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I recently completed my tax return for 2016-17 and as I owe less than £3,000 HMRC is happy to let me start paying the bill on my tax code from April 2018. This generosity from the government for those of us fortunate enough to have taxable income seems in stark contrast to those being moved to universal credit (Rent arrears spiral in universal credit pilot, 24 October), where it is deemed better that vulnerable people live without any money for a few weeks because the money tree can’t afford it.
John Beer
Farnham, Surrey

• Pilgrim Tucker’s article (25 October) points out that, under universal credit, workers on low incomes will be forced to look for extra hours. Not only that, but if an unemployed person applies, their partner who has a part-time job which they love will also be forced to look for full-time work. This applies even if they have a young child. How cruel can this government get?
Diane Smethurst
Chester

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This year’s Halloween confectionery will contain palm oil grown on land that should lawfully be habitat to orangutans, rhinos and clouded leopards, despite commitment to clean up supply chains

Nestlé, Mars and Hershey have been accused of breaking pledges to stop using “conflict palm oil” from deforested Indonesian jungles, just days before the annual Halloween confectionery frenzy.

The Rainforest Action Network (RAN) says consumers have been “deceived” by promises from the brands to clean up their supply chains which were subsequently delayed, revised or watered down.

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Interior secretary Zinke calls himself a ‘Teddy Roosevelt guy’ – but he’s quietly dismantling environmental protections and yielding to oil industry interests

He recently posed for a GQ magazine photo shoot with a fly fishing rod in front of snow-capped Montana peaks.

He rode a horse – named Tonto – down the National Mall to his first day of work at the Interior Department.

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Green party councillor Alison Teal was accused of entering ‘safety zone’ erected around trees due to be felled

A Green party councillor has been found not guilty of breaching a court order while trying to stop trees being felled in Sheffield.

Alison Teal, the councillor for Nether Edge and Sharrow, could have faced up to two years in jail for allegedly ignoring an injunction brought by Sheffield city council over its controversial programme that has resulted in about 5,500 mature trees chopped down.

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Vaquita, Fynbos flowers and the world’s only alpine parrot are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world

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Researchers developed an algorithm that imitates how the human brain responds to these visual clues.

President Putin pressed the launch button for four missiles in the exercise, the Kremlin said.

Non-partisan analysis reveals the cost of energy secretary Rick Perry’s proposal to give handouts to some of the country’s oldest and dirtiest power plants

A Trump administration plan to subsidize coal and nuclear energy would cost US taxpayers about $10.6bn a year and prop up some of the oldest and dirtiest power plants in the country, a new analysis has found.

The Department of Energy has proposed that coal and nuclear plants be compensated not only for the electricity they produce but also for the reliability they provide to the grid. The new rule would provide payments to facilities that store fuel on-site for 90 days or more because they are “indispensable for our economic and national security”.

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Some of the 500 species of spiders that live in Wales are found almost nowhere else in the world.

The public consultation period will be open until Wednesday 13 December 2017 however we would also appreciate earlier responses.

Woodwalton Fen, Cambridgeshire One magnificent specimen is a metre-wide rosette of oar-shaped leaves

Storm Brian has eased, but the gusts still rustle the sallow, alder and willow leaves and sway the reeds. The firmament transforms rapidly from broken ashen blankets to a solid leaden layer and then a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. We strike south through a wooded area of the fen, towards the low sun glittering through the trees.

A fallen birch trunk hosts many Fomes fomentarius, a heavy-duty bracket fungus known as the hoof fungus. On the tree’s now vertical root-plate wild lettuce plants grow.

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High Court decision removes Australia's deputy PM, and leaves Turnbull government with a minority government. But what does it mean for clean energy and climate policy?

South Australia electricity prices plunge into negative territory.

Builder of world's first wind, solar and battery storage project in Queensland says renewables will beat even existing coal within a few years, and relying on a coal and gas fired grid in 2030 will make the Australian economy uncompetitive.

Pressure could mount to set a significantly tighter emissions target for the electricity sector – which does not bode well for a climate truce.

A 120MW solar project is being proposed for Glenrowan by ESCO Pacific, and planning approval secured for 30MW project in the Gannawarra Shire.

Kerry Schott says the states and territories will have a degree of flexibility in how they legislate on emissions reduction targets. Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A world-first "solar train", including Kokam batteries and flexible panels supplied by solar pioneer Zhengrong Shi, is about to make its debut in Byron Bay.

Far from being a “solution” to Australia's power sector ills, the NEG, in its current state, raises as many questions as it purports to answer.

Australian vehicles have been accused of creating more emissions than their manufacturers advertise. But are Australian testing standards up to scratch? Zoran Ristovski, Professor, Queensland University of Technology Nic Surawski, Lecturer – Air Quality/Vehicle Emissions, University of Technology Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.