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Travellers In Britain Expected To Face Weekend Of Misery As Strike Begins

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Travellers in the UK have been told to expect a weekend of disruption at airports and on the railway network.

Rail passengers are being warned of significant disruption to services over the Bank Holiday weekend because of a strike by conductors.

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Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at TransPennine Express walked out on Saturday and will strike again on Sunday in a long-running dispute over pay.

TransPennine Express has urged people not to travel, saying it will be running an amended timetable on both days, with a very limited service available for those making essential journeys.

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People heading to events including jubilee celebrations were urged to seek alternative transport.

We are saddened that continuing RMT strikes will mean we are unable to provide a full service for customers over such a special weekend, when celebrations will be taking place across the UK,” Kathryn O’Brien, customer experience director for TransPennine Express, said.

With strike action planned for both Saturday and Sunday, coupled with major engineering work, our advice for customers is not to travel by train, and anyone heading to an event should seek alternative transport.”

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Lengthy queues are expected at airport passport controls caused by a surge in people returning from jubilee getaways, while motoring group the AA spoke of delays on the roads as 19 million drivers were expected to get behind the wheel.

In London, Tube workers are expected to head out on strike on Monday after talks aimed at avoiding a strike by subway station staff collapsed.

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We will keep as many stations as possible open, but we expect that this strike will cause severe disruption and the closure of many Tube stations,” Transport for London said in a statement, adding commuters should avoid travelling.

Britons have had a four-day weekend for Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum Jubilee and many have chosen to go overseas.

Travellers will return home on Sunday, testing the capacity of road networks and airports’ ability to process arrivals.

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Disruption on Sunday and Monday would be the latest headache in the UK after the Easter holiday led to delays on the rail, road and air travel networks. For Londoners, the Tube strike means disruption will spill into Tuesday.

“We expect the severe disruption caused by this strike to continue into the morning of Tuesday 7 June, and I’m sorry for the impact this will have on people’s journeys next week,” Transport for London’s chief operating officer Andy Lord said in a statement.

After cutting jobs during coronavirus lockdowns, airports and airlines have struggled to hire enough workers to cope with a return to full capacity.

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Gatwick Airport has in excess of 40 per cent fewer direct employees than it did before the pandemic started.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary has called for help from British military personnel to help deal with the disruption.

Bringing in the army, which they do at many other European airports, would, at a stroke, relieve the pressure on airport security and would mean that people have a much better experience — not just this weekend, but for each weekend over the next three, four months,” he told ITV News.

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More than 10,000 flights have left the UK over the four-day weekend, according to data from analytics firm Cirium.

Airlines have asked the government to relax its immigration rules for European citizens to help them hire staff.

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The UK has recorded a loss of European Union nationals because of the combined impact of Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic, leaving many companies with staffing shortages.

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After Fallout With Trump, Elon Musk Says He’s Forming ‘America Party’

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Billionaire Tesla owner Elon Musk, has disclosed that he is forming a third political party, which he called the ‘America Party,’ after a dramatic falling out with Donald Trump over a tax and spending bill recently signed into law by the President.

Musk, who was the largest individual donor to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, worked with the current US President as the lead of his cost-cutting government agency—the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—until his recent resignation.

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After bowing out of the DOGE role, Tribune Online reports that Musk started criticizing Trump’s “big beautiful bill” because of estimates that he said would add trillions of dollars to the federal deficit.

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Speaking via his X social media platform, Musk said, “When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy.”

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Musk, a former ‘first buddy’ of the US President, declared that the new party is for freedom: “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”

Meanwhile, Musk’s rift with President Trump last month after intense criticism of the spending bill appeared to have cooled after Musk regretted and deleted the most incendiary posts he made linking Trump with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and calling for the President’s impeachment. According to Musk, those posts ‘went too far.’

However, the world’s richest man reignited the feud over the last several days as the bill neared passage and eventually passed by the House before it was subsequently signed at a White House ceremony.

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READ ALSO:Elon Musk Deletes Post Claiming Trump Was ‘In The Epstein Files’

According to CNN, the extent to which Musk has taken steps to legally form the party is unclear, as party formation requires registering with the Federal Election Commission. The most recent FEC filings showed no indication that this has happened, CNN reports.

The owner of X, who has made threats during the social media scuffle with Trump, had indicated he wants a party that is fiscally conservative and reins in spending, but has offered few other details about what the party’s platform would be.

