6:43 am, July 19, 2024
Vehicles set alight and police car overturned amid disorder in Leeds suburb
Vehicles were set on fire, a police car was overturned and residents were warned to stay at home after an outbreak of disorder in a Leeds suburb.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the ‘shocking scenes and attacks’ in Harehills, where there was a large police presence yesterday evening, with helicopters sent to the area.
A restaurant owner said the chaos was linked to children being taken into care, adding that some people in the community responded by setting fires and throwing stones.
Zelensky to address Cabinet in first Downing Street visit under Starmer
Volodymyr Zelensky will address an extraordinary meeting of the Cabinet today as Sir Keir Starmer underlines Britain’s ongoing support for Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president will be the first official visitor to Downing Street under Sir Keir’s premiership and the first foreign leader to address the Cabinet in person since US president Bill Clinton in 1997.
He is expected to brief ministers about the situation in Ukraine and the need to expand Europe’s defence industrial base, as well as agreeing a £3.5bn defence export finance deal with Sir Keir.
Families face summer holiday childcare shortages as bill rises to over £1,000
The cost of childcare over the school summer holidays is now more than £1,000 per child on average, a survey has suggested.
Fewer than a fifth of local authorities in England have enough holiday childcare provision for full-time working parents and costs have risen since last year, according to the Coram Family and Childcare charity.
It found families in the UK pay on average £1,049 for six weeks of holiday childcare for a school-age child, which is £635 more than for six weeks of after-school childcare during term time and up by 6% on last year.
No other choice but to free prisoners early, police watchdog says
The government doesn’t have ‘any other choice’ than to release some inmates earlier than planned to try to avert the collapse of the prison system.
That’s according to the chief inspector of constabulary, Andy Cooke, who said it’ll create a ‘big responsibility’ on other parts of the justice system.
He also said it was happening as police were trying to rebuild trust after recent scandals, forces were still failing to meet the public’s expectations and they were letting down too many victims of crime.
Consumer confidence sees subdued increase
Consumer confidence has seen a subdued increase amid a ‘wait and see’ stance on the economy, figures suggest.
GfK’s long-running Consumer Confidence Index increased by one point to minus 13 in July.
Madame Tussauds unveils Whoniverse-inspired set with Ncuti Gatwa waxwork
A Whoniverse-inspired set complete with a waxwork of actor Ncuti Gatwa as the 15th Doctor has been unveiled at Madame Tussauds in London.
Gatwa, 31, began working with the attraction’s artists in July 2023 and visited the team again in May to give his final seal of approval before showrunner Russell T Davies unveiled the set, which goes on public display from today.
Madame Tussauds London studio manager Jo Kinsey said: ‘Ncuti Gatwa is a Time Lord for modern times. His charisma and flair have brought the world’s longest-running sci-fi show to a new generation and we’re proud to immortalise that with his new figure.’
Bob Newhart dies aged 94
US comedian and actor Bob Newhart has died at the age of 94 after a series of short illnesses, his publicist Jerry Digney announced in a statement to the PA news agency.
The accountant-turned-entertainer died at home in Los Angeles yesterday morning, with Digney calling it an ‘end of an era in comedy’.
The three-time Grammy winner was known for The Bob Newhart Show and had a recurring guest role as Arthur Jeffries/Professor Proton on sitcom The Big Bang Theory, for which he won an Emmy.
Dacia says it’s committed to electric, hybrid and LPG vehicles
Dacia will be focusing on producing electric, hybrid and LPG cars in a bid to decarbonise its fleet of vehicles, it has said.
Clement Arie, Dacia’s product expert, told the PA news agency: ‘Today we are focusing on LPG on some models as well as hybrid technology. And of course we have an electric car, the Spring, which is a pioneering car for Dacia.
‘We also have a remit to introduce new electric vehicles in the future. The next generation of Sandero within a few years will be introduced as an electric vehicle.’
The firm’s new entry-level Spring EV will be the UK’s cheapest electric car on sale, but there are no plans to make a cheaper hybrid version.
Yesterday’s headlines on Car Dealer you might have missed
- Cazoo administrators blame ‘aggressive expansion strategies’ as documents reveal nearly £260m of unsecured debt
- Big Motoring World refuses to deny rumours it could take over several CarShop sites
- Cinch launching used car dealerships across the UK
- Owl you need is love! Shoreham Vehicle Auctions adopts sculpture in aid of children’s hospice
- ‘Their own stupid fault’: Expert says failed car dealer Cazoo was a ‘complete and utter disaster’
Market movements
The FTSE 100 closed 17.43 points up yesterday to end the day on 8,204.89. The Cac 40 was up 15.74 points at 7,586.55, the Dax was down 82.54 points at 18,354.76, and the Dow Jones was down 533.06 points at 40,665.02.
Weather outlook
Today will be mostly dry and sunny for England and Wales but with some patchy cloud in the west, says BBC Weather. Elsewhere will be generally cloudy, with outbreaks of rain in the far north-west, while the south-east will be very warm.
Saturday will start dry for much of England, but through the day cloud and showery rain will move across the UK from the west and it’ll be occasionally thundery over the east later in the afternoon.
