Taxi Driver Online

there's no conspiracy the experts are saying it was a loss of power on the ship as it headed out of port causing it to drift off course and collide with the bridge.

An unfortunate coincidence nothing else. I did note on wikipedia that they had originally planned a tunnel but decided that the bridge option was cheaper;however, it was a modern bridge. No bridge can withstand the impact of a large heavy container ship.

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So who is rersponsible for the high food price inflation the retailers or the suppliers ? massive 260% profits increase for Tescos but how much more did farmers get ?

price pressures easing whilst Tesco's profits soar

Tesco has said price pressures on grocers have eased as it reported bumper sales and profits for the past year.

The UK's biggest supermarket chain said pre-tax profits hit £2.3bn, up from £882m, while sales rose by 4.4% to £68.2bn in the year to 24 February.

The company said price inflation in groceries had "lessened substantially".

However, its boss Ken Murphy said the firm was conscious "things were still difficult for many customers".

Tesco had "worked hard" to cut prices, he said, and "doubled down" on schemes aimed at offering shoppers better value for money, such as its Aldi Price Match offer and Clubcard promotions.

More than 4,000 products were cheaper at the end of the year than at the start, with an average price cut of about 12%, the firm said.

Mr Murphy said he expected food inflation - which measures the rate at which food prices rise over time - to stabilise in the "low single digits for the rest of the year".

However, he said that the cost increases seen across select items like cocoa, potatoes and coffee might prove "sticky".

The chain also came in for criticism from the Unite union. General secretary Sharon Graham said Tesco was "raking in mountains of cash while families struggle to put food on the table because of sky high prices".

Tesco has more than 330,000 employees and a 27.3% share of the grocery market, which Mr Murphy said was growing as customers "respond to the improvements we've made to the value and quality of our products".

He told reporters on Wednesday that shoppers were also sticking to habits they had taken on over the last two years as the cost of living soared.

"I do think there is a little bit more now of a habit of eating in and entertaining in and then treating yourself," he said.

Like-for-like food sales, which strip out the effect of new shops opening, were up by 7.7% in the UK, with consumers opting for premium ranges like Tesco Finest and meat-free ready meals to treat themselves at home.

While home and clothing sales were flat as the retailer stopped offering big-ticket electrical items, it said that womenswear had held up well.

Global retail analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence Charles Allen told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the company had done a "lot of work" to keep up with its rivals such as German discounters Aldi and Lidl.

He said that the results were "broadly in line" with expectations, though "just a shade weaker than anticipated".

He said things would not get any easier for the retailer during the coming year as increasing staff bills would take effect just as inflation was slowing down.

This meant "you haven't got the same sales boost" from higher prices, he said, adding that the company would need to focus on selling a higher number of items.

Asked what Tesco was doing to hang on to new customers, Mr Allen said "mostly it's been very price competitive".

It had also "worked away at its costs". For example, he said they were taking specialist counters out of the shops, which cut costs and enables it to be "attractive to a wider group of consumers".

In the year ahead, the supermarket was still, however, continuing on its cost-cutting drive, aiming for £500m in savings in the year ahead.

It also confirmed that it would have to spend in the "mid to high single digit" millions on changing its Clubcard price signs in shops after losing a long legal battle with rival Lidl over the logos.

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I think the supermarkets are loving the cost of living increases, in the same way the energy firms are.

Maybe they are all due a windfall tax.

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IDFIMH

Uber Eats rider banned for delivering takeaway on horse

https://metro.co.uk/2024/04/12/uber-eat ... -20637164/



A man who rode on a horse to deliver somebody’s Uber Eats order has been banned from working.

A video of Stanley Chen riding the animal in Sydney, Australia, was posted to social media earlier this week.

The original clip posted on Wednesday shows him riding through the streets on his horse Leilani.

Onlookers were left bemused by the funny sight, as Leilani could be seen trotting down the road.

In a TikTok video released yesterday, he said: ‘Look at what just happened, I got banned. I got banned. I can’t believe this.’

Uber told Stanley ‘you may have been delivering orders on animal (sic).’

But he joked and said his horse ‘Leilani is not an animal, she is a queen. I can’t believe you banned her.’

He’s now appealing to people to contact Uber so he can continue doing his job with Leilani.

