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In Britain, ‘Warm Hubs’ Emerge To Beat Soaring Energy Costs in 2023

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STRATFORD UPON AVON, England— The foyer of the Other Place theater is a warm haven on a chilly late-winter day in Shakespeare’s hometown. Coffee-shop goers hold meetings, check emails, compose poems, and take sewing classes.

The Royal Shakespeare Company drama troupe opened a “warm hub,” which looks and feels like an artsy café in the picturesque streets of Stratford-upon-Avon, to welcome people struggling to heat their homes due to sky-high energy prices.

As rising food and energy prices force millions to turn down the thermostat or cut back on hot meals, thousands of warm hubs have sprung up across Britain this winter. Nearly 13,000 of these hubs were identified by the opposition Labour Party’s research. They are located in places as diverse as libraries, churches, community centers, and even a tearoom at King Charles III’s Highgrove country estate and are supported by a combination of charitable, community, and government funding.

A mutual friend told seventh-generation Stratfordian and artist/author Wendy Freeman about the Britain RSC’s welcoming hub. The only heat source in her “tiny house” is a coal fire. The highest inflation since the 1980s has caused a cost-of-living crisis, and she has had to make sacrifices like many others.

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More people in Britain are struggling to make ends meet due to the combined effects of Russia’s war in Ukraine,

Freeman, 69, took advantage of the center’s warm, quiet environment to work on a poem. “You just adapt,” he said. “Simple things like using less water in the tea kettle. I was taught to “save the pennies, and the pounds will look after themselves.” I stick to eating seasonal, home-cooked meals.

She continued, “But it’s nice to go somewhere warm.

More people in Britain are struggling to make ends meet due to the combined effects of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ongoing disruption caused by the pandemic, and the economic aftershocks of Brexit. When Russia invaded Ukraine, it caused the price of natural gas used for heating to skyrocket, pushing the United Kingdom to the verge of a recession. This hit households and businesses particularly hard.

The annual inflation rate in the Bitain United Kingdom was just over 10% in January, with food prices rising by nearly 17% year-over-year. According to the Office of National Statistics, approximately 62% of adults are reducing their natural gas and electricity consumption to cut costs. Survey firm Survation found that one-third of households frequently have trouble making ends meet.

The average Britain household’s energy bill is still double what it was a year ago, despite the decline in oil and natural gas prices from their highs earlier this year. In many cases, prices will increase by 20% on April 1 due to a government-imposed price cap increase.

Former math teacher Anne Bolger discovered the cozy gathering place while out for a stroll and has been a regular visitor ever since. She occasionally stops by to do things like jigsaw puzzles, check email, and study for her math tutoring job.

Today is the day that I appreciate it because it’s so cold at home,” she said.

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The average Britain household’s energy bill is still double what it was a year ago.

The hub operates once per week on Thursday afternoons in the RSC’s smallest of three performance spaces. On Tuesday, the space was occupied by a diverse group of people: theatre workers, actors on their way to rehearsals, and curious onlookers hoping to warm up. Free tea, coffee, Wi-Fi, a sewing table, board games, puzzles, and toys for children are provided.

Bolger, who is 66 years old, praised the store’s conduciveness to creativity Britain. People are meeting, conversing, and working in that area. I feel more connected and alive when I’m out and about, as opposed to at home.

This is exactly the kind of feedback the event planners hoped to receive. Warm hubs are said to alleviate energy poverty and isolation.

“The warmth is in the welcome as much as a warm building to come to,” explained Nicola Salmon, the RSC’s creative place-making manager overseeing the hub. Talking to someone is a natural part of being here.

Stratford, located about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Britain London, is a thriving community thanks largely to its most famous son, William Shakespeare. On cold winter weekdays, visitors can be seen going through streets lined with Tudor-style half-timbering on their way to the birthplace of the Bard, the classroom where he was educated, and his grave in the 13th-century Holy Trinity Church.

Britain warm hub

Warm hubs are an emergency response that looks to be here to stay

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is Stratford’s major employer and cultural institution. According to Salmon, the company’s “warm hub” is an attempt to better connect with the local community. The town is “often perceived as affluent and well-off,” but it has “areas of great deprivation,” he says.

Warm hubs are an emergency response that looks to be here to stay, much like the 2,500 food banks in the United Kingdom.

In 2021, as pandemic restrictions left many rural residents in Britain isolated, the Warwickshire Rural Community Council, a charity serving the county around Stratford, opened a warm mobile hub in the form of a minibus converted into a pop-up outdoor café.

With support from Cadent, the private company that distributes much of Britain’s heating gas, the charity ran five hubs across the county a year ago. With the onset of winter and the accompanying increase in energy costs, the group quickly grew to 90, with services ranging from catered meals to repair clinics and classes on slow cooking to cut down on gas consumption.

