Nov. 2 (UPI) — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Sunday that the government shutdown, now in its sixth week, would continue to cause flight delays, cancellations and closures amid air traffic control staffing shortages across the country.
“We will delay, we will cancel any kind of flights across the national airspace to make sure people are safe,” Duffy warned during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week.”
Duffy ‘s comments came during a ground stop at Newark Liberty International Airport Sunday, which he said could spread to airports nationwide the longer the shutdown dragged on.
As few as 20 flights per hour were arriving at Newark late Sunday afternoon, local media reported. Delays averaged about two hours Sunday, but some flights were more than three hours late.
“There is a level of risk that gets injected into the system when we have a controller that’s doing two jobs instead of one,” he continued.
Nearly half of all major air traffic control centers are already facing staffing shortages across the country, which prompted a flurry of airport closures, ground stops or long flight delays, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA’s real time website shows Boston’s Logan Airport and Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas closed Sunday, ground tops at Chicago’s O’Hare, and major ground delays at LAX in Los Angeles and the San Francisco International Airport.
Duffy warned during his Sunday interview that the situation could deteriorate still further as the shutdown continues.
“If the government doesn’t open in the next week or two, we’ll look back as these were the good old days, not the bad days,” he cautioned.
He said the administration is considering “pulling in whatever dollars we can” when asked whether there are other funding sources to pay the costs associated with air traffic control facilities and employees.
Federal law requires air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration, along with some other government employees, to work without pay during the duration of the shutdown.
“They have to make a decision,” Duffy said. “Do I go to work and not get a paycheck and not put food on the table, or do I drive for Uber or DoorDash or wait tables?”
Nearly 13,000 air traffic controllers are working with no compensation amid the shutdown. Washington lawmakers are at an impasse of a GOP-led budget bill, which has failed a Senate vote a dozen times.
Democrats are holding out for an extension of Biden-era premium subsidies that make health insurance more affordable on the federal marketplace.
BANK branches across the UK continue to close at pace as Lloyds and NatWest confirm more branches are to shut for good in the coming weeks.
Hundreds have already shut so far this year with a staggering 163 more closures in the pipeline for the coming months.
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Bank branches across the UK continue to close at paceCredit: Alamy
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Banks including Lloyds and NatWest have confirmed more closures are to comeCredit: Alamy
Banks are set to close a slew of their stores over the coming weeks and months.
In September alone, a total of 26NatWestbranches and 13Halifaxbranches will pull down the shutters for good.
The closures are set to extend into October and November as banks grapple with the customer turn toward online and mobilebanking.
And banks including NatWest and Lloyds have confirmed even more closures too with some now earmarked for 2026.
Banks and building societies have closed a whopping 6,443 branches since January 2015 equating to 53 closures every month, according to to consumer champion Which?
Sam Richardson, Which?’s deputy editor, said that the closures represent a “seismic shift” in how Brits bank.
NatWest
NatWest is just one of the major banks to be closing a swathe of its sites throughout the UK.
According to the Metro, a NatWest spokesperson said that more than 80% of its current account holders use digital services, and over 97% of retail accounts are opened online.
A total of 54 branches will be pulling the shutters down this year and since 2015, the NatWest Group — which also includes Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank — has shut 1,409 branches.
Full list of NatWest closures
NatWest are closing a huge number of bank branches in the coming weeks and months.
Abingdon, September 24
Birmingham (Acocks Green), September 16
Birmingham (Edgbaston), September 11
Birmingham (Shirley), October 1
Birmingham (Smethwick), September 25
Bicester, September 30
Bridgwater, October 27
Bridport, October 29
Bristol (Fishponds), September 4
Cardiff (Canton), September 16
Cardiff (Llanishen), September 11
Chippenham, October 15
Cirencester, September 17
Cwmbran, September 1
Dorchester, October 22
Ely, September 10
Halesowen, September 3
Hinckley, September 17
Honiton, October 21
Luton (Leagrave), September 15
Leicester (Melton Road), September 2
Leicester (Oadby), September 10
Leighton Buzzard, October 28
Llangefni, September 4
Lowestoft, October 15
Melton Mowbray, September 29
Midsomer Norton, October 8
Mold, October 21
Neath, October 13
Newmarket (Suffolk), September 24
Northampton (Weston Favell Shopping Centre), September 15
Paignton, October 2
Rayleigh, September 2
Redditch, October 14
Ringwood, October 1
Romsey, October 13
Leamington Spa, October 1
Stevenage, October 7
Stratford-upon-Avon, October 8
Sudbury, September 30
Trowbridge, October 16
Wellingborough, October 7
Wickford, September 18
Willerby, September 22
Wisbech, September 1
Yate, September 25
Expected to be confirmed later:
Ashby-de-la-Zouch
Cromer
Evesham
Launceston
Portishead
Torquay
Lloyds
Lloyds will close a number of its branches for good in the coming weeks with more closures announced for March 2026.
