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
Health officials in Gaza say many of the 90 returned bodies bore marks of violence and possible executions.Gaza’s Ministry of Health says it has received the remains of 45 Palestinians who were held in Israeli custody via the International Committee of the Red Cross, bringing the total number of bodies returned to 90 as part of a United States-brokered ceasefire deal.Medical teams are continuing to examine, document and prepare the bodies for delivery to families “in line with approved medical procedures and protocols”, the Health Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listUnder a ceasefire deal backed by US President Donald Trump and aimed at ending the two-year Gaza war, Israel was to turn over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for every deceased Israeli returned. The remains of 45 people were returned on Monday.Palestinians awaited information about the bodies that arrived at Nasser Hospital on Tuesday and Wednesday. The forensics team…
George Thorpe,Archie Farmer andZhara SimpsonSouth WestWatch: Dashcam footage of a lorry fire which closed part of the M5There has been disruption on the M5 after a lorry fire forced the closure of part of the road in Devon for several hours.The fire started on the northbound side of the motorway between junctions 30 and 29 in Exeter at about 11:35 BST, said Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.National Highways said the lorry was carrying 20 tonnes (2000kg) of household waste and electrical items including batteries and domestic appliances with nine miles (14.48km) of queues reported in the area at one stage, with long delays and diversions in place.It said at 21:10 the road was clear and the M5 was open northbound between junction 30 and junction 29, but long delays should still be expected.National HighwaysSeveral fire crews were called out to the M5 to tackle the flamesOn social media National Highways said: "Long delays remain in…
Paul BarltropWest of England political editorBBCNorth Somerset Council leader Mike Bell said council tax rates could increaseCouncil tax could rise by as much as 20% as North Somerset Council juggles the increasing cost of social services.The authority currently has one of the region's lowest council tax rates, but officials warned its spending could go £25m over budget next year due to the fact its two biggest areas of spending are looking after elderly and disabled adults and children's services.Council leader Mike Bell may seek permission to increase council tax costs to fill the deficit, as it funds most of the authority's services."I would prefer not to put council tax up at all... it's just a broken system and it needs to be fixed," he said.Mr Bell added: "We're the second lowest council tax in the region. We're around £400 a year cheaper than the equivalent bills in Bristol and yet we're delivering exactly the same services."North Somerset…
The additional boost, which comes on top of a $20bn currency swap, comes shortly before Argentina's midterm elections.The head of the United States Treasury, Scott Bessent, has announced he is working to corral the private sector around a new $20bn “facility” to support Argentina’s embattled economy.“We are working on a $20bn facility that would be adjacent to our swap line, of private banks and sovereign wealth funds that I think would be more aimed at the debt market,” he told reporters on Wednesday in Washington, DC.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listBessent added that he had spent “weeks” working on the private-sector solution to Argentina’s upcoming debt payments, which would come on top of the $20bn currency swap the US Treasury recently set up to prop up the country’s peso.“So that would be a total of 40 billion for Argentina,” he said, in remarks that triggered a rebound on Argentinian stocks.Bessent’s comments mark the latest round…
New research has unravelled the mystery of how microscopic cilia coordinate to move and propel marine creatures through water. Cilia are tiny, hair-like protrusions found in many organisms, including humans and many aquatic animals. Almost all marine plankton have a life stage where they have cilia, which act like microscopic oars, fundamental to the organism’s ability to feed, move and disperse through water, avoid predators, and select suitable habitats. Proper coordination of cilia is essential for the normal physiology of many organisms, from single cells to humans. Yet despite decades of research, the mechanisms of cilia coordination remain disputed. Scientists have particularly investigated how coordinated waves of activity known as metachronal waves occur, which are fundamental to moving the organism effectively. These patterns travel through the array of beating cilia like a Mexican wave through a crowd. To address this question, a team at the University of Exeter studied the larvae of the marine rag worm Platynereis,…
