Former US President Barack Obama and New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani met for the first time on Saturday at a child care centre in the Bronx where they sang to preschoolers.

Obama and Mamdani led the group in singing Wheels on the Bus and the children taught them Soda Pop from K-pop film Demon Hunters.

“You made the mayor feel really old”, Obama joked as the children laughed.

“In between singing wheels on the bus, we discussed our administration’s vision for this City – one where New York’s cutest have the strongest start possible”, Mamdani said about the meeting on an Instagram post.

ANTALYA, Turkey (AP) — Iran is not yet ready to hold a new round of face-to-face talks with U.S. officials, a senior Iranian official said Saturday, citing Washington’s refusal to abandon “maximalist” demands on key issues.

In an interview with The Associated Press on the margins of a diplomacy forum in Turkey, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh also said his country will not hand over its enriched uranium to the United States, rejecting claims made by U.S. President Donald Trump.

“I can tell you that no enriched material is going to be shipped to United States,” Khatibzadeh said. “This is non-starter and I can assure you that while we are ready to address any concerns that we do have, we’re not going to accept things that are nonstarters.”

On Friday, Trump said that the U.S. will go into Iran and “get all the nuclear dust,” referring to the 970 pounds (440 kilograms) of enriched uranium believed to be buried under nuclear sites badly damaged by U.S. military strikes last year.

Khatibzadeh said there have been many exchanges of messages between the sides but accused the United States of holding firm on demands Iran deems to be excessive.

“We are still not there yet to move on to an actual meeting because there are issues that the Americans have not yet abandoned their maximalist position,” Khatibzadeh said. Iran was seeking the finalization of a “framework agreement” before moving to an in-person meeting, he added.

The Iranian official would not go into specifics of the negotiations with the United States or say which issues remain unresolved but called on Washington to address Iran’s concerns, including sanctions imposed on Iran.

“The other sides also should understand and address our main concerns, which are illegal unilateral sanctions that Americans have imposed on Iranians and this economic terrorism which has targeted Iranian people to suffocate them and make them to revolt against the political structure inside Iran,” Khatibzadeh said.

Asked whether Iran would respond to renewed attacks by Israel on Lebanon despite the ceasefire, Khatibzadeh said: “Iran has no option, just to stop aggressors once and forever.”

Trump said that Israel is “prohibited” by the U.S. from further strikes on Lebanon and that “enough is enough” in the Israel-Hezbollah war.

The State Department said the prohibition applies only to offensive attacks and not to actions taken in self-defense.

The Iranian official renewed Iran’s position that Tehran’s actions were defensive and in response to unprovoked aggression occurring in the middle of negotiations.

He also reiterated Iran’s position that the ceasefire must extend to Lebanon, where Israel had been fighting with the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

Pennington Flash and neighbouring Lightshaw Meadows offer one of the richest lowland wetland walks in the North West, combining industrial heritage with a landscape now protected as part of the Flashes of Wigan and Leigh National Nature Reserve.

Starting from the Pennington Flash Country Park car park on St Helens Road, Leigh, you’re greeted by expansive views across the 170‑acre flash, formed by mining subsidence and later reclaimed by nature.

Head out on the well‑made paths that fringe the northern edge of the water, sharing the route with dog walkers, runners, and families before the way quietens, narrowing into more rural tracks that lead you east towards the wider wetlands.

Here, the walk leaves the busier core of the country park and picks up the hard‑surfaced paths and pavements that thread through Lightshaw Meadows, a patchwork of pools, reedbeds, and rough grassland alive with birdlife.

The Pennington–Lightshaw circuit gives you regular excuses to stop: bird hides overlooking scrapes and flashes, information boards that explain how these lakes were created, and wide open vistas.

Most of the route is firm underfoot, but due to narrow sections and kissing gates, it’s not suitable for wheelchairs, prams, or bikes.

Looping back, you rejoin the main paths around Pennington Flash, with the option of a final detour to one of the waterside hides before finishing at the café and play area by the visitor hub.

The victim suffered a bleed on the brain and is still recovering from his injuries, more than two years on

Detectives are searching for a man wanted in connection with a serious assault that left a victim with a bleed on the brain. Greater Manchester Police has today (April 19) issued an urgent appeal to trace Max Capps, 31, of no fixed address, who is believed to be overseas.

