UK weather warning: Britain faces first SNOW of winter as October plunges into deep freeze - Express.co.uk

The first ‘significant snow’ of the season is expected to fall across parts of the country towards the end of October, according to some long-range forecasts. Britain could be facing another record winter chiller with early long-range forecasts pointing to a repeat of last year’s Beast from the East. Warnings come as strong winds and torrential rain continue to hammer the nation with more bad weather forecast this week.

Torrential rain and strong winds will bring further flood misery before Arctic air arrives mid-week sending temperatures plummeting.

Brits are  on alert for a major change in the weather to unleash bitter winds and even snow through the second half of October.

Exacta Weather forecaster James Madden said: “Brits should make the most of the milder weather as next month is showing the potential for some cooler weather and significant night time frosts.

“These will start to set in during the second half of the month, when the first significant snow of the season is likely to occur across higher ground.

“Low-pressure systems pushing in off the Atlantic will give the potential for some early winter weather in the late October to November period.

“These will clash with cold air over the country bringing significant snow events across higher ground in the north with the potential for some wintry water to lower levels across parts of the country.”

This winter could join some of the coldest on record with temperatures and snowfall set to rival the historic chiller of 2010/11 and last year’s Beast from the East.

Low solar activity and its knock-on effect on the Gulf Stream will drive changes in the position of the jet stream to drive the cold weather.

Cooler than normal Gulf Stream waters which run along the east coast of America and up the west coast of the UK will impact the weather, according to Mr Madden.

He said: “Weather systems pushing in off the Atlantic will be responsible for the significant snow events from November onwards as they clash with the colder and stagnated air across our shores on multiple occasions.

“This is in part due to the period of low solar activity that we currently reside within and how much solar energy is emitted to heat important ocean currents such as the Gulf Stream circulation.

“This process alters the behaviour of our jet-stream to bring about these weather patterns, we can apply such factors to long-range weather indications with some success.

“Similar methods have allowed us to identify, several weeks in advance, previous record-breaking cold weather events including the extreme cold which hit Britain in December2010 and the exceptionally cold March of 2013.

“This winter is giving off the right signals for some potentially record-breaking cold and snow from November onwards this year.”

Britain’s weather is being given an autumnal shake-up with further bouts of wind and rain on the cards this week.

Temperatures will nosedive from Wednesday when Arctic air descends across the country, the Met Office warned.

Meteorologist Alex Burkill said: “Another low-pressure system will move across the country during the start of the week bringing further wet and windy weather.

“It quietens down a little bit on Wednesday when we go into a northerly flow of Arctic air, so it will feel chillier.

“There is the potential for another spell of unsettled weather from Thursday although there is still some uncertainly around this.”

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https://www.express.co.uk/news/weather/1184069/BBC-weather-warnings-forecast-this-week-snow-north-west-london-rain-October-freeze

2019-09-30 06:52:55Z
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U.S. Businesswoman Admitted Affair With Boris Johnson, U.K. Report Says - The New York Times

LONDON — An American businesswoman who received thousands of pounds from a government agency that Boris Johnson controlled when he was mayor of London told friends that she and Mr. Johnson were having a sexual affair, according to a British news report this weekend.

The revelation in The Sunday Times of London intensifies the scandal hanging over Mr. Johnson as he tries to navigate an impasse in Parliament over his Brexit plans. Several agencies are investigating accusations that he gave favorable treatment to the businesswoman, Jennifer Arcuri, now 34, by helping her secure sponsorship money and taking her on trade missions that she was not qualified for.

On Friday, a monitor at London’s City Hall referred Mr. Johnson to a police watchdog for a possible investigation into the case, saying that the accusations, if true, could amount to misconduct in public office.

Both Mr. Johnson and Ms. Arcuri have denied any wrongdoing. And a government minister from Mr. Johnson’s Conservative Party dismissed that as “an obviously politicized complaint.” The monitor was a career official who also worked at City Hall during Mr. Johnson’s tenure as London mayor, from 2008 to 2016.

The new revelations were published as Mr. Johnson arrived with his girlfriend, Carrie Symonds, in Manchester this weekend for the opening of the Conservative Party conference. The conference has been overshadowed by a Supreme Court ruling on Tuesday that Mr. Johnson’s suspension of Parliament at the height of the Brexit crisis was “unlawful.”

