6:58 am, April 15, 2024
G7 leaders urge de-escalation and ‘stand ready’ after Iran attack on Israel
Leaders of the G7 have ‘unequivocally’ condemned Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel and warned that the risk of an “uncontrollable regional escalation” must be avoided.
In a joint statement following an urgent call on Sunday, countries including the UK and US said they ‘stand ready to take further measures now and in response to further destabilising initiatives’.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak earlier confirmed that British RAF jets shot down a number of Iranian drones after the country announced it had launched retaliatory action on its long-standing enemy.
Homes with heat pumps and EVs are more ‘energy patriotic’, analysis claims
Households with insulation and clean tech such as heat pumps and electric cars are more ‘energy patriotic’ as they rely far less on imported fuels, a think tank has claimed.
Analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) found homes using heat pumps, insulation and electric vehicles make more use of British energy and use less than half the imported fuel of a household reliant on gas and petrol.
People who want to be ‘energy patriotic’ should be buying British by switching from gas boilers and petrol cars to cleaner alternatives that run on electricity increasingly powered by domestic wind and solar energy, ECIU suggested.
Hundreds of Manchester Arena bombing survivors take legal action against MI5
More than 250 survivors of the Manchester Arena bombing are taking legal action against MI5, lawyers representing them have confirmed.
Legal teams representing injured survivors of the bombing in 2017 that killed 22 people said they had collectively submitted a group claim to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.
Last year, MI5 director-general Ken McCallum expressed ‘deep regret’ that intelligence was not gathered which may have stopped suicide bomber Salman Abedi in his tracks, as he said he was “profoundly sorry” that MI5 was unable to prevent the atrocity.
Restrict what new drivers can do on the road to cut ‘needless deaths’ – AA
Limiting what new drivers can do on the road will cut ‘needless deaths’, ministers have been told.
The AA said motorists should be prevented from carrying passengers of a similar age for at least six months after passing their test.
It also called for new drivers to be required to keep a record showing they have driven on all types of roads.
The weekend’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Car dealers counting the cost as fraud and ghost brokers push up price of motor trade insurance
- Bowker Group manager to run first marathon 11 years after nearly losing leg
- GWM Ora to inspect condition of EV car batteries after crashes to cut waste
Police say Sydney attacker was known to police but had not been charged
The man who killed six people in a knife attack at a shopping centre in Sydney was known to police, but had not been arrested or charged before he committed the attack on Saturday, police said.
Joel Cauchi, 40, from Queensland, was identified by New South Wales police on Sunday after he was killed by a police officer during the attack at the Westfield shopping centre at Bondi Junction in the east of Sydney.
The lone knifeman attacked shoppers on Saturday afternoon and police said they do not think the attack was motivated by terrorism.
Call to reinstate hard shoulder on smart motorways a year after projects axed
Ministers are being urged to reinstate the hard shoulder on smart motorways.
The RAC issued the plea exactly a year after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cancelled all future planned smart motorway projects, citing financial pressures and a lack of public confidence in the roads.
It is a day after the 10-year anniversary of the first stretch of all-lane running (ALR) smart motorway – using the hard shoulder as a permanent live traffic lane – opening on the M25 in Hertfordshire.
Sunak braced for fresh wrangling over Rwanda Bill as Parliament returns
Rishi Sunak is braced for a fresh round of parliamentary wrangling over his Bill to save the Government’s stalled Rwanda deportation scheme, as MPs and peers head back to Westminster this week.
The Commons returns from Easter recess on Monday with the legislation high on the agenda after a minister insisted flights carrying asylum seekers to Kigali should be taking off ‘within weeks’.
MPs will consider amendments to the Safety of Rwanda Bill by the House of Lords, which inflicted a series of defeats against the controversial policy before rising for the spring break.
Heavy rain and winds on Monday to be followed by drier week across the UK
Temperatures will be slightly chillier than average with significantly less rainfall from Tuesday as the country recovers from a wet and windy start to 2024, forecasters have said.
The Met Office said today (Mon) will be the wettest day of the week as a band of rain pushes its way south-eastwards overnight, causing widespread rainfall across the country accompanied by strong, chilly winds.
Temperatures will generally sit a little below their April average with particularly cold starts in Scotland, where cities such as Edinburgh and Glasgow are predicted to see early morning lows of 2C or 3C.
