Duncan Leatherdale
BBC News Online

A lot has happened in 2020, but one thing that might have been overlooked is the re-emergence of the beaver in England.

A five-year government trial into the reintroduction of beavers into the wild ended, citing a long list of benefits, while new beaver homes have been set up in enclosures around the country

Both Cornwall and Devon have seen their reintroduction.

What's so good about the beaver - and why isn't everyone a fan?

Find out more here.

Image source, Devon Wildlife Trust

BBC Spotlight

Universities in the South West will start testing students on Monday as they get ready for the government's Christmas travel window.

An evacuation-style plan aims to get students home safely for the festive holiday.

University bosses in Plymouth and Exeter, external said students travelling home during the window between 3 and 9 December should take two tests, three days apart.

Students from the region studying elsewhere are also due to be returning home after similar testing.

Latest news and updates from Devon and Cornwall.

British Lithium is prospecting in the county to find economically viable seams of the element.

Homes for these "ultimate environmental engineers" have been set up in enclosures across England.

Christopher Wilson asked if she wanted to "get with a man in uniform" as she was reporting a crime.

The texts went on for months "despite the woman indicating that she was not interested", a panel hears.

Iain and Wahaj Mahmood-Brown are subjected to homophobic abuse while on a coastal walk in Devon.

Strong winds have damaged the building in St Dennis three times in three years.

The DIY SOS team transform a bungalow where three orphaned brothers have been sleeping in a shared room.

Richard Whitehouse
Local Democracy Reporting Service

People in Cornwall have been urged to remain vigilant and follow all public health guidelines when the county enters the lowest tier one restrictions next week.

Image source, PA Media

Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly – along with the Isle of Wight – are the only parts of England which will be in tier one once the national lockdown ends next Tuesday.

Cornwall Council deputy leader Adam Paynter said if numbers of people infected "rise too much in the next two weeks we will be moving tiers".

He urged "all our businesses and all the people in Cornwall" to "follow our rules and keep our level flat or going down".

Rachel Wigglesworth, director of public health for Cornwall, said: "If people maintain their guard then we should see a slow rise.

"What we wouldn’t want to see going into Christmas, at that crucial point for the NHS, is a steep increase which we might see if people drop their guard and start believing it is business as normal."

BBC Spotlight

Eden Project founder Sir Tim Smit says he's "delighted" Cornwall will be placed in tier one from Wednesday after the lockdown ends.

Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight are the only three English regions to be designated tier one by the government.

Sir Tim said: "Our hearts go out to the other parts of Britain that are not (tier one) because we are one nation.

"Others are having terrible hardships and the sooner we are out of this and the vaccine is available the better for all of us.

"Cornwall is tremendously blessed and if Covid has taught us anything, it has shown us that the natural assets we have are what everyone yearns for.

"So I'm imagining that lots of people will want to come and visit us over the coming few years which is great for Cornwall."

The three brothers were taken in by their grandparents in a two-bed bungalow.

Richard Staves, who served in World War Two, assaulted his victims after speaking of his loneliness.

Cornwall is one of only three areas in England which will be in tier one from next Wednesday.

The restrictions mean households cannot mix indoors, and pubs can only serve alcohol with substantive meals.

Mark Tims then put the gull in a bin liner and stood on it, a court heard.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has thanked people in the new tier one - which includes Cornwall - for their "vigilance".

The measures will be reviewed every fortnight, says Matt Hancock, with the first full review to be completed by the end of 16 December.

A "significant" number of areas are in tier three - and Hancock says he knows "how tough this is".

Those with the lowest number of cases - Cornwall, the Isle of Wight and the Isles of Scilly - are in tier one.

Regardless of tiers, he asks everyone to think of their own responsibilities.

People should see them "not as a boundary to push" but a limit as to what they can do.

The less any one person passes the virus on, the faster it gets under control "and that is on all of us", he says.

Devon Conservative MP Anne Marie Morris says there's a "complete lack of understanding" in putting Devon into tier two for coronavirus restrictions from next Wednesday., external

The whole county will be in tier two, the middle tier of restrictions, the government announced.

Newton Abbot MP Ms Morris tweeted, external: "Disappointed to see Devon placed in Tier 2, especially given the fact that Teignbridge currently has the lowest cases per 100k in England, but appreciate that it would be impossible to divide us up further."

BBC Radio Cornwall

There's been a positive response on Twitter, external from North Cornwall Conservative MP Scott Mann to the news that Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly will be entering tier one of coronavirus restrictions - the lowest of the three - from next Wednesday.

Neighbouring Devon will enter the higher tier two restrictions, the government announced., external

Differences between the new tiers include restrictions on where households can meet up:

• Tier one: the rule of six applies everywhere, indoors and out
• Tier two: the rule of six applies outdoors but there is no household mixing anywhere indoors
• Tier three: can only meet other households in outdoor public spaces like parks, where the rule of six applies

The system will be regularly reviewed and an area's tier level may change before Christmas - the first review is scheduled for 16 December.