Plans lodged for solar farm in Derbyshire to power 18,000 homes
If approved, the development would take between 12 and 18 months to construct and would be decommissioned after 40 years.A decision is due to be made on the application by 17 October.
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STV News
an hour ago
- STV News
Where are the best places in Scotland to retire?
Mid Dunbartonshire has been ranked the best place to retire in Scotland, according to a new nationwide index published by Legal & General. The constituency topped the Scottish list in the financial services firm's UK-wide Retirement Readiness Index. It scored areas across a range of factors that contribute to a happier later life, including access to healthcare, opportunities to build social connections, access to nature, local amenities and financial security. The index was compiled by scoring areas against six 'pillars' – housing, health, social and community, financial, nature, and amenities. Mid Dunbartonshire scored highest in Scotland due to strong performance in health, access to green space, and overall wellbeing among its over-65 population. Stirling and Strathallan, East Renfrewshire, and West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine also ranked highly, with the Western Isles (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) rounding out the top five. Other high-scoring areas included Perth and Kinross, Caithness, and Dumfries and Galloway. Across the UK, Chesham and Amersham in Buckinghamshire was named the overall best place to retire. Areas in Surrey, West Sussex, and Oxfordshire also featured prominently in the top 20. In Scotland, urban and rural areas performed well across different measures. Edinburgh North and Leith and Edinburgh West were noted for their high level of access to healthcare and local services, while areas like Argyll and Bute scored strongly on environmental and community factors. Lorna Shah, managing director of Retail Retirement at L&G, said the findings show retirement wellbeing is shaped by a combination of factors. 'Financial security is a key enabler, but it's the combination of health, social connection, the surrounding environment and access to local services that makes the biggest difference. The data suggests growing regional variation in retirement readiness, with Scotland, Wales, and parts of the South West of England offering strong overall conditions for older residents. The study comes amid ongoing national debates about retirement planning, housing provision for older adults, and the importance of community services in an ageing population. 1. Mid Dunbartonshire 2. Stirling and Strathallan 3. East Renfrewshire 4 West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine 5. Na h-Eileanan an Iar 6. Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber 7. Perth and Kinross-shire 8. Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross 9. Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk 10. Dumfries and Galloway 11. Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire 12, Edinburgh North and Leith 13. Edinburgh West 14. Gordon and Buchan 15. Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale 16. Angus and Perthshire Glens 17. Arbroath and Broughty Ferry 18. Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock 19. North East Fife 20. Aberdeenshire North and Moray East Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
Hedge fund tycoon Hosking says rival Telegraph bid "ready to go"
The hedge fund founder enlisted to back a bid for The Daily Telegraph says the offer is "ready to go" if a takeover of the broadsheet title involving sovereign Gulf money runs into further regulatory problems. Sky News has learnt that Jeremy Hosking, the prominent City figure who co-founded Marathon Asset Management, is pledging to inject £100m of his own money into the newspaper group if the self-styled 'British bid' of which he is part is successful. Mr Hosking, who now runs Hosking Partners, has been working with Dovid Efune, the owner of the New York Sun, in an effort to gain control of the Telegraph for several months. They have been thwarted, though, by an agreement reached with RedBird Capital Partners, the US-based investment firm, to buy the titles for £500m following a two-year battle which has plunged the Telegraph into a protracted state of limbo. RedBird's bid includes tens of millions of pounds of funding from IMI, a state-backed Abu Dhabi vehicle, which cleared a key hurdle last week when the House of Lords voted against a 'fatal motion' which would have blocked the sovereign investment. The outcome of the vote was not without fierce debate, with 155 peers supporting the ban. IMI is controlled by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the vice-president of the United Arab Emirates and ultimate owner of Manchester City Football Club. Speaking through Mr Efune, Mr Hosking said in a statement on Wednesday morning: "We have been following the latest developments closely and with the best outcome for all Telegraph stakeholders front of mind. "We understand from the Lords debate last week that there is now a legal requirement for the government to formally investigate all the foreign