Buckinghamshire Council has apologised after it mistakenly issued parking tickets to all vehicles parked at two car parks in High Wycombe. The council confirmed that the tickets issued to those who parked at the Railway Place and Duke Street car parks during a closure of the car park would be cancelled. The error occurred after a decision was wrongly taken to close the entire car park when only a portion of the car park should have been closed off. The closure was for the installation of new EV charging bays.
The UK car industry is facing serious challenges due to Brexit, with the possibility of losing many skilled jobs and export earnings, according to Simon Jenkins in The Guardian. He suggests the volume car industry will enter a period of slow decline and that the impact of Brexit has ensured investment is drained from the sector. The Stellantis Group memos are openly discussing the risks, including the cost of EV manufacturing in the UK becoming uncompetitive leading to relocation of manufacturing operations outside of the UK as previously seen with Ford and Mini. Alongside the closure of Honda, Nissan is reconsidering its commitment to the UK. Jenkins suggests that the UK battery production problems are causing a lack of compliance with the agreed-upon limits, risking tariffs and taxes on car exports, making the industry unprofitable. In the short term, the possibility of an emergency revision to the Brexit trading agreement could delay the collapse of the electric vehicles market in Britain. However, Jenkins suggests Brexit has created an unpredictable place for investment beyond car manufacturing and car exports.
Stellantis, which makes models including Citroen, Vauxhall and Peugeot, has urged the UK government to renegotiate its current Brexit deal with the EU threatening the sustainability of its UK manufacturing plants. The carmaker warned that its UK manufacturing operations are under threat from the strict terms of the post-Brexit free trade deal. Stellantis has committed to making electric vehicles at its plants in Ellesmere Port and Luton, which employ around 2,000 people combined. If its electric vehicle manufacturing becomes "uncompetitive and unsustainable," the company warned it would have to close British operations.
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, were involved in a "near catastrophic car chase" with paparazzi in New York City, according to a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex. After attending an awards ceremony, the couple and Ragland were chased by a "highly aggressive" group of photographers for over two hours, resulting in "multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD (New York Police Department) officers." Harry and Meghan have previously criticized press intrusion and have blamed it for the death of Princess Diana, Harry's mother. Photos of the couple were reportedly taken during the chase and appeared on the Daily Mail website, but were later taken down.
Mercedes had been targeting the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix to introduce upgrades to their Formula One car to get ahead of Red Bull in the constructors' championship. However, the suspension of the race due to severe flooding has put their plans on hold. The team will now have to wait until the Monaco Grand Prix in May to test their upgrades, which may not be useful for evaluating the quality of the car and its consistency over the course of a season. They will have to wait until they reach the Barcelona circuit to make a more appropriate analysis of their improvements.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were followed for more than two hours by a half-dozen vehicles with blacked out windows after leaving a charity event in New York City. The couple's office said in a statement that the chase "resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers." The statement called the incident "near catastrophic." The couple emphasized that while being public figures comes with a level of interest, it should never come at the cost of anyone's safety. Harry's mother, Princess Diana, died in a car crash in 1997 while being pursued by paparazzi in Paris.
Prince Harry and Meghan involved in ‘near catastrophic car chase’ involving paparazzi in NY
CNN
23-05-17 14:28
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, were pursued by a “ring of highly aggressive paparazzi” during a “near catastrophic car chase” in New York City on Tuesday night, according to a spokesperson for the couple. Harry and Meghan had attended the Women of Vision Awards at NYC’s Ziegfeld Ballroom with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland. A law enforcement source confirmed that the couple was followed by paparazzi. Harry has previously raised concerns about media treatment of his family, including comparisons between Meghan’s experiences and those of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in a high-speed car crash in Paris in 1997 reportedly caused by paparazzi harassment.
The UK is lobbying the European Union to rethink a looming deadline over new rules covering electric vehicles, which the car industry says poses an “existential threat” to the sector, putting thousands of jobs at risk. Vauxhall’s parent company, Stellantis, told MPs it would be unable to keep a commitment to make EVs in the UK without changes to the Trade and Co-operation Agreement with the EU. As of next year, 45% of the value of an electric vehicle should originate in the UK or EU to qualify for tariff-free trade or cars made in the UK would otherwise face a 10% tariff.
The UK government is seeking a resolution with the European Union (EU) concerning rules of origin regulations, which is causing concern for car manufacturers, according to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesman. Stellantis, the world's third-largest carmaker, has urged the government to renegotiate rules stemming from the Brexit deal, or the company will be forced to close British car plants. The business secretary has already discussed the topic with the EU, and the UK government hopes to reach a resolution on the matter.
European automakers, including Jaguar Land Rover and Ford, are calling for a delay in the introduction of post-Brexit tariffs on electric vehicles due to concerns that it threatens the move to net zero. The new rules, which will come into effect from January 2022, will impose a 10% tax on vehicles shipped to the EU from the UK if they fail to contain sufficient components - equal to at least 45% of the value of an electric vehicle - manufactured in either the UK or the EU. The rules are part of an initiative to prevent Chinese-controlled minerals from entering the EU through the UK and maintain production standards. Industry leaders suggest that the fast implementation of the rules poses a threat to the industry's transition to clean mobility as few gigafactories, which produce batteries, currently exist outside China and Stellantis, the owner of Vauxhall, has said that the proposals could force it to end production in the UK.
