Oxford IonicsA story about the unveiling of a chip that experts have said could be “pivotal” to creating effective quantum computers was among our most read articles this week in Oxfordshire.
A variety of local issues were featured on the BBC News website, BBC Radio Oxford and South Today.
We have picked five of them to keep you up to date.
Mixed welcome for Blenheim Palace’s European summit
Sir Keir Starmer had an an early opportunity to make a good impression with fellow European leaders at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire.
He hosted about 50 leaders for the fourth European Political Community summit on Thursday.
The World Heritage Site, usually a big pull to the town, had been closed since the previous weekend and road closures remained in place until Friday.
But outside the cordon in Woodstock, a stone’s throw from the palace, the summit got a mixed reception.
School’s Three Lions is ‘brilliant’, says comedian
Comedian David Baddiel said an Oxford school’s rewrite of the iconic song Three Lions was “so brilliant and so moving”.
St Nicolas CE Primary School in Abingdon had been getting ready for the Euros final between England and Spain – which England went on to lose 2-1.
Headteacher, Mr Spooner, rewrote the lyrics to the song, originally produced and performed by Baddiel, Frank Skinner and The Lightning Seeds in 1996.
‘Pivotal’ quantum computing chip unveiled
Oxford IonicsA chip that experts have said could be “pivotal” to creating effective quantum computers has been unveiled.
Oxford Ionics has said its chip can be mass-produced and means the world’s first useful quantum computer could be built in three years’ time.
The new technology makes it possible to do very complex calculations extremely quickly and solve problems too difficult for regular computers.
Locals outraged as problematic works delayed again
The news that a major traffic artery into Oxford will remain closed for the foreseeable future has been met with disdain from residents, politicians and businesses alike.
The Botley Road was closed for six months as part of a £161m Network Rail project to expand Oxford station and improve services in April 2023.
However, a planned break in construction was cancelled and the reopening of the road was pushed back to October 2024 – with Network Rail now saying this deadline will not be met either.
‘Rancid’ smell in town caused by landfill liquids
Getty ImagesA “disgusting” and “rancid” smell upsetting town residents has been identified as ponds of waste liquid that have collected at a nearby landfill.
The aromas drifting across Didcot from the facility near Sutton Courtenay have been described to the BBC by locals as smelling like sewage, manure or “a bin that hasn’t been changed in a very long time”.
The Environment Agency (EA) said it was caused by a liquid, known as leachate, which drains from landfill sites.