6:13 am, January 21, 2024
Storm Isha to batter whole of UK
Storm Isha is set to batter ‘everybody’ in the UK with wind and rain during a ‘rare’ weather cycle, forecasters say.
Winds of up to 80mph will swoop in later on Sunday, potentially causing power cuts and loss of mobile phone signal, while roads and bridges are likely to be shut and transport services could face delays and cancellations in some areas.
Nearly four inches of rain could fall over a few hours in some regions and cause localised flooding, with eight flood warnings already in place across England. The Met Office has issued amber weather warnings for wind for northern and western England, Wales, Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland from Sunday into Monday. Another one will come in across parts of Sussex and Kent during Monday morning.
Detectives investigating Norfolk deaths not seeking anyone else
Detectives investigating the deaths of four members of the same family at a house in Norfolk have confirmed they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the tragedy.
The bodies of two young girls, a 36-year-old woman and a 45-year-old man were found at an address in Costessey, Norfolk, on Friday morning.
A man called 999 from the property on Allan Bedford Crescent at around 6am that day, but police were not dispatched there. Officers made the discovery around an hour and 15 minutes later. Norfolk Constabulary has referred itself to the police watchdog over the delay.
Jeremy Hunt promises more tax cuts
Jeremy Hunt has compared himself to tax-cutting former chancellor Nigel Lawson as he and Rishi Sunak dangled the prospect of further giveaways in the spring Budget.
The Chancellor said the Government’s ‘plan is working’ and ‘we need to stick to it’, which ‘means cutting taxes’. The Prime Minister pledged his party ‘will always prioritise tax cuts’ to ensure Britons’ ‘hard work is rewarded’.
Following the announcement in the Chancellor’s autumn statement in November, the main rate of national insurance was reduced by two percentage points, from 12% to 10%, on January 6. The Treasury says the change means a worker on a £35,000 salary will be £450 better off a year.
Unions warn they will take action to preserve steel making at Port Talbot
Unions have stepped up warnings of industrial action in response to job losses at the country’s biggest steel plant.
Tata has decided to press ahead with closing blast furnaces at its site in Port Talbot, South Wales, under plans to shift to low-carbon steel production.
The move will lead to the loss of up to 2,800 jobs and more in firms which supply the plant with goods and services. Tata is pledging a £130m support package to help workers retrain or find new jobs.
New Stellantis EV platform unlocks 500-mile range
Stellantis has unveiled a new electric vehicle platform (pictured) that could help deliver a range of up to 500 miles from a single charge.
The firm says that as well as a long-range, the new STLA Large platform could underpin a car capable of going from 0-60mph in under two seconds.
The platform’s flexible nature means that it could be used in a variety of bodystyles, including crossovers and larger SUVs. Stellantis says that eight vehicles using the new platform are already in the pipeline from this year until 2026.
MPs support making it easier for pubs to stay open longer for major occasions
Proposals to make it easier for hospitality venues to extend their opening hours for major national or local events have moved closer to becoming law.
Parliament is currently required to approve orders by the government to relax licensing hours on specified dates and times, with such changes taking place for royal and sporting occasions.
The Licensing Hours Extensions Bill could simplify the parliamentary process and make it possible for an order to be approved when Parliament is in recess. On recent occasions, this has held decisions up.
Investigation under way after two Navy warships collide
A collision between two Royal Navy warships in a Middle East harbour has sparked an investigation.
Footage posted on social media appeared to show HMS Chiddingfold reversing into HMS Bangor off the coast of Bahrain.
No-one was hurt but ‘some damage was sustained’, the Royal Navy said. The two minehunters had been based in the Middle East to ensure the safe flow of trade through the waters.
Missiles used on Houthi rebel drones to be upgraded
Royal Navy missiles that have been used to shoot down Houthi drones in the Red Sea will be upgraded, the government has said.
The Sea Viper Air Defence system will get more effective missiles featuring a new warhead and a software update that will enable it to defeat ballistic missile threats.
The £405m upgrade will help protect the Navy’s Carrier Strike group and allows tracking, targeting and destruction of a variety of air threats more than 70 miles away.
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Sadiq Khan calls for youth mobility agreement with EU
Sadiq Khan has called for a youth mobility agreement with the European Union and said the UK should consider rejoining the customs union.
The London Mayor supports either a bespoke new scheme to allow young people to move freely to and from European countries or changes to post-Brexit visa rules.
Khan, who is seeking a third term in May’s mayoral election, said re-entering the customs union should be on the table when the Brexit deal with the EU comes up for review in 2024.
Arctic weather brings misery to parts of US as death toll rises to 55
Arctic weather has shocked much of the US as bracing weather follows a series of storms over the past week that are blamed for at least 55 deaths around the country.
A huge swathe of the US was under a wind chill advisory, from parts of Montana all the way into central Florida, with the wind making it feel like minus 26C.
Russians who criticise military could have money and property confiscated
Russia’s parliament is to consider a law allowing for the confiscation of money, valuables and other property from those deemed to have spread ‘deliberately false information’ about Moscow’s military actions.
Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the State Duma, wrote in a Telegram update that the measure would apply to those publicly inciting ‘extremist activities’ or calling for the introduction of sanctions against Russia.
It would also affect those ‘discrediting’ the armed forces, a criminal offence under a law adopted as part of Moscow’s crackdown on dissent after it sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
Zelensky calls Trump’s rhetoric on Ukraine’s war with Russia ‘very dangerous’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is worried by the prospect of Donald Trump returning to the White House – branding the former US leader’s claim that he could stop Ukraine’s war with Russia in 24 hours ‘very dangerous’.
Zelensky has invited the former president and front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination to visit Kyiv – but only if Trump delivers on his promise.
The Ukrainian leader also shared his concern about the US taking unilateral action that fails to consider Ukraine’s perspective, noting the dearth of details around Trump’s ‘peace plan’.
Six-legged dog has her extra limbs removed
A six-legged dog found abandoned in a car park has undergone surgery to remove her extra limbs.
Ariel, a spaniel puppy, was found in Pembroke town centre in September last year and after a fundraising appeal was able to have surgery.
The dog was taken in by the Greenacres Rescue charity, near Haverfordwest, and has been cared for by a foster family.
Weather
The Met Office says there will be bands of heavy rain spreading across northern and western regions while it will be dry during daylight hours further south and east. Winds increase in strength for all as Storm Isha arrives.
Tonight will be very windy for all with extensive inland gales. Potential for damaging violent storm force winds across western and northern Scotland. Heavy rain will spread eastwards, clearing by dawn.
Tomorrow, winds will moderate slightly but it will remain blustery for many. There will be a mixture of sunny spells and showers, most frequent in the northwest and locally thundery. Temperatures near average.