Mr. Johnson was forced to return to the House of Commons three weeks earlier than planned to face defiant lawmakers who are determined to stop him from pulling Britain out of the European Union without a deal governing future relations.

The Sunday Times article this weekend fills in some details of an episode that has hounded Mr. Johnson during what has already been a wobbly start to his leadership.

The newspaper reported that Ms. Arcuri had confided to four friends that she was having an affair with Mr. Johnson when he was mayor, a relationship that began soon after they met in 2012, while he was campaigning for his second term as mayor. Mr. Johnson was 47 and in his second marriage at the time. Ms. Arcuri was 27 and finishing a graduate program in business in London.

The newspaper quotes as one of its sources David Enrich, who was an employee of The Wall Street Journal in 2013 when, he said, he interviewed Ms. Acuri for an article about her business partner. He said he had been told by her friends about the alleged relationship between her and Mr. Johnson. Mr. Enrich is now a business editor at The New York Times.

Earlier, The Sunday Times reported that Mr. Johnson often paid afternoon visits to the apartment where Ms. Arcuri lived in East London while on breaks from his duties as mayor. The article was illustrated with a photograph of Ms. Arcuri using a dancing pole fitted in her home.

Mr. Johnson gave Ms. Arcuri’s first venture a major lift by appearing at four networking events for entrepreneurs and policymakers that her company had organized, the newspaper said.

She received 11,500 pounds, or around $14,000, in sponsorship money from an organization that was overseen by Mr. Johnson as mayor. And she was given coveted spots on trade missions with the mayor to Malaysia, New York, Singapore and Tel Aviv. In some instances, Mr. Johnson’s office intervened to add her to the roster even though she did not meet the criteria for trade delegates, the report said.

Another business later set up by Ms. Arcuri, Hacker House, was awarded a central government grant of £100,000, about $120,000, in February, before Mr. Johnson became prime minister.

An unnamed Conservative Party activist told the newspaper that Ms. Arcuri had acknowledged the affair and that, even when other people were around, played along with jokes about their status.

After initially declining to discuss the accusations, Mr. Johnson told a reporter from the broadcaster ITV, “Absolutely everything was done with full propriety and in accordance with proper procedures.”

Mr. Johnson’s serial philandering has frequently made headlines in Britain. Earlier in his career, he was fired from the Conservative Party’s leadership team after falsely denying reports of an extramarital affair.

But the new accusations have put Mr. Johnson under a level of scrutiny that he has rarely received during his turbulent career.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/29/world/europe/boris-johnson-jennifer-arcuri.html

2019-09-29 15:13:00Z
52780396784013

U.S. Businesswoman Admitted Affair With Boris Johnson, U.K. Report Says - The New York Times

LONDON — An American businesswoman who received thousands of pounds from a government agency that Boris Johnson controlled when he was mayor of London told friends that she and Mr. Johnson were having a sexual affair, according to a British news report this weekend.

The revelation in The Sunday Times of London intensifies the scandal hanging over Mr. Johnson as he tries to navigate an impasse in Parliament over his Brexit plans. Several agencies are investigating accusations that he gave favorable treatment to the businesswoman, Jennifer Arcuri, now 34, by helping her secure sponsorship money and taking her on trade missions that she was not qualified for.

On Friday, a monitor at London’s City Hall referred Mr. Johnson to a police watchdog for a possible investigation into the case, saying that the accusations, if true, could amount to misconduct in public office.

Both Mr. Johnson and Ms. Arcuri have denied any wrongdoing. And a government minister from Mr. Johnson’s Conservative Party dismissed that as “an obviously politicized complaint.” The monitor was a career official who also worked at City Hall during Mr. Johnson’s tenure as London mayor, from 2008 to 2016.

The new revelations were published as Mr. Johnson arrived with girlfriend, Carrie Symonds, in Manchester this weekend for the opening of the Conservative Party conference. The conference has been overshadowed by a Supreme Court ruling on Tuesday that Mr. Johnson’s suspension of Parliament at the height of the Brexit crisis was “unlawful.”

Mr. Johnson was forced to return to the House of Commons three weeks earlier than planned to face defiant lawmakers who are determined to stop him from pulling Britain out of the European Union without a deal governing future relations.