He said: ‘If you want to see me and Leilani do more Uber delivery orders, go message and tell them to unban me.’

The decision now rests with Uber and it is hoped they get off their high horse.

The company has been contacted for comment.

Here in the UK, a woman was spotted riding her horse to a branch of Tesco Express in Greater Manchester.

She was pictured on her trusty steed, waiting outside the store in Salford.

Passers-by took pictures outside the Irlam shop, amused by the shopper’s unusual choice of transport.

Greater Manchester Police were aware of the unusual supermarket visit, though no horses were detained.

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IDFIMH

Deliveroo rider Jenniffer Rocha who bit off thumb seen working after conviction

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-h ... e-68928464 (video in link)



A delivery rider who bit off a customer's thumb continued working for Deliveroo, even after the account she was using at the time was suspended.

Jenniffer Rocha, 35, from Aldershot, Hampshire, previously pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm after an argument over a pizza in December 2022.

Following her court appearance, Deliveroo cancelled her account.

But BBC News filmed Rocha in April still delivering food, again apparently using a Deliveroo rider account.

A second account that Rocha was accessing has also been suspended, Deliveroo said.

She is due to be sentenced on Friday.

The big three delivery apps - Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats - announced this week they would tighten up their systems to check the identities of what are called "substitute" riders.

Stephen Jenkinson, 36, had ordered a pizza from the Deliveroo app on 14 December 2022.

After Rocha arrived at the wrong location, Mr Jenkinson walked down the street to meet her - but forgot to pick up his phone.

This caused an argument, as he had needed to give Rocha a delivery code from his mobile in order to collect the food.

Mr Jenkinson said he was then attacked.

He said he raised his hand to Rocha's motorcycle helmet and she bit his thumb with "force".

When she eventually let go, Mr Jenkinson lifted up his arm and "sprayed her with blood", as his thumb had been severed just above the knuckle.

Deliveroo previously described the original incident as "awful".

Rocha pleaded guilty to one count of grievous bodily harm at Winchester Crown Court on 19 March.

But weeks later, BBC News tracked down Rocha in Aldershot and twice observed her riding her moped and picking up food for delivery.

On the second occasion, on 18 April, she was filmed going to a takeaway, collecting a bag of food, putting it into the box on her bike and riding off.

When asked, the takeaway manager confirmed Rocha was delivering using a Deliveroo account.

A Deliveroo spokesperson said the company was committed to preventing misuse of its platform.

They said: "We immediately cancelled the account that was being used at the time of this terrible incident and subsequently terminated an alternative account.

"We have strengthened our processes and recently introduced a new registration process and identity verification technology for substitute riders."

On Tuesday, the Home Office announced Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat would be tightening up their identity checks.

Ministers had been concerned the current system allowed illegal working.

All riders are self employed and can lend their account to anyone they want - a so-called substitute.

The main account holder has in the past been responsible for checking that person is over 18, has no serious convictions and is legally allowed to work.

BBC News revealed last year how it led to illegal workers and even children working for Deliveroo, with a black market of accounts for sale or rent online.

The Home Office criticised the companies for failing to tackle illegal working and organised a series of meetings with them.

Deliveroo rolled out its new system last month, saying it was the first major platform to carry out "direct right to work checks".

The company said the new scheme included "a registration process and identity verification technology".

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IDFIMH

what's the betting the new system has loopholes as well

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

Join the campaign to get April fools jokes banned for 364 days a year !

The BBC report reads like moves are afoot to formally regulate and licence riders, essentially

Of course, probably a bit more light touch than trade licensing, but obviously a step in that direction...

The thing is if they don't have loopholes the firms haven't got enough drivers to cover the work.

Which is why it's taken them so long to at least start to adhere to the law.

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IDFIMH

Not sure about license, but at least ensure drivers have the right to work.

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IDFIMH

I always thought that I heard sirens every day because I live near the A1 but...

busiest fire station in lincolnshire

Stamford Fire Station has been the county’s busiest on-call station, a report has revealed.

Crews were mobilised to a total of 333 emergency incidents over a year-long period.

This is an average of 0.9 call-outs per day.

out of 29 stations

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Join the campaign to get April fools jokes banned for 364 days a year !

yeah, toaster fires and cats up trees.....

go big or go home i say

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/loc ... es-update/

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most