Two new towns planned near Exeter and Plymouth

Two new towns are being planned in Devon as part of 12 selected for a nationwide building programme.Up to 20,000 homes are expected to be built in Marlcombe in east Devon, and Plymouth as part of the government's New Towns programme.East Devon District Councillor Todd Olive said Marlcombe, which will be south of Exeter Airport, would be a "vibrant, resilient, and well-connected town that champions innovation and sustainability, with a distinct identity and sense of place".Plymouth City Council leader Tudor Evans called the decision "a huge moment" for the city, adding: "We're not just building homes, we're building a future".Evans said the new development would "breathe new life into our city centre, supporting local shops, businesses, cafés and restaurants, and creating the footfall that fuels a thriving day and night-time economy".As well as housing, other infrastructure would be created in both towns including schools, shops, healthcare and green spaces.The government announced the new towns initiative earlier this year, as part of its ambition to build 1.5m new homes in the next 5 years.An environmental assessment will be carried out on all recommended towns before final decisions are made next year, the government said. Source link

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HistoryCity project wins European award for groundbreaking use of Augmented Reality in cultural tourism

An international project translating history and heritage into accessible audiovisual tourist guides has won a European award for its innovative use of Augmented Reality. HistoryCity, which provides free GPS-triggered period maps to tell immersive first-person stories rooted in historical research, won the Virtual and Augmented Reality category at this year’s Heritage in Motion Awards ahead of four other finalists. Run by the European Museum Academy and Forum of Slavic Cultures, the awards showcase how multimedia and digital tools are transforming the ways cultural heritage is preserved, communicated, and experienced. This year’s competition drew submissions from 22 countries across four continents – the first time in its 11-year history that the competition has been a global one. HistoryCity is led by Professor Fabrizio Nevola and Dr David Rosenthal, both of the Department of Languages, Cultures and Visual Studies at the University of Exeter. Dr Rosenthal travelled to the Money Museum in Budapest, Hungary, to accept the prize on behalf of the team and an extensive list of collaborators. He said: “It’s brilliant to be recognised for all the effort we’ve put in over the last few years to develop HistoryCity and our AR and immersive storytelling practice, which has led to the…

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Police appeal after sailor last seen near Plymouth goes missing

Police have launched an appeal for a sailor who has not been seen for three weeks.Devon and Cornwall Police said Guy Nelson, 57, was last known to be in or around the Drake's Island area near Plymouth on 8 September.Mr Nelson, from Leamington Spa in Warwickshire, set sail from Plymouth in a boat called Swallow and was thought to be heading along the coast, but has not been heard from since.Officers described him as a white male, 5ft 10ins tall, of medium build, with short curly brown hair and brown eyes.He has no known links to Devon and Cornwall other than sailing in the area.Mr Nelson was pictured in St Dominick, Cornwall on 5 September. Source link

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Alex Scott: Bournemouth midfielder targets senior England call-up

Alex Scott: Bournemouth midfielder targets senior England call-up

Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott says being called up by England is his "ultimate goal" as he reflects on a "whirlwind" 2025. The 22-year-old helped England win the European Under-21 Championships in June, when he started five of the Three Lions' six matches.He has gone on to establish himself in the Cherries' side this season, scoring his first goal in the 2-1 win over Brighton earlier this month. "To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life," Scott told BBC Radio Guernsey."It's down to me, I've got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving day on day and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance."Obviously it's a long way to go; I know that and I've got to improve a lot of things to get there, but fingers crossed I do that."I'm working very hard every single day and every game I play for this club."I've got to impress because the level of players in that England team at the minute is frightening, so it's going to be tough to get to that level and stay at that level." Source link

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Work with Exeter’s world-leading sports physiology experts to boost exercise performance

From amateur enthusiasts to elite athletes, world-leading sports physiology experts at the University of Exeter have launched a new service to help unlock their potential and boost performance. Sports Physiology and Exercise Training (SPET) uses cutting-edge physiology assessments to provide the insights to train smarter, race faster, and perform to the very best. With decades of research and hands-on experience at the highest level, the team has ensured these insights are not just based on science but proven at the pinnacle of sport. Professor Andy Jones is a globally recognised expert in endurance performance and has played a pivotal role in the training of world-record-breaking runners, including Eliud Kipchoge’s historic sub-two-hour marathon project. Andy said: “We’re excited to launch this service and work with local and regional athletes to enhance their performance. The services we offer are identical to those we provide to some of the world’s best endurance athletes. We want people to unlock their potential by accessing our state-of-the-art facilities and receiving advice on training and nutrition from our world-leading experts.” Dr Tim Podlogar is a leading sports scientist specialising in cycling physiology and has worked with professional cycling teams and top-tier endurance athletes, helping to optimise training and…

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Do you know your sh*t? Exeter research aims to speed up inflammatory bowel disease diagnosis

A research study led by the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Exeter is seeking volunteers to help speed up diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Backed by the ‘Know Your Sh*t’ campaign, the RAPID-IBD study is inviting people with unexplained gut symptoms to take part. It is open to anyone aged 16–49 living in the EX postcode area. Inflammatory bowel disease is an umbrella term for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, which affect 1 in 100 people in the UK. They are lifelong conditions causing unpleasant symptoms such as abdominal pain that won’t go away, diarrhoea that can’t wait, and blood in your poo. For professional footballer, Jack Fitzwater, defender for Exeter City football club, the challenges of living with IBD are all too familiar. Jack explains: “It was everyday life, constantly going to the toilet. It affected me in football, outside of football, and in my relationships with friends and family. I became irritable, and until I got the right diagnosis and medication, I was stuck in a cycle of trying my best to feel well while never really being well at all. Speeding up diagnosis will massively help people get the…

