18/12/2013

Other News In Brief

Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs Dies Aged 84

The Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs has died aged 84.

Biggs was one of the gang that stole £2.6m from a Glasgow to London mail train on 8 August 1963.

He was jailed for 30 years but escaped from Wandsworth prison in 1965.

In 2001, he returned to the UK seeking medical help but was sent to prison. He was released on compassionate grounds in 2009 after contracting pneumonia.

Amber Weather Warning Issued In Scotland

The Met Office has issued an amber warning for western, central and northern Scotland.

Severe gales of 70 to 80mph are expected inland, with gusts reaching 90mph in exposed areas of western Scotland and the Western Isles.

The alert, which applies from 9pm on Wednesday to 8am on Thursday, said the winds could lead to "very high waves" and would be accompanied by heavy rain.

Over 200 Jobs Created By New Meat Processing Plant

Over 200 jobs are to be created at a new beef processing and packing factory in Ceredigion due to open in February.

Dunbia has invested £7.5m in the facility at Felinfach to service a big contract with a supermarket chain.

In June, Dunbia invested £12m in its meat processing plant at Llanybydder, safeguarding more than 300 jobs.

(MH/CD)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

29 May 2007
Britons seized in Baghdad
Five Britons are reported to have been abducted by gunmen in a finance ministry building in central Baghdad. It is believed that four bodyguards and their client, a finance expert, were taken after around 40 gunmen turned up at the building.
22 September 2006
Stagecoach wins South Western Trains franchise
Stagecoach has been awarded a new contract to run the South Western franchise from February 4, 2007 for ten years, the Department of Transport has announced. The South Western franchise comprises services currently operated by South West Trains, including key commuter routes into London and the Island Line on the Isle Of Wight.
13 December 2005
FirstGroup awarded rail franchises
UK rail and bus operator FirstGroup has been awarded the contract to run the Greater Western and Thameslink-Great Northern rail franchises, the government has announced. The new franchises, which are estimated to be worth more than £1 billion in revenue per year, will begin in April 2006. FirstGroup will pay the government £1.
01 July 2005
Gerrards Cross tunnel collapse causes commuter chaos
An inquiry has been launched into the collapse of 20-metre section of a partially completed railway tunnel last night. The tunnel at Gerrards Cross in Buckinghamshire was to be put in place so that the carpark for a £20 million Tesco Superstore development could be built over the Chiltern line.
05 October 2009
Paddington Memorial 10 Years On
Survivors and bereaved relatives stood together in silence this morning to mark the 10th anniversary of the Paddington rail crash. They gathered at the crash memorial in Ladbroke Grove, west London, alongside Transport Secretary Lord Adonis with leading figures from the rail industry and the emergency services. The ceremony began at 08.