
A first look at Viking Mira, the cruise brand's new £377m ocean ship
Similar to the rest of the ocean fleet, Viking Mira is classed as a small ship, with a gross tonnage of 54,300. It has 499 staterooms that can host 998 guests and has now moved to the next stage, where it will be completed with the cruise line's trademark Scandinavian designs.
The ship, which cost $501m (£377m) to build, is scheduled to debut in spring 2026 and will spend her inaugural season sailing itineraries in the Mediterranean and northern Europe. Cruise fares start from £2,190 for a seven-night western Mediterranean sailing from Barcelona to Rome. Itineraries also include sailings from Greenwich, London, on routes to the Med, Norway and Scandinavia.
The ceremony was attended by Gilberto Tobaldi, director of the shipyard and Gastone Lazzari, new building site team manager for Viking.
Torstein Hagen, chairman and chief executive of Viking, said 'In our view, together with Fincantieri we have created the world's most elegant fleet of small ocean ships – and the float out of the Viking Mira marks yet another important milestone as we continue to grow our fleet.
'As we prepare to welcome her in 2026, we are proud to offer even more opportunities for curious travellers to explore the world in Viking comfort.'
Viking has more ships in development as it continues to grow its fleet. By the end of 2027, it will have 14 ocean ships on the water. Based on its order book with Fincantieri, it expects to take delivery of 10 additional ocean ships by 2031. With these orders, Viking will have 23 ocean and expedition ships by 2031.

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The Independent
4 minutes ago
- The Independent
Electric car grants and discounts round up – Citroen first to get grants, while Vauxhall and Fiat are the latest with discounts
Citroen is the first car maker to offer discounts on its electric car range as part of the official government Electric Car Grants that were announced three weeks ago, with the eligible Citroen models now showing on the official government website as being available with grant money applied to the list price. Models including the Citroën e-C3, e-C4, e-C4 X and e-Berlingo are getting £1,500 off with immediate effect, with customers automatically benefiting from the discounts without having to do any paperwork. The upcoming e-C3 Aircross and e-C5 Aircross models are also set to get the same £1,500 discounts when they go on sale in the coming months. The first official discounts come three weeks after the government's announcement of the Electric Car Grant, and as news broke of a drop in car sales. Overall car sales were down five per cent in July, while there was a clear slow down in the rate of growth of EV sales. It had been expected that there would be a pause in electric car sales as buyers waited to see which cars would be eligible for discounts and which cars wouldn't. One car company executive, speaking anonymously to The Independent, confirmed that dealers were reporting customers cancelling orders until it was clear which cars were and which cars weren't eligible for grants.. The electric car grant was announced on Monday 14 July and went live on Wednesday 16 July. Car makers must apply for the grants, which are available on EVs up to the price of £37,000 and where car makers have signed up to low-carbon 'science-based targets' around manufacturing. Grants of between £1,500 and £3,750 will be available for eligible cars. While the announcement of the EV grant has been broadly welcomed by car makers, it took many of them by surprise, with some learning about the government plan via the media. As car companies grapple with the process involved in getting approval for the grants, many of them have introduced their own discount schemes to incentivise customers to keep buying their electric cars. The latest discounts come from Vauxhall and Fiat – fellow Stellantis brands to Citroen. Vauxhall is offering £1,500 off its entire range of Corsa, Frontera, Mokka, Grandland, Astra and Astra Sports Tourer, with additional benefits including up to £1,500 deposit contribution on zero per cent finance on some models, or a £2,500 deposit contribution towards finance on the Grandland. Vauxhall's 'Electric All In' offer of £500 towards a home charger or public charging also still stands. Fiat is offering £1,500 off its 500e, Fiat 600e, Abarth 500e and Abarth 600e all-electric models, with zero per cent finance still available on the 500e. Volkswagen Group brands VW, Skoda and Cupra have launched a 'Grant Guarantee' discount scheme while waiting for news from the government. VW is offering £1,500 off selected ID. 3 and ID. 4 all-electric models. 'We welcomed the Government's announcement of its Electric Car Grant and wanted to make sure customers could start benefitting from lower-cost electric motoring as quickly as possible. We have already seen an uplift in enquiries since the Government's grant was announced, which is great news for Volkswagen's electrification plans,' said Rod McLeod, Director of Volkswagen UK. Skoda is offering the same £1,500 discount across its Elroq and Enyaq model range, but not the Enyaq Coupe, while Cupra is offering £1,500 off many of its Cupra Born models. VW, Skoda and Cupra offers apply to cars bought during August and registered for the new 75 registration plate with deliveries starting on September 1. However, VW, Skoda and Cupra have all made it clear that if the government's EV grant comes through, the brands' Grant Guarantee scheme will end – customers won't be able to receive both. Last week, Volvo introduced a discount in lieu of any government grant, with £1,500 off any of the brand's EX30 electric