The force says he is wanted in connection with an assault that took place more than two years ago. Officers believe he may be able to help their investigation.

The incident took place in Weaste, Salford, shortly after midnight on Tuesday, December 5 2023. It is believed a man was approached from behind and struck twice in the head with a weapon. The impact caused him to fall, before he was slashed with a knife by the attacker.

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As well as a bleed on the brain, the victim suffered a fractured skull and two facial wounds. He was left requiring urgent medical treatment and he continues to recover from his injuries today, GMP says.

Officers are now appealing directly to the public to help find Capps. GMP says that since the offence took place, detectives have carried out extensive and wide‑ranging enquiries which have not yet been successful.

He is now believed to be abroad and has remained outstanding for more than two years. Anyone with information about Capps’ current whereabouts, or who may have had contact with him since December 2023, is urged to come forward to GMP.

Detective Constable Ruth Canning, of Salford CID, said: “This was a brutal attack which left the victim requiring urgent medical treatment and has a sustained effect on his life. We have been pursuing every line of enquiry since the incident and despite these efforts, the victim has not been able to get justice.

“We believe someone may have information about where he is now or may have been in contact with him since December 2023. I would urge anyone with information, no matter how small it may seem, to come forward.”

Information can be provided by calling 101, quoting crime reference number CRI/06FF/0035887/23. Alternatively, details can be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online here.

LUANDA, Angola (AP) — Pope Leo XIV called Sunday for Angolans to fight the “scourge of corruption” with a culture of justice as he opened a poignant day in his African odyssey that will take the American pope to an epicenter of the African slave trade.

Leo celebrated Mass before an estimated 100,000 people outside the capital and again sought to encourage Angolans. He denounced the exploitation of their mineral-rich land and people, who still bear the scars of a brutal, post-independence civil war.

“We wish to build a country where old divisions are overcome once and for all, where hatred and violence disappear, and where the scourge of corruption is healed by a new culture of justice and sharing,” Leo said in his homily in Kilamba, a Chinese-built development about 25 kilometers (15 miles) outside the capital.

Later Sunday, Leo will celebrate the Rosary prayer at the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima, an important Catholic shrine on the edge of the Kwanza River about 110 kilometers (70 miles) south of Luanda.

The Church of Our Lady of Muxima, built by Portuguese colonizers at the end of the 16th century as part of a fortress complex, became a hub in the slave trade. It was where enslaved Africans were gathered to be baptized by Portuguese priests before being forced to walk to the port of Luanda to be put on ships to the Americas.

While it’s a popular Catholic shrine today, its history is emblematic of the Catholic Church’s role in the slave trade hundreds of years ago, the forced baptisms of enslaved people and what some scholars say is the Holy See’s continued refusal to fully acknowledge it and atone for it.

The visit is particularly significant because the Creole ancestors of the first U.S.-born pope include enslaved people and slave owners, according to genealogical research.

“For Black Catholics, Pope Leo’s visit to the Muxima shrine is an important moment of healing,” said Anthea Butler, senior fellow at the Koch Center, Oxford University.

She noted that many Black Catholics are Catholic because of slavery and the “Code Noir,” which she said required slaves purchased by Catholic owners to be baptized in the church.

“Others were already Catholic when they were trafficked from Angola to slave holding colonies,” said Butler, a Black Catholic scholar whose maternal family hails from Louisiana, where the pope’s ancestors also had their roots.

The role of papal bulls in the slave trade

Angola’s Portuguese colonizers were emboldened by 15th-century directives from the Vatican that authorized them to enslave non-Christians.

In 1452, for example, Pope Nicholas V issued the papal bull Dum Diversas, which gave the Portuguese king and his successors the right “to invade, conquer, fight and subjugate” and take all possessions — including land — of “Saracens, and pagans, and other infidels, and enemies of the name of Christ” anywhere, said the Rev. Christopher J. Kellerman, a Jesuit priest and author of “All Oppression Shall Cease: A History of Slavery, Abolitionism, and the Catholic Church.”

The bull also gave the Portuguese permission “to reduce their persons to perpetual slavery.”

That bull and another issued three years later, Romanus Pontifex, formed the basis of the Doctrine of Discovery, the theory that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of land in Africa and the Americas, and justified slavery.

