The National Bee Unit is calling for vigilance after confirming a sighting of an individual female Asian hornet in Hampshire.

The hornet was identified in New Milton and an investigation is now underway to locate any nests in the vicinity. It is the first confirmed sighting since October 2018, when an Asian hornet was spotted in Dungeness, Kent.

"While the Asian hornet poses no greater risk to human health than a bee, we recognise the damage they can cause to honey bee colonies and other beneficial insects," said Nicola Spence, Defra deputy director for plant and bee health. "Please continue to look out for any Asian hornets and if you think you've spotted one, report your sighting through the Asian hornet app or online."

Norfolk police are investigating the suspected theft of seven clutches of little tern eggs from Winterton Beach, North Norfolk.

Little terns are one of the UK's rarest seabirds, with around 1,500 breeding pairs in the country. Volunteers and staff from the EU Life+ Little Tern Recovery Project work shifts to monitor the nests in daylight hours, when the birds are most vulnerable to disturbance.

In the early hours of the morning on 20 June, however, RSPB wardens discovered that up to 20 eggs had been taken. Human footprints were found leading up to each nest.

Under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 it is an offence to intentionally take or destroy the egg of any wild bird. Fabian Harrison, from the RSPB, called the suspected thefts "devastating".

The RCVS is carrying out its annual veterinary nurse CPD audit and has sent out requests for the CPD records of more than 1,100 nurses this week.

Under the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct, nurses are required to carry out at least 45 hours of CPD over a rolling three-year period. This year, 1,130 nurses have been asked to share their records from 2016-2018 to show that they have complied with the requirements.

Earlier this year, the VN Council decided to expedite the referral process for nurses who have not complied with the CPD requirement for three or more years. In such cases nurses will have their records sent to the CPD Referral Group.

A group of volunteers from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home is set to receive the prestigious Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, the highest honour a voluntary group can receive in the UK.

Since 2011, the group has been visiting retired servicemen and women at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Together with Battersea dogs, the volunteers visit the pensioners in the infirmary or go into their room to keep them company.

Charlotte Fielder, Battersea's head of volunteering, fostering & communities said: "We couldn't be more proud of our caring, kind and compassionate volunteers who regularly take Battersea dogs to visit the Chelsea Pensioners, offering both human and canine companionship. It's heart-warming to witness the joy these visits can bring".

Italian fashion house Prada has become the latest clothing retailer to announce that it will no longer be using animal fur in its products.

In a press release, the Group said the new policy will commence from the Group's Spring/Summer 2020 collection. The current inventory will be sold until quantities are exhausted.

Prada said the move comes following 'positive dialogue' with the Fur Free Alliance, the Humane Society of the United States and LAV, a European animal rights organisation.

Cambridge vet student James Jewkes has been awarded first place in the annual Dogs Trust EMS Awards, for his paper on the threat of exotic infectious diseases in rehoming centres. James will now go on a two-week placement at the WVS International Training Centre in South India.

Each year the awards allow vet students to gain hands-on experience during work placements at 13 of the charity's rehoming centres, then submit reports on a relevant subject.