Latest news with #Easter
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Rockingham Speedway up for sale after NASCAR return
A month after hosting a NASCAR Trucks and Xfinity race for the first time in over a decade, Rockingham Speedway is up for sale, according to Channel 9's partners at the Charlotte Observer. The speedway is listed by CBRE Group, which is a commercial real estate services and investment firm. Racetrack owner Dan Lovenheim confirmed to the Observer he is selling the track. Advertisement The track held a Truck Series race, an Xfinity Series race, and an ARCA race on Easter weekend. The NASCAR Cup Series left the track in 2004, and while Rockingham held several races in other series, Rockingham stayed vacant throughout the 2010s after its final race in 2013. ALSO READ: Prime Video's first NASCAR race averages 2.72 million viewers, younger audience 'We've basically taken it in first gear as far as we can go, building it out, getting it ready for bigger and better hands,' Lovenheim told The Charlotte Observer. 'And the time is right to pass the baton to someone who can take it farther than we can.' A new buyer will be selected by the 1st of July and there is now an open offer period. (WATCH BELOW: Former Mallard Creek star takes break from NFL for first youth football camp in Charlotte)
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
UK car production falls sharply in April
The number of vehicles manufactured in the UK fell sharply last month, as tariffs and the timing of Easter hit production. The 59,203 vehicles made was the lowest April output for more than 70 years, with the exception of 2020, when production effectively stopped during the Covid lockdown. The Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said a wider change in the industry as it shifts from petrol cars to electric vehicles (EVs) had also temporarily reduced output. However, new trade deals with the US, EU and India may help boost upcoming production, the industry group said. The April figure was 16% lower than the same month last year, and 25% lower than March, when numbers were likely to have been boosted by manufacturers shipping more cars to the US before President Trump's tariffs kicked in. The fact that Easter fell in April this year, which meant there were fewer working days, was also a factor, the SMMT said. The lowest April output before that - outside the pandemic - was back in 1952, when 53,517 vehicles were produced. Car production for exports fells by 10.1%, said the SMMT, driven by falls in demand from the UK's biggest export markets the US and EU. The group said the total number of vehicles manufactured in the UK for the first four months of the year was the lowest since 2009. The downward trend in production is similar in other countries, said Prof Peter Wells, director of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research at Cardiff University. "There are concerns in Germany, Italy, France and Japan," he told the BBC. "So I would emphasise that there is this bigger picture going on, and it's not purely a UK phenomenon." However, some of the global pressures may be stronger in the UK, Prof Wells said, such as fewer trade barriers against Chinese imports compared to the EU and US. The UK government's change in policy over encouraging more manufacturing of EVs had also made planning more difficult for carmakers, he added. In April, the UK announced plans to relax sales targets for EVs and reduce fines for cars that do not meet certain emissions standards. In recent years, the UK has seen producers such as Honda and Ford shut down plants. Last year, Stellantis - which makes Vauxhall, Citroen and Peugeot cars - warned it may have to halt UK production due to uncertainty over the government's approach to EVs. "What industry always wants is stability and clarity in policy, whether it's tariffs or electrification or any other issue," said Prof Wells. "For me at least, it remains a volatile environment in that sense."
Otago Daily Times
6 hours ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
King's Birthday weekend: What you need to know
By Nik Dirga of RNZ Explainer - King Charles' birthday is commemorated with a public holiday on Monday - what's open, how do those royal honours get chosen and should we still celebrate it, anyway? Here's everything you need to know about the holiday. What's open on Monday? Do I have to work? It is a public holiday, but some people may still have to work depending on their employer. Employees are paid time and a-half and entitled to a paid day off if a public holiday falls on a normal working day for them. However, if you are a contractor or working for yourself, you don't get those benefits. You can read more about public holiday rules for employers here. Trading restrictions don't apply on Monday as they do for Easter holidays, the morning of Anzac Day or Christmas. Shops, restaurants and cafes can be open as usual but it pays to check opening hours beforehand. I'm gonna want a latte, do I have to pay a surcharge? Because businesses have to pay employees more on a public holiday, it raises their costs. So some businesses choose to add a surcharge to their prices on holidays. The typical surcharge is 15 percent. However, businesses must be clear about announcing those charges to customers via signage, verbally or other methods. Customers can also complain to the Commerce Commission if they feel misled or a charge was excessive. King's Birthday is also about celebrating NZers' achievements Dozens of New Zealanders will be given royal honours which will be announced on Monday for excellence in their fields. It's the second time each year honours are given out - they're also announced on New Year's Eve. Cool, can I get an honour? Who decides who gets them? Literally anyone can nominate someone living who they think deserves a Royal Honour. (Unless you try to nominate yourself, which is not allowed and also kind of weird.) The Honours Unit at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet processes between 800 to 1000 nominations a year, Blair Teesdale-Moore, senior communications advisor with the department, said. "The unit prepares a draft citation for each one based on the information in the nomination and letters of support," she said. The Cabinet Appointments and Honours Committee then considers every nomination individually in a series of confidential meetings over several weeks. "As chair of the APH committee and the King's primary advisor on honours matters, the prime minister advises the King on the final honours lists," Teesdale-Moore said. "By long-standing constitutional convention the King of New Zealand acts on the advice of the prime minister - this includes the formal approval of New Zealand Royal honours." Once the draft list is set, it is then given informal approval by the governor-general, run by potential recipients first - "a small number decline," Teesdale-Moore said - and then it's off to the King, who is the head of our honours system. Hang on, the King was born in November. Why are we celebrating in June? King