The Vatican in 2023 formally repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery, but it never formally rescinded, abrogated or rejected the bulls themselves. The Vatican insists that a later bull, Sublimis Deus in 1537, reaffirmed that Indigenous peoples shouldn’t be deprived of their liberty or the possession of their property, and were not to be enslaved.

Kellerman recalled that most of the 12.5 million Africans who were direct victims of the trans-Atlantic slave trade were sold into slavery by other Africans and were not captured by Europeans.

“That being said, at the time of the building of Muxima, the Portuguese were doing both — buying enslaved people and colonizing/slave raiding. So they were fully using their papal permissions during this time,” he said in emailed comments to The Associated Press.

He said the first pope to condemn slavery itself was Pope Leo XIII, the current pope’s namesake and inspiration, in two encyclicals in 1888 and 1890. But Kellerman said that pope and others since have continued to perpetuate the “false narrative” that the Holy See was always against slavery, when the historical record says otherwise.

While Leo’s visit to Muxima was in honor of its role as a shrine, Kellerman said he hoped that the visit would also give Leo a chance to learn more about the history of the slave trade.

“The popes repeatedly authorized Portugal’s colonization efforts in Africa and Portuguese participation in the slave trade, but the Vatican has never fully admitted this,” he said. “It would be so powerful if at some point Pope Leo were to apologize for the popes’ role in the trade.”

During a 1985 visit to Cameroon, St. John Paul II asked forgiveness of Africans for the slave trade. In 1992 visit to Goree Island, Senegal, the largest slave-trading center in West Africa, he denounced the injustice of slavery and called it a “tragedy of a civilization that called itself Christian.”

Leo’s own personal history a point of reflection

According to genealogical research published by Henry Louis Gates Jr., 17 of Leo’s American ancestors were Black, listed in census records as mulatto, black, Creole or a free person of color. His family tree includes slaveholders and enslaved people, Gates reported in an essay in the New York Times.

Gates, a Harvard University professor who hosts the popular PBS documentary series “Finding Your Roots,” presented his research to Leo during a July 5 audience at the Vatican. According to a report of their meeting in The Harvard Gazette, “The pope asked about ancestors, both Black and white, who were enslavers.”

Leo has not spoken publicly about his family heritage or the Gates research, and some Black Catholic scholars are hesitant to impose on him a narrative about his identity that he himself has not yet addressed publicly.

“It’s important that we tell our own stories,” said Tia Noelle Pratt, a sociologist of religion and professor at Villanova University, the pope’s alma mater.

“We haven’t heard anything from him about what he thinks about it, and so to impose anything on him, I think would be completely inappropriate,” said Pratt, author of “Faithful and Devoted: Racism and Identity in the African-American Catholic Experience.”

Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the retired archbishop of Washington and the first African American cardinal, said he was “delighted” to have facilitated the encounter.

“It’s one of the things that I think for many African Americans and people of color, they identify with great pride the pope has roots in our own heritage,” Gregory said. “And I think he’s happy about that too, because it’s another link to the people that he tries to serve and is called to serve.”

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

India summoned Iran’s ambassador after two Indian-flagged vessels were fired upon allegedly by Iranian navy while attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, prompting a formal diplomatic protest from Delhi.

India’s foreign ministry summoned Mohammad Fathali after the incident and foreign secretary Vikram Misri conveyed the government’s “deep concern” over the shooting involving two merchant ships bound for India.

Misri stressed the importance India places on the safety of commercial shipping and seafarers, noting that Iran had previously enabled the safe passage of several India-bound vessels.

“Reiterating his concern at this serious incident of firing on merchant ships, the foreign secretary urged the ambassador to convey India’s views to the authorities in Iran and resume at the earliest the process of facilitating India-bound ships across the Strait,” the ministry said.

It added that the ambassador “undertook to convey these views to the Iranian authorities”.

The two vessels were identified as Jag Arnav and Sanmar Herald. Officials said there were no casualties and the ships suffered minor damages, except shattered glass in one of the cabins, reported local media. Both vessels turned back after coming under fire north of Oman.

According to Marine Traffic, Jag Arnav, a bulk carrier sailing under the Indian flag, had departed Al Jubail in Saudi Arabia and was heading to India. Sanmar Herald was travelling to India with crude oil loaded in Iraq.

The Strait of Hormuz lies between Iran and Oman and is one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints. About one-fifth of global crude shipments normally pass through the narrow waterway. India is among the countries with the highest number of vessels transiting the route because of its dependence on energy imports from the Gulf.

