Monthly Archives: November 2025

‘Big surprise’ as Sherborne almshouse artwork valued at £3.5m

‘Big surprise’ as Sherborne almshouse artwork valued at £3.5m

Marcus WhiteSouth of EnglandThe triptych was hidden for centuries by the almshouse brethren to save it from religious purgesA triptych painting that was kept in an almshouse chapel has been valued at up to £3.5m by auctioneers.St Johns' Almshouse, in Sherborne, Dorset, said it received the shock news after giving the altarpiece to Sotheby's auction house for safekeeping during renovation work.Experts identified it as the only surviving work of an unknown painter who was active in Brussels in…

Continue Reading‘Big surprise’ as Sherborne almshouse artwork valued at £3.5m

Somerset charities ‘honoured’ to receive King’s award

Somerset charities ‘honoured’ to receive King’s award

Exmoor Community Bus AssociationExmoor Community Bus Association has been running since 1983Members of four community organisations say they feel "absolutely delighted" after receiving the King's Award for Voluntary Service.The honour, equivalent to an MBE, has been awarded to four organisations in Somerset, including the Exmoor Community Bus Association, the Good Fellowship Club in Yeovil, Green Wedmore and the Thomas Poole Library in Nether Stowey.The recipients for each year are announced on 14 November, King Charles' birthday.Deputy Lieutenant of…

Continue ReadingSomerset charities ‘honoured’ to receive King’s award

Healthcare provider Sirona ‘requires improvement’ says report

Healthcare provider Sirona ‘requires improvement’ says report

Getty ImagesSirona Care and Health serves nearly a million people in the Bristol area A healthcare provider serving almost a million people "requires improvement", inspectors say. Sirona Care and Health, which delivers NHS and council-funded healthcare services across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, was told its leadership must improve after an inspection in February. In a report published on Friday, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said it had inspected the non-profit due to concerns about quality of…

Continue ReadingHealthcare provider Sirona ‘requires improvement’ says report

Epstein emails with author Wolff raise journalism ethics questions: Experts | Media News

A newly released batch of correspondence involving disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has prompted new speculation about ties between the deceased financier and United States President Donald Trump, but experts say its significance stretches beyond the White House.The never-before-seen emails have added to pressure on the Trump administration to release files about Epstein in the US government’s possession, with a vote in Congress now expected as early as next week. Trump has rejected suggestions that he has anything…

Continue ReadingEpstein emails with author Wolff raise journalism ethics questions: Experts | Media News

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,359 | Russia-Ukraine war News

Here are the key events from day 1,359 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.Published On 14 Nov 202514 Nov 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2ShareHere is how things stand on Friday, November 14:Fighting Russian forces launched a “massive” attack on Kyiv early on Friday, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said, with air defences in action and a series of explosions reported in the capital. Klitschko said falling debris had struck a five-storey apartment building in Dniprovskyi district on the east…

Continue ReadingRussia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,359 | Russia-Ukraine war News

UK prawn farms could spark sustainable seafood revolution

Farming king prawns indoors in tanks on UK farmland could create a thriving, sustainable seafood industry, researchers say. King prawns are one of the “big five” seafoods eaten in the UK – but the vast majority of this tropical species is imported, and often comes from environmentally damaging sources. Researchers from the UK Sustainable King Prawn Project (UKSKPP) say there is a “better way”: cost-effective and environmentally sound king prawn aquaculture (seafood farming) – creating new employment opportunities…

Continue ReadingUK prawn farms could spark sustainable seafood revolution

Special needs support in England faces ‘total collapse’, councils warn

Special needs support in England faces ‘total collapse’, councils warn

Georgia Roberts,political correspondent and Alex Forsyth,political correspondentGetty ImagesThe special educational needs and disabilities system for children in England faces "total collapse" and the government must not "keep ducking" reforms, council leaders have warned.The County Councils Network, which represents some of England's largest local authorities, said councils had deficits which will reach £4.4bn a year by the end of this parliament in 2029, as they struggled to cope with increased demand.The government has put off planned reforms to the…

Continue ReadingSpecial needs support in England faces ‘total collapse’, councils warn

New global guide will help leaders understand and act on climate crisis

A new guide launched at COP30 will help policymakers understand the dangers of climate change – and the solutions that can bring about a safe and sustainable future. The Parliamentarians’ Global Guide to Climate Change and Climate Solutions contains contributions from world-leading climate experts to provide policymakers everywhere with the latest evidence. It follows the success of last year’s guide for UK policymakers, launched by the University of Exeter and Peers for the Planet, which has been translated for audiences in Azerbaijan and Brazil – the host countries of COP29 and COP30 –…

Continue ReadingNew global guide will help leaders understand and act on climate crisis

Israeli settler attack on West Bank mosque draws international condemnation | Israel-Palestine conflict News

Israeli settler attack on West Bank mosque draws international condemnation | Israel-Palestine conflict News

An Israeli settler arson attack on a mosque in the occupied West Bank has drawn international condemnation, as a wave of intensified violence against Palestinians continues unabated across the area.Israeli settlers set fire to the Hajja Hamida Mosque in the Palestinian village of Deir Istiya, near Salfit in the north of the West Bank, around dawn on Thursday, local residents told Al Jazeera.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listPhotographs taken at the scene showed racist, anti-Palestinian slogans…

Continue ReadingIsraeli settler attack on West Bank mosque draws international condemnation | Israel-Palestine conflict News

Trio jailed over £26m cocaine haul found on speedboat in Somerset

Trio jailed over £26m cocaine haul found on speedboat in Somerset

Tess de la MareWest of EnglandNational Crime Agency(From left) Anestis Tsepa, Raymond Nuttall and Craig Nuttall collected drugs dropped from a cargo shipThree men who tried to smuggle cocaine worth £26.5m into the UK after it was dropped from a cargo ship off the coast of Somerset have been jailed.Craig Nuttall, 51, his brother Raymond Nuttall, 47, both from Preston, and Greek national Anestis Tsepa, 24, from Thessaloniki, were arrested on the slipway of Watchet Marina in late…

Continue ReadingTrio jailed over £26m cocaine haul found on speedboat in Somerset

Extensive dog diversity millennia before modern breeding practices

Extensive dog diversity millennia before modern breeding practices

A groundbreaking archaeological study has revealed when domestic dogs first began to show the remarkable diversity that characterises them today. By applying cutting-edge shape analysis to hundreds of archaeological specimens spanning tens of thousands of years, researchers have traced the emergence of distinct dog forms deep into prehistory pinpointing the moment dogs began to diversify in size and shape – at least 11,000 years ago. These findings challenge long-standing assumptions that canine diversity is largely a recent phenomenon…

Continue ReadingExtensive dog diversity millennia before modern breeding practices