6:43 am, June 5, 2024
King, Queen and Prince of Wales joining veterans to mark 80th anniversary of D-Day
The King, Queen and Prince of Wales will join veterans at a commemorative event in Portsmouth today as the UK and France start to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
The Normandy landings were the largest seaborne invasion in history, with the 1944 battle laying the foundation for an Allied victory in World War II.
Troops from the UK, USA, Canada and France began attacking German forces on the beaches at Normandy in northern France on June 6, 1944. Allied troops departed from Portsmouth on June 5, and the UK and French governments will be hosting memorial events at both ports.
Asda is UK’s most expensive supermarket fuel retailer, analysis suggests
Asda has become the UK’s most expensive supermarket fuel retailer, according to new analysis.
Rival companies Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s sold a litre of petrol for an average of 2.1p less than Asda at the end of May, the RAC said.
The difference in average diesel prices was even steeper, at 2.5p per litre.
British shoppers’ support for Fairtrade holds strong as organisation turns 30
British shoppers have continued to support Fairtrade despite the cost-of-living crisis, the organisation said as it turns 30 years old today.
The certification body said UK consumers helped to generate approximately £28m in premium payments last year – money that goes directly to farmers to use for business and community projects.
The annual results for 2023 showed that its UK cocoa sales volumes grew by 6% and tea by 5% in 2023. There was growth in smaller categories as well, with gold volumes rising by 25%, fresh vegetables by 15% and nuts and oil seeds by 12%.
All change as King Charles banknotes enter circulation
Banknotes featuring the King’s portrait are being issued from today, marking the first time that the sovereign has been changed on the Bank of England’s notes.
The new notes will circulate alongside those featuring Queen Elizabeth II.
The portrait of Charles will appear on all four banknotes – the £5, £10, £20 and £50 – with no other alterations to the designs, but people may only start to see them appear in their change very gradually as they’ll only be printed to replace worn ones and to meet increase in demand.
Commitments from firm bidding for Royal Mail takeover not strong enough – union
Postal workers’ leaders have told the company bidding to take over Royal Mail that commitments it has given aren’t strong enough.
Officials from the Communication Workers Union (CWU) met representatives of the EP Group, describing it as ‘useful and constructive’, adding that further meetings would take place including the direct involvement of Daniel Kretinsky, the Czech tycoon behind the multi-billion-pound takeover.
But CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: ‘We made it very clear that the current commitments from EP Group are neither strong enough or long enough.’
Imperial beats Oxbridge institutions in global university rankings
Imperial College London has been placed higher than the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge in global rankings.
The QS Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings have seen Imperial rise from sixth to second place, ending years of Oxbridge dominance at the top of the international league table.
Cambridge fell from second to fifth place while Oxford remains in third place in the global rankings for 2025. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US secured the top spot again.
Labour proposes offshore skills passport
A Labour government would create an offshore skills passport to allow workers to move between fossil fuels and renewables.
Offshore workers may currently need to duplicate training when moving between the two sectors, increasing costs and the length of time it takes to change jobs.
But speaking to workers and businesses in Aberdeen yesterday, shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray pledged to work with the Scottish government to introduce the policy if Labour wins the election on July 4.
Record-breaking Doctor Who actor dies at 99
The actor William Russell who played one of the first Doctor Who companions has died at the age of 99.
Russell portrayed science teacher Ian Chesterton in the cult BBC sci-fi series for nearly two years from its first episode in November 1963. He returned to the show in 2022 for a cameo appearance as the companion, earning him a Guinness World Record for the longest gap between appearances for a TV character.
Among his long career, the former RAF officer also played the title role in the ITV series The Adventures of Sir Lancelot, which ran from 1956 to 1957 and was the first British TV imported series to be filmed in colour for American audiences. Russell died on Monday, with his death being reported yesterday.
BMW’s 1 Series returns for fourth generation
BMW has reinvented its popular 1 Series hatchback, with deliveries of the fourth-generation model starting in October and prices beginning from £29,950 excluding on-the-road fees.
It’ll have a slimmed-down engine range of just two – the entry-level 120 with a three-cylinder motor plus 48-volt mild-hybrid system giving a claimed fuel consumption of up to 53.2mpg, and the M135 xDrive that uses a four-cylinder engine giving 296bhp and 400Nm of torque, resulting in a 0-60mph time of 4.7 seconds and a top speed of 155mph.
The 1 Series has BMW’s Curved Display setup that blends a 10.5-inch screen and a 10.7-inch display to give the impression of one sweeping screen. Both cars get automatic air conditioning, LED headlights, heated front seats and BMW’s latest infotainment operating system.
Yesterday’s headlines on Car Dealer you might have missed
- Heroin addict delivery driver spared jail after stealing BMW from car dealership
- Revealed: The used cars that rose the most in value in May – and those that fell the furthest
- ‘A work of complete fiction’: Peter Smyth on what went wrong for failed used car dealer Cazoo
- Toyota chairman apologises as Japanese carmakers are found to have cheated vehicle tests
- Atoa means fairer payments for the automotive industry – here’s how it can help car dealers
Market movements
The FTSE 100 closed 30.71 points down yesterday to end the day on 8,232.04. The Cac 40 was down 60.12 points at 7,937.90, the Dax was down 202.52 points at 18,405.64, but the Dow Jones was up 140.26 points at 38,711.29.
Weather outlook
Today will see a mixture of sunny spells and patchy cloud across the UK, according to BBC Weather. There will also be a few scattered showers, frequent for some in the north-west and with a chance of thunder.
Thursday will be similar with sunny spells, patchy cloud and well-scattered showers developing, most likely in the north where it will be breezy. It’ll remain cool.