A secondary school plans to become a phone-free space after pupils were able to view disturbing videos online.Will Penny, head teacher of Backwell School in Somerset, said he was considering spending £20,000 on magnetic locking pouches so that pupils are not tempted to use their phone during the day.The move comes as a study by the University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol found up to 25 per cent of pupils surveyed had a wide range of negative experiences with their smartphones.Student Bobby, aged 15, said some of his friends are "terminally online" and will monitor their social media throughout the school day.UWE's research also found parents underestimated the types of harmful content their children were viewing.During one incident after the assassination of Charlie Kirk in the USA, a disturbing video began being shared online.Mr Penny said: "They'd been circulating on WhatsApp groups and Snapchat in total graphic detail."We tried to remind children about what…
Eutopia Homes has submitted minor design revisions to its application for full planning permission for a 300-bed seven storey “co-living” complex between Bartholomew Street East and Mary Arches Street, triggering a second public consultation on the plans.It has resisted criticism of the tiny room sizes in the development, which it wants to build at quadruple the recommended local plan density on the 0.49 hectare Mary Arches car parks site between a pair of student accommodation blocks providing 158 beds and another 383 “co-living” units in two blocks that are set to replace Harlequins shopping centre in Paul Street.In a statement summarising its response to a brief public consultation on its plans in July and a “follow-up design workshop” held in August, it said it had increased building footprints and removed twelve rooms to provide eleven communal kitchens in what would now be a 297-bed complex.On several floors two of these kitchens would be shared between 72 studios,…
A lorry fire has forced the closure of part of the M5 in Devon.The fire broke out on the northbound side of the motorway between junctions 30 and 29 in Exeter at about 11:35 BST, said Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.Firefighters issued a warning for residents and businesses near the scene to close their windows and doors due to the amount of smoke from the blaze.National Highways said the lorry was transporting batteries and domestic appliances with nine miles (14.48km) of queues reported in the area, leading to 120 minutes worth of delays. A diversion was up for motorists to use.A fire service spokesperson said the Environment Agency had been called out as a storm drain was near the fire."We would notify them due to the water run-off and potential contaminants from the fire if we haven't been able to immediately prevent them from draining that way," they said.Devon and Cornwall Police said it was…
Ros TappendenSouth of EnglandDWFRSThe car hit a telegraph pole and caught fire, leaving hundreds of homes without internetEngineers working to restore broadband to hundreds of customers cut off following a car fire say it is not yet clear when services can be restored.About 1,000 customers in Beaminster, Dorset, lost their internet service when a car crashed into a telegraph pole and burst into flames on Sunday.Some were told they could be reconnected on Thursday but Openreach was unable to confirm, saying engineers were still assessing the damage.The outage is affecting a school, GP surgery, shops and businesses, as well as domestic customers.In an update on Wednesday morning, an Openreach spokesperson said: "We're fully assessing the impact and how much damage has been caused. "Then we hope to have a clearer indication of exactly how long it will take before services are restored."Installing a new pole and rebuilding the damaged fibre network is a complex task, but we…
George ThorpeDevon andArchie FarmerDevonWatch: Dashcam footage of a lorry fire which closed part of the M5There has been disruption on the M5 after a lorry fire forced the closure of part of the road in Devon.The fire started on the northbound side of the motorway between junctions 30 and 29 in Exeter at about 11:35 BST, said Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.National Highways said the lorry was transporting batteries and domestic appliances with nine miles (14.48km) of queues reported in the area, leading to 120 minutes worth of delays. A diversion was set up for motorists to use.It had been declared a major incident but the fire service said the scene was now safe and lanes two and three would be reopened imminently. National Highways said once inspection had taken place emergency resurfacing will be carried out overnight with lane one closed.A spokesperson added delays were likely to remain and drivers were advised to plan…
Human remains found on two beaches in Devon have been identified as being the same man, police have said.An investigation was launched in May after remains appeared on Westward Ho! beach near Bideford and part of the coastline in Appledore on 22 May.Devon and Cornwall Police said both sets of remains had been identified and belonged to the same man. The death is not being treated as suspicious and a file for the coroner is being prepared. Source link