A mobile hub will travel five days a week, and about 30 permanent hubs will remain open over the summer.

“People say we shouldn’t be in this situation, and we shouldn’t be,” said Jackie Holcroft, manager of the charity’s Britain warm hubs. To counter that, however, we are. And I think one of the most incredible things is how many people in Warwickshire have volunteered their time to help.

At the end of March, the RSC will shut down its warm space, but preparations are underway for its return in 2019.

Bolger, a regular, expressed his sadness over its impending absence. I don’t want the fuel shortage to last forever, but I hope this place remains operational.
SOURCE – (AP)

Kiara Grace is a staff writer at VORNews, a reputable online publication. Her writing focuses on technology trends, particularly in the realm of consumer electronics and software. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for breaking down complex topics, Kiara delivers insightful analyses that resonate with tech enthusiasts and casual readers alike. Her articles strike a balance between in-depth coverage and accessibility, making them a go-to resource for anyone seeking to stay informed about the latest innovations shaping our digital world.

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Dozens In Italy Give A Fascist Salute On The Anniversary Of Mussolini’s Execution

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AP - VOR News Image

ROME — During the celebrations on Sunday to commemorate the 79th anniversary of the execution of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, numerous individuals performed the fascist salute and vocalized a fascist chant.

Clad in black attire, the adherents of neo-fascism paraded around places in northern Italy where Mussolini was apprehended and put to death after World War II. They also marched at Predappio, the birthplace and burial site of Mussolini.

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AP – VOR News Image

Dozens In Italy Give A Fascist Salute On The Anniversary Of Mussolini’s Execution

Mussolini was apprehended by anti-fascist partisans in Dongo, located on the shores of Lake Como, on April 27, 1945, while attempting to flee with his lover, Clara Petacci, after the Allied forces liberated Italy.

According to footage captured by the LaPresse news agency, a gathering of neo-fascists paraded through Dongo on Sunday, where they solemnly deposited 15 roses into the lake as a tribute to the deceased ministers and executives of the Mussolini government.

The partisans killed Mussolini and Petacci on the next day in the neighboring lakeside town of Mezzegra-Giulino. Commemorations were also conducted there on Sunday. Following a performance of Taps, the person in charge of the commemorations loudly exclaimed, “Comrade Benito Mussolini,” prompting the crowd to respond with a rigid-armed fascist salute and a chant of “present.”

A contingent of police trucks formed a barrier between the protestors in Dongo and the large crowd of protesters singing the renowned partisan anthem “Bella Ciao” during the ceremony.

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AP – VOR News Image

Dozens In Italy Give A Fascist Salute On The Anniversary Of Mussolini’s Execution

Premier Giorgia Meloni coincidentally led her far-right Brothers of Italy party in an election rally in the city of Pescara on the anniversary of Mussolini’s execution. A high-ranking official in Mussolini’s final cabinet founded the Italian Social Movement in 1946, which is where Brothers of Italy gets its name. Following Mussolini’s downfall, the party attracted individuals who sympathized with fascism and former government officials.

Meloni, who became a member of the MSI’s youth branch during her teenage years, has made efforts to separate her party from its neo-fascist origins. She has criticized fascism’s suppression of democracy and emphasized that the Italian right-wing movement relinquished fascism to history several decades ago. On Sunday, Meloni asserted that the left poses a greater threat of totalitarianism to Italy.

She saw that Communist Party members had lodged a formal protest against the tents constructed on the Pescara seafront to host the Brothers of Italy demonstration.

fascist

AP – VOR News Image

Dozens In Italy Give A Fascist Salute On The Anniversary Of Mussolini’s Execution

During this rally, Meloni declared her intention to lead the party’s campaign for the upcoming European Parliament elections in June.

“I observe that the Communist Party continues to exist, and I mention this fact to highlight the current presence of those who long for totalitarianism in Italy,” she stated.

SOURCE – (AP)

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Briton’s Sunak Hints of July 2024 Election

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Briton's Sunak Hints of July 2024 Election

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has not ruled out holding a general election in July, despite widespread uncertainty about the scheduling of the national poll. Sunak has often stated that his “working assumption” is that the election will take place in the second half of this year.

While many observers have projected an autumn referendum, Sky News’ Trevor Phillips suggested to Mr Sunak that it may be as early as July.

“Well, look, when it comes to a general election, I’ve been very clear about that multiple times,” the prime minister was quoted as saying.

Trevor Phillips pressed Mr Sunak five times during his interview, which will air in full on Sunday at 8.30am, on whether he would rule out a general election in July, but the Conservative leader refused to confirm or deny whether it may take place at that time.

“You’re going to try and draw whatever conclusion you want from what I say,” he told the audience. “I will always strive to say the same thing. You should just listen to what I said, which has been the same for the past year.

