7:55 am, March 10, 2022
WHO: Maternity hospital among 18 Ukrainian medical centres hit
An airstrike on a maternity hospital in the port city of Mariupol wounded women waiting to give birth and buried children in the rubble as Russian forces intensified their siege of Ukrainian cities.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Wednesday that it has confirmed 18 attacks on medical facilities since the Russian invasion began two weeks ago.
Ukrainian officials said the attack at a medical complex in Mariupol wounded at least 17 people.
PM pledges to step up sanctions as Truss calls for ‘paradigm shift’
The Foreign Secretary is expected to say aggression like Vladimir Putin’s must ‘never again’ be allowed to ‘grow unchecked’ after Boris Johnson promised the ‘maximum economic cost’ would be imposed on Russia.
In a call on Wednesday evening, the Prime Minister joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in condemning a reported Russian strike on a maternity hospital in the besieged port city of Mariupol.
He noted that this, together with reports Russian forces had failed to respect ceasefire agreements, was ‘yet further evidence that Putin was acting with careless disregard for international humanitarian law’, Downing Street said.
Rising fuel costs will impact food bills, distributors say
The Federation of Wholesale Distributors has warned spiking fuel costs will cause the price of groceries and food in restaurants to rise.
Drivers and businesses were hit by a record daily increase in diesel prices on Tuesday.
The trade body told the BBC its members would pass on transportation costs to food industry customers.
Chancellor faces choice between borrowing or huge hit to households, say experts
The Chancellor faces a ‘huge judgment call’ on whether to borrow billions more or allow households to face what could be the biggest hit since the 1970s, experts have said.
The cost of living is set to soar this year, not least due to the rising price of energy, which has been pushed up by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Without intervention, public sector workers face an average real-terms pay cut of around £1,750 due to inflation, while many households will struggle to keep up with bills.
42 per cent of families with children ‘may take on extra debt due to energy costs surge’
More than two-fifths (42 per cent) of families with children living at home are expecting to take on additional debt to deal with soaring energy bills, according to a financial confidence tracker.
A third (33 per cent) of families with children said they had struggled to pay their household bills over the previous week, according to the research carried out in mid-February.
And nearly a fifth (19 per cent) of people without children at home think the energy costs crisis will push them into further debts.
Wednesday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Car dealership group faces legal action over cyberattack that saw employees’ data hacked
- Dealership group Chorley expands again as it snaps up Citroen showrooms from BCC Cars
- Carwow secures media deals with ITV and Channel 4 as part of fresh £17.2m investment
- Work gets under way on £3m redevelopment of Lookers Teesside Volkswagen dealership
- Dealership chain Sytner launches network group to boost equality for women
- One-third of UK motorists are looking to buy a new car this year, finds poll by MoneySuperMarket
- Vauxhall provides 700 EVs for Onto electric car subscription service
- Elon Musk asks judge to throw out court ruling on Twitter post approval
- CX-60 is Mazda’s new range-topper and first ever plug-in hybrid
Coronavirus pandemic is not over, expert warns
The coronavirus pandemic is not over and cases in older age groups are increasing, an expert has warned.
While new data indicates cases have fallen substantially since the peak of the Omicron wave in January, infections in England are rising among those aged 55 and older.
Researchers suggest increasing case numbers in the age group could be down to a factor of things, including more mixing between the age groups since restrictions eased, and the waning of the vaccine booster.
£4bn shipbuilding pot ‘will deliver 150 new vessels in 30 years’
A £4bn injection into UK regional shipbuilding will create tens of thousands of jobs and deliver more than 150 new naval and civil vessels over the next 30 years, the Government has said.
The investment, to be announced by the Prime Minister during a visit to a Merseyside dockyard on Thursday, will ‘galvanise’ shipyards and suppliers across the country, Downing Street said.
The £4bn fund for the new vessels was announced in the 2020 spending review and the 2021 autumn budget.
FTSE leaps as global markets rebound amid slide in oil prices
The FTSE 100 leapt higher on the back of a rally for global markets as the price of oil dropped back.
The British stock index ended the day up 226.61 points, or 3.25 per cent, at 7,190.72 points.
Elsewhere, the French Cac was up 7.13 per cent on 6,387.83 points and the German Dax surged 7.92 per cent higher to 13,847.93.
Volkswagen reinvents iconic microbus with electric ID.Buzz
Volkswagen has unveiled the ID.Buzz as its new electric MPV and van that pays homage to the T1 – one of the brand’s most iconic models.
Originally shown in concept form more than five years ago, the production version has been revealed with surprisingly few changes, at least on the exterior, with Volkswagen stressing that ‘form follows function’.
The ID.Buzz will launch in two forms, an MPV version and a van, which is called the ID.Buzz Cargo.
Wind and rain to set in over the coming days
Today will be rather cloudy for most, with the odd spot of rain around. It will be drier and brighter for Northern Ireland, however, with sunshine developing for western Scotland and southeastern England at times, the BBC reports.
Tonight, cloud will move across most areas with spells of rain turning more frequent for western Britain. It will be drier elsewhere however by dawn rain will arrive in the south-west before turning windy.
Tomorrow will be a windy, dull and wet day for most, with spells of rain moving eastwards for most. Rain will be followed by showers in the southwest, these bringing the odd rumble of thunder.
