6:37 am, October 24, 2023
Hamas frees two women as US advises delaying invasion
The Foreign Office has said it will ‘continue to work tirelessly’ on securing the release of more hostages after a British citizen confirmed that her mother had been freed by Hamas.
Sharone Lifschitz spoke of her relief that her mother, Yocheved Lifschitz, 85, was handed over by the Palestinian militants, along with fellow Israeli citizen Nurit Cooper, 79, yesterday evening.
The United States has advised Tel Aviv to delay an expected ground invasion to allow time to negotiate the release of more captives.
Scotland’s Covid-19 inquiry to begin
The Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry will begin today and will investigate the response by the Scottish government to the pandemic.
The first phase of hearings will examine the health and social care impacts of the pandemic, while later phases will look at education and young people, business and financial and welfare support.
The Scottish Covid Bereaved group said that as of June 4 2023, there had been 17,646 deaths in Scotland where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, according to the National Records of Scotland.
Estate agent Chestertons sold to European property services group
One of the world’s oldest estate agents, Chestertons UK, has been sold to a European technology giant.
The deal – believed to be worth around £100m – comes nearly two decades since the struggling firm was rescued from near-collapse.
Mercantile Group, which has owned Chestertons since 2005, announced the sale to Campions Group Ltd, which is a subsidiary of real estate services and technology provider Emeria.
Ticket office closure plans going ‘too far, too fast’, say MPs
Plans that would see the widespread closure of ticket offices go ‘too far, too fast’, cross-party MPs have warned.
The Commons transport committee has written to rail minister Huw Merriman to express its concern in particular about how office closures would impact on disabled passengers.
Ticket offices across the country face closure under controversial plans that unions and campaigners say will lead to job losses and difficulties for passengers such as elderly and disabled people in paying for travel.
US oil giant Chevron agrees multi-billion-dollar deal to buy Hess
US energy giant Chevron has announced a deal to buy oil producer Hess for $53bn (circa £44bn).
Chevron said yesterday that the acquisition adds a major oil field in Guyana as well as shale sites in the Bakken Formation in North Dakota.
The deal is targeted to close in the first half of next year and still needs approval by Hess shareholders, who stand to receive 1.0250 Chevron shares for each Hess share.
Shamima Begum’s legal fight reaches Court of Appeal
Shamima Begum’s legal fight over the decision to deprive her of her British citizenship is set to reach the Court of Appeal today for a three-day hearing.
The 24-year-old, whose lawyers say should be viewed as a victim of child trafficking, previously lost a challenge against the decision to strip her of her citizenship on national security grounds.
Begum was 15 when she travelled from Bethnal Green through Turkey and into territory controlled by the so-called Islamic State group in 2015. Her citizenship was revoked in February 2019.
Nicola Sturgeon passes driving test first time
Nicola Sturgeon has passed her driving test at the first attempt, just months after leaving Bute House.
Scotland’s former first minister quit in March, with one of the 53-year-old’s goals being to learn to drive.
‘The whole experience has taken me well out of any notion of a comfort zone, but hopefully proves that it’s never too late in life to do something new,’ she said in an Instagram post.
Toyota gives hint of future electric Land Cruiser with concept
Toyota could be set to introduce a new electric version of its Land Cruiser four-wheel-drive.
The firm has already revealed a new incarnation of its famous off-roader, but while that one will use reasonably traditional engine set-ups, this concept – called Land Cruiser Se – will adopt a fully electric powertrain.
Toyota has yet to give any full details about the Se’s range or performance, but the Se is set to make its debut at this week’s Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo.
Read the full story here.
World’s oldest dog dies in Portugal aged 31
A 31-year-old dog in Portugal who had been named the world’s oldest ever has died, his owner said yesterday.
The guard dog, called Bobi, died over the weekend in a veterinary hospital, Leonel Costa told The Associated Press.
Bobi, who lived on a farm in the village of Conqueiros, was born on May 11, 1992 when his owner was just eight years old. Earlier this year, Costa said the secret of Bobi’s long life was good food, fresh air and lots of love.
Yesterday’s headlines on Car Dealer you might have missed
- Used Car Awards 2023 Shortlist: The car dealers in the frame for our big night
- Exclusive: Big Motoring World snaps up two Available Car sites and aims for £1bn turnover
- Howard Garages sees profits tumble despite ‘successful’ year
- Cambria launches investment firm to support automotive entrepreneurs
- Inchcape Jaguar Land Rover dealership underwater as Storm Babet batters country
- Podcast: Pendragon latest on the agenda with Car Quay’s Jamie Caple and Craig Vladimirovs
Market movements
The FTSE 100 closed 27.31 points down yesterday to end the day on 7,374.83. The Cac 40, meanwhile, was up 34.25 points at 6,850.47, the Dax was up 2.25 points at 14,800.72 but the Dow Jones was down 190.87 points at 32,936.41.
Weather outlook
Central areas will have spells of persistent rain today spreading slowly northwards, says BBC Weather. It’ll be drier, with variable cloud in the north, but the south will have sunny spells and showers, while the east will experience breezes.
Wednesday will start cloudy and cool, with light and patchy rain in eastern areas. There’ll be sunnier skies in central and southern areas during the day, but it’ll be overcast in the north, while the south-west will have rain later.
