6:27 am, September 16, 2022
King Charles III returning to Wales for first visit since becoming monarch
The King and the Queen Consort will visit Wales today for the first time since the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Charles will return to the country as its monarch after serving for 64 years as the Prince of Wales.
Heading to Cardiff, the nation’s capital, the royal couple will journey first to Llandaff Cathedral, then the Welsh parliament and lastly to Cardiff Castle, before returning to London where Charles will hold a vigil at the Queen’s coffin with his brothers and sister in Westminster Hall at 7.30pm.
Kwarteng to deliver mini-Budget next Friday
The much-anticipated mini-Budget setting out details of help for households and businesses amid the cost-of-living crisis will be delivered by the chancellor next Friday.
The so-called ‘fiscal event’, promised by PM Liz Truss as part of her plans to expand the economy and tackle soaring inflation, will be announced by Kwasi Kwarteng on September 23, the PA news agency understands.
Las Vegas-led consortium interested in buying AFC Bournemouth
A Las Vegas-led consortium is pushing to buy Bournemouth football club, the PA news agency understands.
The Cherries owner Maxim Demin is thought to be weighing up whether to sell, with US investors ready to pay £150m for the club.
An American takeover at Bournemouth would see more than half of the current Premier League clubs with minority or majority US shareholders.
‘Low-paid workers facing worst-ever financial crisis’
Four out of five low-paid workers say the cost-of-living crisis is the worst financial period they have ever faced, new research suggests.
More than half of 2,000 workers surveyed by the Living Wage Foundation said they have used a food bank over the past year, with many paying more visits in recent months.
The foundation said almost half of low-paid workers now regularly skip meals and nearly a third are unable to heat their homes because of financial reasons.
Amazon workers to vote on industrial action over pay
Hundreds of workers at online giant Amazon are to be balloted for strikes over pay.
The GMB union said its members based in Coventry will be the first Amazon workers in the UK to take part in a formal industrial action ballot.
The vote closes in mid-October, with any industrial action likely to take place in November, said the union.
Wickes sales lift as demand surges for home insulation
Wickes says it has been boosted by a surge in demand for home insulation as customers seek to protect themselves from rocketing energy bills.
The DIY firm and builders’ merchants also called for VAT to be scrapped on products being bought by people to help them cut their bills, such as LED lightbulbs.
Revenue increased by 1.3 per cent to £822.3m over the six months to July 2 against the same period last year. But its pre-tax profit of £33.5m was down on the £35.7m it made over the same six months last year.
Adobe buying Figma in £17.4bn cash-and-stock deal
Software company Adobe is buying online design company Figma in a cash-and-stock deal worth $20bn (£17.4bn).
Figma, founded in 2012, allows those who design interactive mobile and web applications to collaborate through multi-player workflows, sophisticated design systems and a rich developer ecosystem.
California-based Adobe sells software for creating, publishing and promoting content and managing documents.
Fireball seen above UK was a meteor, experts say
A fireball seen shooting through the skies above parts of the UK was a meteor, experts have said.
The UK Meteor Network said it received almost 800 reports after the blazing orb was spotted in the night sky over Northern Ireland and Scotland on Wednesday.
Scientists used video footage from the public and analysed data to work out whether the ‘brilliant fireball’ was debris or matter from outer space, concluding that the object, which lasted more than 20 seconds, was ‘definitely a meteor’.
Flagship BMW XM due to be revealed on September 28
BMW’s new range-topping XM SUV will be unveiled on September 28.
Teased last year by the Concept XM, pictured above, it’ll occupy flagship status in BMW’s SUV line-up and feature a bold design with a huge double kidney grille.
Set to be made at BMW’s SUV Spartanburg plant in South Carolina, where models such as the X5, X6 and X7 are also manufactured, production is due to start in December.
Thursday’s stories you might have missed on Car Dealer
- Which used cars cost the most to fix in the last 12 months?
- Growing dealer group Carsa opens its third used car showroom in Bradford
- New Ford Mustang revealed with overhauled interior – but V8 engine remains
- Businesses ‘urgently’ need information on energy support, say leading trade bodies
- Consumer confidence sees steepest decline since early stages of pandemic
Market movements
The FTSE closed 4.77 points up yesterday to finish on 7,282.07. Meanwhile, the Cac 40 fell by 64.57 points to 6,157.84, the Dax was down 71.34 points to 12,956.66, and the Dow Jones shed 173.27 points, ending on 30,961.82.
Weather outlook
There’ll be plenty of sunny spells and some cloud today, says BBC Weather, with northerly winds pushing blustery, scattered showers in off the North Sea. Expect occasional showers along Irish Sea coasts as well.
Saturday will see a more settled and sunny day as the winds ease. It’ll turn cloudier in Scotland and Northern Ireland, with outbreaks of rain in the far north, but will remain dry and bright elsewhere.
