WORLD

Members of the public are being urged to “root” for their favourite tree as new shortlists for the annual Tree of the Year competition are unveiled. Among this year’s shortlisted trees from across the UK are a sapling pulled from the mud of Passchendaele in the First World War, a tree which has inspired the scouting movement, and yew trees which “bleed” or have served as pulpits for preachers. Some 28 trees have been chosen from nominations for four shortlists, 10 for England and six each for Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, with the public urged to vote for their favourite.

Scientists are gearing up for the spectacular fiery grand finale of one of humanity’s most ambitious and successful space missions. On September 15 the American space agency Nasa’s Cassini probe will stop orbiting Saturn and fire its thrusters to begin a suicidal dive into the planet’s thick atmosphere. For a brief one or two minutes before burning up, the spacecraft will sample Saturn’s ammonia-rich clouds and beam back new data about their chemical composition. The final pictures taken by Cassini will have been transmitted several hours earlier.

An Indiana farmer who created a corn maze with trails outlining the face of Star Wars character Princess Leia has said he planted it to honour late actress Carrie Fisher. Jeremy Goebel designed the maze in February, in the wake of Fisher’s death in December, and planted it this spring using a GPS device. The corn is now mature and its trails outline the Star Wars character’s face, distinctive hairstyle and part of her upper body.