Exeter City’s Ilmari Niskanen helps steer young people from crime

An Exeter City footballer hopes to use his own "positive and negative" experiences to encourage young people to stay in education and away from crime.Finnish midfielder Ilmari Niskanen, who was convicted of a drink driving offence in March, is taking part in a new scheme set up by the Exeter City Community Trust.Change Our Path targets 12-18 year-olds identified as being involved in - or at risk of - youth crime and educational disengagement.Niskanen said he wants to make amends for his past errors, and said he can "guide the youngsters in the right direction".Danny Harris, who runs the scheme, said it was an chance for young people "to engage with trusted adults and football players to see that there are other opportunities out there".Funded by the Premier League and the Professional Footballers Association, it has received £30,000 from Devon and Cornwall's Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez, who has also provided a similar grant for a scheme run by Plymouth Argyle.Ms Hernandez said: "It's fantastic that this football club and its trust is reaching out to young boys and men to help them find their path in life."She said it was taxpayers' money well spent "because they know it's helping…

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Pioneering University-led global sustainability programme celebrated on SDG flag day

Pioneering University-led global sustainability programme celebrated on SDG flag day

The impact of a collaborative international programme co-led by the University, which enables students to tackle real-world sustainability challenges, has been hailed on SDG Flag Day. The Future17 SDG Programme is a pioneering international initiative that connects students across six continents with real-world challenges aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Delivered in partnership by QS Quacquarelli Symonds and Exeter, Future17 is backed by innovative businesses, NGOs, and start-ups who bring their challenges and opportunities for the students to work on. Now, with the launch of the 8th cohort, and to mark SDG Flag Day, programme leaders and students at the University have reflected on the impact of Future17 to date. Nearly 240 students have taken part since its launch in 2022, with the support of academic mentors from each of the partner institutions. “Exeter students are working on time-critical sustainability partner challenges with a different and agile perspective, meaning the partner has an innovative piece of work that they may not have thought about in-house,” says Hollie Kirk, Lecturer in Applied Entrepreneurship, and academic lead for Future17. “If they take forward those recommendations, then our students have genuinely influenced the partners’ practices and made a real sustainability impact.…

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PE teacher from Plymouth wins gold at Pickleball championships

PE teacher from Plymouth wins gold at Pickleball championships

Caroline RobinsonSouth WestKirsty GrayKirsty Gray (holding racket) won the gold medal in the senior ladies eventA teacher who has only been playing pickleball for a year has won a gold medal in the senior ladies event at the European Pickleball Championships in Rome.Kirsty Gray, from Plymouth, said she was "completely in shock" after winning the contest.Thirty countries took part in the European Pickleball Federation's second European Team Championships from 19 to 21 September.Gray said: "I keep looking back on the video clips. The crowd was massive and it doesn't really sink in - just an unbelievable feeling."Watch: Reaction as PE teacher wins at the European Pickleball Championships"It's a combination of tennis, badminton and table tennis, so my tennis background obviously helped me quite a bit," she said.She said she picked up pickleball with a few friends in London after suffering some tennis injuries. "The day I picked up a paddle I was hooked... it's an easy game to pick up."Gray also won silver in the singles and mixed doubles team events. The PE teacher who works at a school in Liskeard, Cornwall, said she was now teaching her students how to play. "It's accessible to all ages. All our children of…

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Earthquake measuring at least magnitude 6.1 rocks Venezuela | Earthquakes News

Tremors were felt in several states in Venezuela, including the capital Caracas, and over the border in neighbouring Colombia.Published On 25 Sep 202525 Sep 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2ShareAn earthquake measuring at least magnitude 6.1 on the Richter scale has struck in northwest Venezuela, according to several geological research organisations, sending tremors across the South American country, including the capital Caracas.Tremors were also felt in several other states in Venezuela, as well as over the border in neighbouring Colombia, with residential and office buildings evacuated along the frontier.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listNo damage or casualties have been reported so far.The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake struck on Wednesday, with the epicentre located 24km (15 miles) from the community of Mene Grande in Zulia state, about 600km (370 miles) west of Venezuela’s capital Caracas.The USGS recorded the earthquake’s depth as 7.8km (5 miles).The town of Mene Grande, located on Lake Maracaibo’s eastern coast in Venezuela’s far northwest, is an important area for Venezuela’s oil industry. The South American country has the world’s largest proven oil reserves.The Colombian Geological Survey measured the earthquake at magnitude 6.1 and described it as “shallow depth”, while the German…

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Ukraine, Syria restore diplomatic ties after breakdown during Assad regime | United Nations News

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy and Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa discuss cooperation and mutual respect as Ukraine and Syria rebuild diplomatic relations.Published On 25 Sep 202525 Sep 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2ShareUkraine and Syria have formally restored diplomatic relations as their leaders met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said following his meeting with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, along with an accompanying delegation, also attended the meeting on Wednesday in New York, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listUkraine broke off relations with Syria in 2022 after the government of the country’s former ruler, Bashar al-Assad, moved to recognise the “independence” of the Russian-backed breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine. Shortly after, Syria announced it would break ties with Kyiv.Zelenskyy said Ukraine and Syria signed a communique on the restoration of their diplomatic relations.“We welcome this important step and are ready to support the Syrian people on their path to stability,” the Ukrainian leader wrote on X.“During our negotiations with the President of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa, we also discussed in detail promising sectors for developing cooperation, security threats…

