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London Stock Exchange will decline in the coming years
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Get you up to speed: Hungary’s double veto leaves Ukraine in a precarious position
The Hungarian foreign minister accused Ukraine of lying during a tense meeting. Budapest exercised its veto powers twice, causing frustration among member states that support Ukraine.
Reactions from member states have been one of anger and disbelief at Hungary’s actions. Kaja Kallas faced reprimand during these discussions, highlighting the diplomatic tensions at play.
The situation leaves Ukraine in a state of limbo regarding its support and aid from the European Union. The ongoing tensions may affect future decisions within the bloc as Hungary’s stance continues to draw ire.
What we know so far
How Hungary hijacked Brussels and Kyiv with a double veto leaving Ukraine in limbo
The Hungarian foreign minister accused Ukraine of lying and reprimanded Kaja Kallas during a recent meeting. Hungary’s use of its veto powers twice has sparked outrage among member states supportive of Ukraine. The tension reflects a significant diplomatic rift within the European Union.
Member states expressed their fury at Hungary’s actions, which were perceived as an obstruction to Ukraine’s support. Kaja Kallas’s reprimand underscores the fragile dynamics in negotiations. According to sources, Hungary’s stance may complicate future discussions on assistance for Ukraine.
As the situation develops, Ukraine remains in a precarious position, with its support from the EU now uncertain. The implications of Hungary’s vetoes may resonate throughout the bloc, affecting decision-making moving forward.
UK Daily Trending stories
Media Coverage
The story is popular on the front pages – though not always the lead. Online the story dominates the websites, and with more information emerging it’s likely to continue to dominate.
Trending – Former Harrods boss accused of sexual abuse
Mohamed Al-Fayed has been accused of sexual assault and rape.
A BBC investigation heard testimony from more than 20 women who said they were sexually assaulted by the billionaire. Five said they were raped.
The investigation gathered evidence that during Fayed’s ownership, Harrods not only failed to intervene but helped cover up abuse allegations.
Fayed was a prominent businessman who owned luxury store Harrods between 1985 and 2010. He also owned Fulham football club. He is the father of Dodi Al Fayed – who died alongside Princess Diana in a 1997 car crash in Paris. vs Switzerland match – the winner will play Spain in the final.
Basic facts
- The BBC has heard testimony from more than 20 female ex-employees who say the billionaire, who died last year aged 94, sexually assaulted or raped them
- The documentary and podcast – Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods – gathered evidence that, during Fayed’s ownership, Harrods not only failed to intervene but helped cover up abuse allegations
- Harrods’ current owners said they were “utterly appalled” by the allegations and that his victims had been failed – for which the store sincerely apologised
- Fayed faced sexual assault claims while he was alive, but these allegations are of unprecedented scale and seriousness
- The BBC believes many more women may have been assaulted
The reaction
The story features on a handful of newspaper front pages and is a popular story across social media and online news sites. The media expresses the ‘horror’ at the allegations and looks ahead at what may come next – including more women coming forward.
Some of the papers ask why he was not charged when the prime minister was the director of public prosecutions. But Downing Street said the PM had no involvement in the decision not to bring charges against Fayad who was questioned by police in 2008.
Other publications lead on Fayed’s role within the establishment, especially due to his close proximity to the royal family. Fayed’s son dated Princess Diana – and died alongside her – in 1997.



Related Stories
Trending on social media
Online the reaction is mixed. Some users are reacting with horror at the news of the accusations and linking it to other wealthy and powerful men who had also been accused or found guilty of similar crimes including the recently arrested P Diddy.
On the other hand, other users are linking the allegations to the prime minister, who was the director of public prosecutions, at the time when the first allegations were made.
Some users are disregarding the allegations due to Fayed being dead.
The Fayed story comes as no surprise 😔… I had the misfortune of doing several interviews w him & a couple of celebs from his top floor Harrods office as a young journalist at OK! He was a menace & perv – v entitled. Applaud BBC for investigating this finally -…
— Collette Walsh (@ColletteWalsh) September 19, 2024
A few predictable comments (from men) saying these poor women are doing this now for the money!! Fuck right off!! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬#alfayed
— 🌸 💙🅱️3️⃣♈️ 💚🌺 (@BevFlannery) September 20, 2024
Watching McMafia on BBC IPlayer and this bit stood out #AlFayed #PrincessDiana @TheCrownNetflix pic.twitter.com/Zsfqg1rkLi
— Joanna Brittan (@jebrittan2) November 24, 2023
The busiest train route in England and Wales revealed
Picture this: you’re standing on the platform, waiting for your morning train to work.
