M4 warning as ‘substantial disruption’ expected between Bristol and Bath

Post published:October 23, 2025
Post last modified:October 23, 2025

BBCA section of the M4 was closed in March to allow the Badminton Road Bridge to be demolished A busy stretch of motorway will shut over the weekend to allow a new bridge to be built. The M4 will be closed in both directions between junctions 18 (Bath) and 19 (M32) from 19:00 BST on Friday 24 October to 06:00 GMT on Monday 27 October. The closure is needed to allow National Highways to install eight huge steel beams for the new A432 Badminton Road Bridge, seven months after it was…

Wiltshire patient pleads for life-extending drugs funding

Post published:October 23, 2025
Post last modified:October 23, 2025

Matthew Hill,Health correspondent and Jasmine Ketibuah-Foley,West of EnglandBBCDarren Ashton-Lake says the NHS will not pay for a new "life changing" drugA man living with a rare genetic disorder says hope is being taken away because the drug he needs is not available in the UK.Darren Ashton-Lake, from Trowbridge in Wiltshire, was diagnosed with Friedreich's Ataxia (FA) as a teenager 15 years ago - a condition which progressively damages the nervous system.The drug which helps slow down the disease, omaveloxolone, will no longer be available in the UK after its manufacturer Biogen…

Weymouth bowling alley dig to unearth medieval town’s origins

Post published:October 23, 2025
Post last modified:October 23, 2025

Archaeologists are to investigate the site of a former bowling alley thought to hold evidence of a town's medieval origins.The former MFA Bowl building in Weymouth occupied one of the earliest parts of Melcombe Regis which was founded in the late 13th Century.Preliminary investigations in 2022 revealed at least one medieval property in St Nicholas Street.The site has now been cleared for development and the dig, led by Context One, is expected to begin in January or February of next year.Richard McConnell of Context One said: "Our preliminary investigation not only…

Dorset Seafood Festival reverts to free entry at Weymouth Harbour

Post published:October 23, 2025
Post last modified:October 23, 2025

Organisers of a popular seafood festival say it will return to its original venue in 2026 and will be free to attend.Dorset Seafood Festival has been running in Weymouth for 17 years but was cancelled in 2025 due to repairs to the peninsula sea wall.The 2026 festival will take place on a "smaller scale around the harbour, near Weymouth Peninsula" over two days on 4 and 5 July.The entry fee, introduced in 2022 to help cover costs, will also be scrapped.The festival, originally held around the harbour, was relocated to the…

Devon family’s ‘turmoil’ over Ryanair name change policy

Post published:October 23, 2025
Post last modified:October 23, 2025

A family said they were shown a lack of empathy by an airline following a bereavement. Sophie Taylor, from Chudleigh, Devon, purchased two tickets with Ryanair in October 2024 as part of a package holiday to Lanzarote for her mum Sharon Watkins' 60th birthday celebration. Sadly, her mother died in August, two months before the holiday was due to take place. When Ms Taylor requested to change the name on her mother's ticket to her father's name, she was told she would have to pay a €115 (£100) name change fee.…

US, Colombia tensions surge as Presidents Trump, Petro trade threats | Donald Trump News

Post published:October 23, 2025
Post last modified:October 23, 2025

Donald Trump and Colombia’s Gustavo Petro have engaged in a new round of verbal sparring, with the United States president calling his South American counterpart a “thug” who is “making a lot of drugs”, and the Colombian leader threatening legal action against Trump in US courts.Weeks of escalating tension between Washington and Bogota hit a new level on Wednesday when Trump told reporters at the White House he was suspending all military aid to Colombia due to its alleged role in the international narcotics trade and warned Petro to “watch it”.Recommended…

Agatha Christie meets Mr Men in new children’s books

Post published:October 23, 2025
Post last modified:October 23, 2025

Emma SaundersCulture reporterTHOIP (a SANRIO company)/Agatha Christie LtdMiss Marple and Mr Poirot have been given the Little Miss and Mr Men treatmentIn a first for Agatha Christie, four of the crime novelist's famous mysteries are being adapted for children – with the help of the Mr Men and Little Misses.The illustrated books, aimed at pre-school and primary age children, will feature Christie detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple working alongside Roger Hargreaves's much-loved children's characters.Two of the books will be published on Thursday - Little Miss Marple: Muddle at the Vicarage…

Real Madrid edge past Juventus in Champions League; Liverpool, Osimhen fire | Football News

Post published:October 22, 2025
Post last modified:October 22, 2025

Real Madrid see off improved Juventus in UCL win, while Liverpool come back in Frankfurt and Victor Osimhen stars again.Jude Bellingham scored his first goal since June as Real Madrid saw off a spirited performance by Juventus to win 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu and maintain their 100 percent record in this season’s Champions League.The goal on Wednesday was created by Vinicius Jr, who in the 58th minute took on three Juventus players and made space to shoot. His attempt rebounded off the post for Bellingham to slot home his first…

Conservative activist sues Google over AI-generated statements | Technology News

Post published:October 22, 2025
Post last modified:October 22, 2025

The lawsuit comes amid growing concerns about how AI fuels the spread of misinformation.Published On 22 Oct 202522 Oct 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2ShareConservative activist Robby Starbuck sued Google, alleging that the tech giant’s artificial intelligence systems generated “outrageously false” information about him.On Wednesday, Starbuck said in the lawsuit, filed in Delaware state court, that Google’s AI systems falsely called him a “child rapist,” “serial sexual abuser” and “shooter” in response to user queries and delivered defamatory statements to millions of users.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listGoogle…

EU ambiguity on Western Sahara frozen conflict is a “glaring source” of vulnerability for Sahrawis, study shows

Post published:October 22, 2025
Post last modified:October 22, 2025

The European Union’s legal ambiguity on the Western Sahara frozen conflict is an increasingly glaring source of vulnerability for Sahrawis, a new study shows. The lack of an EU firm position on the non-self-governing status of Western Sahara’s territory is a disadvantage for the Polisario Front. The EU’s ambiguity includes questions such as where lies the distinction between Western Sahara’s people and local population and who is entitled to represent them. The study, by Dr Irene Fernández-Molina, from the University of Exeter, shows how the EU’s longstanding territorial undifferentiation practices have…

Heavitree Road police station student accommodation and “co-living” scheme consultation extended

Post published:October 22, 2025
Post last modified:October 22, 2025

The public consultation on plans for a student accommodation and “co-living” complex in Heavitree Road has been extended to Sunday 9 November following revisions to the scheme.The application for full planning permission to build an 813-bed complex on the three-acre site of the former police station and magistrates court was submitted in May this year. 399 student bedrooms and 414 “co-living” bedspaces are proposed in seven blocks up to six storeys tall.The application has so far received 32 public comments of which 29 are objections. They follow the exhibition of pre-application…

Nominations to switch on Falmouth Christmas lights open

Post published:October 22, 2025
Post last modified:October 22, 2025

People are being asked to nominate a person or a group to turn on a town's Christmas lights.Falmouth Town Council said every year a local individual, community group or organisation was nominated to switch on the Christmas lights. It is an opportunity to honour those who have made positive impact on the town whether it was a volunteer who has gone "above and beyond", a young person who has inspired others or an unsung hero. Falmouth town manager Richard Gates said since the event began there had been a variety of…