city news

Exeter scholars secure significant research funding to investigate the early history of Smallpox and Measles

The early histories of smallpox and measles – and the insight they might offer to contemporary health and medicine – will be under the microscope of a new research project. Pustules, Palaeogenetics and Pandemics from Galen to Rhazes: How to do the Early History of Smallpox and Measles is being led by scholars at the University of Exeter, and will seek to understand both historical developments of diseases and how changing disease patterns in the past might impact…

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Family in Exeter ordered to take down summerhouse

Family in Exeter ordered to take down summerhouse

A family has been ordered to remove a summerhouse from their garden by council planning officials.Andrew Causley said he was "baffled" by the enforcement notice issued by Exeter City Council.The summerhouse was installed to replace a children's playhouse that was about the same size and was in the same position in the garden in Alphington, on the edge of Exeter, for about 25 years.The city council said it was unable to comment as the case was live.The council…

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Working with local communities to manage green spaces could help biodiversity crisis, new study finds

Helping communities manage green spaces by understanding how they use and value the area could be an effective way for local governments to tackle the biodiversity crisis, according to a new study from the University of Exeter. Local councils in the UK are under growing pressure to increase publicly accessible green spaces in towns and cities to boost biodiversity, as well as improve public wellbeing. Research has shown effective stewardship of urban green spaces not only improves biodiversity,…

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Small changes in turnout could substantially alter election results in the future, study warns

Small changes in turnout could substantially alter election results in the future because the UK now has a multiparty system with majoritarian voting rules, a new study warns. Last year’s General Election, which saw a marked increase in the number of candidates and a fragmented vote, will have an impact on the mandate of the Labour government, an expert has said. The research shows how the 2024 election tested the boundaries of the first-past-the-post system and the result…

Continue ReadingSmall changes in turnout could substantially alter election results in the future, study warns

Ross Vintcent: Exeter Chiefs’ Italy forward out with dislocated shoulder

Ross Vintcent: Exeter Chiefs’ Italy forward out with dislocated shoulder

Exeter are waiting to find out the full extent of the dislocated shoulder suffered by their Italy forward Ross Vintcent.The 23-year-old was hurt while playing for the Azzurri in last Saturday's 32-14 loss to South Africa.Vintcent has scored three tries in three Prem appearances for the Chiefs this season and was part of Italy side that beat Australia earlier this month. "We'll probably get some further scans done and we'll start the process of whether it's an operative…

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Frank Warren: Brad Pauls and Shakiel Thompson winner to get ‘big title shot’

Frank Warren: Brad Pauls and Shakiel Thompson winner to get ‘big title shot’

Pauls, 32, has fought once since losing his British middleweight title to Denzel Bentley last December, beating Panamanian journeyman Omir Rodriguez in Torquay in May.He will hope to recreate the form that saw him beat Nathan Heaney to win his Lonsdale belt in July 2024, having drawn with the Stoke fighter four months earlier. "I have my own ambition, I'd love to get my British title back and winning a fight like this opens all sorts of doors,"…

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Dawlish left ‘heartbroken’ after bird flu confirmed in aviary

Dawlish left ‘heartbroken’ after bird flu confirmed in aviary

GoogleThe town mayor says the black swans and aviary birds were a "cherished symbol of Dawlish"Birds living in a Devon town aviary are set to be humanely culled after testing positive for bird flu, a council has confirmed.Dawlish Town Council said it had been officially notified by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) that several birds in the Dawlish Waterfowl Aviary had tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza strain H5N1.The council said it was "heartbroken"…

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Exeter working to get St James Park ready for Burton game after fire

Exeter working to get St James Park ready for Burton game after fire

Exeter City are working against time to ensure Saturday's League One game against Burton Albion can be played after a fire at their ground.The control room and medical room at St James Park were badly damaged in a fire last week.Cabling from the control room, which is essential to run a game safely, was destroyed and is being replaced on Tuesday. The ground must be approved by the local council's Safety Advisory Group before the game can go…

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Fire at former Exeter police station ‘deliberately lit’

Fire at former Exeter police station ‘deliberately lit’

A blaze which damaged an old police station is thought to have been deliberately lit, according to firefighters.Firefighters said they were called to the blaze at the disused building on Heavitree Road in Exeter, Devon, at about 19:38 GMT on Monday.Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said a quarter of the property, described as being the courthouse wing of the former police station, was damaged by fire."We do believe it was started deliberately," a fire spokesperson said.…

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Craig & Scott Laird: Father-son duo co-managing non-league Street FC

Craig & Scott Laird: Father-son duo co-managing non-league Street FC

Football is very much in the Laird family.Craig began his career working at Plymouth Argyle and has managed non-league clubs including Weston-super-Mare and Bridgwater Town.Scott, one of four brothers, had a prolific career across the EFL, most notably with Preston, who he won promotion to the Championship with in 2015.His brothers Callum and Jamie have played at non-league level, while another brother, also called Craig, has played at university level in the United States.Craig Sr and Scott are…

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‘Deliberate’ fire outside Plymouth Argyle’s Home Park stadium

‘Deliberate’ fire outside Plymouth Argyle’s Home Park stadium

A fire which broke out outside Home Park stadium in Plymouth was started deliberately, the fire service believes.Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to the blaze at 21:10 GMT on Monday following a blaze which was confined to two portable toilets in the car park.The fire service said the toilets were "completely destroyed" in the flames, and added "the fire is believed to have been started deliberately".In a post on Facebook, Plymouth Argyle…

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University experts feature on BBC podcast exploring the life and legacy of an ocean giant

University experts feature on BBC podcast exploring the life and legacy of an ocean giant

The story of a giant whale that died after becoming stranded on a Cornish beach, before being ‘inherited’ by the University of Exeter, has been told in a new BBC podcast. The Whale, Secrets of a Stranding, explores how a 60-foot female Fin Whale – the second largest marine animal on Planet Earth – came to rest on the Lizard Peninsula. The 30-minute documentary goes in search of what happened to it and considers its potential legacy by…

Continue ReadingUniversity experts feature on BBC podcast exploring the life and legacy of an ocean giant