The Sunday Times article this weekend fills in some details of an episode that has hounded Mr. Johnson during what has already been a wobbly start to his leadership.

The newspaper reported that Ms. Arcuri had confided to four friends that she was having an affair with Mr. Johnson when he was mayor, a relationship that began soon after they met in 2012, while he was campaigning for his second term as mayor. Mr. Johnson was 47 and in his second marriage at the time. Ms. Arcuri was 27 and finishing a graduate program in business in London.

The newspaper quotes as one of its sources David Enrich, who was an employee of The Wall Street Journal in 2013 when, he said, he interviewed Ms. Acuri for an article about her business partner. He said he had been told by her friends about the alleged relationship between her and Mr. Johnson. Mr. Enrich is now a business editor at The New York Times.

Earlier, The Sunday Times reported that Mr. Johnson often paid afternoon visits to the apartment where Ms. Arcuri lived in East London while on breaks from his duties as mayor. The article was illustrated with a photograph of Ms. Arcuri using a dancing pole fitted in her home.

Mr. Johnson gave Ms. Arcuri’s first venture a major lift by appearing at four networking events for entrepreneurs and policymakers that her company had organized, the newspaper said.

She received 11,500 pounds, or around $14,000, in sponsorship money from an organization that was overseen by Mr. Johnson as mayor. And she was given coveted spots on trade missions with the mayor to Malaysia, New York, Singapore and Tel Aviv. In some instances, Mr. Johnson’s office intervened to add her to the roster even though she did not meet the criteria for trade delegates, the report said.

Another business later set up by Ms. Arcuri, Hacker House, was awarded a central government grant of £100,000, about $120,000, in February, before Mr. Johnson became prime minister.

An unnamed Conservative Party activist told the newspaper that Ms. Arcuri had acknowledged the affair and that, even when other people were around, played along with jokes about their status.

After initially declining to discuss the accusations, Mr. Johnson told a reporter from the broadcaster ITV, “Absolutely everything was done with full propriety and in accordance with proper procedures.”

Mr. Johnson’s serial philandering has frequently made headlines in Britain. Earlier in his career, he was fired from the Conservative Party’s leadership team after falsely denying reports of an extramarital affair.

But the new accusations have put Mr. Johnson under a level of scrutiny that he has rarely received during his turbulent career.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/29/world/europe/boris-johnson-jennifer-arcuri.html

2019-09-29 08:48:00Z
52780396784013

Hurricane Lorenzo: Strongest hurricane in history in Eastern Atlantic sets sights on UK - Express.co.uk

Hurricane Lorenzo is an incredibly powerful hurricane according to the National Hurricane Center, and it is continuing to strengthen as it tracks through the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Packing maximum sustained winds of 155mph, Lorenzo was located around 1360 miles south-west of the Azores. Lorenzo is continuing to track across the Atlantic after being declared by experts as "the strongest hurricane east of 45 degrees west longitude in the Atlantic on record". Now One chart has revealed the winds could begin to impact the UK next week as it tracks through the Atlantic.

Satellite imagery of Lorenzo shows a thick core surrounding a big clear eye as it packs maximum sustained winds of 155mph.

Hurricane Lorenzo is on the cusp of becoming a category five hurricane, as wind speeds of 156mph and higher are classified as category five.

The last storm to reach wind speeds of 145mph in this area of the Atlantic was Hurricane Helene in 1988, however, this didn’t achieve peak intensity until it was 400 miles west of Lorenzo’s current location.

The NHC reports the eye of dangerous Hurricane Lorenzo “is now completely surrounded by a ring of convection with cold cloud tops less than minus 70 degrees Celsius.”

Lorenzo is a large hurricane, with hurricane-force winds extending outward up to 50 miles from the centre of the weather system and tropical-storm-force winds extending outward up to 290 miles.

Read More: Hurricane Humberto: Storm hits Britain-how will it affect travel plans

The hurricane is forecast to continue on its track northwest, before gradually turning to the north and then northeast.

This direction could put winds on course to reach the UK and Ireland by next week.

Irish Weather Online forecaster Prof Peter O’Donnell said: “This hurricane is slowly gathering strength well to the south of the Azores where it could hit as a hurricane of diminishing intensity (after reaching major hurricane status in the meanwhile).

