Andrew Segal
BBC South West

The family of a British man arrested in Bali for allegedly smuggling cannabis oil have launched a crowdfunding page to raise $100,000 (£80,000) for legal fees in an attempt to keep the father-of-two out of prison.

Pip Holmes, reportedly a 45-year-old artist from Cornwall, was one of five foreigners paraded at a news conference last week in Denpasar, the capital of the Indonesian province.

His family said he could face a jail sentence of between five and 15 years but were hoping he could instead serve a short spell in a rehabilitation centre before being deported to the UK.

Image source, Pip Holmes

Indonesian police said he received nearly 31kg of cannabis oil in the mail and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Mr Holmes - whose website says he "lives in south east Asia" but is understood to have connections with Cornwall and has lived in London - admitted he was "very stupid", claiming he was caught with just 3g of medicinal THC oil to treat his arthritis.

Indonesia has strict drug laws and dozens of convicted smugglers are on death row.

The Foreign Office said staff were "assisting a British man following his arrest in Bali, and are in contact with his family, lawyer and the Indonesian authorities".

BBC Radio Devon

Image source, Getty Images

An application to give special status to Devon cider so it would be a protected brand name like Cornish pasties, Camel Valley's Darnibole vineyard or west country beef has been turned down, external.

Government officials rejected the proposal to make the drink a Protected Designation of Origin, external (PDO) under the EU Protected Food Name scheme.

It was said to have no distinctive characteristics which set it apart from others.

The application by the Devon Cidermakers Guild stipulated that the product would be made from 90% fresh Devon apple juice.

The government said there was no significant differences between the same apple varieties grown in different regional environments such as Devon, Somerset or Herefordshire.

Jon McCool, who runs Ye Olde Cider Bar in Newton Abbot, supports the idea, saying it would have benefited more than just cider makers...

BBC Radio Cornwall

Powerful coastguard tugs should be returned to service in light of Tuesday's grounding of a 16,000-tonne ship off a Falmouth beach, a shipping expert says.

The Kuzma Minin, which had 18 Russian crew members on board but no cargo, was refloated in a "tricky and delicate" operation involving five tugs at high tide, including one tug from Fowey.

The much bigger coastguard emergency towing vessel (ETV) the Anglian Princess - one of four ETVs in UK waters - was on standby in Cornish waters for such incidents until 2011, when it became a victim of government cut backs. There is now only one left in Scotland.

David Appleton, from Nautilus International, a trade union for maritime professionals, said the crews on the smaller tugs used had put themselves at risk.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said maritime safety was always its priority but the government's position was that the cost of dealing with such incidents "should be borne by the shipping industry rather than the taxpayer".

Andrew Segal
BBC South West

On 19 December 1981, hurricane force winds blew the cargo ship Union Star off course after it suffered engine failure.

The Penlee lifeboat Solomon Browne launched into difficult waters, and never returned.

There were no survivors from the Union Star and the lifeboat was completely wrecked with the loss of its crew of eight. In total there were 16 casualties.

The old Penlee lifeboat station in Mousehole still stands as a memorial to the disaster, external.

Richard Whitehouse
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Image source, LDRS

Cornwall Council is set to buy a Grade II listed former Indian restaurant and renovate it to stop it falling apart.

The council’s cabinet has agreed to press ahead with buying 18 Chapel Street in Penzance, better known as The Ganges.

There has been a campaign to save the building for many years and the council has already had to step in to make it safe on several occasions, including one when roof tiles fell off the building into the road. But efforts to try to get repairs carried out were hampered by different parts of the building being owned by different people.

Now the cabinet has agreed to allow the council to negotiate buying the building and submit bids for funding to carry out renovations. It is envisaged that once complete the building could be used for residential or employment use.

However, the plans were not supported by all cabinet members with one councillor saying other capital projects "should be given this money".

No details of how much buying the building would cost or how much it would need for repairs were revealed - they were subject to a confidential paper.

BBC Spotlight

There will be substantial disruption for rail passengers, external throughout the region over the Christmas period.

With engineering work on South Western Railway, Southern and Great Western routes, some lines will see no services at all from this weekend until after New Year.

Network Rail is replacing worn out track on all the main lines into London.

Kevin Groves from Network Rail says some of the capital's stations will also be disrupted...

Jenny Walrond
Health Correspondent, BBC Spotlight

A new report says that the Care Quality Commission must review how it ensures NHS trusts are not making mistakes when recruiting for top positions.

It follows the case of a whistleblower who raised concerns over the former chief executive of the South Devon Healthcare Trust.

Despite being criticised by an employment tribunal, Paula Vasco-Knight was employed by another NHS trust, while one of the whistleblowers was unable to return to her job as a result of raising the alarm.

Claire Sardari, one of two women who was victimised as a result of telling bosses about her concerns, says the law needs to change...

The Care Quality Commission says it recognises the handling of this case - both by CQC and by wider NHS organisations - did not meet Ms Sardari's expectations of how the recruitment process should work.

They also say it was a complex case, that they judged the Trust had performed its obligations reasonably when faced with this difficult situation and that they are disappointed that the ombudsman came to a different conclusion.

More on this story:

• Health boss Paula Vasco-Knight suspended over finance claims.
• Devon health boss Dr Paula Vasco-Knight resigns.
• Independent review Torbay Hospital Dr Vasco-Knight scandal.

Twitter

South Western Railway said disruption is expected until midday.

South Western Railway (SWR) has services from London to Exeter, via Honiton and Salisbury.

Alex Osborne
BBC Weather

A largely bright start to the day with early sunny spells and showers.

Thereafter, further sunny spells and isolated showers are expected, before cloud thickens later on and showers become more prevalent.

Maximum temperature: 10C (50F).