Latest news with #EastAnglia
BBC News
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
East of England news quiz of the week 21-27 June
From a quirky way to get to prom to the future of fish and chips, how much East of England news can you remember from the past seven days? Follow East of England news on X, Instagram and Facebook: BBC Beds, Herts & Bucks, BBC Cambridgeshire, BBC Essex, BBC Norfolk, BBC Northamptonshire or BBC Suffolk.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Business
- Telegraph
British Gas to take multibillion-pound stake in Miliband's nuclear power plant
British Gas is poised to take a multibillion-pound bet on a nuclear power plant backed by Ed Miliband. Centrica, the owner of British Gas, is preparing to announce a 15pc stake in Sizewell C in the coming weeks, handing a boost to the project after months of prolonged funding talks. The planned investment will hand Centrica the same-sized stake in Sizewell C as French state-owned energy group EDF. It comes after the Energy Secretary confirmed plans earlier this month to invest £14bn into the power plant by 2029, increasing the Government's total investment in the project to £17bn. He is pumping in taxpayer cash as part of a planned nuclear power renaissance in Britain, with Sizewell C set to generate enough electricity for 6m homes. At the time, he said the investment was 'the right choice for bills, the right choice for jobs and the right choice for growth'. Centrica's planned stake, first reported by the Financial Times, signals a shift in investor interest in Sizewell C, as many large funds have previously been put off by years of delays and cost overruns. Sizewell C cost reaches £40bn EDF had initially been planning to open the plant in 2020, but it is now not expected to begin operations until after 2030. Earlier this month, it also emerged that the cost of Sizewell C had more than doubled to £40bn, up from previous estimates of £20bn. The Government has refused to comment on the cost of Sizewell C, although officials have attempted to play down the scale of the cost increase. It has defended the investment in the project by claiming the Government is 'filling the gap with a new nuclear programme which will see greater efficiencies and learnings carried across projects'. A spokesman said: 'Sizewell C will be an almost exact replica of Hinkley Point C – but crucially learning from previous mistakes and replication. 'EDF says that the second unit of Hinkley is getting built at a rate 25pc quicker than the first, and Sizewell C is effectively a third and fourth version of this reactor.' As well as Centrica and EDF, funds such as Amber Infrastructure Partners, Brookfield Asset Management and the Canadian pension fund CDPQ are exploring potential investments.
Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Chicken Town review — a charming British crime caper with one flaw
Charm can get you so far. And indeed this no-budget British crime comedy from Richard Bracewell, director of the Shakespearean romp Bill, possesses buckets of the stuff. The characters — all outsiders, eccentrics and wannabe rogues — are charming. The flat, green and sun-kissed East Anglian setting (the Fenlands) is charming. And Bracewell's seeming refusal to embrace traditional dramatic coherence is, in its way, charming. It means that the central tale of an ex-con called Jayce (Ethaniel Davy), who is seduced into drug dealing by a kindly neighbourhood grandad, Kev (Graham Fellows, aka John Shuttleworth), is secondary to the film's larkier, diversionary instincts. The charm offensive nonetheless falters badly somewhere around the midway mark, specifically during a tedious sequence with the local kingpin (Alistair Green) when Kev insists upon being called Clint, after Clint Eastwood. • Read more film reviews, guides about what to watch and interviews Kev has inherited a freezer full of weed and has thus recruited Jayce and the video-game enthusiast Paula (Amelie Davies) because … well, that's clearly not important. And nor is the 'villain' Lee's initially intense desire to erect a 5G phone mast (referenced, then abandoned). Or the investigation that Jayce is apparently conducting into his case (repeatedly referenced, then swiftly dropped). Or a strange non sequitur scene, outside a caravan, featuring a visit from Lee's stepmother. The entire film is like this. Random and unfocused. Bit of this. Bit of that. Lots of charm. See how you go. There are great lines hidden in the mulch, mostly delivered by Fellows. Betraying Kev's digital illiteracy, he says of one of his co-workers, 'His wife ran off with some lad from Senegal that she met on eBay.' But the film inevitably degenerates and too much of it is tiresome, flabby and overindulgent.★★☆☆☆ 15, 90min In cinemas Times+ members can enjoy two-for-one cinema tickets at Everyman each Wednesday. Visit to find out more. Which films have you enjoyed at the cinema recently? Let us know in the comments and follow @timesculture to read the latest reviews
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Cambridge Beehive Centre planning inquiry hears neighbours fears