“Too early to say with much confidence where Lorenzo’s remnants will actually head although most models seem to favour a track several hundred miles west of Ireland towards the Icelandic region with a loop around the northern Atlantic.

“Associated fronts and disturbances could then reach Ireland later even if Lorenzo never does.”

Weather graphics from WXCharts show maximum wind gusts of approximately 38.5mph could impact the UK and Ireland in some areas on Thursday, October 3.

Heavy rainfall could also be an impact of the remnants of Hurricane Lorenzo reaching the UK.

The Met Office reports for Sunday through to Thursday the weather will feel “unsettled with showers and spells of rain, windy at times.

Read More: Tropical Storm Karen update: Karen could loop towards Florida

“Heaviest rain and strongest winds across central and southern areas; best of any drier, brighter weather across parts of Scotland.”

Met Office rain warnings not associated with Lorenzo are in force for the UK across this weekend - September 28 and 29. 

Elsewhere in the Eastern North Pacific, tropical storm Narda has formed close to Mexico with 46mph winds. 

According to the NHC, "satellite imagery and data from coastal stations in Mexico indicate that the centre of Narda is northwest of the previous advisory position and it is now located close to the coast of Mexico near Zihuatanejo."

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https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1183386/hurricane-Lorenzo-path-tracker-satellite-images-Lorenzo-UK-Ireland

2019-09-29 14:16:44Z
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Hurricane Lorenzo: Strongest hurricane in history in Eastern Atlantic sets sights on UK - Express.co.uk

Hurricane Lorenzo is an incredibly powerful hurricane according to the National Hurricane Center, and it is continuing to strengthen as it tracks through the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Packing maximum sustained winds of 115mph, Lorenzo was located around 1660 miles south-west of the Azores. One chart has revealed the winds could begin to impact the UK next week as it tracks through the Atlantic.

Satellite imagery of Lorenzo shows a thick core surrounding a big clear eye.

Despite weakening to a category three with winds of 115mph, Lorenzo was previously recorded at category four status with 145mph winds.

The last storm to reach wind speeds of 145mph in this area of the Atlantic was Hurricane Helene in 1988, however, this didn’t achieve peak intensity until it was 400 miles west of Lorenzo’s current location.

The NHC reports the eye of dangerous Hurricane Lorenzo “is now completely surrounded by a ring of convection with cold cloud tops less than minus 70 degrees Celsius.”

Lorenzo is a large hurricane, with hurricane-force winds extending outward up to 50 miles from the centre of the weather system and tropical-storm-force winds extending outward up to 290 miles.

Read More: Hurricane Humberto: Storm hits Britain-how will it affect travel plans

The hurricane is forecast to continue on its track northwest, before gradually turning to the north and then northeast.

This direction could put winds on course to reach the UK and Ireland by next week.

Irish Weather Online forecaster Prof Peter O’Donnell said: “This hurricane is slowly gathering strength well to the south of the Azores where it could hit as a hurricane of diminishing intensity (after reaching major hurricane status in the meanwhile).

“Too early to say with much confidence where Lorenzo’s remnants will actually head although most models seem to favour a track several hundred miles west of Ireland towards the Icelandic region with a loop around the northern Atlantic.

“Associated fronts and disturbances could then reach Ireland later even if Lorenzo never does.”

Weather graphics from WXCharts show maximum wind gusts of approximately 38.5mph could impact the UK and Ireland in some areas on Thursday, October 3.

Heavy rainfall could also be an impact of the remnants of Hurricane Lorenzo reaching the UK.

The Met Office reports for Sunday through to Thursday the weather will feel “unsettled with showers and spells of rain, windy at times.

Read More: Tropical Storm Karen update: Karen could loop towards Florida

“Heaviest rain and strongest winds across central and southern areas; best of any drier, brighter weather across parts of Scotland.”

Met Office rain warnings not associated with Lorenzo are in force for the UK across this weekend - September 28 and 29. 

Elsewhere in the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Karen has begun to weaken and is forecast to degenerate into a remnant low by Saturday.

Karen is located approximately 350 miles south-southeast of Bermuda and has wind speeds of 40mph.

