Archived version: https://archive.ph/2cTcF

An urgent meeting is to be held over the future of the site where the landmark "wonkiest pub" was gutted in a fire then demolished, says the mayor of the West Midlands.

The blaze - treated as suspicious by police - ripped through The Crooked House, near Dudley, on Saturday.

By Monday, the building renowned for its slanting appearance was rubble.

Andy Street said he would liaise with South Staffordshire Council over what would become of the site.

On social media he said it "makes your blood boil" to see the fire at the beloved 18th Century building treated as suspected arson.

While flames ravaged the property at the weekend, the familiar exterior was left largely standing until bulldozers brought down what remained, prompting anger from local residents and former customers.

South Staffordshire Council confirmed on Wednesday it had permitted only part of the building to be knocked down for safety reasons and was investigating whether total demolition was unlawful.

The pub was sold by brewery Marston's last month.

The BBC has attempted to contact new owners ATE Farms, based in Bedworth, Warwickshire - run by a Carly Taylor - for comment over the loss of its asset.

Additional records show an Adam Taylor listed as a shareholder of the landfill site next door.

The celebrated Black Country venue, a pub since the 1940s, was once known as the "wonkiest" in Britain, and drew its name from the effects of mining subsidence in the 19th Century.

The pub became lodged in the national consciousness when in 1974 the BBC programme Nationwide showcased the illusion of items "rolling uphill" inside the property.

Staffordshire Police said on Wednesday investigations were continuing. It added a specially trained dog, which could sniff out up to 10 different accelerants, was being used to inspect the rubble.

In a statement, the force said: "This fire has shocked and upset so many given the, albeit not listed, cultural importance and heritage of the building.

"This is not lost on us and a robust investigation using all available information and forensic opportunities is being carried out."

Historic England said it received a request to list the building, which would have given it greater legal protection, just days before the fire.

Up to 30 firefighters were called to the Himley area on Saturday evening after the building was spotted alight, however crews reported being hampered by mounds of soil preventing access to a lane leading to the site.

Mr Street has previously called for the pub to be rebuilt "brick by brick". The leader of Dudley Council said that would be "nigh on impossible".

"There is very little left of the original bricks that they could use, after what's happened in the last couple of days," said Patrick Harley.

Alex Claridge, the West Midlands night time economy adviser, said the loss of the pub was being felt by many.

"It's astonishing really just to feel the breadth of comment made, and from how far away," he said.

"We've got well-wishers coming from Australia, the other side of the world, sharing memories. It's bitter-sweet really seeing the level of affection it's roused."

Local politicians Sir Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire, and Jane Stevenson, MP for Wolverhampton North East, have called for a full inquiry.

Dudley MP Marco Longhi said on Wednesday he had written to police to seek clarity over the demolition process, adding that a lack of information from authorities had "raised animosity" among the community.

Wilko, the High Street homeware retailer, has collapsed into administration, putting 12,000 jobs at risk.

The chain has been unable to find emergency investment to save its 400 shops across the UK.

Wilko had been working to find a rescuer for the business which has been trading since 1930.

The firm's boss, Mark Jackson, said management had "left no stone unturned" in its attempts to save the company.

"But we must concede that with regret, we've no choice but to take the difficult decision to enter into administration," he said.

If a firm fails to buy any of the shops or parts of the business out of administration, Wilko risks becoming the biggest High Street casualty this year.

Administrators are expected to be appointed later on Thursday. It is understood that the business will continue to trade as normal for now.

The GMB union said the collapse was "entirely avoidable".

National officer Nadine Houghton said: "GMB has been told time and time again how warnings were made that Wilko was in a prime position to capitalise on the growing bargain retailer market, but simply failed to grasp this opportunity."

Although the business has been struggling for some time, the depths of its problems emerged last week when it announced its intention to appoint administrators.

This gave Wilko 10 days to secure a rescue. However, it was unable to strike a deal within that timeframe.

Mr Jackson said Wilko had received a "significant level of interest" which he said included "indicative offers that we believe would meet all our financial criteria to recapitalise the business".

But he said: "Without the surety of being able to complete the deal within the necessary time frame and given the cash position, we've been left with no choice but to take this unfortunate action."

Wilko has been struggling with sharp losses and a cash shortage.

The company already borrowed £40m from Hilco, the restructuring specialist. It has previously cut jobs, changed its leadership team and sold off a distribution centre.

Many of Wilko's stores are in High Street locations in traditional town centres, which became an expensive liability as customers shifted to bigger retail parks and out-of-town locations.

