6:40 am, August 24, 2022
Turn Olivia’s killer in, urge police
The people of Liverpool have been urged to turn in the masked gunman who killed a nine-year-old girl as he chased his intended target into her home.
Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said the ‘shocking’ killing of Olivia Pratt-Korbel ‘crosses every single boundary’, as the force appealed to the ‘criminal fraternity’ in Liverpool for information.
Olivia died on Monday night when a 35-year-old man, unknown to the family, ran into her terraced house in Kingsheath Avenue in an attempt to get away from a gunman, police said.
TUC calls for move to minimum wage of £15 an hour
The Trades Union Congress has called for action from the government to set about increasing the minimum wage to £15 an hour ‘as soon as possible’.
It comes amid a summer of significant industrial action as leading unions have raised frustrations over declines in real pay amid soaring inflation.
The current minimum wage for workers aged 23 and over is £9.50 – with lower rates for younger employees.
Thames Water brings in hosepipe ban
Thames Water has brought in a hosepipe ban from today.
The company, which supplies 15m people, said water levels in its reservoirs were ‘much lower than usual’ when it announced the ban.
It joins Welsh Water, Southern Water, South East Water and South West Water in implementing bans, with Yorkshire Water following suit on Friday (Aug 26) – meaning more than 29.4m customers across the UK will be prohibited from using hosepipes by the end of the week.
More waste workers walk out
The mountains of rubbish that have greeted festival-goers and made Edinburgh residents’ lives misery are set to become a familiar sight across Scotland as waste workers at more councils walk out.
From today, staff at 13 local authorities, including Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen, will join those in the Scottish capital and strike as unions ratchet up the pressure in their pay dispute.
Trade unions were offered a five per cent pay rise by Cosla, the body representing local government, but despite ‘productive’ talks a deal wasn’t reached.
Living standards satisfaction plunges ahead of energy bills hike
Satisfaction with UK living standards and income has plunged to its lowest point since 2014 amid predictions of Friday’s new energy price cap topping £3,500, a Which? survey out today suggests.
Some 93 per cent of 2,090 consumers polled said they were worried about energy prices.
Just over half of consumers (55 per cent) are currently satisfied with their standards of living, while only 39 per cent are content with their household income and 34 per cent are happy with their savings.
Eurotunnel passengers forced to leave train beneath Channel
Eurotunnel passengers had to be evacuated from a train after it broke down beneath the English Channel.
They were transferred to a cargo train but complained of being stuck in the sub-sea tunnel for nearly five hours, citing issues with the replacement transport.
The initial breakdown late yesterday affected the 3.50pm Eurotunnel Le Shuttle service from Calais to Folkestone and led to hundreds of passengers being ushered into a service tunnel.
Charles announces forum seeking to build sustainable future
The Prince of Wales is looking to the public and private sectors to help build a more sustainable future.
Charles has announced that business leaders from across the globe will gather, via his Sustainable Markets Initiative and its Terra Carta Action Forum, in Sharm El Sheikh on November 7 and 8.
The forum is to take place at this year’s Cop27 climate talks and in the hope of accelerating the transition to a sustainable future.
Skoda Vision 7S concept sketches released
Skoda has released a series of sketches depicting the exterior design of a potential new seven-seater in its range.
The concept – called Vision 7S – showcases a new look for the Czech brand’s cars, with a sharply designed front end incorporating headlights positioned out to the edge of the vehicle and arranged in two rows.
They also show that the large wheels have been aerodynamically shaped to help cut through the air more easily.
Tuesday Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Serial car thief ordered to pay just £34 despite stealing luxury vehicles worth £140,000 from dealerships
- Britishvolt founder quits in wake of leaked documents that say battery cell company is on ‘life support’
- Renault and Stellantis confirm return to normal output at plants
- McLaren poised to open its first showroom in India
Sir Cliff Richard reflects on physical toll of Operation Yewtree false claims
Sir Cliff Richard has said doctors warned him that a case of shingles he developed after being falsely accused of historical sex offences had the potential to blind him.
The 81-year-old singer describes the physical toll the allegations took on him in a new documentary, entitled The Accused: National Treasures On Trial, due to air on Channel 4 at 9pm today.
Alongside radio DJs Paul Gambaccini and Neil Fox, Sir Cliff was investigated but cleared as part of Operation Yewtree and one of its subsequent investigations, which were launched 10 years ago in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal.
Market movements
The FTSE dropped by 45.68 points yesterday to close on 7,488.11. Meanwhile, the Cac 40 lost 16.72 points, ending on 6,362.02, the Dax was down 36.34 points, finishing on 13,194.23, and the Dow Jones dropped 154.02 points to 32,909.59.
Weather outlook
Rain will clear early today in Scotland but northern England and Wales will remain cloudy with heavy rain, says BBC Weather. The south-east will be very warm with sunshine, and it’ll be mainly sunny and dry in Northern Ireland.
Thursday will be cloudy in the south-east with heavy bursts of rain and the possibility of thunder. Western Scotland and Northern Ireland will see scattered showers, and it’ll be drier elsewhere with sunny spells.