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https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1183386/hurricane-Lorenzo-path-tracker-satellite-images-Lorenzo-UK-Ireland

2019-09-28 13:37:01Z
CBMib2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmV4cHJlc3MuY28udWsvbmV3cy93b3JsZC8xMTgzMzg2L2h1cnJpY2FuZS1Mb3JlbnpvLXBhdGgtdHJhY2tlci1zYXRlbGxpdGUtaW1hZ2VzLUxvcmVuem8tVUstSXJlbGFuZNIBc2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmV4cHJlc3MuY28udWsvbmV3cy93b3JsZC8xMTgzMzg2L2h1cnJpY2FuZS1Mb3JlbnpvLXBhdGgtdHJhY2tlci1zYXRlbGxpdGUtaW1hZ2VzLUxvcmVuem8tVUstSXJlbGFuZC9hbXA

Why UK Pilots Are Livid Over Germany's Condor Bailout - Matthew Klint

Pilots in the United Kingdom have expressed outrage over the German government’s bailout of Condor. Is this a case of jealously or do the pilots have a point?

The British Airlines Pilots Association (BALPA) is the umbrella union representing pilots in the United Kingdom.

BALPA General Secretary, Brian Strutton issued a statement:

Good luck to the Condor staff and customers. But with UK holidaymakers stranded and 9,000 staff out of a job, the Thomas Cook directors need to explain why the UK airline had to be closed but the German one was allowed to continue to operate. How was it funded, because it seems there is nothing left in the coffers for UK staff? And why couldn’t the UK government give the same kind of bridging support as the German government when it was well known that Thomas Cook had a Chinese buyer lined up? It’s a national scandal.

The question is fair enough on the surface. If Condor was a profitable arm of Thomas Cook, why couldn’t money be pulled from that division to keep the whole company afloat?

The answer is because Condor, formally Condor Flugdienst GmbH, is an independent subsidiary. Thanks to swift action and the protection of German insolvency law, creditors were barred from seizing the assets of Condor to satisfy the debts of Thomas Cook.

Furthermore, keep in mind that Condor was not a wholly-owned subsidiary of Thomas Cook. Instead, Thomas Cook held a 49% stake.

So while it understandable that British pilots are outraged, their immediate ire is best directed at the British government, which chose not to bail out Thomas Cook, rather than Thomas Cook itself and especially Condor. Long-term, though, it was Thomas Cook’s ill-fated 2007 merger with with MyTravel that ultimately doomed it.

CONCLUSION

The age of “high street” travel agencies seems such a relic of the past. That Thomas Cook held on for so long is a testimony to the strength of its brand. But staggering debt service from poor investment choices ultimately doomed the airline, not Condor spreading its wings.

image: Thomas Cook

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https://liveandletsfly.boardingarea.com/2019/09/28/uk-pilots-condor/

2019-09-28 11:39:00Z
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Brexit: UK 'planning concrete proposals' - BBC News

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The UK government is planning to put out "concrete proposals" for reaching a Brexit deal with the EU within the next few weeks, the BBC understands.

Brussels correspondent Adam Fleming said it was expected they would be revealed after next week's Tory conference but in time for scrutiny ahead of the EU summit on 17 October.

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay said the "moment of truth" was approaching.

The UK is currently due to leave the EU on 31 October.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson says this will happen whether or not there is a new deal with Brussels - but adds that he would prefer leaving with a deal.

However, MPs have passed a law requiring Mr Johnson to seek an extension to the deadline from the bloc if he is unable to pass a deal in Parliament, or get MPs to approve a no-deal Brexit, by 19 October.

Mr Barclay held talks with the EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, on Friday, telling the BBC afterwards: "I think there is still a long way to go. I think we are coming to the moment of truth in these negotiations.

"We are committed to securing a deal. The prime minister has made clear he wants a deal, but there has to be political will on both sides and that's what we are exploring."

The biggest obstacle to a deal is the backstop - the plan to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.

The policy - agreed to by former PM Theresa May in her withdrawal deal with the EU, which was rejected three times by Parliament - is unacceptable to many Conservative MPs.

But the European Commission said Mr Barnier had stressed to Mr Barclay during the meeting that it was "essential" there was a "fully operational solution in the withdrawal agreement to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, protect the all-island economy and the integrity of the single market".

"The EU remains open and willing to examine any workable and legally operative proposals that meet all these objectives," a statement issued after the meeting said.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-49847577

2019-09-27 17:08:33Z
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