the newly formed planet Earth was devoid of animals, plants and bacteria. Yet just a few hundred million years later, the first primitive life forms emerged. How…

Getty Images By Brandon Drenon BBC News, Washington A star actor from HBO’s hit series Euphoria has been pronounced dead, aged 25. The family of Angus Cloud, who played a drug dealer named Fezco “Fez” O’Neill, made the announcement on Monday. “It is with the heaviest heart that we had to say goodbye to an…

Family photo By Meic Parry Producer, The Crossbow Killer podcast When hearing her beloved dad had been the victim of a midnight crossbow shooting at his remote coastal home, Fiona Corrigan could not believe it. The killer of nature-lover and retired photography lecturer Gerald Corrigan was given a life sentence, but four years on Fiona…

Northpix Scotland has a new champion tree hugger. Martina Sanchez-Wilson was crowned the winner in the adult category of the unusual contest which took place near the shores of Loch Sunart in the Highlands at the weekend. A total of 18 competitors battled it out to take home the crown. The event is run in…

PA Media By Steven McKenzie BBC Scotland Highlands and Islands reporter A husband and wife are on the verge of opening a spaceport on a tiny island. Frank and Debbie Strang bought a former RAF radar station on Unst in Shetland about 15 years ago with an idea to turn it into an eco-tourism attraction.…

Arun Chandrabose By Ashraf Padanna Reporter, Trivandrum, Kerala In June, 11 women sanitation workers from the southern Indian state of Kerala pooled money to buy a lottery ticket. Last week, they were overjoyed to find out they had hit the jackpot of 100m rupees ($1.2m; £946,685). The women are part of a group that collects…

Getty Images By Annabelle Liang & Nick Marsh BBC News China is due to start restricting exports of two materials key to the semiconductor industry, as the chip war with the US heats up. Under the new controls, special licences will be needed to export gallium and germanium from the world’s second largest economy. The…