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While Musk and Trump reportedly share similar views on contemporary social issues, the former has argued the Republican policy agenda will increase the debt, calling it “debt slavery.”

The two-party system in the United States has long been criticized by both registered Democrats and registered Republicans, but efforts in the last century to form a third party have shown little success. Billionaire Ross Perot ran for president as an independent in 1992, winning nearly a fifth of the popular vote, but carried no states in the election, which was won by Bill Clinton.

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Australian Actor Julian McMahon Is Dead

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Australian actor Julian McMahon, best known for his roles in Nip/Tuck, Charmed, and Fantastic Four, has died at the age of 56.

McMahon passed away in Clearwater, Florida, on Wednesday following a private battle with cancer.

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His death was confirmed in a statement released on Friday by his wife, Kelly.

The statement read,”With an open heart, I share with the world that Julian McMahon, my beloved husband, died peacefully this week after a valiant effort to overcome cancer.

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His deepest wish was to bring joy into as many lives as possible.

“We wish all of those to whom Julian brought joy to continue to find joy in life.

“We are grateful for the memories.”

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Born into a prominent political family, McMahon was the son of former Australian Prime Minister Sir William McMahon.

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In a nod to his family’s legacy, he portrayed an Australian prime minister in the Netflix drama ‘The Residence.’

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McMahon’s career spanned decades, earning him international recognition for his roles as Dr. Christian Troy in ‘Nip/Tuck’, Cole Turner in ‘Charmed’, and Victor Von Doom in ‘Fantastic Four’.

He was married three times, including a high-profile marriage to Australian singer and actress Dannii Minogue, sister of pop icon Kylie Minogue.

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Thai Police Rescue Eight-year-old Boy Living With Dogs, Unable To Speak

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An eight-year-old boy has been rescued in Thailand after authorities discovered him living among dogs and only able to communicate by barking.

According to Dailymail on Friday, the boy, whose name has been withheld, was found on Monday during a welfare check at a ramshackle, drug-infested house in Lap Lae District, Uttaradit Province.

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Local reports say the child had been living with his mother, 46, and his 23-year-old brother, both of whom tested positive for drug use after a police raid.

Neighbours revealed that the family had long been isolated from the community, and the boy had no contact with other children. Instead, he spent his days with the family’s six dogs, which he reportedly mimicked.

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“He didn’t speak, he just barked. It was pitiful to see,” said Paveena Hongsakul, president of the activist foundation which worked with police on the rescue.

Authorities said the boy had only attended school once, despite his mother receiving government stipends of around 400 baht (£9) meant to support his education.

His mother hasn’t allowed him to go to school since he received a subsidy for free education,” Hongsakul explained. “After getting the money, she simply kept him at home.”

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Neighbours were said to have forbidden their children from playing with the young boy due to the family’s behaviour.

The mother was reportedly known in the area for begging at temples and has now been charged with drug use.

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A local teacher described the boy’s environment as a “red zone for drugs” and said that neighbours forbade their children from interacting with him.

‘The house is in a red zone for drugs,’ one teacher explained. ”The boy had no one, just the dogs to play with.”

The disturbing situation came to light after a headteacher raised the alarm, prompting activists and police to raid the house on June 30.

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Images shared in Thai media showed authorities at the shack surrounded by trees and several dogs.

Following the rescue, the boy was taken to a children’s home, where he will receive medical and psychological care.

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Ms Hongsakul, of the Foundation for Children and Women, will work with authorities to ensure the child receives continuous education, and her organisation will monitor his progress.

Images from the scene showed authorities standing around a small family in a wooded area with several dogs on site. Credit: Dailymail
Images from the scene showed authorities standing around a small family in a wooded area with several dogs on site. Credit: Dailymail
The boy will be given a chance at a good life. We’ll follow up with him to make sure he gets everything he needs,” she said.

Cases of so-called “feral children”, youngsters raised with little or no human contact, are extremely rare but often highlight the severe consequences of neglect.

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Experts cite the example of Oxana Malaya, a Ukrainian girl found in 1991 living with dogs after her parents abandoned her. Though she eventually learned to speak and reintegrated into society, she still struggled with some developmental challenges.

Authorities in Thailand say they are committed to giving the rescued boy a fresh start and the chance to live a normal life.

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