Plans to upgrade public transport in south Wales may have to change after Brexit, the first minister has said.Carwyn Jones told AMs ministers will press ahead with the £600m Metro project but warned it could take longer to deliver.But he said there were no guarantees the UK government would protect EU funding, needed for the scheme.Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies accused Mr Jones of using Brexit as a "smokescreen".Later Economy Secretary Ken Skates told AMs that construction on the metro will take place from 2019.The Metro is intended to provide better trains, faster buses and light rail or tram services in Cardiff and the valleys.It was announced last year that £600m will be spent on the current phase of the metro. That included £125m from the UK government and £150m in European regional development funding.'Open for business'In a statement on his priorities for government, the first minister told AMs on Tuesday that despite uncertainty over significant … [Read more...] about Brexit may change South Wales Metro plans, Jones warns
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Friday briefing: Johnson won’t be brought to Neil
Good morning. Less than a week to go and the big questions are whether Boris Johnson can bear to face a grilling from BBC veteran (and the prime minister’s former Spectator boss) Andrew Neil, and how the main party leaders will fare in tonight’s BBC debate. We have the best of other news, including a potentially problematic exchange involving Joe Biden on the campaign trail. What’s going on? Neil has thrown down the gauntlet to Johnson, challenging him to a BBC interview. The prime minister has so far failed to commit – making him the only leader of a major party not to have faced the presenter during the campaign. At the end of his interview with Nigel Farage last night Neil turned to the camera and addressed an audience of millions about Johnson’s failure to take part. “We have been asking him for weeks now to give us a date, a time, a venue. As of now, none has been forthcoming,” he said, adding that the prime minister’s attendance at … [Read more...] about Friday briefing: Johnson won’t be brought to Neil
Sarah Jane Morris: Bloody Rain review – cold fury and compassion
Sarah Jane Morris has had many roles over the years – Communards hit-maker, jazz crooner, Brechtian big band diva – the common thread being an octave-leaping voice brimming with drama and passion. Here she hits a career high with an album dedicated to Africa, though the continent’s musical accents are subtle, present mainly in the rolling guitar lines of co-writer Tony Rémy. Morris’s vocals run the gamut – fiery on Hugh Masekela’s Coal Train, joyous on a tribute to Ugandan gay activist David Kato, dark on Emmylou Harris’s Deeper Well, reflective on the title cut, the whole becoming a transcendent mix of cold fury and compassion. Topics Jazz The Observer Soul Pop and rock Africa holidays album reviews Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on WhatsApp Share on Messenger Reuse this content … [Read more...] about Sarah Jane Morris: Bloody Rain review – cold fury and compassion
Winter Love Island spares no expense with lavish villa twice the size of Mallorca’s
Winter Love Island is set to make it's on-screen debut early into the New Year, and while fans will have to wait until after Christmas to get their fix, new shots of the villa give a glimpse of what's to come. The villa, which will be inhabited by the incoming sexy singles hoping to escape winter's gloom, is undergoing construction work for the show in one of South Africa's most exclusive and expensive areas, Constantia. The series is thought to be kicking off on 8th January, so a dose of sunshine will be much appreciated. It boasts new versions of the Love Island villa staples, like the firepit, around which the islanders gather for big announcements, confessions of love or fiery clashes. There's also an epic pool, daybeds, and the oh-so-important roof terrace, where islanders sneak off to for private chats or intimate moments. It's owned by businessman John Schooling, with the rent rumoured to be in the region of R2 million - roughly £105,000 per month. Schooling owns STAG … [Read more...] about Winter Love Island spares no expense with lavish villa twice the size of Mallorca’s
Make do and lend to a refugee entrepreneur this Christmas
Feeling fed up with festive consumerism? You could give a gift that will help a refugee entrepreneur this Christmas. A gift voucher allows the recipient to lend money to a refugee in Rwanda, who can then use the cash to start or expand a small business in their refugee camp or local community. This scheme will help people such as Zeburiya Nyiramana, who sells basic household items, fruit and vegetables from the small shop she set up in Kigeme refugee camp in Rwanda. She fled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo several years ago and lives with her six children and one other child she has adopted. Nyiramana started by selling vegetables around the camp and, once she began to generate a bit of profit, she saved and bought a small place to use as a permanent shop. With her Lendwithcare loan, Nyiramana will buy more fruit, vegetables, clothes and shoes to sell. Another refugee entrepreneur is Dada Nyirabuntu, who lives with her family in the Kigeme camp, where she arrived aged 18 with … [Read more...] about Make do and lend to a refugee entrepreneur this Christmas