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While four branches will shut in September, a further 23 will close for the final time in October and November while 13 more are due to wind down in March next year.
The bank says they assess “impact on customers” when it comes to shutting its branches.
Full list of Lloyds closures
Lloyds are set to close a number of branches before the year is out with 13 also confirmed for 2026.
Biggleswade, November 5
Blandford Forum, November 10
Bristol Bishopsworth (Church Road), November 6
Bury, October 21
Chard, November 11
Coventry (Foleshill), November 4
Debden, November 12
Dunstable, November 4
East Grinstead, November 12
Feltham, November 4
Ferndown, November 17
Hexham, November 5
Hornchurch, September 11
Kidderminster, October 16
Leeds (Armley), September 22
Loughton, November 12
London (Tooting), October 8
London (Walthamstow), October 22
Manchester (Newton Heath), November 5
Monmouth, September 12
Plymstock, November 4
Pontardawe, November 20
Sheffield (Woodhouse), November 11
Shipston-on-Stour, November 11
Southall, October 15
Stoke-on-Trent (Trent), October 10
Thetford, September 12
Those due to close in March 2026 are:
Briggs, March 3, 2026
Catheram, March 5, 2026
Falmouth, March 5, 2026
Glossop, March 9, 2026
Houghton-le-Spring, March 10, 2026
Hucknall, March 4, 2026
Leominster, March 3, 2026
Peterlee Yoden Way, March 3, 2026
Seaton, March 11, 2026
Sleaford, March 12, 2026
Thornbury Avon, February 26, 2026
Tunstall, March 9, 2026
Wymondham, March 12, 2026
Halifax
Halifax is another bank that have now announced closures for next year.
Lytham Road is due to close in February 2026 while four more will shut the following month.
The bank has previously reported a 48 per cent drop in face-to-face transaction at their branches in the last five years.
Because customers are using branches less, the brand has closed an enormous number in an effort to cut costs.
Full list of Halifax closures
Halifax will close a number of its branches from now through to November and have also earmarked several for closure next year.
Barrow-in-Furness, September 10
Bexleyheath, October 23
Blackpool (Lytham Road), October 29
Bolton, November 25
Brentwood, September 10
Bristol (Kingswood), October 8
Carmarthen, October 6
Castleford, September 8
Cirencester, September 25
Crewe, October 14
Derby, October 23
Eltham, October 29
Epsom, September 15
Erdington, September 24
Folkestone, October 9
Hayes (Hillingdon), October 6
Hexham, November 11
Hove, October 20
London (Clapham Junction), September 23
London (Woolwich), October 1
Long Eaton, September 18
Mold, October 16
Monmouth, September 30
Morecambe, September 29
Northwich, September 3
Rhyl, September 23
Richmond (Surrey), September 16
Sittingbourne, October 15
Skegness, September 3
Southport, October 7
Stevenage, October 23
Stretford, October 15
Telford, October 22
Thetford, October 1
Walkden, September 25
Wallasey, September 4
Wickford, November 10
Those due to close in 2026 are:
Birmingham (Beardwood), March 2, 2026
Lytham Road, February 24, 2026
Nelson, March 4, 2026
Peterlee, March 3, 2026
Sleaford, March 12, 2026
Santander
Santanderwill be closing a fifth of its branches in a major cost-cutting mission.
People like David Elkins, 82, a retired service engineer from Calne, Wilts, who saw his HSBC branch close in 2023 and had to travel ten miles to the next nearest.
He has a kidney issue and needs frequent dialysis, making it impractical.
Banking hubs are emerging as a solution to address the gaps left by widespread closures – but there are not enough of them.
There are plans for 146 of these, but so far there are only 60.
You can use one of the Post Office’s 11,635 branches to perform basic banking tasks, but they don’t allow you to open or close accounts for example.
Typhoon is the 16th to hit Guangdong province and causes closures of schools, public transport and cancels flights.
Published On 8 Sep 20258 Sep 2025
Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated as Typhoon Tapah has made landfall in southern China, causing flight disruptions and school closures.
State broadcaster CCTV said the storm made landfall on Monday morning in the city of Taishan in Guangdong province, unleashing powerful winds and torrential rain.
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The Guangdong Meteorological Bureau raised a yellow alert, the third highest in China’s four-tier warning system, and forecast thunderstorms and gale-force winds.
