6:41 am, November 2, 2023
Rishi Sunak: We will keep working to help more British citizens leave Gaza
Rishi Sunak said the UK will continue to work closely with Egypt and Israel to ensure more British citizens can leave Gaza safely.
The prime minister thanked Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for his efforts to help the first British nationals leave Gaza via the Rafah border crossing into Egypt yesterday.
Officials said the crossing will be open for ‘controlled and time-limited periods’ to allow specific groups of foreign nationals and the seriously injured to leave Gaza.
US president calls for humanitarian ‘pause’ in Israel-Hamas war
President Joe Biden said he thought there should be a humanitarian ‘pause’ in the Israel-Hamas war after a campaign speech was interrupted by a protester calling for a ceasefire.
‘I think we need a pause,’ he said yesterday. The call was a subtle departure for Biden and top White House aides, who throughout the Middle East conflict have said they will not dictate how the Israelis carry out their military operations in response to the October 7 attack by Hamas.
But the US president has faced intensifying pressure from human rights groups, fellow world leaders and even liberal members of his own Democratic Party, who say the Israeli bombardment of Gaza is collective punishment and that it is time for a ceasefire.
Major incident declared as Storm Ciaran batters south coast
A major incident has been declared on the south coast as Storm Ciaran arrives, with heavy winds battering the UK.
Two amber wind warnings, the second highest level of alert, are in place for parts of the south coast of England for when Storm Ciaran hits today, together with further yellow rain warnings, a lower level that means some disruption could be on the way.
The Met Office has warned of coastal gusts of 70mph to 80mph, with the potential for 85mph. People are being urged not to go near the water’s edge due to ‘very dangerous conditions’.
We owe it to our children to grip AI risks ‘early enough’, PM says
Rishi Sunak has said the world owes it to younger generations to grip the risks of artificial intelligence (AI) ‘early enough’ ahead of his appearance at the UK’s tech summit.
The prime minister will arrive today at Bletchley Park, home to Britain’s codebreaking operation during the Second World War, to host representatives from 27 countries alongside tech companies and civic society groups.
Ahead of the second day of the summit, he said the task of monitoring the risks posed by AI couldn’t be left to tech firms alone. He warned companies couldn’t be left to ‘mark their own homework’ in an interview with the BBC, against a backdrop of concerns about the technology’s potential capabilities.
Covid experts to receive honours at Buckingham Palace
Medical professionals who carried out important work during the Covid pandemic are among those receiving honours at Buckingham Palace.
Professor Carolyn Chew-Graham, who began researching the phenomenon of long Covid in 2020, and Charlotte Kume-Holland, who was appointed head of strategy for the government’s vaccine deployment in January 2021, will be honoured.
Prof Chew-Graham will be made an OBE, while Ms Kume-Holland will be made an MBE.
London’s first clean air zone has improved air quality, research shows
The introduction of London’s first clean air zone 15 years ago has significantly improved air quality, according to new analysis.
Academics at the University of Bath said the launch of London’s low emission zone (Lez) in 2008 and subsequent ultra low emission zone (Ulez) from 2019 has significantly improved air quality.
They said the introduction of the low emission zone helped to reduce particulate matter (PM10) in Greater London by 13% between 2008 and 2013, compared with between 2003 and 2007. Nitrogen dioxide levels had fallen by 18.4% in 2019 in central London following the launch of Ulez versus the period between 2016 and 2018, according to the research.
Wednesday Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Jaguar Land Rover dealers accused of using second-hand parts to clear huge backlog
- Car dealer group Vertu Motors suffers ‘malicious’ amendments to Companies House records
- Car Dealer Live: Used car market unlikely to return to ‘normal’ as dealer nerves begin to increase
- Used car choices narrowing for people as loan values fall – research
- Toyota reverses plans for fifth-generation Prius and says new car WILL now be sold in the UK
- Auto Trader launches new tool to help dealers track used car pricing trends
- Family-run SMC Motor Group to change hands after 40 years following SLM takeover deal
- Connected technology in vehicles could bring £66bn boost to UK economy by 2040
Man arrested in connection with rodents thrown into McDonald’s restaurants
A 32-year-old man has been arrested in connection with several incidents of live rodents being thrown into McDonald’s restaurants in Birmingham.
West Midlands Police said it still wanted to speak to a second man, Billal Hussain, 30, over the incidents that occurred on Monday and Tuesday, in what appear to be protests related to the conflict in Gaza.
A video posted on social media on Monday showed customers at a McDonald’s restaurant jumping in shock as mice dyed in the colours of the Palestinian flag scurried near their feet, BBC News reported. According to reports, pro-Palestinian activists have called for protests against McDonald’s after a restaurant in Israel donated meals to Israeli soldiers and security workers.
Damaged Lamborghini Countach from The Wolf of Wall Street heading to auction
A Lamborghini Countach ‘hero car’ famously used in a scene in The Wolf of Wall Street staring Leonard DiCaprio where it sustains major damage is heading to auction.
This Lamborghini was in fact used for the stunts, although director Martin Scorsese deemed the damage gathered in the action not to be serious enough, so ordered his crew to inflict more damage to the vehicle to make it appear more ‘wrecked’ in later scenes.
Since appearing in the film, the Countach is said to have been ‘meticulously preserved’ and is now being offered to the public for the first time, directly from one of the original filmmakers. It’ll be going under the hammer with Bonhams at an auction coinciding with the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 25. It is being sold with an estimate of $1.5m-2m (£1.24m-1.65m).
Weather
Very strong and damaging winds across southern England, while heavy rain will spread across the rest of England, Wales and eastern Scotland, reports BBC Weather. It’ll be drier elsewhere.
The storm will continue to batter the UK tonight with strong winds and heavy rain. It’ll ease in the far south towards dawn.