models, even those that cost over the £37,000 limit. Smart also offered its own 'EV grant' with £1,500 off the whole range of Smart #1 and #3, in addition to existing incentives. That means you could save a total of £3,500 off a Smart #1, for example. Hyundai has its own electric grant, with the biggest discount available on Hyundai's smallest model. The Hyundai Inster – recently voted World Electric Car of the Year – gets a £3,750 'grant' bringing the entry-level car's price down to £19,755. There's still an additional £500 off if you go for Hyundai's low-rate PCP finance, too. The rest of the Hyundai electric car range, including models over £37,000, are also getting a £1,500 discount as part of the offer. Buyers of Chinese-made EVs were also left to reconsider their purchases with news that the government wasn't expecting those models to be eligible for the Electric Car Grant. Speaking on Radio Four, Minister for the Future of Roads, Lilian Greenwood, said: 'We don't expect any cars that are assembled in China to be eligible for this scheme. 'The grant is restricted to those manufacturers that reach minimum environmental standards. And, frankly, if you generate a lot of the electricity that powers your factory through coal power stations, then you are not going to be able to access this grant." The Department for Transport told The Independent: 'We expect dozens of models will be eligible but manufacturers will need to apply for the grant before we can confirm eligibility. We have held multiple calls with vehicle manufacturers to explain vehicle eligibility and how to apply for the grant. These discussions will continue to ensure manufacturers have all the information they need. 'All eligible models will be published on once the application has been approved. Applications will be processed on a first come, first served basis and as quickly as possible.' Chinese car brands have been quick to react by introducing their own 'EV grants' to stimulate demand among private buyers. Leapmotor was first out of the blocks with its Leap Grant, offering £1,500 off the Leapmotor T03, making it Britain's cheapest car at £14,495, while the Leapmotor C10 family SUV gets a £3,750 discount, taking the price down to £32,750. MG followed with its own EV grant, offering a discount of £1,500 off the MG4 and MGS5 EVs on top of existing offers, while another Chinese brand, GWM, has taken the full £3,750 off its GWM ORA 03 models with its Green Grant, bringing the starting price down to £21,245. Relatively unknown Chinese brand Skywell is also throwing its own EV grant of £3,750 on top of a £6,000 dealer deposit contribution if you buy the Skywell BE11 on finance. That brings the potential list price down to just £27,245 for the entry-level car. The BE11 is far from the best EV you can buy, but at that price it represents a lot of car for the money. It's not just Chinese brands applying discounts, though. Alfa Romeo is offering £1,500 off its Alfa Junior Elettrica range, on top of existing zero per cent finance offers and the promise of a free EV home charger with standard installation.


The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
Birmingham Airport flights grounded until 8pm after emergency landing
Flights at Birmingham Airport will remain grounded until at least 8pm after a small aircraft made an emergency landing. Three people from the aircraft were treated at the scene with one suffering minor injuries from the incident, which occurred at around 1.40pm on Wednesday, West Midlands Police said. Other emergency services including police, fire and ambulance all attended the scene at the airport's runway. Footage and images shared on social media appeared to show a small white plane lying flat on the airport tarmac. The aircraft, which is understood to be a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air, currently remains on the runway. The Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) said it had started an investigation into the incident, with 'a multi-disciplinary team including inspectors with expertise in aircraft operations, engineering and recorded data' deployed to the airport. A Beechcraft B200 Super King Air was also involved in a plane crash at London Southend Airport in July, which killed four people on board. Some 25 departure flights listed on the Birmingham Airport's website to destinations across Europe, including one to Amsterdam originally scheduled for 8.50pm, had been cancelled on Wednesday evening. Passengers have been told to check the status of their flight before coming to the airport, with both check-in and security also temporarily shut. Birmingham Airport first shared that its runway was temporarily closed following the incident at around 2.40pm. In an update posted on X, the airport said: 'Following an aircraft incident that occurred this afternoon, operations are expected to remain suspended until at least 8pm. 'Passengers at the airport are advised to speak to their airline for further information. We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused.' Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said disruption at the airport was 'minimal' but she understood 'how frustrating' the situation was for passengers. Gunnar Lauridsen, a 76-year-old from Denmark who had been on holiday playing golf, said he would most likely miss his connecting flight because of the closed runway. He said: 'We are ultimately going to Billund in Denmark. This delay probably means we can't get our connection. So that means that we will be staying probably in Amsterdam overnight. 