Indian officials said the government was treating the alleged firing by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seriously and continued to support open and free navigation through the strait.

The incident also occurred while the Iranian warship IRIS Lavan remained docked at Kochi after seeking refuge from India. Around 120 of its 183 crew members have been repatriated, while essential personnel remain aboard to maintain the vessel. The ship arrived after another Iranian warship, IRIS Dena, was torpedoed and sunk by a US submarine near Sri Lanka on 4 March.

A distress transmission from Sanmar Herald later surfaced. In audio shared by Tanker Trackers and reported by NDTV, a crew member can be heard saying: “Sepah Navy. Sepah Navy. This is motor tanker Sanmar Herald. You gave me clearance to go. My name is second on your list. You are firing now. Let me turn back.”

Video reviewed by NBC News appears to show the Sanmar Herald moving through a designated safe passage or Green Area in the Strait of Hormuz. While travelling east, the ship temporarily switched off its tracking signal (AIS), which is the system ships use to broadcast their location. Later, when the signal came back on farther east, the ship had quickly turned around and was heading back west.

The confrontation came amid wider uncertainty over a fragile ceasefire involving the US and Iran, which is due to expire on Wednesday. The war, entering its eighth week, has killed thousands, spread to Israeli attacks in Lebanon and driven oil prices higher because of the effective closure of the strait.

While Iran has not officially acknowledged the attack on the Indian tankers, it has said it is restricting shipping because of a continuing US blockade of Iranian ports. Its Supreme National Security Council called the blockade a ceasefire violation and said Iran would prevent “any conditional and limited reopening” of the strait.

Earlier, Iran’s Ambassador to India Mohammad Fathali had told NDTV that the strait will remain open for Indian ships. “We have good contact with the [Indian] government for allowing their ships to sail through the Strait of Hormuz.”

Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Tehran would continue threatening commercial shipping through the waterway.

“It is impossible for others to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while we cannot,” Mr Qalibaf said.

In separate comments, he said recent talks with Washington had narrowed some differences but major gaps remained over nuclear issues and the strait.

“We have had progress but there is still a big distance between us,” he told state media. “There are some issues on which we insist … They also have red lines. But these issues could be just one or two.”

US president Donald Trump said there had been “very good conversations” with Tehran, but also described Iran’s move over the strait as “blackmail”. He defended the US blockade and warned he was prepared “to start dropping bombs again” unless a longer-term agreement was reached before the ceasefire ends.

Iranian deputy foreign minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told the Associated Press: “Americans are risking the international community, risking the global economy through these, I can say, miscalculations,” adding that the US is “risking the whole ceasefire package”.

The latest disruption followed a temporary reopening announced by Iran on Friday after a separate US-brokered 10-day ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon on Thursday. Tehran then reversed course on Saturday and reimposed control over the route.

If both teams decide the best way of winning the game is to build up from their goalkeepers, I would personally go after them high up the pitch and do my best to break their rhythm and passing patterns.

It’s a risk, because both teams have defenders who play comfortably under pressure and will, on occasions, break through even the best press.

But, while it’s high risk, it’s also high reward. Over the past five seasons, more goals have been conceded by turnovers in possession in a team’s own half than ever before.

City will dominate possession despite that high press and will spend a lot of time in Arsenal‘s final third. So, with the Gunners pressed back, how do they then counter-attack with sufficient quality to hurt City?

When City are in possession, they push everyone forward but leave only two centre-backs covering their whole back line of defence.

Rodri will sweep in front of Abdukodir Khusanov and Guehi, but there are spaces to be found either out wide or behind the two centre-backs – and those are the areas in open play that Arsenal have to exploit.

To achieve that in an effective way, when Arsenal regain possession in deep areas, they must get passes and runners past the City back-line, by playing up, back and through.

It sounds easy, but City will try to regain the turnover quickly and both of their centre-halves are quick even if Arsenal can manufacture a foot race.

Mikel’s side are capable of doing this effectively, though. We know they have the quality to play under pressure and they will need it on Sunday if they are to be successful.

On top of all this, set-plays will again be vital for them, but also for City. As ever, the quality of the corners, free-kicks and throw-ins must be matched by the desire to win that first and second ball – and that applies to whoever is attacking and defending.

