UK News

The Government must review its flooding and coastal defence policies and commit more money to reducing further risks to the British countryside, the NFU said today. The call comes as part of the NFU’s new flooding manifesto which was launched at this morning at the second day of the union’s annual conference in Birmingham. The flooding manifesto calls for the targeted protection of high quality farmland and a reduction of the impact of urban flood defences to rural areas arguing that farming land was being sacrificed as the lowest priority in managing the nation’s floods. Launching the...

Debilitating side effects associated with prescription medication for some of today’s most common conditions could be eradicated if they mimicked the body’s natural hormone secretion cycles, a new report has said.

Scientists from Exeter and Bristol have studied how conventional steroid treatments – commonly used to treat a range of conditions from steroid deficiency to inflammatory diseases such as asthma and arthritis – can have serious side effects due to the way in which they are delivered to the body.

The study concluded that many of these side effects could be...

The South West have experienced yet more damage due to stormy weather with Crewkerne being victim to a landslide.

The landslide, which was reported by Network Rail, means that popular routes in and out of Exeter ( including Exeter to Waterloo) are blocked.

Earlier in the week nearby town Dawlish was affected by the weather after waves destroyed the train line.

Bridgewater and Yeovil routes are also both currently blocked due to this weekend's landslide and continued bad weather.

Network Rail said:

"It is likely that the slip at Crewkerne will be...

Gong Xi Fa Chi from the Exeter Daily as celebrations for Chinese new year 2014 get underway. The 15 day Spring Festival, this year marks the beginning of the Year of the Horse, the seventh animal of the Chinese zodiac. Legend goes that horses used to have wings and could fly, swim and run equally fast. A horse that served as the mount of the mythological Jade Emperor became so arrogant that it forced its way into the Dragon King's Palace after killing its guardian.

This infuriated the Jade Emperor, who had the horse's wings chopped off and imprisoned it underneath the Kunlun...