6:34 am, January 8, 2024
BT Group launches pilot project to convert telecom street cabinets into EV chargers
BT is launching a trial scheme to convert street cabinets traditionally used for broadband and phone cables into electric vehicle chargers.
The pilot project will see the first unit powered up in East Lothian, with the potential to upgrade 60,000 cabinets to support EV charging and help boost sustainable transport.
The scheme is being run by Etc, the start-up and digital incubation arm of the BT Group, and has been unveiled ahead of the CES technology convention in Las Vegas, which officially opens tomorrow. Etc plans to turn the near-end-of-life cabinets into charging points to extend their usefulness.
Nearly 120,000 retail jobs lost in 2023, report suggests
The numbers of jobs lost in British retail dropped last year but almost 120,000 people still lost their employment, figures have suggested.
Figures from the Centre for Retail Research revealed that 10,494 shops closed for the last time during 2023 and 119,405 jobs were lost in the sector.
It was fewer shops than had been lost for several years and a reduction from the 151,641 jobs lost in 2022.
Labour writes to Treasury over ‘misleading’ social media posts on tax changes
A shadow minister has written to the Treasury’s top mandarin to raise concerns that the department has been issuing ‘misleading’ claims on tax.
Labour’s James Murray, the shadow financial secretary, queried whether posts on social media about the reduction in national insurance complied with civil service and legal guidelines around government messaging.
A number of posts on X, formerly Twitter, by the HM Treasury account about the 2p cut in national insurance had ‘Readers-added context’ notes applied by users of the social media platform, with one stating: ‘When you take into account the freeze in tax thresholds and other changes the tax burden is at a post-war high.’
Oil from new licences ‘would make little difference’ to UK energy security
Oil from new licences granted to North Sea producers and sent to UK refineries would account for less than 1% of the fuels used here in 2030, analysis has found.
The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit said new projects such as Rosebank would therefore make little difference to the UK’s energy independence and security – one of the government’s key arguments for supporting further production.
It also said North Sea oil and gas would reduce the UK’s reliance on imports and therefore reduce the emissions involved in shipping.
Petition for Post Office boss to lose CBE over Horizon scandal tops one million
A petition calling for former Post Office boss Paula Vennells to lose her CBE over the Horizon scandal has attracted more than a million signatures.
Demands for the honours forfeiture committee to remove her CBE have emerged again after ITV aired a new drama into the scandal, which has been described as the most widespread miscarriage of justice in UK history.
Vennells oversaw the organisation while it routinely denied there were problems with its Horizon IT system. More than 700 Post Office branch managers were given criminal convictions after faulty Fujitsu accounting software called Horizon made it appear as though money was missing from their shops.
Idris Elba launching campaign for immediate ban on machetes and zombie knives
Actor and musician Idris Elba is to launch a campaign calling for the immediate banning of machetes and so-called zombie knives.
The Luther star is also lobbying for more funding in youth services and releasing a song in an effort to tackle serious youth violence across the UK.
Elba will launch the campaign called Don’t Stop Your Future with an installation in Parliament Square today.
Runway at Haneda Airport reopens after fatal collision
Tokyo’s Haneda Airport has returned to normal operations almost a week after a fatal collision between two planes.
The accident happened on Tuesday evening when JAL Flight 516, carrying 379 passengers and flight crew, landed right behind a coastguard aircraft preparing for take-off on the same runway, with both aircraft becoming engulfed in flames.
All JAL’s Airbus A350-900 airliner occupants were safely evacuated in 18 minutes. The captain of the coastguard’s much smaller Bombardier Dash-8 escaped with burns but his five crew members died. The crash was suspected to have been caused by human error.
‘Spellbinding’ image of autumn leaves in snow wins South Downs photo prize
An image of autumn leaves resting on a snowy landscape has won the annual photographic competition run by the South Downs National Park.
Matt Goddard’s shot – called Snow On Wolstonbury – was called ‘spellbinding’ by judges of the contest.
Goddard, from Hurstpierpoint in West Sussex, who won £250, said: ‘My love of exploring the South Downs started during childhood and hasn’t stopped since.’
Weekend headlines on Car Dealer you might have missed
- Volkswagen to delay launch of smaller, cheaper EV due to watered-down Euro 7 rules
- Macklin Motors looking to unearth car dealers of the future with new community initiative
- AI and automotive tech set to pull in the crowds at CES 2024
- Big Mike: Apprentice Dave had the last laugh when we carried out Capri caper
Weather outlook
The far south-east of England will see some sleet and hill snow today, with it moving westwards. Elsewhere will have patchy cloud, with plenty of winter sunshine in the north and west. It’ll be a cold day.
Tuesday will also be cold and any cloud in the far south will clear away as the day progresses, leaving largely clear skies. Further north, there’ll be plenty of winter sunshine, but some patchy cloud for the north-east.
