6:27 am, September 18, 2023
NHS braced for week of disruption as consultants and junior doctors strike
NHS leaders have warned that strikes by junior doctors and consultants this week will cause unprecedented disruption for patients.
Planned care is likely to come to a halt with thousands of appointments cancelled, as the row with the government over pay and working conditions continues.
Consultants in England will walk out for 48 hours from tomorrow, to be joined by their junior colleagues on Wednesday. Junior doctors will then continue their strike on Thursday and Friday. Emergency care will continue to be provided.
‘Urgent’ investigations launched after claims of misconduct by Russell Brand
The BBC, Channel 4 and production company Endemol have said they are ‘urgently’ investigating after four women made separate allegations of sexual assault while Russell Brand was a presenter on their programmes.
The comedian and actor, 48, has been accused of rape and sexual assaults between 2006 and 2013, when he was at the height of his fame and working for the BBC, Channel 4 and starring in Hollywood films.
The claims were made in a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches, and include allegations about Brand’s controlling, abusive and predatory behaviour. Brand vehemently denies the allegations and said all of his relationships have been ‘consensual’.
Next set to reveal sales outlook after early summer boost
Fashion chain Next will show investors what the outlook is for the group when it reveals its half-year financial results on Thursday.
The retail giant has nudged up its profit expectations throughout the year after benefiting from stronger online sales and a sunny June boosting sales earlier in the summer season.
Last month, it said it had been buoyed by full-price trading and a strong end-of-season sale in the latest quarter, leading it to upgrade its profit target by £10m to £845m for the full year – the second time this year its profit guidance was lifted.
Poland imposes ban on Russian-registered cars
Poland has begun enforcing a European Union ban on all Russian-registered passenger cars seeking to enter the country – the latest in a series of sanctions on Russia in punishment for its war against Ukraine.
Under the EU’s decision, motor vehicles registered in the Russian Federation are no longer allowed to enter the territory of the 27-member bloc.
The move comes just days after the nearby Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia banned vehicles with Russian licence plates from entering their territory.
Labour studying HS2 costs amid questions over fate of Manchester leg
A senior Labour figure has declined to commit to the HS2 railway line project being built in full.
Pat McFadden, who is shadow minister for the cabinet office, told BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: ‘When this started, a price tag of about £30 billion was put on it. Those prices haven’t been raised since 2019 – we’ve had quite a lot of inflation since then.’
Asked to confirm that Labour was now not committing to completing the full original route, he said: ‘I want to see what this costs and we’ll make those decisions when it comes to the manifesto.’ Recent days have seen speculation about HS2’s future, after Downing Street refused to guarantee the railway line will run to Manchester as planned.
Number of pubs shutting for good across England and Wales jumps by 50 per cent
The number of pubs being demolished or converted for other uses across England and Wales surged by 50 per cent over the latest quarter, according to new figures.
Official government statistics have revealed that 230 pubs disappeared for good in the three months to June 30 as the impact of soaring costs and pressure on consumer budgets became more stark.
The data, which was compiled by commercial real estate specialists at Altus Group, showed a 50.3 per cent increase after 153 pubs vanished in the first quarter of 2023. It means more than two pubs a day have left local communities over the first half of the year.
Rolling Stone co-founder Jann Wenner loses hall of fame role after remarks
Jann Wenner, who co-founded Rolling Stone magazine and was also a co-founder of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, has been removed from the hall’s board of directors after making comments seen as disparaging toward black and female musicians.
‘Jann Wenner has been removed from the board of directors of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation,’ the hall said on Saturday, a day after Wenner’s comments were published in a New York Times interview.
A representative for the 77-year-old did not immediately respond after a request for a comment.
Weekend headlines on Car Dealer you might have missed
- Sunak commits to 2030 petrol and diesel ban
- Heritage Automotive sees pre-tax profit top £4m
- Car Care Plan completes major deal to acquire assets of insurance broker Verex
- Opinion: Europe’s carmakers have only themselves to blame for the current China crisis
Exeter Airport set to reopen as band of rain moves away from UK
An airport forced to close because of flash floods is expected to reopen this morning as a band of rain that caused thunderstorms moves away from the UK.
Travel has been disrupted by the ‘torrential downpours’, which caused Exeter Airport to close and cancel its remaining flights yesterday.
Videos posted on social media showed a flooded main terminal. Passengers are being advised to check with their airline for the latest information about their flight.
Weather outlook
While on the subject of the weather, today will be breezy as a band of cloud and heavy rain spreads eastwards, says the BBC, although this will soon clear from western areas. Rain will taper to sunny spells and blustery showers in the afternoon.
Tuesday will be windy and blustery, with heavy and persistent rain drifting across much of the UK. However, the south-east will be drier, with a few brighter breaks possible.