But the point is, there is an option in the general election. And look, over the last week or so… the country has a very clear idea of what that change will look like.”

Mr Sunak outlined his recent commitments to overhauling the welfare system, cutting taxes, and increasing defense spending, as well as finally getting his Rwanda bill through parliament to address small boat crossings, saying: “That is the substance of what this government is about and what it will do in the future.

“And when the election comes, there will be a clear choice, because the Labour Party has attempted to stymie our Rwanda law, because they do not believe in stopping the boats, and their economic strategy would raise people’s taxes.

“They haven’t said that they will invest more in our defence and they certainly don’t agree with reforming our welfare system to support people into work.”

Labour has stated that it intends to equal the increase in defence spending when budgetary conditions allow, and has committed to repeal the Rwanda bill if elected.

This week, the party’s pre-election focus has been on railways, threatening to renationalize train operators and “sweep away” the current “broken” model if it wins the election.

Sunak Investigated In UK Over Possible Undeclared Interest

Sunak Investigated In UK Over Possible Undeclared Interest

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King Charles III Resumes Public Duties After Cancer Treatment

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King Charles III Resumes Public Duties
King Charles III: Image Buckinham Palace

King Charles III is returning to royal duties next week after a three-month hiatus to focus on his treatment and recovery after being diagnosed with an unidentified type of cancer, Buckingham Palace announced Friday.

Charles will commemorate the occasion by visiting a cancer treatment center on Tuesday, the first of several public appearances planned for the coming weeks, according to the palace. One of his first significant obligations will be to welcome a state visit by Japan’s emperor and empress in June.

The palace stated that the king’s doctors are “very encouraged” by his improvement, but it is too early to determine how long his therapy will endure. It did not specify what type of treatment he is undergoing.

Charles will continue to do all of his official obligations, including examining government documents and meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, as he has since his diagnosis on February 5, according to the palace.

“As the one-year anniversary of the coronation approaches, their majesties remain deeply grateful for the many kindnesses and good wishes they have received from around the world throughout the joys and challenges of the past year,” the palace said in a statement.

King Charles Slimming Down the Monarchy

Charles’ homecoming will relieve pressure on other members of the royal family, since the king’s absence, combined with that of the Princess of Wales, who was also ill, underlined the issues faced by a slimmed-down monarchy.

With the king’s commitment to cut costs and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex — more commonly known as Prince Harry and Meghan — deciding to step down from royal duties, there are simply fewer family members available to carry out the never-ending round of ribbon cuttings, awards ceremonies, and state events that comprise a modern royal’s life.

Charles has remained largely out of the public eye since undergoing treatment for an enlarged prostate in January. His later cancer diagnosis occurred as one of the most popular royals, the Princess of Wales, underwent stomach surgery and later revealed that she, too, had cancer. Prince William took time off to support his wife and their small children.

That left Queen Camilla, the king’s sister Princess Anne, and his younger brother, Prince Edward, to bear the burden.

Camilla, who was formerly despised by the public for her participation in the dissolution of Charles’ marriage to Princess Diana, took on an especially prominent role during the king’s absence, filling in for her husband at significant events such as the traditional Royal Maundy ceremony on the Thursday before Easter.

Modernizing the Monarchy

King Charles homecoming will provide an opportunity for him to revive his reign, which began in September 2022 with expectations that he would modernize the monarchy while reaching out to young people and minority groups to consolidate the royal family’s status in the twenty-first century.

Charles’ challenges include developing ties with the Commonwealth and the 14 independent countries outside the United Kingdom where the British monarch remains head of state, which some see as an unpleasant reminder of Britain’s colonial past.

The king’s return is essential because it will help to settle rumors about his health, according to royal historian George Gross, who cited Queen Elizabeth II’s maxim that the monarch must be seen to be believed.

“I think there is that feeling that it’s very difficult to have a functioning monarchy with the head of state away for any significant length of time,” said Gross, who founded the British Coronations Project at King’s College London. “And this felt like a long time.”

The palace stated that Charles’ obligations in the next months will be adjusted as needed to reduce any risks to his rehabilitation. He will not have a full summer program, and his attendance will be chosen closer to each event and in consultation with his doctors.

The summer months are typically a busy time for the royals, with significant events like the monarch’s birthday parade, known as Trooping the Colour, and the horse races at Royal Ascot.

The majority of these showcase events take place outside, which reduces the danger of infection for a cancer patient whose immune system may be compromised.

The public will gladly welcome Charles’ comeback, thanks in part to his decision to publicize his initial prostate ailment and subsequently his cancer diagnosis, which prompted many people to consult with their doctors, according to Gross.

“The monarch has seen that he can do good by discussing health and raising awareness of cancer,” he told The Associated Press. “I believe that’s at the top of this. And it is truly remarkable when a head of state can do good. That’s enormous.”

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