The company has also faced strong competition from rivals such as B&M and The Range as the high cost of living has pushed shoppers to seek out bargains.

Retail analyst Catherine Shuttleworth said the collapse was "sadly inevitable", adding: "It's a sad day for the High Street as some of the stores have been a key part of local communities for over 50 years."

She said that Wilko had failed to adapt the retailer for the future.

"A lack of investment in systems lacking the sophistication to support a business with shops both on High Streets and out of town retail parks combined with a large estate of over 400 stores has meant that significant investments have been needed over the last 10 years and these have simply not been made," said Ms Shuttleworth.

Richard Lim, chief executive at Retail Economics, a consultancy, said a combination of rising costs, lower customer demand and fierce competition ultimately pushed Wilko to "breaking point".

"Against the backdrop of seismic shifts in consumer behaviour and the intense pressure on margins, the business was too slow to react to these mounting challenges and paid the ultimate price," he said.

The company, founded in Leicester, is still owned by the Wilkinson family.

After the collapse of Woolworths in 2008, Wilko stepped up to fill the gaps left on High Streets.

Wilko began home deliveries in the 1940s, and stayed open throughout World War Two, helping residents keep their air raid shelters stocked.

On Wednesday, it announced that it had suspended home deliveries.

cross-posted from: https://yiffit.net/post/1029567

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/2936916

Tech workers react to UPS drivers landing a $170,000 a year package with a mixture of anger and admiration::Some tech workers questioned whether UPS drivers deserved high pay — others jumped in to note the importance of the jobs and harsh working conditions.

Archived version: https://archive.ph/w8JRj

Effective October 12, the company will raise the monthly price of its ad-free plans Disney+ and Hulu plans by more than 20%.

The Disney+ ad-free plan will rise by 27% to $13.99 a month in the US, up from $10.99. That's double the $6.99 monthly cost Disney charged for the service when it first launched in 2019.

Hulu's ad-free plan will increase by $3 a month, or 20%, to $17.99 a month. The ad-supported tiers for both services will remain at $7.99 each.

The price hikes come amid Disney's continued efforts to slash $5.5 billion in costs this year.

The monthly prices of its two Hulu live TV packages will also increase by $7 each for both the ad-free plan and the ad-supported offering. ESPN+ will go up by $1 to $10.99 a month.

Additionally, Disney announced that starting September 6 subscribers in the US will have access to a new ad-free bundled subscription featuring the ad-free Disney+ and Hulu services for $19.99 a month.

Archived version: https://archive.ph/hguLn

Excerpt (and context):

Apple Maps’ offering might surprise people who remember its disastrous launch in 2012, which the Guardian described as the company’s “first significant failure in years”. Users were more than furious – they were lost, sometimes dangerously so. In Australia, police had to rescue tourists from the huge Murray-Sunset national park, after Maps placed the city of Mildura in the wrong place by more than 40 miles. Some of the motorists located by police had been stranded for 24 hours without food or water. In Ireland, ministers had to complain directly to Apple after a cafe and gardens called “Airfield” was designated by the service as an actual airport.

But mostly the map was just glitchy and unhelpful, its directions always a little off kilter. Users revolted and Apple made a rare retreat, allowing Google Maps to be used as the default on many iPhone apps and apologizing for the product.

Archived version: https://archive.ph/hguLn

Excerpt (and context):

Apple Maps’ offering might surprise people who remember its disastrous launch in 2012, which the Guardian described as the company’s “first significant failure in years”. Users were more than furious – they were lost, sometimes dangerously so. In Australia, police had to rescue tourists from the huge Murray-Sunset national park, after Maps placed the city of Mildura in the wrong place by more than 40 miles. Some of the motorists located by police had been stranded for 24 hours without food or water. In Ireland, ministers had to complain directly to Apple after a cafe and gardens called “Airfield” was designated by the service as an actual airport.

But mostly the map was just glitchy and unhelpful, its directions always a little off kilter. Users revolted and Apple made a rare retreat, allowing Google Maps to be used as the default on many iPhone apps and apologizing for the product.

Archived version: https://archive.ph/hguLn

Excerpt (and context):

Apple Maps’ offering might surprise people who remember its disastrous launch in 2012, which the Guardian described as the company’s “first significant failure in years”. Users were more than furious – they were lost, sometimes dangerously so. In Australia, police had to rescue tourists from the huge Murray-Sunset national park, after Maps placed the city of Mildura in the wrong place by more than 40 miles. Some of the motorists located by police had been stranded for 24 hours without food or water. In Ireland, ministers had to complain directly to Apple after a cafe and gardens called “Airfield” was designated by the service as an actual airport.

