Headline

Hosepipe Ban Announced In Parts Of UK As Drought Hits Harder

Published

1 hour ago

July 8, 2025

A hosepipe ban has been announced and will begin in parts of the United Kingdom (UK), specifically Yorkshire, from Friday, 11 July, following one of the driest springs the region has seen in over a century.

Yorkshire Water announced the temporary use ban (TUB) on Tuesday, stating that it will restrict the use of hosepipes for watering gardens, washing private vehicles, filling home pools, or cleaning outdoor areas.

The restrictions will stay in place until there’s “significant rainfall” in the region.

This year, the area recorded just 15cm of rain between February and June—less than half the usual amount. At the same time, demand for water has been higher, and reservoir levels have dropped to 55.8% capacity, which is more than a quarter below the normal level for this time of year.

“We need to take action now to help conserve water and protect Yorkshire’s environment. That means from Friday this week, people across Yorkshire will need to stop using their hosepipes to water their gardens, wash their cars or for any other activities.

“Introducing these restrictions is not a decision we have taken lightly, and we’ve been doing everything we can to avoid having to put them in place,” Yorkshire Water’s director of water, Dave Kaye, said.

People can still water gardens or wash cars using a bucket or watering can. Businesses can use hosepipes if it’s part of their regular operations.

Continuing, Mr Kayen said the restrictions was to make the company has enough water for essential needs amidst higher demand.

“These restrictions are intended to make sure that we have enough supply for the essential needs of people across the region this year and next, as well as making sure we’re able to protect our local environment.”

“With more dry weather forecast in the coming weeks, it is likely our stocks will continue to fall so we need to act now to maintain clean water supplies and long-term river health.

“Having restrictions in place also allows us to apply for drought permits from the Environment Agency, which means we can abstract more water from our rivers and reduce compensation flows out of our reservoirs so that we can continue to provide the water our customers rely on us for.

“The restrictions will come into effect on 11 July and will be in place until the region has seen significant rainfall to bring reservoirs and groundwater stocks back to where they need to be. This may last into the winter months, but we will lift the usage restrictions as soon as we are able.”

In a statement, Yorkshire Water said the ban will help the region’s reservoir levels recover and protect Yorkshire’s water resources throughout the summer months, following one of the driest springs on record and the region being in drought.

“We’ve tried everything possible to avoid these restrictions, and despite our customers’ help to save water where they can and our efforts to manage water resources, including adding an extra 100 people to our leakage team and upgrading our infrastructure to reduce leaks and bursts, the dry weather and warmer-than-usual temperatures have increased demand,” the statement reads.

The Environment Agency officially declared a drought in Yorkshire on 12 June, after confirming the region had its driest spring in 132 years. It had previously announced drought conditions in northwest England in May.

This news comes ahead of a possible third heatwave expected next week. Temperatures could rise into the low 30s, with warm nights continuing through the period.

Headline

Police Reveal Likely Cause Of Diogo Jota Car Crash

Published

25 minutes ago

July 8, 2025

Editor

Liverpool and Portugal star Diogo Jota was likely speeding when his car veered off a motorway in Spain last week killing him and his brother, Spanish police said on Tuesday.

An ongoing investigation is examining “the marks left by one of the vehicle’s wheels… everything points to a possible excessive speed beyond the road’s speed limit”, the Civil Guard said.

AFP

Headline

‘You Should Get It’, Netanyahu Nominates Trump For Nobel Peace Prize

Published

1 hour ago

July 8, 2025

Editor

Netanyahu gives Trump letter for Nobel Peace Prize
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday, said that he had sent a letter to the Nobel Prize Committee to nominate US President, Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump and Netanyahu met at the White House on Monday to discuss developments in the Middle East.

“He’s forging peace, as we speak, in one country, in one region after the other.

“So, I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize Committee; it’s nominating you for the Peace Prize, which is well deserved, and you should get it,” Netanyahu said as he reached over the table to present Trump with his document.

“Thank you very much. This I didn’t know. Wow. Coming from you, in particular, this is very meaningful. Thank you very much, Bibi,” Trump responded.

Trump was expected to press Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire in Israel’s 21-month-old war against Hamas in Gaza amid an outcry over the humanitarian cost of an offensive that has led to nearly 60,000 deaths, most of them Palestinian.

Israeli and Hamas negotiators met for indirect talks for the first time in six weeks in Qatar on Monday. While both sides have spoken positively about the prospects for a ceasefire, several crucial negotiating points remain, including guarantees from the Israeli side that the war would not continue and Netanyahu’s insistence that Hamas be banished from Gaza for good.

