6:38 am, June 29, 2023
Presumed human remains found in debris from Titan submersible
Medical professionals will formally analyse presumed human remains recovered from the wreckage of the Titan submersible.
The US Coast Guard said it received debris and evidence from the sea floor at the site of the deep-sea vessel’s fatal implosion, which killed five people.
British adventurer Hamish Harding and father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood were amoing those killed on board the vessel near the wreck of the Titanic. Large pieces of debris from Titan were transported to St John’s harbour yesterday by the Horizon Arctic ship, where it was seen being unloaded by a crane.
Crown Estate to pay Treasury more than £400m after offshore wind boost
The Crown Estate is to pay even more money to the Treasury after benefiting from a massive licensing round for offshore wind power last year.
The company, which owns the seabed around the UK, said it made £442.6m in net revenue profit in the year to the end of March, which will go to help public finances.
The sum was nearly £130m more than the year before, mainly thanks to the fees that companies pay to be allowed to build wind farms off the coast.
Ministers work up Thames Water plan
Ministers have looked to allay fears around the impact of Thames Water potentially going under as the regulator vowed to work with the sector to deal with its debt levels.
Work and pensions secretary Mel Stride said there were ‘contingency plans in place for any eventuality’ as Thames Water battles to finance the £14bn of debt on its books following interest rate rises.
It comes as several reports suggested concerns about Thames Water’s finances had now broadened to other firms in the industry.
Court of Appeal set to rule on Rwanda policy challenge
The Court of Appeal is today due to rule on legal challenges over government plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Last December, two judges at the High Court dismissed a series of legal bids against the government’s plan to provide asylum seekers with a one-way ticket to the east African country.
Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett, Sir Geoffrey Vos and Lord Justice Underhill are due to give their decision today on a bid by several individual asylum seekers and charity Asylum Aid to overturn the ruling.
Virgin Galactic to launch its first commercial spaceflight
Virgin Galactic is to launch its first commercial flight to the edge of space.
A three-man crew from Italy will be on board the rocket plane operated by British billionaire Sir Richard Branson’s company, along with an astronaut instructor, and will carry out 13 scientific research experiments.
Among other things, they will measure the air quality with a view to informing future long-term missions, and record how certain liquids and solids interact in microgravity conditions and in different temperatures.
Almost a quarter of drivers delaying car service or doing it themselves – survey
Nearly one in four drivers (23 per cent) are either putting off getting their vehicles serviced or are doing it themselves due to cost-of-living pressures, a survey suggests.
The RAC said its poll of 1,900 UK drivers indicated that 10 per cent have postponed their next car service by up to a year to save money, while five per cent have delayed getting their vehicles checked for even longer due to the same reason.
An additional 10 per cent of respondents said they have either started servicing their cars themselves or called on the assistance of a friend or relative who knows how to do it.
Ocado cuts price of milk and other ‘everyday essentials’
Ocado has announced price cuts on milk and other items as grocers compete to pass on falls in wholesale costs to customers.
The online grocer is dropping the price of four pints of its own-brand milk by 10p to £1.45 and two pints by 5p to £1.20.
It has also unveiled price cuts on more than 100 ‘everyday essentials’ across a range of branded, own-brand and Marks & Spencer items, including Lurpak garlic butter, down 25 per cent, 100g of Ocado grated parmesan, down 16 per cent, and own-brand seeded rolls, down 17 per cent.
Finnish deputy mayor caught red-handed spray-painting graffiti
A deputy mayor of Finland’s capital is facing possible legal action as well as calls for him to pay compensation and to resign, after he was caught red-handed spray-painting graffiti in a railway tunnel.
The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency told public broadcaster YLE yesterday that cleaning up graffiti illegally painted by Paavo Arhinmaki, one of the four deputy mayors of Helsinki, cost the city around 3,500 euros (£3,000).
Arhinmaki, 46, and a friend were caught by guards in a rail tunnel in eastern Helsinki on Friday just after they’d completed graffiti, which Finnish street art experts said looked partly inspired by works seen in New York City in the 1970s.
BMW introduces sportier version of X1
BMW has revealed a sportier version of its compact X1 SUV, bringing a range of styling changes and greater performance.
The M35i xDrive uses the same 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine as BMW’s M135i hot hatchback, developing 296bhp and 400Nm of torque.
BMW claims it can reach 0-60mph in 5.2 seconds and it adopts other performance features, including an M-specific chassis. To help it stand out from the rest of the line-up, the M35i gets a sportier design including larger front air intakes, extended side skirts and 19-inch alloy wheels.
Yesterday’s headlines on Car Dealer you might have missed
- Car Dealer Power 2023: Who won what at this year’s awards?
- Car Dealer Power 2023: Car of the Year
- Car Dealer Power 2023: Where did your car manufacturer rank this year?
- Used car prices drop 1.4 per cent in June – but there’s definitely no crash coming
- Vertu remains on track to meet expectations after strong start to financial year
- Peter Cooper Motor Group acquires Viking Garages Kia dealership in Southampton
- Hyundai and Toyota censured by advertising watchdog over ‘misleading’ charging claims
- Government’s net zero targets under fire once again as advisers lose confidence and Labour announces plans
- Autoguard Warranties announces new strategic partnership with Bumper
Market movements
The FTSE 100 closed 39.03 points up yesterday to end the day on 7,500.49. The Cac 40 was up 70.74 points at 7,286.32, the Dax was up 102.14 points at 15,949.00 but the Dow Jones was down 74.08 points at 33,852.66.
Weather outlook
Heavy rain will linger in the south-east this morning then clear in the middle of the afternoon, says BBC Weather. Elsewhere will have patchy cloud, sunny spells and scattered showers, and it’ll be breezy in the west.
Friday will start off sunny in the east and cloudier in the west with some showers. The afternoon will see a large area of rain moving into the northern half of the UK, heavy at times, and it’ll be breezy.
