5 Things You Need To Know (5/4/17)

Welcome to our “Things You Need To Know” daily update. Every day we’ll be here for you, summarising the key talking points in as quick of a time as possible.

1. Boom In UK Car Sales

More than 560,000 new cars were registered in March, an 8.4% increase from the same month last year. This marks the biggest month since the Society Of Motor Manufacturers & Traders began recording sales in 1976.

March’s numbers beat January and February combined, meaning registrations for the year are now at the 820,016 mark.

The boom can be attributed to people wanting to beat the new vehicle excise duty tax which started on April1.

2. Nigel Farage Calls EU Parliament “Mafia” And “Gangsters”

Nigel Farage caused controversy at the European Parliament today, calling members a “mafia.”

After being reprimanded, he corrected his choice of word to “gangsters.”

Causing further provocation, he called out the absence of European Parliament President Donald Tusk, saying “I suspect that he is still crying. He looked pretty tearful, didn’t he, after the British ambassador delivered the letter?”

3. Nicola Sturgeon Open To Meeting Donald Trump

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said she would meet Donald Trump if he visits Scotland as part of his state visit to the UK later this year.

“I fully expect, during his presidency, President Trump will come to the UK and come to Scotland. As first minister of Scotland, I’m not going to decline to meet him,” she said.

The BBC reports that the pair first talked in December, with Sturgeon telephoning Trump to congratulate him on his presidential victory. Previous to that, she was an outspoken critic of his campaign.

4. Pepsi Controversy

A new Pepsi advert has gone viral for all the wrong reasons, with people accusing the company of trivialising protest movements.

In the advert, Kardashian star Kendall Jenner walks through a protest crowd towards a barrier of police. She hands an officer a can of Pepsi, leading to the protest being resolved happily.

5. Where To Get Away With A Parking Fine

Basingstoke And Deane Borough Council waived more than 95% of parking fines last year, new data reveals.

Meanwhile, Runneymede Borough Council accepted just 9% of challenges.

The data obtained by the Press Association via a Freedom Of Information request shows that there’s huge variations depending on where you live. Parking fines could therefore be considered somewhat of a postcode lottery.

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