What are the best eco swaps you can make at home? Bishan, West Midlands

I’m a massive fan of using what’s already in your cleaning cupboards at home, rather than always running to the supermarket to buy the latest cleaning product.

A juicy lemon and a bit of bicarbonate of soda makes a fabulous scrubber for the oven, for stainless steel and some of those really grimy jobs. White vinegar is absolutely amazing at banishing hard water marks and limescale. Soda crystals, which you may already have in your laundry cupboard, are a really good degreaser.

What are your top daily cleaning habits that people can stick to without feeling burnt out? Elliot, London

Always air and make your bed every day. If you make your bed, it literally transforms your bedroom and it sets you up for the day.

Never go to work with a pile of dirty dishes in your sink. Nobody wants to walk home from work exhausted at 5pm to a pile of breakfast dishes. And always run the vacuum around those high traffic areas, so it feels like your home is really clean.

What’s the first thing you should do if you spill something tricky to remove, like red wine? TJ, London

Spillages happen all the time. If you spill the dreaded red wine, don’t panic and don’t grab a bottle of white wine and pour it over the top. It doesn’t actually work.

You need to grab yourself some cold water. Always think when removing stains that heat will set the stain and cold water will help release it.

You want a cold soapy cloth and you want some salt that you pop on your dinner. Apply the salt to the stain, put the wet cloth over the top and gently bang using your hand so you start to lift the stain out of your carpet. A couple of attempts and the red wine will disappear.

How do you get rid of stubborn odours in the home? Half, London

Stubborn odours in the home can be a real pain, especially if you’ve got pets. Those pet smells can really linger. My top tip is to constantly clean. I’m not talking everyday, but just keep on top of the pet beds, pet bedding, pet throws, and those sorts of things. Throw open the windows and let the fresh air do the work for you.

Use a good fabric refresher. You can make your own using essential oils or water, or a favourite of mine is from Marks and Spencer. They really do help.

When it comes to cooking smells that can really linger, you can cut an onion in half and place it somewhere in the kitchen and the onion will absorb the odours. What will happen is the onion will start to shrink, so you know that it’s really taking them in.

Alternatively, pop a pan on the hob with some white vinegar. You don’t need much, just cover the bottom. Leave it on a gentle simmer for about 15 minutes and let the white vinegar absorb those horrible kitchen smells.

My nice white tops have yellow stains from suncream and deodorant. Any tips to get them sparkling white again? Clarissa, South East

I love wearing white, but one thing that can be a pain is yellow stains from either sun cream or from sweating. The best solution for this if you’ve got sweat stains on a white T-shirt is to get your hair shampoo. This is a great pre-stain treatment. It will get those stains out straight away.

For the sun cream stains, you need to use good old white vinegar. Spray it liberally on the stain. Leave it overnight ideally and then just wash as normal tomorrow.

Finally, if you get some sun cream on your top when you’re out and about, hand sanitiser is a perfect quick fix.

I hate cleaning. Any tips on how to help me get through? Ali, South West

Now I am in the minority and I absolutely love cleaning. I love to see those before and after results. But when you hate it, it’s really hard to get motivated.

I designed the 15-Minute Clean method a few years ago and it works fantastically. Set your timer to five, 10 or 15 minutes. Choose a room and do as much as you can. Working against a timer is a great way to motivate you. You can use your oven as a timer, your phone, or you can just use a couple of your favourite songs. Music really helps get you motivated as well.

And what I would say is, don’t ever put pressure on yourself to do too much. If you live with other people, make sure you do delegate cleaning tasks, especially the ones that you hate.

What’s the best way to clean windows? Louise, Yorkshire

Don’t do it on a sunny day. If you’re cleaning your windows with a beautiful blue sky and the sun is beaming down, as soon as the product hits, you’re going to create streaks, because the sun dries the products automatically.

Choose to go outside on a dull, overcast day. Use a bowl of warm, soapy water with a dash of white vinegar and a good thick microfibre cloth for the first application. Then, when you dry, you want a lint-free microfibre cloth, so it doesn’t leave behind any of those pesky fibres.

Another tip is always to work in an S-shaped pattern and that will give you that perfect streak-free finish.

Any tips on dealing with limescale? Marc, East of England

My go-to product for limescale is white vinegar.

If you’ve got limescale on the end of a tap, drench a piece of kitchen roll in vinegar, wrap it around the bottom, and leave it for about 20 to 25 minutes. Then remove the kitchen roll and your limescale should have vanished.