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Teddy Swims latest big star to headline at Powderham Castle

Grammy-nominated singer Teddy Swims has been named as headling act for a music event in Devon next summer.The US singer will perform at Live at Powderham on 25 June, joined by his band Freak Freely. Organisers said supporting acts included rising star Lauren Spencer Smith and multi-instrumentalist Jordan Rakei.The announcement follows news earlier this month that Lewis Capaldi will play two nights at the same venue on 27 and 28 June.Promoter Oli Mason of Live Nation said: "We're delighted to be bringing these fantastic international artists to the region, and the addition of Teddy to the line-up for Live At Powderham 2026 is massive."His last UK arena tour sold out in minutes, so we're expecting demand to be very high for what will be an incredible show. "With our new vision for the site, improved transport options, and an enhanced fan experience in 2026, we just cannot wait to welcome our artists and our audiences to Devon." Source link

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Peru’s Gen Z rallies against President Boluarte | Protests News

Published On 29 Sep 202529 Sep 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2ShareAt least 19 people, including a police officer, have been injured during protests against the government of Peruvian President Dina Boluarte and Congress, according to authorities and human rights advocates.Hundreds of people marched over the weekend towards the seats of government in central Lima, under a heavy police presence.Groups of young people threw stones, petrol bombs and fireworks at law enforcement, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.The National Human Rights Coordinator (CNDDHH), a human rights coalition, reported on Sunday that 18 people were injured in the clashes, including a journalist.“A police officer suffered first-degree burns from a Molotov cocktail during the march organised by various groups,” the National Police reported on Saturday, sharing images of the clashes on social media.The CNDDHH blamed the police for the violence.“We call on the police to respect the right to protest. There was no justification for firing large amounts of tear gas, let alone for attacking people,” said Mar Perez, a lawyer for the CNDDHH.A new march by hundreds of transport workers and the Generation Z youth collective, protesting against alleged corruption and extortion, was dispersed by dozens of police officers…

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Smooth snakes thriving after slithering into Devon heathland

Wildlife volunteers are celebrating the successful reintroduction of smooth snakes.A project to reintroduce the non-venomous species in Pebblebed Heaths in east Devon has seen numbers consistently hit new highs since 2023, with 39 sightings recorded last year, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said.The reptile was reintroduced in 2009 with 17 snakes relocated from Dorset and Hampshire.The RSPB said the east Devon population was not only growing but there was now a "self-sustaining colony" there after habitat loss made them scarce across the UK.Volunteers Liz and Roger Hamling have been surveying the snakes at the Pebblebed Heaths for 15 years.Mrs Hamling said she had done the surveys so many times she knew the route by heart."Around the Pebblebed Heaths we have smooth snake refuges - a sheet of corrugated iron laid flat on the ground, under which smooth snakes like to hide and keep warm," she said.Mr Hamling said he had taken more than 150 photographs of the snakes since 2010 to help gauge numbers."The head of a smooth snake has a distinctive heart-shaped marking and combined with the first few segments of their bodies, which also have patterns, these markings are unique to each individual snake," he…

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‘Cruel joke’: How Indian H-1B dreams are crash landing after Trump fee hike | Business and Economy

‘Cruel joke’: How Indian H-1B dreams are crash landing after Trump fee hike | Business and Economy

New Delhi, India — Meghna Gupta* had planned it all – a master’s degree by 23, a few years of working in India, and then a move to the United States before she turned 30 to eventually settle there.So, she clocked countless hours at the Hyderabad office of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s largest IT firm and a driver of the country’s emergence as the global outsourcing powerhouse in the sector. She waited to get to the promotion that would mean a stint on California’s West Coast.Now, Gupta is 29, and her dreams lie in tatters after US President Donald Trump’s administration upended the H-1B visa programme that tech firms have used for more than three decades to bring skilled workers to the US.Trump’s decision to increase the fee for the visas from about $2,000, in many cases, to $100,000 has imposed dramatic new costs on companies that sponsor these applications. The base salary an H-1B visa employee is supposed to be paid is $60,000. But the employer’s cost now rises to $160,000 at the minimum, and in many cases, companies will likely find American workers with similar skills for lower pay.This is the Trump administration’s rationale as it presses US companies…

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‘Horrific’: Israel bombs hospitals, residential towers amid Gaza onslaught | Gaza News

Israel has been pounding Gaza’s largest medical complex, levelling whole blocks and sending terrified patients scrambling for safety as its army continued a ground operation to seize Gaza City.Doctors inside al-Shifa Hospital on Sunday described “horrific scenes” as many were forced to flee despite needing urgent care. Hasan al-Sha’ir, the hospital’s medical director, said that staff have continued to work “despite the harsh conditions and overwhelming fear”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listAccording to al-Sha’ir, at least 100 patients are receiving treatment in “extremely difficult circumstances”, with shortages of life-saving drugs and medical equipment.Researchers at the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights confirmed Israel’s use of fire belts, which are incendiary weapons that cause flames to rise across a strip of land. The military also deployed explosive-laden vehicles around the hospital as military units advanced from the northern and eastern sides of the facility.According to medical sources cited by the Palestinian Wafa news agency, the Israeli army shelled another medical facility, the Al Helou Hospital in Gaza City, which hosts a cancer ward and a neonatal unit where 12 premature babies are being cared for.Medical staff told Wafa that more than 90 people, including doctors, nurses and patients, remained trapped inside…

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