More than half of Britain’s busiest airports have raised “kiss-and-fly” fees for cars dropping off passengers close to terminals, according to research from the RAC. The motoring group found 11 out of 20 UK airports had put up prices since last July, with Gatwick, Bristol, Leeds Bradford and Southampton joining Stansted in charging the top rate of £7 to park for a matter of minutes. In contrast, at nine of the 10 busiest airports in the European Union there are no drop-off fees. Airports UK, which represents the industry, said all hubs offer free drop-off options further from the terminals,…
Author: dmnews
One of four rebel MPs suspended by Labour for defying party orders has said it will not silence her – but she will continue to support the government as an independent. Rachel Maskell told the BBC she had been expelled from the party in Parliament for her role in a rebellion against disability benefit cuts, which forced Sir Keir Starmer into a U-turn on a key piece of legislation. Maskell said the welfare bill fell apart ahead of a crucial Commons vote because the government did not listen to its backbenchers when the reforms were being drawn up. Minister Jess…
Syria’s interim president has said it is his “priority” to protect the country’s Druze citizens, after Israel vowed to destroy government forces it accused of attacking members of the religious minority in Suweida province. In his first televised statement since Israel’s air strikes on Damascus on Wednesday, Ahmed al-Sharaa also warned that Syrians were not afraid of war. Syrian state media reported that the military was withdrawing from Suweida under a ceasefire agreement with Druze leaders. But it is not clear whether that will hold. More than 350 people are reported to have been killed since sectarian clashes between Druze…
GP surgeries in England can offer advice to patients on getting back to work, including career coaching or exercise classes, as part of a pilot project to reduce the number of people who are signed off work sick. The aim is to help people return to the workplace more quickly to reduce the length of time they need fit notes – better known as sick notes. These are issued by health professionals if a patient is unwell or cannot work for more than seven days. A total of £1.5m is being made available to 15 regions in England, and will…
Oasis fans have gone mad for their music again following their reunion, sending the band to number one in the UK album chart. After the group kicked off their comeback tour last week, their greatest hits compilation Time Flies has gone back to the top spot, followed by 1995 album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? at number two. Debut album Definitely Maybe, from 1994, is at number four – with only Sabrina Carpenter preventing them from completing a clean sweep of the top three. News of the chart revival comes as the Britpop heroes prepare for their homecoming with the…
In her latest Wimbledon column, BBC Sport analyst Naomi Broady – a former top-60 player on the WTA Tour – analyses where Saturday’s women’s final between Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova will be won and lost. On one side, we have a five-time Grand Slam champion who has always had an uneasy relationship with the grass. On the other is a former teenage prodigy who is fulfilling her potential after taking a significant break from the sport to protect her mental health. Both Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova have fascinating stories to tell as they each prepare for their…
Iman al-Nouri’s youngest son, two-year-old Siraj, woke up crying from hunger on Thursday and asked to get some nutritional supplements. Siraj’s 14-year-old cousin, Sama, agreed to take him and two of his older brothers – Omar, nine, and Amir, five – to the Altayara health clinic in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza. “The [medical] point was still closed, so they were sitting on the pavement when suddenly we heard the sound of the strike,” Iman told a local journalist working for the BBC. “I went to [my husband] and said: ‘Your children, Hatim! They went to the point.'” Warning: This piece…
Negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Qatar on a new Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal are on the brink of collapse, according to Palestinian officials familiar with the details of the discussions. One senior official told the BBC that Israel had “bought time” during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington this week and deliberately stalled the process by sending a delegation to Doha with no real authority to make decisions on key points of contention. They include the withdrawal of Israeli troops and humanitarian aid distribution. Before he left the US on Thursday, Netanyahu had maintained a positive…
Gregg Wallace may have been sacked as MasterChef presenter after allegations of misconduct, but for the BBC there’s still a decision to be made over this year’s series. It is widely reported to have been filmed in 2024 – with Wallace in it – before BBC News first revealed the allegations against him. The BBC, for its part, is staying tight-lipped about what it will do. The corporation has said it won’t comment until an inquiry into the allegations, ordered by MasterChef’s production company Banijay, is complete and the findings are published. Wallace has apologised for using “inappropriate” language, but…
Angela Rayner is embroiled in an escalating row with Unite over her role in the long-running bin strikes in Birmingham. The union announced earlier it had suspended the membership of the deputy prime minister, who has been urging striking bin workers to accept a deal to end the dispute tabled by the Labour-run city council. But a Labour source said she had already quit the union and “won’t be pushed around,” branding the announcement a “silly stunt”. The union, which says it followed a motion approved by delegates at its policy conference, has insisted Rayner is on its membership system.…