6:45 am, August 30, 2023
Repatriation flights to set off for Gatwick after air traffic control fault
The first easyJet repatriation flights returning passengers to the UK following an air traffic control (ATC) fault will set off for London Gatwick as disruption continues.
EasyJet announced it will run five repatriation flights to London Gatwick, with the first two set to take off on Wednesday.
The airline said: ‘During this traditionally very busy week for travel, options for returning to the UK are more limited on some routes and so easyJet will be operating five repatriation flights to London Gatwick over the coming days from Palma and Faro on August 30, and Tenerife and Enfidha on August 31 and from Rhodes on September 1. We are also operating larger aircraft on key routes including Faro, Ibiza, Dalaman and Tenerife to provide some additional 700 seats this week.’
Foreign secretary visits Beijing as MPs call for unclassified China strategy
Foreign secretary James Cleverly is set to embark on a visit to Beijing on Wednesday against the backdrop of criticism from MPs regarding the government’s approach to China.
In the first visit to China by a UK foreign secretary in more than five years, Cleverly will engage in bilateral meetings with Chinese officials, addressing issues ranging from climate change to international security, while emphasising Beijing’s responsibility on the global stage.
The trip takes places as the Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC) calls for a more structured and comprehensive approach to dealing with China’s assertiveness and its potential impact on the UK’s interests and global stability. In a new 87-page report focused on the ‘Tilt to the Indo-Pacific’ announced in the Integrated Review, MPs highlighted the urgency of an unclassified China strategy that encompasses not only trade and security but also diplomatic engagement, human rights, and technological cooperation
Police force to fly flags at half mast for officer who died saving man’s life
A police force is to fly flags at half-mast for a ‘hugely respected’ officer who died after being hit by a train as he attempted to save a distressed man on the tracks.
Sergeant Graham Saville, a response officer based at Newark Police Station, suffered serious injuries after he was hit in Balderton, near Newark-on-Trent, on August 24. The 46-year-old was taken to Queen’s Medical Centre and died on Tuesday, according to Nottinghamshire Police.
The force has said that flags across the force will be flown at half-mast as a mark of respect to the ‘popular colleague’.
More ‘zombie-style’ knives to be banned as police given seize and destroy powers
More ‘zombie-style’ knives and machetes with no practical use are to be banned and police will be given more powers to seize and destroy them, the government has said.
The maximum sentence for the importation, manufacturing, possession and sale of these newly proscribed weapons will be two years, the Home Office said. A new offence will also be introduced for possessing bladed articles ‘with the intention to endanger life or cause fear of violence’.
The government said the measures, first proposed in April, will be legislated ‘when Parliament allows’ following a public consultation.
Khan ‘shelves plans to charge fossil fuel cars driving into central London’
Sadiq Khan has shelved plans to potentially charge all combustion-engined cars driving into central London, it has been reported, after he spent Tuesday defending the expansion of the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez).
Proposals outlined in the Mayor’s 2018 transport strategy for a ‘zero emission zone’ in the heart of the capital have been dropped, the Financial Times reported.
The Mayor’s 2018 transport strategy had argued it may be necessary to introduce ‘disincentives’ to phase out fossil fuel vehicles altogether, suggesting combustion-engined cars could “pay road user charges” for driving in certain areas.
Post-Brexit border checks delayed for fifth time
The implementation of post-Brexit border checks on food products coming from the EU has been delayed for a fifth time, the government has confirmed.
The first stage of the UK’s new border model, originally set for October, is now delayed to January 2024, with physical checks and other requirements coming in throughout the next year.
The Cabinet Office said: ‘Having listened to the views of industry, the government has agreed to a delay of three months for the introduction of remaining sanitary and phytosanitary controls, as well as full customs controls for non-qualifying Northern Ireland goods, which will now be introduced from January 2024.’
Wilko pauses redundancies as administrators consider rescue bids, says union
Wilko has suspended redundancies while administrators consider rescue offers, according to the GMB union.
The union, which represents more than 3,000 of Wilko’s 12,500 staff, said it met with administrators on Tuesday morning.
Wilko tumbled into administration earlier this month, putting the future of its 400 stores across the UK into doubt. The union said on Tuesday it discussed a number of potential bids to save the stricken high street chain with the insolvency experts.
Tuesday Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- VW Group to buy semiconductor chips directly to avoid crippling bottlenecks
- Luxury car dealership Imperials looks to transform showroom
- Toyota production grinds to a halt across all factories in Japan after computer problem
- Judge condemns used car dealer for selling ‘dangerous’ SUV
- Auto Trader reveals which used car prices have risen most this month with shock model coming out on top
- Cox Automotive backs AI to become a ‘powerful tool’ to motor trade despite industry lagging ‘a little behind’
US government fights planned expedition to Titanic
The US government is trying to stop a planned expedition to recover items of historical interest from the sunken Titanic, citing an international agreement that treat the shipwreck as a hallowed gravesite.
The expedition is being organised by RMS Titanic Inc, the Georgia-based firm that owns the salvage rights to the world’s most famous shipwreck.
The company exhibits artefacts that have been recovered from the wreck site at the bottom of the North Atlantic, from silverware to a piece of the Titanic’s hull. The battle in the US District Court in Norfolk, Virginia, which oversees Titanic salvage matters, hinges instead on federal law and a pact with the UK to treat the sunken Titanic as a memorial to the more than 1,500 people who died.
Porsche’s Turbo E-Hybrid is the most powerful Cayenne ever made
Porsche has released the most powerful model in its range of SUVs – the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid.
Arriving as the range-topping model in the Cayenne line-up, the new Turbo E-Hybrid combines a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine with an electric motor and battery for a total output of 729bhp and 950Nm of torque. Because of this, it can manage the 0-60mph sprint in just 3.5 seconds and will carry on to a top speed of 183mph.
Thanks to a 25.9kWh battery, it can travel for up to 51 miles on battery power alone, improving the previous car’s 19-mile electric-only range. The Turbo E-Hybrid is the second of three hybrid models that will be released during 2023. It’s available to order now with prices starting from £130,200.
Weather
The far north and western areas will start the day with showers. Cloud and further showers will appear in other areas during the day, some potentially thundery, says BBC Weather. A bit cooler today with highs go 19 degrees in the Midlands and the south-east.
Showers will clear this evening leaving clear skies for a short time, before spells of rain move in overnight.