But mostly the map was just glitchy and unhelpful, its directions always a little off kilter. Users revolted and Apple made a rare retreat, allowing Google Maps to be used as the default on many iPhone apps and apologizing for the product.

Archived version: https://archive.ph/hguLn

Excerpt:

Apple Maps’ offering might surprise people who remember its disastrous launch in 2012, which the Guardian described as the company’s “first significant failure in years”. Users were more than furious – they were lost, sometimes dangerously so. In Australia, police had to rescue tourists from the huge Murray-Sunset national park, after Maps placed the city of Mildura in the wrong place by more than 40 miles. Some of the motorists located by police had been stranded for 24 hours without food or water. In Ireland, ministers had to complain directly to Apple after a cafe and gardens called “Airfield” was designated by the service as an actual airport.

But mostly the map was just glitchy and unhelpful, its directions always a little off kilter. Users revolted and Apple made a rare retreat, allowing Google Maps to be used as the default on many iPhone apps and apologizing for the product.

Archived version: https://archive.ph/opd7m

A senior UK cabinet minister has signalled the government may be prepared to leave the European convention on human rights (ECHR) if it will help the UK tackle the problem of migrants arriving on small boats crossing the Channel.

Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, said the government would do “whatever is required”, even if that meant pulling out of the ECHR, the 70-year-old pan-European treaty that protects human rights and political freedoms in the continent.

His comments are an escalation of the government’s previous statements that leaving the ECHR was not an immediate step it was going to take. It has insisted it can deliver on Rishi Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats” within the convention.

However, ahead of an election, the Conservatives could dial up their rhetoric against the ECHR in order to create a dividing line with Labour.

The government’s plan to send some migrants to Rwanda for processing of their asylum claims is still facing a supreme court battle. The first flight was stopped at the 11th hour in June last year after an appeal to the European court of human rights, which ensures the rights enshrined in the convention are upheld by its 47 signatory countries. It is separate to the EU, which the UK voted to leave in 2016.

Ahead of that, there are already calls from some within the Conservatives to withdraw from the ECHR. Suella Braverman, the home secretary, who is also a lawyer, has previously expressed a view that the UK should leave.

On Times Radio, Jenrick would not rule out withdrawal from the convention, saying the government would do “whatever is necessary”.

“You can see from the prime minister, the home secretary and myself, our total commitment to this challenge,” he said.

“That’s why we’re working on every possible front. That’s why we have produced the most comprehensive plan, I believe, of any European country to tackle this issue.

“And we’ll do whatever is necessary, ultimately, to defend our borders and to bring order to our asylum system.”

Pressed directly on whether that could include leaving the ECHR, he said: “We will do whatever is required, take whatever necessary action is needed.”

Jenrick gave his assessment as he announced the government had struck a deal with Turkey to focus on coordinated actions to “disrupt and dismantle” people-smuggling gangs.

On Tuesday night, the government announced the establishment of an operational “centre of excellence” by the Turkish national police and supported by the UK. The centre would aim to strengthen collaboration between the National Crime Agency and Home Office intelligence staff based in Turkey and their Turkish counterparts, the British government said.

Archived version: https://archive.ph/opd7m

A senior UK cabinet minister has signalled the government may be prepared to leave the European convention on human rights (ECHR) if it will help the UK tackle the problem of migrants arriving on small boats crossing the Channel.

Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, said the government would do “whatever is required”, even if that meant pulling out of the ECHR, the 70-year-old pan-European treaty that protects human rights and political freedoms in the continent.

His comments are an escalation of the government’s previous statements that leaving the ECHR was not an immediate step it was going to take. It has insisted it can deliver on Rishi Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats” within the convention.

However, ahead of an election, the Conservatives could dial up their rhetoric against the ECHR in order to create a dividing line with Labour.

The government’s plan to send some migrants to Rwanda for processing of their asylum claims is still facing a supreme court battle. The first flight was stopped at the 11th hour in June last year after an appeal to the European court of human rights, which ensures the rights enshrined in the convention are upheld by its 47 signatory countries. It is separate to the EU, which the UK voted to leave in 2016.

Ahead of that, there are already calls from some within the Conservatives to withdraw from the ECHR. Suella Braverman, the home secretary, who is also a lawyer, has previously expressed a view that the UK should leave.