Authorities said an estimated 60,000 people have been evacuated across southern China before the storm came ashore with maximum winds of 108 kilometres per hour (67 miles per hour).
Guangdong’s Emergency Management Department ordered the suspension of all outdoor activities and closed recreational areas like parks and beaches. Schools were also closed.
Guangdong has been hit by 16 typhoons this year. Tapah is expected to move northwest, gradually losing power until it exits the province.
In Taishan, classes were suspended for 120,000 students at schools and kindergartens across the city as an estimated 41,000 people in Jiangmen were evacuated. Chinese state media reported that 3,300 emergency personnel were on standby in the city.
The southern cities of Jiangmen, Maoming and Zhuhai also raised typhoon warnings and announced school closures.
In Hong Kong, a major regional economic hub, hundreds of flights were cancelled, and travellers were stranded at the airport awaiting information on when flights would continue. Macao, a nearby casino hub, also ordered the closure of its schools, public transport and taxis and reported disruptions to flights.
In the neighbouring city of Yangjiang, just west of Hong Kong, an estimated 1,785 workers were evacuated from 26 offshore wind platforms along with 2,026 people from fish farms.
Authorities have warned residents in areas impacted by the typhoon to remain vigilant.
A COCKTAIL chain has fallen into administration, with four sites shutting their doors for good.
Simmons has appointed advisory firm Kroll to oversee the administration, company filings show.
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Simmons Bars has fallen into administration and will close four sites for goodCredit: Alamy
In its most recent audited account the company posted a loss of £749,000 for the year to end March 2024, reversing a profit of just under £2million the previous year.
Last week Simmons revealed plans to close at least four sites to focus on its best performing venues.
The chain has venues across London and one in Manchester and offers cocktails, brunches and karaoke at its 21 locations.
Last week Nick Campbell, who founded the company in 2021, said the move would “streamline its portfolio and strengthen its financial position”.
He said: “As part of the process, we’ve taken the tough decision to exit four leases, allowing management to focus resources on our strongest performing venues.
“Alongside this, we’ve secured additional investment to support future expansion and operational improvements across the estate.”
Tough times for UK pubs
Many of Britain’s pub and bar chains are feeling the impact of the pandemic and cost of living crisis.
The hike in costs of every day goods has meant that punters have less money to part with at the till.
Meanwhile, hikes to employers’ National Insurance Contributions that were introduced in April have piled further pressure onto businesses that are already struggling.
Last month The Coconut Tree announced that it would be wound down after defaulting on its Company Voluntary Agreement (CVA).
The Sri Lankan restaurant group entered into the agreement last July, according to a report in Restaurant Online.
As a result, the group was required to initially repay £27,000 a month for the first three months.
Meanwhile, Oakman Inns & Restaurants fell into administration, with six sites shutting their doors for good.
It will see a total of 19 sites either sold or closed for good.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
MASERU, Lesotho — The southern African nation of Lesotho has had its U.S. export tariff reduced from a threatened 50% to 15%, but its crucial textile industry still faces massive factory closures, officials said Friday.
Despite a reduction announced by President Trump, the country’s textile sector says it remains at a competitive disadvantage and faces ongoing factory closures and job losses.
In April, the Trump administration announced a 50% tariff on imports from Lesotho, the highest among all countries.
The tariffs were paused across the board, but the anticipated increase wreaked havoc across the country’s textile industry, which is its biggest private-sector employer with more than 30,000 workers.
About 12,000 of them work for garment factories exporting to the U.S. market, supplying American retailers such as Levi’s and Wrangler.
The Associated Press reported this week that clothing manufacturer Tzicc has seen business dry up ahead of the expected tariff increase, sending home most of its 1,300 workers who have made and exported sportswear to American stores, including JCPenney, Walmart and Costco.
David Chen, chairperson of the Lesotho Textile Exporters, has warned that the U.S. government’s move to reduce the tariffs offers little relief for the struggling industry as their competitors have lesser tariffs.
“Other countries which we are competing against are already being charged 10%, which makes it difficult for us to compete on an equal footing,” said Chen, singling out the East African country of Kenya as its strongest competitor with a more favorable 10% tariff.
“As a result, many factories will have to shut down,” Chen said. “They had already been forced to lay off workers when the tariffs were first announced in April.”
According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, in 2024, U.S.-Lesotho bilateral trade stood at $240.1 million. Apart from clothing, Lesotho’s exports also include diamonds and other goods.
Lesotho is classified as a lower-middle-income country by the World Bank, and nearly half of its 2.3 million population live below the poverty line, while a quarter are unemployed.