Charles III turns 77 on 14 November. So why are we wishing him a happy birthday now? Blame the weather. The tradition of celebrating the monarch's birthday in the northern summer dates back hundreds of years, and is tied in with the Trooping the Colour ceremonial event held every June in London. The ceremony of Trooping the Colour is believed to have been first performed during the reign of King Charles II from 1660 to 1685, the British Army says. In 1748, during the reign of King George II, the sovereign's birthday first became a celebrated holiday. Trooping the Colour became tied in to celebrate the monarch, no matter when their actual birthday was. Ever since then, the king or queen has basically had two birthdays - the real one, and the big old fancy military parade one. Trooping the Colour will be held in the UK on 14 June this year. Is the King's Birthday really something NZ should be marking in 2025? That's a matter of opinion and it all depends on who you ask. As part of the Commonwealth, King Charles is New Zealand's head of state. Of course, there have been calls to change that, which ramped up after the death of Queen Elizabeth II following her 70-year reign in 2022. Monarchy New Zealand organisation did not respond to requests for comment from RNZ by deadline, but on its website calls the monarchy "something all Kiwis can be proud of". "It's a vital component of our government, a guarantee of our democracy, and a sign of our maturity and independence as a nation. "The King is a completely apolitical head of state (who) represents all New Zealanders regardless of their political views. This cannot happen in a republic." However, there are also calls to abandon the holiday celebrating a monarch on the other side of the world. Savage, the chair of the New Zealand Republic organisation, called King's Birthday an "empty public holiday that celebrates nothing in particular. It is no one's birthday and even the Brits don't celebrate it as a public holiday". "It has already been surpassed by Matariki as a proper, meaningful public holiday. New Zealand Republic was one of the first groups to start campaigning for Matariki and we are campaigning to replace King's Birthday with a spring time public holiday in September." NZ Republic suggests a replacement public holiday could be Citizenship Day, when New Zealand citizenship was officially established on 6 September 1948 by the passing of the New Zealand Citizenship Act, or Suffrage Day on September 19, marking the day in 1893 that NZ signed into law allowing women to vote. But for now, your public holiday off is thanks to the King.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Urgent plea for O negative blood donors
The NHS has warned that supplies of O negative blood in the West Midlands are "critically low", as it urges people to donate. NHS Blood and Transplant has revealed there are 4,033 donors in the region with the O negative blood type whose last donation was more than 12 months ago. It is calling on these donors to come forward urgently to help the NHS rebuild supplies, after a combination of factors have left this blood type under particular pressure. England remains on amber alert for low stocks of O type blood. The NHS said four bank holidays, the Easter holidays and half-term break all falling within a six-week period had made maintaining steady stocks particularly challenging. Blood donations often drop over bank holiday weekends and holiday periods when people are busy and forget to donate. Gerry Gogarty, director of blood supply for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: "Our 'missing' O negative donors in the West Midlands have the power to relieve the pressure on supplies of this vital blood type. "If you are O negative and haven't given blood in a while, please book an appointment to donate today. Don't hesitate - patients need you now. "Our donor centres like the one in Birmingham's New Street generally have the best availability. If you can't find an appointment straight away please book further ahead or keep checking back to help fill last minute appointments or cancellations. Every donation makes a critical difference." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Bank holidays putting strain on blood donations Giving blood linked to lower risk of pre-cancer gene Blood donor who started at 17 gives 150th pint NHS: Give Blood
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
NHS issues urgent warning across North West and says 'this is critical'
The NHS has appealed for thousands of "missing" blood donors to come forward amid fears of shortages of the crucial O Negative type. Figures from NHS Blood and Transplant show that some 5,463 donors in the North West region with the O Negative type made their last donation over 12 months ago. O Negative blood is particularly sought after for donations as it can be safely given to anybody. However, a number of factors mean that stocks are dwindling, and the NHS is appealing for anyone with O Negative blood to come forward. READ MORE: Urgent 48-hour 'stay at home' warning issued over 'incredibly infectious' virus READ MORE: Why the man arrested in the Liverpool parade crash can't be named Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE Four bank holidays, Easter holidays, and half term have all been factors in a drop off over a six week period, with each of these seeing a drop in donations. Currently, England is on an amber alert for stocks of O type blood, meaning it is critical that donors come forward to help replenish the supply. An amber alert means that hospitals are enabled to implement emergency measures to limit blood usage and vet the use of all type O blood to preserve it for emergencies. Gerry Gogarty, Director of Blood Supply for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: 'Our 'missing' O negative donors in the North West have the power to relieve the pressure on supplies of this vital blood type. 'If you are O negative and haven't given blood in a while, please book an appointment to donate today. Don't hesitate - patients need you now." He added: 'Our fixed donor centres generally have the best availability. If you can't find an appointment straight away please book further ahead or keep checking back to help fill last minute appointments or cancellations. "Every donation makes a critical difference.' The fact that O negative can be safely given to all blood types means it is especially useful in an emergency situation. Factors such as a patient's condition or a mass casualty event can mean there is less time to check blood type. However only eight percent of the population have this blood type, which represents around 16 percent of hospital orders. Blood has a shelf life of 365 days, so it is vital that stocks are continually replenished. Donating blood takes around an hour, and each donation could save up to three lives. Men can give blood every three months and women every four months. Anyone wishing to donate blood can visit to book an appointment, use the GiveBlood app, or call 0300 123 23 23 to find your nearest session.
