Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 24 December 2022

1. Rail strikes disrupt Xmas journeys

Rail passengers are being advised to avoid travelling today unless “absolutely necessary” as further walkouts are set to cause disruption from mid-afternoon. Thousands of members of the Rail, Maritime, and Transport union are walking out on Saturday evening, causing train services to finish at 3pm. Network Rail said the Christmas Eve strike by its workers, in a row over pay, is expected to have a serious impact on services. In the latest strikes in the run-up to Christmas, postal workers and Border Force staff are also walking out.

2. Deaths from vast US storm

Around 200 million Americans are feeling the “icy grip” of a massive winter storm that has been linked to at least 12 deaths ahead of the holiday weekend, said the BBC. More than 1.5 million people lost power and thousands of flights were cancelled yesterday. Speaking to CNN, transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg said the US aviation system “is operating under enormous strain”. The huge storm, which is estimated to be 2,000 miles wide, extends from Texas to Quebec.

3. ‘MoT’ to get people back to work

The government is drawing up plans to “woo” thousands of “missing” older workers back into the office with a “midlife MoT”, reported The Times. There are fears that Britain’s economic recovery is being held back by people taking early retirement, after it was found that estimated that 630,000 people have left the workforce since 2019, with employment figures still not back to where they were before the pandemic began. The “MoT” will also be used to help them to identify opportunities for part-time or flexible work, mentoring and skills training.

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4. Charles to praise Queen

King Charles will pay tribute to his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in his Christmas message. Charles will deliver his first festive address to the nation from St George’s Chapel, Windsor, where his mother was buried just a few months ago. The text of the King’s first Christmas speech, recorded on December 13, are being “kept under tight wraps”, said The Telegraph, but will be “eagerly anticipated”. The speech is “another significant milestone for the King”, added Sky News.

5. Covid data ‘censored’ in China

A local health chief has revealed that half a million people a day are being infected with Covid in a single Chinese city. The Guardian said the “rare” acknowledgment that the country’s wave of infections is not being reflected in official statistics was “quickly censored”. China has rapidly dismantled key pillars of its zero-Covid strategy, and cities across the nation have struggled as surging infections have “emptied pharmacy shelves, filled hospital wards and appeared to cause backlogs at crematoriums and funeral homes”, said the paper.

6. Sun ‘sorry’ for Clarkson piece

The Sun has apologised for a column from Jeremy Clarkson, in which the broadcaster said he “hated” the Duchess of Sussex. The column, in which he stated that Meghan should be paraded through the streets naked with excrement thrown at her, has become the Independent Press Standards Organisation’s most complained about article. “We at the Sun regret the publication of this article and we are sincerely sorry,” said the tabloid paper.

7. BBC upholds funeral complaints

The BBC has upheld complaints about its staff laughing at a joke about Catholics being “cleared out of Scotland” during its coverage of the Queen’s funeral. The broadcaster’s Executive Complaints Unit found that guidelines on “harm and offence” had been breached when talk turned to John Knox, the radical minister during the Scottish reformation. Guest contributor Robert Lacey, a royal historian, said: “John Knox of course being your great Scottish Protestant reformer, who cleared the Catholics out of Scotland.”

8. Deaths after Paris attack

A gunman opened fire in central Paris yesterday, killing three people and wounding three others in an attack targeting a Kurdish cultural centre. Shots were also fired at a hairdresser’s and a restaurant in the street. A suspect, aged 69 and recently released from prison, was quickly arrested. President Emmanuel Macron reacted to the shooting in a tweet, deploring the “heinous attack in the heart of Paris” and thanking the French police forces for their “courage and composure”.

9. Huge price cuts at ‘distressed’ shops

Shops are slashing prices by up to 80% in what experts say is a “sign of distress” and a fall in demand. Boxing Day sales have started a week early, with John Lewis and Debenhams offering discounts of up to 70%. Meanwhile, Asos, the online fashion shop, has cut some prices by 80%. An expert told The Times that retailers were “sitting on stock” of furniture and electronics, because people have adopted an “if it ain’t broke don’t replace it” approach.

10. Movie fans can sue over trailer

A judge has ruled that movie fans disappointed that their favourite actor was cut from a film after appearing in the trailer can sue the studio for false advertising. Peter Michael Rosza of San Diego and Conor Woulfe of Maryland said Universal Pictures tricked them into renting the movie Yesterday because the trailer featured actor Ana de Armas. They spent over $3.99 each to watch the musical comedy on Amazon Prime, only to discover that de Armas had not made the final cut. A class action is claiming at least $5m on behalf of disappointed fans.