Lauren Frayer

The UK has approved a new natural gas project off the coast of Scotland, something for which the Trump administration has lobbied.

NPR's Lauren Frayer has the latest from London.

It's something President Trump mentioned in his first phone call with the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham back in July.

Trump has called North Sea oil and gas invaluable and a treasure chest for Britain.

The opposition Green Party, meanwhile, accuses the government of climate vandalism and of violating a pledge not to drill more.

And some environmental groups vow to take legal action.

Lauren Frayer, NPR News, London.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News in Washington.

Authorities in England held an emergency summit this week to discuss a climate-related phenomenon, a huge number of octopus multiplying in British waters.

NPR's Lauren Frayer reports from London.

Fishers and scientists are trying to cope with what they call an octopus bloom, a nearly fifteen hundred percent increase in octopus caught off the coast of southwest England over the past five years.

Warming sea temperatures mean the animals are migrating farther north from Europe.

Businesses that farm or catch those creatures have been hit hard.

Animal welfare groups, meanwhile, caution against the exploitation of these intelligent, sentient creatures.

Lauren Frayer, NPR News, London.

And I'm Dwalia Saikalia, NPR News in New York.

The Irish novelist Sally Rooney and her publishers say her books will no longer be sold in Britain because of her support for a pro-Palestinian group the British government has banned.

Rooney is a longtime supporter of Palestinian causes, as NPR's Lauren Frayer reports from London.

Sally Rooney has said she'll donate book profits to Palestine Action, a protest group the British government has labeled a terror organization.

That makes it illegal to voice or give any support to the group.

Rooney's publisher says the label also means that it can't send Rooney her British earnings, and that, it says, is a, quote, "Unconscionable situation for a publisher." Rooney says she is in full agreement to stop British sales of her books, which include Normal People and Conversations with Friends, both of which have also been adapted for TV.

Rooney says she's been honest about her beliefs and is, quote, "Wholly prepared to accept the consequences." Lauren Frayer, NPR News, London.

Costco is selling stuffed animals of Jimothy, the short-spined raccoon that's become Seattle's unofficial mascot.

According to The Seattle Times, the plushies are made by dog toy company Think!Dog, but plenty of humans are buying them first for themselves for snuggling rather than for chewing.

The family of a man killed by a tiger at a zoo in northern England is appealing to the public not to share video of the attack on social media.

President Trump is among those who've shared it, as NPR's Lauren Frayer reports from London.

William Chapman's family says he suffered from significant mental illness.

Last weekend, the twenty-three-year-old climbed over safety barriers into a tiger enclosure, and witnesses recorded his final moments as a tiger mauled him.

President Trump is among those who've shared the video, adding a caption, "Don't ever mess with nature, President DJT." Later, he posted an AI-generated video of himself in a similar stance as Chapman, but taming the tiger.

Without singling out Trump, Chapman's family calls such posts deeply offensive at an exceptionally vulnerable time for them and is asking the public to stop sharing the video.

Lauren Frayer, NPR News, London.

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