Driving a Mazda Miata provides a Toronto-based writer with a nostalgic reference point to two earlier MIatas he owned in his younger years. Derek Kreindler's first Miata signified a sense of arrival and opened him up to a new world of automotive exploration as he test-drove several models before purchasing the one that met his criteria. Now on his third Miata, Kreindler savours each summer he spends behind the wheel remembering carefree days of his youth.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were reportedly chased by paparazzi as they left the Ms Foundation for Women award ceremony in New York City on 5 October, in a pursuit the couple’s spokesperson described as “near catastrophic.” No injuries were reported, and it is unclear whether photographs of the couple that subsequently appeared on DailyMail.com and The Daily Express were taken by the pursuing photographers. A statement by the couple’s spokesperson condemned the images as “encourag[ing] a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all involved.”
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and the latter’s mother were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” with paparazzi after attending an award ceremony in New York. A spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex stated that the pursuit had lasted for more than two hours and had put “drivers on the road, pedestrians, and two NYPD officers” at risk. The New York Police Department confirmed that photographers had made the transport “challenging” but denied that accidents or arrests had taken place. Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on the incident.
The case is thought to have prompted concerns over the wellbeing of the royal couple, particularly in relation to the events that led to the death of Princess Diana in 1997. Speaking in his 2021 AppleTV+ series The Me You Can’t See, Prince Harry drew parallels between the worries he had felt over the treatment of his mother and his own experience dealing with the press and public scrutiny of his marriage to Meghan. Moreover, he described how little justice had been sought following the inquest into his mother’s death and the anger he felt towards the press.
Following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s car chase, Mayor of New York Eric Adams told reporters that members of the paparazzi must prioritise public safety. He stated that it was “clear that press, the paparazzi, they want to get the right shot… but public safety must always be at the forefront.” He reiterated concerns raised in the statement issued by Prince Harry’s spokesperson, and noted the potential risks presented by high-speed chases in a busy city like New York.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not heard from the Royal Family after accusing paparazzi of involvement in a "near-catastrophic" car chase, despite their concerns over safety. The couple were in New York after attending an awards ceremony with the Duchess's mother and received what their spokesperson called "relentless pursuit". A taxi driver who claimed he drove them part of the way said he was pursued in his vehicle by two suspected paparazzi cars but the allegations have since been downplayed.
A man who managed a limousine service has been found guilty of manslaughter after a 2018 accident in New York, which killed 20 people. Nauman Hussain, 33, failed to inspect the stretch-style 2001 Ford Excursion, according to prosecutors. It was the deadliest transport crash in the US since 2009. Hussain faces up to 15 years in prison. His conviction has been welcomed by relatives of some of the victims, though one father who lost his son said: "I take no joy in that.”
The latest instalment of the Fast and Furious film franchise, Fast X, features up to 200 cars selected and modified for the picture, using a fund of around £5m ($6.9m), and an additional £10m to cover shipping, labour and modifications. The range of vehicles, chosen by Dennis McCarthy, US coordinator and Alex King, who discharges the same role in Europe and the UK, runs from the emblematic 1968 Dodge Charger driven by Vin Diesel’s character Dom Toretto, to an Alfa Romeo GT2000, and a beefed-up Mini Countryman. There is also a DeLorean Prototype driven by Charlize Theron's cyberterrorist, and an electric Dodge Charger Daytona Banshee SRT.
Dharmesh Patel, a US doctor who drove his family's Tesla over a cliff, has claimed in an affidavit that a malfunctioning tyre sensor on his Model Y caused the accident, according to unsealed court records. Patel said he drove the car off the road after the sensor indicated low tyre pressure. His wife Neha, however, disputed this account, telling the police after the crash: "He's a doctor. He said he was going to drive off the cliff. He purposely drove off." Patel has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder, relating to his wife, six-year-old son and four-year-old daughter.
The UK is lobbying the EU to push back the looming deadline for a rule change that could affect the electric car plans of British carmakers. From next year, 55% of the value of an electric car should originate in the UK or EU to qualify for trade without tariffs, rising to 65% in 2027. Stellantis, which owns Vauxhall, Peugeot, Citroen and Fiat, has warned that it could face tariffs of 10% on exports to the EU due to rules on where parts are sourced from. The company said it was 'now unable to meet these rules of origin' due to the recent surge in raw material and energy costs.
Tesla has discussed with Indian government officials how it can participate in domestic incentives for vehicle and battery manufacturing. The electric car manufacturer has suggested setting up a factory in the country to produce electric vehicles (EVs) and to locally manufacture EV batteries. Last year, efforts by Tesla and India to strike a deal to lower the import tax on cars were unsuccessful after India officials insisted the company should also build cars locally.
Western Australian police have released footage of a police chase after a man allegedly threatened convenience store employees with a knife, attacked a woman and stole her car keys. The man proceeded to drive dangerously on the wrong side of major roads, before his car was stopped in Middle Swan. The man has been charged with a range of charges, including aggravated burglary with intent, aggravated armed robbery and reckless driving to escape pursuit.