government ties that may result in influence over the current preferred buyer. "Should the buyer be deemed unsuitable, our "British Bid" is ready to go. "We believe our current capitalization is more than adequate to replace the controlling shareholder's portion of the deal. "My own personal commitment is £100m in equity capital." Further details of the financing lined up by Mr Efune's consortium remain unclear, including the level of debt attached to his prospective offer. The RedBird-led acquisition of the Telegraph remains subject to investigations by both Ofcom and the Competition and Markets Authority, which are likely to delay completion of the deal into next year. Sky News previously revealed that Sir Leonard Blavatnik, owner of the DAZN sports streaming platform, and Daily Mail proprietor Lord Rothermere were preparing to buy minority stakes as part of the RedBird transaction. Gerry Cardinale, the RedBird executive, who has spearheaded the latest iteration of its acquisition, has described the firm as "the right owner at the right time". RedBird said in May that it was "in discussions with select UK-based minority investors with print media expertise and strong commitment to upholding the editorial values of the Telegraph". The Telegraph titles' parent company was forced into insolvency proceedings in 2023 by Lloyds Banking Group, which ran out of patience with the Barclay family, their long-standing owner. RedBird IMI, a joint venture between the two firms, paid £600m several months later to acquire a call option that was intended to convert into ownership of the Telegraph newspapers and The Spectator magazine. That objective was thwarted by a change in media ownership laws - which banned any form of foreign state ownership. Some peers argued last week that a 15% threshold was too high and that the legislation to permit it was dangerously ambiguous because it could allow for more than one state investor to aggregate their holdings in British newspapers. A further statutory instrument will need to be approved in order to address this issue. The Spectator, which had also been part of the same group, was sold last year for £100m to Sir Paul Marshall, the hedge fund billionaire, who has installed Lord Gove, the former cabinet minister, as its editor.
South Wales Guardian
13 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Navy flagship HMS Prince of Wales leaves Australia during eight-month deployment
The fleet flagship has now set off for Japan in the next stop of its eight-month Indo-Pacific deployment. The £3 billion warship sailed from Portsmouth in April for the mission which involves visits with 40 countries across the Mediterranean, Middle East, south-east Asia, Japan and Australia. As the sun sets on HMS Prince of Wales, we bid farewell to @COMUKCSG after an incredible visit. The Carrier Strike Group's first return since 1997 has strengthened our partnership and deepened UK-Australia ties. Until we meet again 🇬🇧🇦🇺#UKAustralia #CSG25 @SarahMacFCDO — UK in Australia 🇬🇧🇦🇺 (@ukinaustralia) July 29, 2025 A Royal Navy spokesman said that the carrier had sailed from Darwin having taken part in the Talisman Sabre exercise as well as acting as a host for diplomatic visits, including from representatives of the indigenous Larrakia people. He said: 'The flagship hosted a string of senior British and Australian politicians, including Defence Secretary John Healey and Foreign Secretary David Lammy, his Australian counterpart Penny Wong and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles. 'The aircraft carrier has also served as the impressive setting for a business and industry event, discussing the growing importance of defence links between London and Canberra. 'And the 2,500-plus personnel in the task group have enjoyed down time to explore the largest city in Australia's Northern Territory.' Able Seaman Owen Altoft, an 18-year-old chef from Newcastle who is on his first deployment, said: 'It's an experience being out in Australia. 📸.@HMSPWLS in Darwin, Australia 🇦🇺#CSG25 | @COMUKCSG — Royal Navy (@RoyalNavy) July 28, 2025 'This deployment has been great – seeing what the world's like, seeing different places, cultures and food. It's what I signed up for. 'I tried kangaroo at the local food market and would try it again in a restaurant.' The Royal Navy spokesman said that the next stage of the deployment would involve combined air exercises with the carrier's F-35 jets and the Japanese navy. The Hon Pat Conroy MP visited @HMSPWLS while in Darwin. A great opportunity to demonstrate our joint capabilities, discuss partnerships and working together in the Indo-Pacific 🇦🇺🤝🇬🇧 #CSG25 #AUKUS — UK Carrier Strike Group (@COMUKCSG) July 29, 2025 He said: 'Both nations operate the same short take-off/vertical landing version of the stealth jet, the B variant, although Japan has not flown the fifth-generation strike fighter for quite as long as the UK.' Earlier in the deployment one of the stealth fighter jets was stranded at an airport in Kerala, India, after suffering mechanical issues. After the week-long exercise with Japan, the carrier will continue with its visit to the country while some vessels from the UK task group will head to South Korea.