Lesotho’s minister of Trade, Industry and Business Development, Mokhethi Shelile, said that while several meetings with U.S. trade representatives led to a reduced tariff, more needed to be done to lower it further.
“We remain committed to pushing for a further reduction to the minimum tariff level of 10%, which is essential for our textile sector to compete effectively in the U.S. market,” he said. “I have already communicated with the U.S. Embassy regarding continued negotiations.”
Lesotho’s neighbor and trading partner, South Africa, is also reeling after Trump announced a reciprocal 30% tariff for the country, which is expected to significantly affect its agriculture and manufacturing sectors, among others.
POUNDLAND has confirmed the full list of 12 more store closures amid a massive restructuing.
Sites across Canterbury, Coventry and Brigg have been named as destinations due to shut.
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Poundland has revealed the locations of more stores facing closureCredit: Alamy
Poundland’s retail director Darren MacDonald said:“While our anticipated network of around 650-700 stores remains sizeable, it is of course, sincerely that we’re closing a number of stores to allow us to get us back on track.
“We entirely understand how disappointing it will be for customers when a store nearby, closes but we look forward to continuing to welcome them to one of our other locations.
“Work is underway to with colleagues through a formal consultation process in stores scheduled to close, exploring any suitable alternative roles.”
You can check out the full list of closures here:
Brigg: Cary Lane, Brigg, DN20 8EY
Canterbury: Unit 2A, Marshwood Close Retail Park, Canterbury, CT1 1DX
Coventry: 63 Hertford Street, Coventry, CV1 1LB
Newcastle: Unit 15-18, Killingworth Centre, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE12 6YT
Kings Heath: 74-76 High Street, Kings Heath, B14 7JZ
Peterborough: Unit 19, Orton Gate Shopping Centre, PE2 5TD
DRIVERS have been warned to brace for summer holiday chaos as a UK seaside hotspot is hit with months of road closures.
The Cornwall town will see significant travel disruption over the next four months as part of a gas work upgrade.
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Falmouth will see months of travel disruption for a gas work upgradeCredit: Alamy
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The upgrade should be completed by the middle of NovemberCredit: Getty
The £110,000 gas work upgrade will start in the Marlborough Crescent area of Falmouth later this month.
Utility company Wales & West said the upgrade work should be completed by mid November.
They said: “The gas emergency and pipeline service is starting the work on 24 July and, barring any engineering difficulties, it will finish by mid-November.
“The works are essential to keep the gas flowing safely to heat and power local homes and businesses, keeping people warm for generations.”
Traffic management will be in place throughout after the company liaised with Cornwall Council to plan the work.
The road closures will include:
A closure on Tregenver Road from the junction ‘Access to Garages and Rear of 16 to 25 Tregenver Road’ to the junction of Dracaena Avenue (July 24 – August 8)
A closure on Penmere Hill between the junctions of Kings Avenue and Tregenver Road (July 24 – August 8)
Rolling two/three-way lights starting on Penmere Road leading onto Theydon Road (August 4 – 29)
Rolling road closure on Theydon Road, from the junction of Penmere Hill to the junction of Margaret Place and Marlborough Grove to the junction Marlborough Avenue (September 8 – November 14)
Further traffic management will also be required between September and November.
Wales & West Utilities Natalie Raphael is managing this work and said: “We have been working with the council to plan these essential works. We know that working in areas like this is not ideal, but it is essential to make sure we keep the gas flowing to homes and businesses in the area, and to make sure the gas network is fit for the future.
“We’ll have a team of gas engineers on site throughout the project to make sure our work is completed as safely and as quickly as possible while keeping disruption to a minimum.
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“While most of the gas network is underground and out of sight, it plays a central role in the daily lives of people across Cornwall. Whether it’s heating your home, making the family dinner or having a hot bath, we understand how important it is for your gas supply to be safe and reliable and there when you need it.”
Wales & West Utilities, the gas emergency and pipeline service, brings energy to 7.5m people across the south west of England and Wales.
Motoristshave been urged to take regular stops on their long journeys after analysis revealed a steep rise in fatigue-related crashes during the summer months.
National Highways issued the advice and warned that driver tiredness can lead to “dangerous mistakes”.
Drivers have been urged by the agency to plan breaks that go “beyond quick pit stops”.
They suggest activities such as exploring a nearby tourist attraction or beauty spot to ensure drivers are alert before they get back behind the wheel.
From Paris to Lisbon, locals and tourists are struggling as a powerful heatwave grips European countries. Temperatures are soaring past 40°C, prompting school closures, tourist attraction restrictions, and warnings about wildfires and climate change.
