Call to protect endangered spider found in Plymouth quarry

Post published:October 17, 2025
Post last modified:October 17, 2025

Tom ThomsonBuglife said opening the quarry as a campsite would disturb the habitat for horrid ground-weaver spidersUrgent action is needed to secure the future of a quarry which is home to an critically endangered species of spider, a charity has said.The invertebrate conservation trust Buglife has asked Plymouth City Council to protect Radford Quarry, a site which is home to a variety of wildlife including the horrid ground-weaver spider.The charity said it was one of only four sites in the world - all of them in the Plymouth area - where…

Isles of Scilly adult social services above national average

Post published:October 17, 2025
Post last modified:October 17, 2025

BBCThe Care Quality Commission rated adult social care on the Isles of Scilly as 'good' following its recent inspectionAdult Social Care on the Isles of Scilly has been placed in the top 30% of all authorities inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), a council meeting heard.At a meeting of the Council of the Isles of Scilly on Tuesday, members heard its adult social care service score of 70 points compared "favourably" to the 65.5 point average score in this round of inspections. The CQC rated the service as 'good' but…

Dorset Council refuses revised plans for solar farm at Maiden Newton

Post published:October 17, 2025
Post last modified:October 17, 2025

A council has rejected a revised plan for a solar farm despite changes to the design and local support.The application for the 43-acre (17.6 hectares) site at Cruxton, south of Maiden Newton, followed a previous appeal dismissed by the Secretary of State in 2022.Developers Enviromena had reduced the scheme's capacity from 11.8 megawatts to 10 megawatts - still enough to power more than 5,000 homes - the equivalent to 3% of Dorset's households or a town the size of Blandford Forum. But Dorset councillors agreed with an officer recommendation that there…

High radon levels at Dartmoor Prison found 13 years earlier

Post published:October 17, 2025
Post last modified:October 17, 2025

BBCDartmoor Prison was closed in August 2024 due to high levels of radon gasThe Ministry of Justice has confirmed radon gas levels higher than the recommended limit were detected at Dartmoor prison at least 13 years earlier than previously thought.The government had previously said "elevated radon readings were first found at Dartmoor in 2020" when the prison was closed in August 2024 after levels up to 10 times higher than the recommended limit were recorded in some areas.The BBC has seen an official letter from September 2007 confirming monitoring had already…

Cornish pharmacies warn funding pressures are ‘unsustainable’

Post published:October 17, 2025
Post last modified:October 17, 2025

Seb NobleCornwall political reporterBBCAmandip Kaur said her pharmacy in St Dennis made a loss on half of the medicines it dispensesA pharmacist has warned more chemists in the South West could be forced to shut because of funding pressures, without urgent action from the government. The National Pharmacy Association said about 27 had closed in Cornwall and Devon between October 2022 and June this year. Those in the industry said the cost of up to half of the medicines they have to provide was no longer covered by the amount of…

Ruthless £28m Sell My Timeshare fraud robbed elderly of savings

Post published:October 17, 2025
Post last modified:October 17, 2025

Nikki MitchellSouth of England home affairs correspondent, andStephen StaffordSouth of EnglandBBCDes said finding out he had been scammed was "like a kick in the guts"A man duped out of £14,000 has said those responsible are "scum", as the shocking scale of a £28m timeshare fraud involving more than 3,500 victims is revealed.Fourteen people, including managing director Mark Rowe and his wife Nicola, have been convicted over the scheme which operated under the Sell My Timeshare brand.The couple, both 54 and from Hampshire, bankrolled a lavish lifestyle by exploiting vulnerable victims -…

Exeter Chiefs: The story behind the Jimmy Nine photo tradition

Post published:October 17, 2025
Post last modified:October 17, 2025

"I thought it was a tradition that was from many moons before his age," says current Exeter club captain Jack Yeandle, who has done the 'Jimmy Nine' many times."It's been going since I was at the club. "It's been pushed through by the senior players at the time - we're in the front row and there's always a mention of Jimmy Nine and 'make sure you get Jimmy Nine in'. As soon as you start getting towards the front row you're making sure you do it."I'm making sure everyone does it…

Social media comments can act as “quick warning signals” against misinformation, study shows

Post published:October 17, 2025
Post last modified:October 17, 2025

Comments from ordinary users on social media platforms can be a force for good, helping others identify false information and navigate what is accurate, new research shows. However these same comments can also mislead when they are inaccurate, which makes it challenging for people to judge what can be trusted. The study shows digital media literacy is not only about telling true from false but also about evaluating the reliability of user comments. In a new book, The Power of the Crowd, Professor Florian Stöckel, from the University of Exeter, and…

Fulham vs Arsenal: Premier League – teams, start time, lineups | Football News

Post published:October 17, 2025
Post last modified:October 17, 2025

Who: Fulham vs ArsenalWhat: English Premier LeagueWhere: Craven Cottage in London, United KingdomWhen: Saturday, October 18, at 5:30pm (16:30 GMT)How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 2:30pm (13:30 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream.Premier League leaders Arsenal will be the heavy favourites when they travel to Fulham on Saturday, but London derbies usually give the underdogs more than a fighting chance, as former Gunners manager Arsene Wenger always used to bemoan.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe Gunners, who have finished…

US Grand Prix: Lando Norris says he will face ‘consequences’ for collision with Oscar Piastri in Singapore

Post published:October 16, 2025
Post last modified:October 16, 2025

Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who is 63 points behind Piastri in the championship but has won two of the past three races and finished second in the other, was asked in a news conference on Thursday in Austin whether he believed McLaren were favouring Norris.He replied: "Absolutely."He laughed, and then said: "Yep."Leaving the news conference, he said off-microphone: "Well, there's a headline."BBC Sport sought clarification from Verstappen as to whether he had been joking, and he said through a PR person that he had been.In answer to the same favouritism question,…

When will Israel reopen Gaza’s Rafah crossing? | Israel-Palestine conflict

Post published:October 16, 2025
Post last modified:October 16, 2025

Gaza is often referred to as the world’s largest open-air prison, trapped between Israel’s blockade, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.The Rafah border post is the only crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip: a strategic gateway to the outside world.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listIn 2007, Israel imposed an air, land, and sea blockade on Gaza.Human Rights Watch says the closure of the Rafah crossing has devastated Gaza’s economy, contributed to the fragmentation of the Palestinian people, and enabled Israel’s system of apartheid – and that was long before…

Chaos erupts at public viewing of former Kenyan PM Raila Odinga’s body | Politics

Post published:October 16, 2025
Post last modified:October 16, 2025

NewsFeedSeveral deaths have been reported in Kenya after police used live fire and tear gas to disperse mourners who had rushed the stadium holding a public viewing of deceased opposition figure Raila Odinga.Published On 16 Oct 202516 Oct 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2Share Source link