2 minute read
Rail links
EARLIER this month, the UK and Welsh governments announced a new study to improve transport connectivity between southeast Wales and the west of England.
The study, which is backed by £2.7 million of UK government funding, will look at options for new railway stations and rail services on the South Wales Main Line.
This project will focus on relieving congestion on the M4, a vital connector between south Wales and the rest of the UK UK Transport Minister,
Richard Holden, confirmed: “Delivering better transport links is a vital part of how we transform opportunities for people from across the United Kingdom.
“That’s why I am so delighted that, working with the Welsh government, we are getting the ball rolling on indepth work to boost connectivity and drive growth.”
The Secretary of State for Wales, David TC Davies, said: “Good transport connections between south Wales and western England are essential for the economy in Wales.”
LUFTHANSA and Air France / KLM are said to be competing to buy Flybe which went out of business last week.
According to a news source on Monday, February 6 the two companies are not bidding to reinstate the airline but to acquire their landing rights in the UK. In particular, the companies are said to be after Flybe’s landing slots at Heathrow airport.
Flybe also had landing slots at Schiphol in Amsterdam adding to the value of the defunct company and the interest of the two leading European airlines.
For both Lufthansa and Air France / KLM the landing slots are vital to their ability to grow their transit offering, as the Dutch government has restricted the number of flights that can operate from Schiphol.
By Peter McLarenKennedy
THE backlash against Jeremy Clarkson following his trashing of Meghan Markle is growing with at least three stars due to appear on a celebrity ‘Who wants to be a millionaire’ refusing to appear with the host.
According to a news source on Saturday, February 4, ITV has had to shelve plans for the show as a result of the refusal by the three unnamed stars to appear with Clarkson. They are said to have made their opposition to appearing with him, “very loud and very clear.”
Filming of the show was postponed earlier this month due to “scheduling issues” but it is now apparent that was not the reason.
A source said: “ITV were left with no choice but to postpone the show.
“The feelings were made loud and clear that they didn’t want to share a platform with Clarkson and, in doing so, risk being seen to legitimise his misogynistic comments.
“They were appearing on the show to raise money for charity, and were acutely aware they didn’t want causes special to their heart to be caught up in any backlash. They just had to walk away.”
A NEW online tour gives the public ‘virtual’ access to beavers for the first time.
The National Trust has launched a virtual tour of its beaver closure on the Holnicote estate on Exmoor in Somerset, three years after beavers were first introduced. A first for the UK, the new tour can be accessed on the charity’s website and uses cuttingedge technology to provide users with virtual access to the 2.7acre enclosure where beavers were released by the Trust in January 2020. The footage was captured using professional, highresolution 360° video equipment. The
Beaver access
immersive experience features trail camera footage of the beavers’ everyday lives, drone footage of the enclosure and wider estate with links to other National Trust projects and a ‘question and answer’ session with the charity’s beaver expert, Ben Eardley.
Other wildlife captured on the 360° video and trail cameras include kingfishers, stoats, roe deer and bullfinch. The tour will add additional footage as the site develops.