On Times Radio, Jenrick would not rule out withdrawal from the convention, saying the government would do “whatever is necessary”.

“You can see from the prime minister, the home secretary and myself, our total commitment to this challenge,” he said.

“That’s why we’re working on every possible front. That’s why we have produced the most comprehensive plan, I believe, of any European country to tackle this issue.

“And we’ll do whatever is necessary, ultimately, to defend our borders and to bring order to our asylum system.”

Pressed directly on whether that could include leaving the ECHR, he said: “We will do whatever is required, take whatever necessary action is needed.”

Jenrick gave his assessment as he announced the government had struck a deal with Turkey to focus on coordinated actions to “disrupt and dismantle” people-smuggling gangs.

On Tuesday night, the government announced the establishment of an operational “centre of excellence” by the Turkish national police and supported by the UK. The centre would aim to strengthen collaboration between the National Crime Agency and Home Office intelligence staff based in Turkey and their Turkish counterparts, the British government said.

Archived version: https://archive.ph/opd7m

A senior UK cabinet minister has signalled the government may be prepared to leave the European convention on human rights (ECHR) if it will help the UK tackle the problem of migrants arriving on small boats crossing the Channel.

Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, said the government would do “whatever is required”, even if that meant pulling out of the ECHR, the 70-year-old pan-European treaty that protects human rights and political freedoms in the continent.

His comments are an escalation of the government’s previous statements that leaving the ECHR was not an immediate step it was going to take. It has insisted it can deliver on Rishi Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats” within the convention.

However, ahead of an election, the Conservatives could dial up their rhetoric against the ECHR in order to create a dividing line with Labour.

The government’s plan to send some migrants to Rwanda for processing of their asylum claims is still facing a supreme court battle. The first flight was stopped at the 11th hour in June last year after an appeal to the European court of human rights, which ensures the rights enshrined in the convention are upheld by its 47 signatory countries. It is separate to the EU, which the UK voted to leave in 2016.

Ahead of that, there are already calls from some within the Conservatives to withdraw from the ECHR. Suella Braverman, the home secretary, who is also a lawyer, has previously expressed a view that the UK should leave.

On Times Radio, Jenrick would not rule out withdrawal from the convention, saying the government would do “whatever is necessary”.

“You can see from the prime minister, the home secretary and myself, our total commitment to this challenge,” he said.

“That’s why we’re working on every possible front. That’s why we have produced the most comprehensive plan, I believe, of any European country to tackle this issue.

“And we’ll do whatever is necessary, ultimately, to defend our borders and to bring order to our asylum system.”

Pressed directly on whether that could include leaving the ECHR, he said: “We will do whatever is required, take whatever necessary action is needed.”

Jenrick gave his assessment as he announced the government had struck a deal with Turkey to focus on coordinated actions to “disrupt and dismantle” people-smuggling gangs.

On Tuesday night, the government announced the establishment of an operational “centre of excellence” by the Turkish national police and supported by the UK. The centre would aim to strengthen collaboration between the National Crime Agency and Home Office intelligence staff based in Turkey and their Turkish counterparts, the British government said.

Archived version: https://archive.ph/aadYc

A man living in the village of Kållby in the Ostrobothnian municipality of Pedersöre in the west of Finland, found 12 kilograms of dynamite in two cars he owned on Thursday last week.

The dynamite had been stored in the cars by an acquaintance of the man, also from Pedersöre.

Tony Rauma, Detective Chief Inspector with the Ostrobothnia Police, confirmed that the two individuals knew each other prior to the incident.

"The suspect had called the owner of the cars to say that he had taken dynamite to the cars for storage. According to his own words, he had done it as a joke," Rauma told Yle.

The owner of the cars did not take it as a joke and called the police.

"In addition to the dynamite, detonators were also confiscated from the cars," said Rauma.

Police had to evacuate nearby buildings because of the large quantity of explosives. A police bomb squad from Seinäjoki removed the dynamite from the cars.

Terrorist act ruled out

The suspect was arrested later that day. He was later released, but is suspected of an explosives offence.

The suspect has admitted the crime to the police, but said he did not intend to blow up the cars. Police have also ruled out any possible terrorist intent.

It is not yet known for sure where the explosives came from, as there is no criminal record in the police register that would match the quantity of dynamite used in the prank.

"However, the suspect has access to a deserted house where the dynamite may have come from," said Rauma.

The explosives offence carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison.

The case was first reported in local newspaper Österbottens Tidning.