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‘War has rules’: UN event urges action to protect Palestinian children | United Nations News

New York City, United States – After nearly being killed in June during an Israeli attack on Gaza, 10-year-old Rasha felt compelled to write her will.“If I become a martyr or pass away, please do not cry for me because your tears cause me pain,” she wrote. “I hope my clothes will be given to those in need.”Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listThaer Ahmad, a Palestinian American physician who has been volunteering in Gaza for the past two years, told Rasha’s story to diplomats on Wednesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.Ahmad said Rasha also asked in her will that the rest of her possessions be divided among her siblings and her parents not yell too much at her 11-year-old brother.Rasha was killed in another Israeli strike three months later.Her story was one of many told to the diplomats who gathered to renew their support for a pledge called Call to Action for Palestinian Children in the West Bank and Gaza, which has been adopted by more than 70 countries.Since the call to action, which urges an end to violations against children, was first made in June last year, Israel has killed thousands of Palestinian children,…

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Kenya’s president demands African seat at UN Security Council | United Nations

NewsFeedKenyan President William Ruto told the UN General Assembly that Africa’s exclusion from permanent membership on the Security Council is unfair and undermines the UN’s credibility, arguing the continent bears the “heaviest cost of instability”.Published On 24 Sep 202524 Sep 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2Share Source link

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Early changes during brain development may hold the key to autism and schizophrenia

Researchers at the University of Exeter have created a detailed temporal map of chemical changes to DNA through development and aging of the human brain, offering new insights into how conditions such as autism and schizophrenia may arise. The team studied epigenetic changes – chemical tags on our DNA that control how genes are switched on or off. These changes are crucial in regulating the expression of genes, guiding brain cells to develop and specialise correctly. One important mechanism, called DNA methylation, was examined in nearly 1,000 donated human brains, spanning life from just six weeks after conception through to 108 years of age. The researchers focused on the cortex, a region of the brain involved in high-level functions such as thought, memory, perception, and behaviour. Correct development of the cortex during early life is important to support healthy brain function after birth. The study, published today in Cell Genomics, revealed that DNA methylation changes dramatically before birth, reflecting the activation of key biological pathways needed to build the cortex. The researchers also discovered that neurons – the brain’s main signalling cells – start to show unique patterns of DNA methylation early in development, different from other brain cells. Importantly, genes…

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Devon and Somerset fire service told to make improvements

Devon and Somerset fire service told to make improvements

BBCStaff have been urged to record faults and escalate them to senior leadsDevon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service has been told to make improvements when it comes to issues that may affect the time taken to get to incidents. A revisit inspection of the service by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services in July found "long-standing issues" with the system which had "not previously been resolved in a timely manner".It said some of the issues could have delayed mobilisation to an incident, including a slowdown of the system at midnight while it received an update from another system.Senior leadership teams lacked oversight of ongoing issues, it added, and staff had been urged to record faults and escalate them to senior leads.The inspector said fire control staff had been reporting slowdowns in the mobilisation system since 2023, and were frustrated with "lots of minor issues" which related to the system being old."We found no evidence of significant delays to attendance times in relation to these issues," it added.It said, in the past, staff were complacent about reporting minor system issues in fire control - but managers had highlighted the importance of reporting issues."We found no clear guidance…

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Jack Mackenzie: Plymouth Argyle defender suffers further injury setback

Plymouth Argyle defender Jack Mackenzie will be out for a further four to six weeks after suffering from shin splints.The 25-year-old has yet to play for the Pilgrims since his summer move from Aberdeen after suffering tendonitis in his knee during pre-season.But having overcome that problem the Scottish Cup winner has been sidelined with a new issue which will likely keep him out until November.It is another blow to the Pilgrims who have lost Julio Pleguezuelo, Caleb Watts and Xavier Amaechi until the New Year."Jack's just not got going since he's come to the club, to no fault of anyone's really, the medical team, no-one, because he's been doing some really low level rehab that he's reacted badly to," head coach Tom Cleverley said."He's a good lad. He's professional. He's desperate more than anyone to get back, he's just going through a real period of bad luck, as we are as a football club really."You could say we've got six or seven potential starters out at the minute. "It's definitely something we're aware of as a football club and again adds to our little bit of inconsistency." Source link

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Award-winning cyber law resource has 2025 update

Experts from around the world have worked together to expand a unique resource that helps countries, militaries, and academics understand how international law applies to cyber activities. The new material explores issues such as the peaceful settlement of cyber disputes, accountability for crimes against humanity committed through cyber means, and data collection in occupied territory. By combining new scenarios with updated incidents and national positions, the annual update ensures that the Cyber Law Toolkit remains a trusted reference for those examining the legal challenges raised by cyber operations. The Toolkit offers a unique combination of resources, including detailed hypothetical scenarios, a repository of real-world cyber incidents, and a comprehensive collection of national positions on international law in cyberspace. The Toolkit now features 35 scenarios, each blending a description of a cyber incident with in-depth legal analysis. The collection of real-world incidents has also expanded to nearly 80 entries, capturing the latest developments from around the globe. The Toolkit includes a database of the views of 35 States as well as the positions of the African Union and European Union. This allows countries to examine how others interpret and apply international law in the cyber context and has been acknowledged in several…

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