Concerns about the impact of building "enormous" office blocks and laboratories next to people's homes have been raised as the inquiry into a shopping centre redevelopment scheme proposes to knock down The Beehive Centre, in Coldhams Lane, Cambridge, to make way for new offices and claim high rise buildings will block out daylight for neighbouring homes, although the developer Railpen said the loss of light would be at an "acceptable" City Council opposed the plans, but lost the ability to make a decision after the application was called in by the government's secretary of state for housing, sparking the inquiry. Cafes, restaurants and "flexible community spaces" could also be built, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service. During the five-day inquiry, an inspector will hear from both sides, before making a recommendation to the government, who will have the final statements on Tuesday were made by the council's legal representatives and developer, while concerns from the public, councillors and city groups were also heard. Rupert Warren KC, representing Railpen, said the proposals offered a "transformational redevelopment", turning the Beehive site from a "low-density, car-intensive retail park" into a "high-quality local centre, workplace, and innovation cluster".The inquiry heard how the new buildings could range in height from three to seven Warren explained there was "no dispute" between the developer and the council on the principle of redevelopment, but the disagreement was about taller buildings blocking daylight for nearby recognised there would be an impact, but said the developer believed it would be at an acceptable level. Height fears Josef Cannon KC, representing the council, highlighted the application had been called in by the government minister "just minutes before the committee was due to consider it".He said the local authority would have rejected the plans based on the daylight issue as well as the impact buildings could have on the views from neighbouring Cannon said if offices and laboratories were built to the maximum heights, the loss of light was a "substantial departure" from "acceptable" added while the developer had also put forward an illustrative scheme that set out some lower building heights, the permission requested was for the taller maximum Leonard, representing the developer, said the difference in heights between the two plans was needed to allow flexibility. Councillor Katie Porrer said the proposed heights could have a "permanent, irrevocable, and damaging" Ball, from Better Beehive Cambridge, a community group set up in response to the redevelopment, said it would have an "unacceptable harm to the amenity" of its neighbours."An alternative development with mixed use, including housing, would have genuine and local community benefits and be more appropriate," he said.A member of the public, Martin Lucas-Smith, also suggested it would have been better to include housing as there was a shortage in the city, and another "fundamental issue" was the potential loss of shops. Heritage impact Sarah Nicholas, of the Cambridge Past, Present and Future group, said the charity also believed a mixed-use development including housing would be better. She wanted the inspector to consider any impact on heritage buildings Nicholas said council evidence showed there would be enough office and laboratory space to meet future inquiry should finish next week, after which inspector Jonathan Bore, a chartered town planner, will make his recommendation to the government. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Arab Times
4 days ago
- Health
- Arab Times
Princess Kate speaks out following missed Royal Ascot appearance
LONDON, June 21: Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, has released her first public statement following her last-minute decision not to attend the 2025 Royal Ascot. The Princess, who is currently recovering from cancer treatment, was initially scheduled to appear at the prestigious annual horse racing event, marking what would have been her return after missing the event in 2024. In a statement issued on Friday, Kate shifted focus to her ongoing patronage work, highlighting the critical role of children's hospices across the United Kingdom. As Patron of East Anglia's Children's Hospices and Tŷ Hafan Children's Hospice in South Wales, she emphasized the profound challenges faced by families with seriously ill children. 'No parent expects to hear that their child has a serious health condition that could shorten their life,' the Princess wrote. 'Sadly, this is the reality faced by thousands of families across the country, leaving them heartbroken, fearful of the future and often desperately isolated.' She continued, 'Being able to access the support of one of the U.K.'s 54 children's hospices means they don't have to face that future alone.' Reflecting on her visits to the hospices she supports, Kate said, 'Lifting spirits through laughter, fun and play, as well as listening, holding, caring and sharing, they support children and families through life, death and beyond.' Although her attendance at Royal Ascot was confirmed earlier, the Princess withdrew from the event on the same day. A source told People magazine that Kate was "disappointed not to attend" and noted that she is still in the process of finding the right balance as she gradually returns to public duties following her cancer treatment.