It pulls in, and then you realise that it’s packed to the rafters with other barely awake office workers, all clutching their morning coffees in unison.
But if you were convinced that your daily commute is the most chaotic, you might yet be proven wrong – as now, the busiest train route in England and Wales has been revealed.
Any guesses? It’s the 7.33am service from Bedford (in Bedfordshire, naturally) to Three Bridges in Sussex, ticking off Luton Airport, central London and Gatwick along the way.
As per the latest figures from the Department for Transport, in autumn 2023, this particular service had more passengers standing than seated in the stretch approaching St Pancras International (with a maximum load factor of a whopping 204%). Cosy, hey?
The maximum load factor was calculated by dividing the passenger load of the carriages (excluding first-class) by the total capacity.
As such, Govia Thameslink was forced to increase this particular service to operate with 12 coaches, allowing space for an extra 618 passengers in total.
Now, this commuter train has an average of 187 standing passengers – which is a maximum load factor of 129%, though the typical number of commuters using this service has subsequently jumped up slightly to 835.
Notably, this line includes a total of 16 stops, including Blackfriars, St Pancras International, Croydon, and of course, St Albans.
This Hertfordshire city was crowned the best commuter spot of 2024 by OnTheMarket, hailed for its transport links, nearby schools, and close proximity to the capital, being just 20 minutes (or 26 miles north) by train.
So, it’s little surprise that a service that passes straight through it has been named the busiest – though, as per statistics released in March, 63% of trains stopping at St Albans specifically were delayed (despite the fact that a yearly season ticket will cost you more than £4,300 if you’re in the office four days a week or more).
The 10 busiest trains in England and Wales
7.33am Bedford to Three Bridges (point of maximum load: London St Pancras International, maximum load factor: 204%)
7.46am Prince’s Risborough to London Marylebone (London Marylebone, 165%)
2.57pm Gloucester to Maesteg (Cardiff Central, 162%)
6.10am Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo (Vauxhall, 157%)
5.46pm London Euston to Crewe (London Euston, 155%)
7.03am Bedford to Three Bridges (London St Pancras International, 155%)
6.30pm London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour (Vauxhall, 154%)
7.14am Alton to London Waterloo (Vauxhall, 152%)
6.14am Stourbridge Junction to London Marylebone (London Marylebone, 151%)
7.30am Bedford to Three Bridges (London St Pancras International, 150%).
Elsewhere, the 7.46am service from Prince’s Risborough in Buckinghamshire to London Marylebone was ranked the second busiest service with a maximum load factor of 165%.
However, Chiltern Railways has noted that it’s doing ‘everything possible’ to introduce more trains to the network and upgrade the existing ones with newer models.
And, in third place was the only route not connecting into London with the 2.57pm service from Gloucester to Maesteg in Wales – which is at its busiest between Cardiff and Bridgend.
So, the next time you find yourself rolling your eyes at a mildly packed train, spare a thought for the commuters on the busiest.
The travel hack every commuter needs to know to get a seat on a busy train
Recently, a travel expert revealed a handy way to work out which carriages have the most available seats – and we bet you had no idea about it.
Chelsea Dickenson, who goes by Cheap Holiday Expert online, posts tons of tips and tricks to save money and make travelling that little bit easier.
In a recent video titled ‘I Bet You Didn’t Know This Train Tip’, Chelsea told viewers about a feature of the electronic platform signs that will help you find a quieter cabin.
In the video, Chelsea stands in Manchester Piccadilly station, pointing at one of the signs that often appears at the top of each platform, listing the stops the train will be making.
Under the list of destinations, there’s a symbol indicating a train.
‘You see that little drawing of a train, that actually gives you loads of information about how busy each of the carriages are,’ explains Chelsea.
‘So the more coloured in it is, the more busy and full it is, the more booked seats there are.
‘And therefore, if you do not have a seat booked, you are best heading to the ones that are not filled in at all.’
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