Road noise can actually make squirrels feel safer, new study finds

Human disturbance has a significant impact on the behaviour and habitat use of urban wildlife, however, in some situations urban grey squirrels may actually feel safer from predators where our activity is high. A new study from the University of Exeter, published in Oikos, reveals the paradoxical ways grey squirrels balance risk and foraging in urban environments. Researchers measured how much food squirrels left behind in standardised food patches in different places, which reflects how dangerous they perceived…

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Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,330 | Russia-Ukraine war News

Here are the key events from day 1,330 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.Published On 16 Oct 202516 Oct 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2ShareHere is how things stand on Thursday, October 16, 2025:Fighting The Russian Ministry of Defence has announced that its troops had pushed Ukrainian forces out of two settlements of Oleksiivka in Dnipropetrovsk region and Novopavlivka in Donetsk region. The Ukrainian energy ministry has said the country’s power infrastructure has been hit with drones, knocking…

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Jhoots ‘owes thousands’ to Bridgwater community centre

BBCThe pharmacy building has sat empty ever since Jhoots' evictionA community centre says it can no longer afford to run an apprenticeship scheme for residents as it is owed thousands of pounds by pharmacy chain Jhoots. Victoria Park Community Centre in Bridgwater, Somerset, rented one of its buildings to Jhoots last year, but evicted the company after it failed to pay several months' rent.It comes with Jhoots already facing allegations of not paying staff at some pharmacies and…

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Little Boots aims to ’empower’ aspiring musicians at Bath Spa Uni

Bath Spa UniversityVictoria Mason joins the faculty alongside Emmy-award winning lecturers and songwriters for famous artistsA professional singer and DJ has joined a university faculty to "empower" the next generation of musicians with her 20 years of industry experience.Victoria Mason started her new role this term as a lecturer in commercial music at Bath Spa University, teaching students about the creative profession.She said the music industry is "a very different place" from when she rose to fame in…

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Jhoots Pharmacies could lose NHS rights, MPs told

The government has warned a pharmacy chain it could lose its rights to dispense NHS prescriptions following a series of complaints.Services at Jhoots Pharmacy are "falling well below the mark", Health and Social Care Minister Stephen Kinnock told the House of Commons.More than 150 English pharmacies operate under the Jhoots brand, but there have been repeated cases of branches closing on some days and staff wages being delayed for months, MPs were told.The Walsall-based firm has been approached…

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Dorset “wind phone” installation to help people with their grief

Sophie CridlandSouth of EnglandPortland Wind PhoneThe group are hoping the wind phone will stay long termA group of artists and volunteers are using a disconnected public phone to help people cope with bereavement and loss.Known as wind phones - an idea that started in Japan - they give the chance to have a one-sided conversation with people who have died with the words being carried to them "on the wind".An old-fashioned rotary phone is to be installed in…

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Cornwall pumpkin patches boosting farm businesses

Ashley JonesAshley Jones said there were "thousands" of pumpkins to pick at his farmThe owner of a pumpkin patch in Cornwall says the Halloween related attraction helps his family's farm business "to survive".Ashley Jones' family owns Smeaton Farm at Pillaton near Saltash, where they have been running a pumpkin patch for about five years.He said his farm had about "20 to 30,000 pumpkins" growing in its patch, as well as a scare-maze with actors. "We're farming 700 acres,…

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Sir David Attenborough ship visits Plymouth to restock

Scott Bingham andZhara SimpsonSouth WestBBCThe RRS Sir David Attenborough docked in Plymouth to restock supplies before heading to Antarctica A ship named after legendary broadcaster and writer Sir David Attenborough has stopped in Plymouth to take on supplies before heading to Antarctica. The Royal Navy said RRS Sir David Attenborough, which was almost named Boaty McBoatface after a public vote, described it as one of the "most advanced polar research ships in the world".The vessel visited His Majesty's…

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Home-based dementia day care service seeks hosts

BBCHost Tracey Brandon does a little dance with client Bill to get him to his chair A dementia day care project is looking for people to open up their homes in Cornwall. The Filo Project, a non-profit social enterprise, said it was looking for hosts from Bodmin, Falmouth and Saltash areas to spend the day with people with mild to moderate dementia. Figures from the Alzheimer's Society show there are more than 11,200 people in Cornwall living with…

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Application for new vintage arcade in Exeter put forward

Guy HendersonLocal Democracy Reporting ServiceSupervideo/Exeter City CouncilA planning application has been put forward for an amusement arcade in Exeter City CentreA planning application for a new amusement arcade in Exeter has been submitted. Paignton-based company Supervideo Ltd, trading as Boneyard Exeter, said the arcade would feature vintage arcade games from the 1970s and 1990s. A spokesperson said it would feature titles which included Space Invaders and Pac-Man, alongside select modern games such as dance machines.It said there were…

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Thousands sue company alleging it hid talcum powder cancer risks

AlamyA major legal claim has been filed in the UK against pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson, accusing the firm of knowingly selling baby powder contaminated with asbestos.The claim involves 3,000 people and focuses on internal memos and scientific reports, which have been seen by the BBC. The lawsuit - brought by KP Law - alleges that Johnson & Johnson (J&J) was aware as early as the 1960s that its mineral-based talcum powder contained fibrous forms of talc, as…

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LIVE: Gaza ceasefire fears as Israel demands return of all captives’ bodies | Israel-Palestine conflict News

blinking-dotLive updatesLive updates, Israel continues to restrict aid entering Gaza, saying Hamas has not met its end of deal to release all bodies of captives.Published On 16 Oct 202516 Oct 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2Share Source link

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