'I should have been to the doctor's tomorrow morning. When you travel, things happen.' Camile Monteleone, a visual merchandiser, was meant to fly home to Barcelona after working in the UK for three days, but did not know if her flight from the airport had been cancelled. The 30-year-old said: 'I don't have any news. I'm like 'what is going on'. It does not say anything on the Ryanair app about the flight. 'I'm just waiting for information. I have to let people know I'm here, stuck at the airport. I cannot do anything else.' Haley, who did not give her surname, said she was told by airline Tui to check in for her flight to Majorca as normal but has since been told she cannot go inside the airport. The 42-year-old said: 'It's taken the shine off a bit. It's not too bad at the minute. We're trying to stay positive. 'Tui told us to check in as normal, but we've got here and been told we can't go inside the building. We've just been told they're moving people to the NEC.' West Midlands Police said in a post on X: 'We are at Birmingham Airport this afternoon after a small aircraft was involved in an emergency landing at around 1.40pm.' 'Officers are among the emergency crews at the scene and one person has been reported to have minor injuries. 'The Civil Aviation Authority has been informed and the airport has suspended operations as an investigation is carried out.' West Midlands Ambulance Service said in a statement: 'We were called at 1.45pm to an incident involving a light aircraft at Birmingham Airport. 'Hazardous Area Response Team (Hart) paramedics and three paramedic officers were sent to the scene. 'Upon arrival we found three patients from the aircraft, all of whom were assessed and discharged at the scene.' Woodgate Aviation said one of its Beechcraft fixed-wing aircraft was involved in the incident. The company said in a statement: 'The turbo-prop aircraft was on a flight to Belfast International Airport when it developed landing gear problems. The aircraft returned to Birmingham and made an emergency landing and the main under-carriage collapsed on touch down. 'Two crew members and a passenger were on board but were uninjured. 'The aircraft remains on the runway and Woodgate Aviation will be co-operating fully with Air Accident investigators and airport services. 'We would like to pay tribute to the professionalism of our colleagues and the emergency services at the airport for their prompt action.' Consumer group the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) offered stranded passengers a free pint if they showed their boarding pass at the Great British Beer Festival, which was taking place in the nearby National Exhibition Centre.


The Guardian
27 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Italian government gives final approval for bridge linking Sicily to mainland
The Italian government has given the final approval for the construction of a multibillion-euro bridge linking Sicily to the mainland, a project that has been a topic of debate since at least the late 1960s but has been held back by a litany of concerns, including the huge cost, seismic risks and mafia infiltration. Giorgia Meloni's rightwing government has set aside €13.5bn to build what would be the longest single-span bridge in the world. A dream of Italy's late former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and revived soon after Meloni's government came to power in 2022, the 3.7km bridge and its surrounding facilities are expected to take 10 years to build. Cars, trains and foot passengers currently cross the Strait of Messina, between the Sicilian city of the same name and Villa San Giovanni in Calabria, by ferry – a journey that takes about 30 minutes. The green light for the bridge, which the government argues would give a much-needed economic boost to Italy's poorer south, was given by an inter-ministerial committee on Wednesday, said the transport minister, Matteo Salvini, who is also the project's chief backer. Salvini described it as 'a metro over the strait'. Salvini said the approval would need to be validated by the national audit court, which could take a few weeks, but said he was optimistic work would begin 'in September or October'. 'The Strait of Messina is a project without precedent in the world,' Salvini told reporters. 'This goal is to complete by 2032-33.' Salvini added countering any attempt at criminal infiltration in the project would be the government's 'raison d'être'. 'We must monitor the entire supply chain to ensure it is impervious to criminals,' he said, adding if it was discovered that the mafia was involved then the bridge would not be built. It will be constructed by a consortium led by Italy's Webuild Group and including Spain's Sacyr and the Japanese group IHI. Pietro Salini, the chief executive of Webuild, said the project would be 'transformative for the whole country'. The company estimates the bridge's construction will create more than 100,000 jobs. The approval will allow for preliminary works, including archaeological and geological surveys, to be carried out. An estimated 4,000 people on either side of the strait will be forced to leave their homes as part of an expropriation plan. They will be compensated, but this has not been enough to stop frequent protests against the bridge's construction. Despite Berlusconi's attempts to approve the project during his three governments, it was rejected because of the high costs, engineering impracticability and the environmental impact. Environmental associations this week filed a complaint with the EU, flagging serious risks for the local environment, while Angelo Bonelli, an MP for the Greens and Left Alliance, said the plan was 'a colossal waste of money' and vowed to continue to fight against it. The area of the construction is also among those with the highest seismic risks in Europe.