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Olivia Newton-John: Grease star and singer dies aged 73
'Prince of Darkness' Ozzy Osbourne closes Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
British flying taxis poised to take off for flight testingBristol-based Vertical Aerospace to test aircraft intended to fly at 200mphA prototype flying taxi designed in Bristol is to take to the skies for testing this summer.Vertical Aerospace has built a functioning prototype of its four-engined VX4 aircraft, which is designed to carry four passengers and a pilot at speeds of up to 200mph for trips of up to 100 miles, and is about to start a months-long programme of flight tests.The company, which is based in Bristol and was set up by the founder of green energy company Ovo, Stephen Fitzpatrick, said it has received more than 1,400 orders for the VX4.The craft takes off vertically like a helicopter before tilting its engines forward to act more like a regular plane. Vertical Aerospace's customers include American Airlines, Virgin, and Japan Airlines. It will buy its electric engines from Rolls-Royce.
Boris Johnson misled Parliament on partygate, Downing Street ex-staff to tell investigatorsPrime Minister’s former colleagues set to give evidence claiming he did not give a full account of lockdown gathering factsFormer Downing Street figures are preparing to give evidence claiming Boris Johnson misled Parliament over what he knew about the partygate scandal, The Telegraph can reveal.This newspaper has talked to three people contacted by the committee investigating whether the Prime Minister misled MPs about what he knew about the lockdown-breaking gatherings.All three have alleged that Mr Johnson did not give the fullest account of the facts as he knew them at the time. One has agreed to give evidence to the committee, and two others are considering likewise.Mr Johnson has effectively admitted that the comments have since proved incorrect but has argued that he thought they were true at the time, based on briefings from staff.Three former government figures contacted have talked to The Telegraph. All three said they believed that Mr Johnson had misled Parliament – a claim he has denied. One said: “On the facts, he was definitely at lockdown-breaking events and he knew they were happening and therefore what he said to the House was knowingly inaccurate.”Another, when asked if Mr Johnson misled Parliament, said “absolutely, damn well he did”. A third said of the Prime Minister’s knowledge of lockdown-breaking parties that “he knew what was going on”.The comments are significant because if the privileges committee concludes Mr Johnson misled Parliament he could face a recall position, which would trigger a by-election in his seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip – potentially ousting him from Parliament.
Prudish parents demand tourist attraction renames Dick Turpin to Richard Parents are demanding a York tourist attraction change the name of its new Dick Turpin carriage ride to Richard Turpin... because, they say, the word “Dick” is offensive.The row erupted after a Dick Turpin carriage ride opened at the York Dungeon to tell the story of the highwayman’s exploits.The attraction, owned by leisure giant Merlin Entertainments, said it had received “a number of requests for the character to be renamed to Richard due to the apparent rude nature of his nickname”.Turpin was infamous throughout 18th century Britain for his highway robbery and was executed in York in 1739 for horse theft.
Greek PM denies knowing about tapping of opponent’s phoneThe Greek prime minister has attempted to douse a wiretapping scandal engulfing his government, claiming he had no idea the country’s socialist party leader was being monitored by intelligence services reporting directly to him.In an address to the nation on Monday, Kyriakos Mitsotakis described the phone tapping of the Pasok party chief, Nikos Androulakis, as a mistake that should never have occurred.
Olive oil prices to rise as heatwave hits productionThe price of olive oil is set to rise as heatwaves hit production in Spain, a leading exporter has warned.Acesur, which supplies the UK's biggest supermarkets, told the BBC this would feed through into prices in shops in the next three to four months when companies renew their contracts.The company's export manager, Miguel Colmenero, said customers could see prices rise by 20-25%.Spain produces nearly half of the world's olive oil.
QuotePrudish parents demand tourist attraction renames Dick Turpin to Richard Parents are demanding a York tourist attraction change the name of its new Dick Turpin carriage ride to Richard Turpin... because, they say, the word “Dick” is offensive.The row erupted after a Dick Turpin carriage ride opened at the York Dungeon to tell the story of the highwayman’s exploits.The attraction, owned by leisure giant Merlin Entertainments, said it had received “a number of requests for the character to be renamed to Richard due to the apparent rude nature of his nickname”.Turpin was infamous throughout 18th century Britain for his highway robbery and was executed in York in 1739 for horse theft.https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/08/08/parents-demand-rude-dick-turpin-renamed-richard/A male chicken and male cow story to get free publicity? Ponder that over some Spotted Richard.
Windows devices with newest CPUs are susceptible to data damageMicrosoft has warned today that Windows devices with the newest supported processors are susceptible to "data damage" on Windows 11 and Windows Server 2022.Customers experiencing performance degradation are advised to install June 23 preview update or the July 12 security update for their OS version as a workaround.Microsoft says these Windows updates will restore initial performance metrics once installed on affected devices.
I guess these parents had better avoid the Dick Whittington Park - fun park for children and families... https://www.dickwhittingtonpark.co.uk/
Blue Tits, Wood Peckers, Black Birds... BIRDS & BEES
Is Overtourism Ruining Greek Beaches?
Royal Mail staff to stage four-day strike actionSome 115,000 Royal Mail workers are set to strike on four days in August and September in a dispute over pay.The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said workers would walk out on 26 and 31 August and 8 and 9 September.
Thames Water plans to introduce hosepipe ban 'in weeks'Thames Water has announced it is planning to introduce a hosepipe ban.The firm serves 15 million people across parts of southern England, including London.The company said it was planning to announce the temporary ban "in the coming weeks" but the timing is yet to be confirmed.The ban would be the third implemented in England this year, following Southern Water's ban which began last Friday in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.South East Water will introduce similar restrictions across Kent and Sussex from 12 August.
Tesla’s self-driving technology fails to detect children in the road, tests findProfessional test driver using Tesla’s Full Self-Driving mode repeatedly hit a child-sized mannequin in its pathA safe-technology advocacy group issued claims Tuesday that Tesla’s full self-driving software represents a potentially lethal threat to child pedestrians, the latest in a series of claims and investigations into the technology to hit the world’s leading electric carmaker.
Energy bills forecast to hit over £4,200 a yearEnergy bills for a typical household could hit £4,266 next year, consultancy Cornwall Insight has warned.The higher estimate means the average household would be paying £355 a month, instead of £164 a month currently.