Before dinner in the Blue Room at the White House, Trump was asked whether he believed that Palestinians should be forcibly removed from Gaza, amid reports that Israel has laid out plans to force all Palestinians in Gaza into a camp on the ruins of Rafah, a plan that has been criticised as a blueprint for ethnic cleansing. Trump directed Netanyahu to answer the question.

“It’s called free choice. You know, if people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave.

“It shouldn’t be a prison. It should be an open place and give people a free choice. We’re working with the United States very closely about finding countries that will seek to realize what they always say they wanted – to give the Palestinians a better future. And … I think we’re getting close to finding several countries,” said Netanyahu, who is wanted by the international criminal court for alleged war crimes relating to the Gaza war.

At the beginning of the meeting, Netanyahu presented Trump with a letter that he said he had sent to a committee for the Nobel Peace Prize, commending Trump’s efforts to end conflicts in the Middle East.

It was the second high-profile nomination for the president: last month Pakistan said it would recommend Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

During the meeting, Trump also said that he “hoped” that the US would not strike Iran again.

Trump said, “They want to work something out. They’re very different now than they were two weeks ago.”

He declined to give a date for upcoming talks with Iran but told reporters they would find out more details tomorrow.

Sources in the prime minister’s entourage described the talks in Qatar as positive, according to Israel’s military radio station and an Israeli official quoted by Reuters. Palestinian officials were more downbeat and said initial meetings on Sunday had ended inconclusively.

Netanyahu had met with Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and secretary of state Marco Rubio earlier on Monday. He is expected to remain in Washington to meet with Vice President JD Vance and senior officials, including House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Headline

Trump Threatens Extra 10% Tariff On BRICS Nations

Published

21 hours ago

July 7, 2025

Editor

US President, Donald Trump has warned that countries supporting BRICS policies that clash with US interests will face an additional 10% tariff.

“Any country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% tariff.

“There will be no exceptions to this policy,” Trump wrote on social media.

Trump, who has long criticised the BRICS alliance—comprising China, Russia, India and other emerging economies—has ramped up trade pressure as part of his economic strategy.

The US had set 9 July as a deadline for countries to finalise trade agreements.

However, according to US officials, tariffs will now kick in from 1 August.

Trump said he would begin sending letters to various countries, notifying them of the tariff rate they will face if no deal is reached.

Since returning to office in January, Trump has introduced multiple import tariffs, arguing they are necessary to protect American manufacturing and jobs.

Back in April, during what he dubbed “Liberation Day,” he rolled out a wave of new tariffs—some reaching as high as 50%—but later paused the more extreme measures to allow for negotiations until 9 July.

During this interim period, a general 10% tariff has been in place on goods entering the US from many of its global trade partners.

So far, Washington has only secured full trade agreements with the UK and Vietnam, alongside a partial deal with China.

Yet, the UK and the US are still at odds over tariffs on British steel.

Asked whether the tariff changes would take effect on 9 July or 1 August, Trump responded vaguely: “They’re going to be tariffs, the tariffs are going to be tariffs.”

He added that between 10 and 15 countries would receive letters on Monday outlining their new tariff rates if they don’t reach an agreement.

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick later confirmed that the new tariffs will take effect on 1 August.

Trump also warned Japan last week that it could face a “30% or 35%” tariff if it fails to strike a deal with the US by Wednesday.

In May, the European Union was told it would face tariffs of up to 50% without an agreement in place.

Reports last week suggested the EU was considering a temporary arrangement to maintain a 10% tariff on most goods, while also negotiating to ease existing tariffs—such as the 25% tax on cars and car parts, and the 50% rate on steel and aluminium.

Last year, Brics expanded beyond its founding members—Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa—to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Together, the bloc represents more than half of the world’s population and aims to elevate its global influence in opposition to Western powers.

In 2024, Trump threatened to impose 100% tariffs on BRICS countries if they proceeded with plans to launch a rival currency to the US dollar.

Sunday’s fresh threat came after BRICS finance ministers, meeting in Rio de Janeiro, denounced the US tariff strategy and proposed changes to the International Monetary Fund and global currency valuations.

They issued a statement warning that such tariffs pose a risk to the global economy by creating “uncertainty into international economic and trade activities.”

Andrew Wilson, deputy secretary general of the International Chambers of Commerce, said it would not be easy for countries to sever trade ties with China.

“Shifting away from China…in a number of sectors is far more difficult to achieve in the world in practice,” he said.

“You look at the dominance China has in a number of sectors—EVs, batteries [and] particularly rare earths and magnets, there are no viable alternatives to China production.”

(BBC)