6:42 am, August 26, 2023
Revellers heading to Notting Hill Carnival and festivals to be hit by strike
Rail passengers will face fresh travel disruption on Saturday because of another strike in the deadlocked dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
Around 20,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at 14 train operators will walk out, crippling services across England.
The latest stoppage in the row, now in its second year, comes as no progress has been made with rail operators, which the union says are ‘hamstrung’ by the government refusing to give them a mandate to make a revised pay offer. The RMT is also planning a strike on September 2, while members of the drivers union Aslef are taking strike action on September 1, threatening days of disruption.
British Museum deputy director steps back after boss quits over theft probe
The head of the British Museum has resigned and his deputy has stepped back in the wake of a scandal over stolen artefacts that has prompted a police investigation.
Director Hartwig Fischer and deputy director Jonathan Williams both announced their decisions on Friday.
German art historian, Fischer, said the situation facing the London museum was ‘of the utmost seriousness’ and that responsibility for the failure ‘must ultimately rest with the director’.
Police officer hit by train while helping distressed man on railway tracks
A police officer is in a serious condition after being hit by a train while trying to save a distressed man who was on the tracks.
Nottinghamshire Police said officers were deployed to a residential area in Balderton, near Newark-on-Trent, just before 7pm on Thursday, over concerns for a man’s safety.
An officer was hit by a train and left with serious injuries. He was taken to Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham. The man on the railway lines was also injured and taken to hospital, but his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
Tornados confirmed as Michigan storms kill five people
At least four tornados touched down in Michigan as part of severe storms powered by strong winds that killed five people in the US state.
The storms also brought down trees, tore roofs off buildings and left hundreds of thousands of customers without power, officials said.
The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF-1 tornado with winds of 90mph crossed from Ingham County into the western edge of adjacent Livingston County on Thursday night. A weaker EF-0 tornado with peak winds of 80mph was on the ground for less than two miles in Wayne County’s Canton Township, west of Detroit, the weather service said. That tornado caused a tree to fall onto a house, said meteorologist Sara Schultz.
Bills to rise by £40 for people in small flats this winter despite price cap cut
People who live in flats or one-bed houses will generally end up worse off this winter than they were during the last one after Ofgem revealed its new price cap on Friday.
Figures analysed by the PA news agency suggest that the average annualised bill for a flat or one-bedroom house with one to two people will be £1,346 between October and December this year. Last year the same flat’s annual bill was £1,306 after government grants are counted, leaving occupants £40 worse off in the final three months of this year than they were last winter.
Meanwhile, houses with four or more bedrooms, with around four and five people in them, will be around £433 better off. Their typical bills will fall from £3,483 to £2,650 even when taking grants into account.
Two men arrested after fire at Crooked House pub released on police bail
Two men arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life after a fire at the Crooked House pub have been released on bail.
A 66-year-old man, from Dudley, and a 33-year-old man, from Milton Keynes, were questioned in custody by officers investigating the blaze at the pub in Himley, West Midlands, at around 10.45pm on August 5.
On Friday, both men were released under conditional police bail as Staffordshire Police’s investigation continued.
Heineken sells Russian business at loss of £256m
Brewing giant Heineken has completed its exit from Russia, around 18 months after the invasion of Ukraine.
The Dutch firm, which also makes Amstel and Birra Moretti beers, said it has now secured the sale of the business, which includes seven breweries, to Russian company Arnest Group for 1 euro. It said it expects to incur a total loss of 300m euro (£256m) as a result.
Bosses at the brewer admitted it ‘took much longer than we had hoped’, after it faced criticism for the slow pace of its exit in the wake of the outbreak of war. Heineken had insisted it was seeking to look after its local employees in Russia.
Volkswagen’s California Concept showcases future of iconic camper
Volkswagen has given a glimpse of its upcoming California replacement with an eye-catching new concept.
Said to be in ‘near production’ form, the California Concept – which is based on the current Multivan showcases a bold new look as well as a range of enhancements that make it even more practical inside.
These include sliding doors on each side, the fitment of an awning and a sun sail, and a kitchen that’s accessible from outside the vehicle. New luxuries include a wooden-topped folding table and a multifunctional tablet attached to the kitchen area, which controls the electric roof and ambient lighting, among other features.
Weather
An unsettled day for the UK, with cloud and heavy showers expected. The cloud will be thickest in northern Scotland, while England and Wales will see the heaviest showers, reports BBC Weather. Highs of 22 degrees in the south-east of England.
Showers will clear for most parts, leaving a clear night. However, rain will linger in the south-west and south-east of England.
