6:52 am, February 11, 2023
RMT union rejects ‘final offers’ from Network Rail and train operating companies
The biggest rail workers’ union has rejected what the Transport Secretary has described as the ‘best and final offers’ aimed at resolving the long-running disputes over pay, jobs and conditions.
Mark Harper described the move by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) to reject the proposals from Network Rail and the train operating companies as ‘a kick in the teeth for passengers’.
He said it is clear ‘no realistic offer’ will be accepted by the union as hopes faded that the dispute will be resolved any time soon.
UK narrowly avoided recession as the economy flatlined at the end of 2022
The UK’s economy flatlined in the last three months of 2022, helping it to avoid a recession by the thinnest of margins, new data show.
The Office for National Statistics recorded 0.0 per cent growth in gross domestic product (GDP) in the fourth quarter.
Anything below zero would have pushed the economy into recession. A recession is generally defined in the UK as two quarters of declining GDP in a row and the economy contracted 0.2 per cent in the third quarter.
Three arrested amid ‘shocking scenes of violence’ during protest over refugees
Three people have been arrested after “deeply shocking” violent scenes outside a hotel where asylum seekers were staying in Merseyside on Friday.
Merseyside Police said they were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder and taken to police stations to be questioned, after protesters hurled missiles and damaged a police van.
Officers in Prescot, Knowsley, were dealing with two groups of protesters after a demonstration descended into chaos outside the Suites Hotel in Ribblers Lane.
Just Stop Oil activists found guilty over Silverstone track protest
Six Just Stop Oil climate change protesters have been found guilty of risking ‘serious harm’ to Formula One drivers and race marshals during a track invasion at last year’s British Grand Prix.
Jurors at Northampton Crown Court convicted the four men and two women of causing a public nuisance after being shown footage of five of them sitting on and being dragged off the circuit at Silverstone as two Formula One cars passed close by.
Alasdair Gibson and Louis McKechnie, both 22; Bethany Mogie, 40; David Baldwin, 47; Emily Brocklebank, 24; and 29-year-old Joshua Smith all claimed the “meticulous” protest did not risk serious harm.
FTSE closes weaker after stagnant GDP reading
The FTSE 100 and other European markets took a backwards step on Friday after a positive march in recent sessions.
The British stock index moved 0.36 per cent, or 28.7 points, lower to finish at 7,882.45 after swallowing early morning figures from the Office for National Statistics confirming that the UK economy stagnated in the final three months of 2022.
Elsewhere in Europe, the Dax fell by 1.44 per cent, and the French Cac 40 declined by 0.88 per cent at close.
Friday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Mercedes ‘delighted’ with agency model feedback despite mixed reaction and market share dip
- Chinese auto giant Chery to launch Omoda 5 SUV in UK in 2024
- Mercedes-Benz appears before High Court for first time over emissions scandal claims
- Land Rover dominates lists of brands and models that made dealers the best margins in January
- Mazda’s global sales sink by more than 14 per cent over nine-month period
- Tributes pour in for Paul Winfield after former Motorpoint director passes away at 68
- Ford Fiesta named UK’s best-selling used car of 2022 in the same year Ford announced plans to axe model
Appeal to help earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria raises £32m in 24 hours
An appeal to help the victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria has raised more than £30m in just 24 hours.
Donations from the King and Queen Consort, as well as the Prince and Princess of Wales, helped the Disasters Emergency Committee’s (DEC) fund soar to £32.9m, including £5m from the Government in matched funding.
The DEC’s appeal is helping 14 British charities respond to a natural disaster that has killed more than 21,000 people and injured thousands more.
Nicola Bulley’s partner: My first gut instinct was she is not in the river
The partner of missing mother-of-two Nicola Bulley says it has always been his “gut instinct” that she is not in the river.
Ms Bulley vanished while walking her springer spaniel dog Willow alongside the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre on January 27.
Speaking to 5 News presenter Dan Walker, Paul Ansell said he wants to keep ‘all options open’ about her disappearance.
Maybach introduces first plug-in hybrid
Mercedes-Maybach has revealed its first plug-in hybrid with the S580e – an electrified version of its luxurious saloon.
Maybach serves as Mercedes’ luxury division, creating versions of models such as the S-Class saloon and GLS SUV that are more bespoke.
Using the same hybrid powertrain as on the regular S-Class, the S580e pairs a 3.0-litre inline six petrol engine with an electric motor for a combined 503bhp and 750Nm of torque, allowing for 0-60mph time of under five seconds.
Weather outlook…
Today is expected to be a settled day, with plenty of cloud around. There will be some brighter spells in spots, these more frequent in the afternoon. A few spots of light rain in the far north, the BBC reports.
Tonight will continue to see cloudy skies for most of the UK, with some lingering spells of light rain in north-west Scotland. A few clearer spells in north-east and south-west Britain.
Tomorrow, northern and western areas will become brighter with a mix of sunny spells and areas of low cloud, but elsewhere it will remain cloudy. The odd spot of drizzle likely in the far north-west.
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