Use white vinegar mixed with washing up liquid to keep your shower screen limescale-free.

How do you keep a house dust-free? Anna, South East

Keeping a house dust-free, especially if it’s a busy household, is actually quite difficult. Dust falls like snow, so every day you dust, it’s going to come back the next day.

When vacuuming, just make sure that your vacuum is cleaned and the HEPA filter is dust-free, so it’s not pushing out dust as you are vacuuming. That can be the main culprit of extra dust landing in your house.

Use a damp microfibre cloth for general daily dusting and try not to use too much product, which actually encourages the dust to sit in it, further causing you more dust in the long run.

Unfortunately, we are always going to have dust. Nobody lives in a completely dust free home.

As warmer weather approaches, homeowners are taking their garden furniture out of storage to prepare their gardens for summer.

But green thumbed individuals are being urged not to commit a common mistake with their tables and chairs that can lead to mould, rust or rotting and could damage your grass. 

Matthew Lock, a garden furniture specialist at Luxus Home and Garden revealed that placing wooden furniture on the lawn can cause damage to the item and your grass.

How to Get Rid of These Common Garden Pests

This is because prolonged exposure to moisture from the grass can damage the wooden legs or table and chairs which can lead to damp stains, mould or rot.

If you place metal outdoor furniture on grass, Matthew also warns it could cause these items to rust too.

Mathew also warns that putting your table on grass in the summertime can damage your lawn as the heavy item can prevent sunlight and air reaching it.

This may eventually lead to your grass dying, leaving you with ‘dead patches’ all over your lawn.

To combat these issues, Matthew says garden furniture should be placed on a decked area or patio if possible.

If you’re not able to avoid putting your table and chairs on the grass, you should use protective gliders and make sure the wooden feet don’t directly touch the damp earth below.

To prevent your lawn from dying, he suggests rotating your garden furniture regularly to ensure all your grass gets exposure to the elements.

Matthew said: “Garden furniture can be an integral part of making our outdoor spaces a comfortable and enjoyable place to be. 

“However, it’s important to consider where you can maximise its functionality and keep it protected from the elements. 

“A common mistake many homeowners make is to place wooden garden furniture on the lawn, which can damage both the item and the grass. 

“Prolonged exposure to moisture can damage a wooden item’s legs and can lead to damp stains, mould or rot, while metal furniture can be prone to rusting. 

“On top of that, leaving heavy items on the lawn can harm the grass, preventing sunlight and air from reaching it and eventually leaving behind dead patches. 

“The best place to locate garden furniture is on a stable surface such as a decked area or patio. 

“If this isn’t possible and it must be on the lawn, it’s best to choose items that have protective gliders or feet at the bottom to prevent wood from being directly exposed to damp turf. 

“It’s also a good idea to rotate locations regularly to prevent dead patches on your lawn.”

Now that spring is in full swing, attention is seeing more Brits spending more time in outdoor spaces. 

Homeowners are being advised that it now appears to be a good time to take garden furniture out of storage if it has been kept inside or under covers through the winter. 

Good-quality wooden items can last decades if cared for properly, including regular cleaning and maintenance. 

Matthew said: “A deep clean with warm, soapy water and a soft bristle brush can make a world of difference, while an equal parts white vinegar and water solution can be used to tackle stubborn dirt or grime.  

“When the item has dried, it may be worth applying a protective sealer, which is recommended every 12 to 18 months, depending on the type of wood.”

London’s Underground network will grind to a halt next week with a Tube strike affecting all lines across four days.

The RMT union announced yesterday it had not reached an agreement with Transport for London in a dispute over Tube drivers’ hours.

Strikes will go ahead next week from Tuesday until Friday across the capital, and some days will have the double whammy of bus strikes too.

Further industrial action is in the pipeline for May and June.

Here is a roundup of what to expect next week – and how to work around the havoc.

When exactly is the Tube strike?

Although there are some gaps in how the strikes will run, in a nutshell, passengers should prepare for disruption throughout the dates.

The first wave of strikes will start from mid-morning on Tuesday, April 21, and last until midday on Wednesday, April 22.

TfL says services are expected to recover throughout the afternoon, but some disruption is likely until the evening.

On Thursday, April 23, the London Underground will begin to close from later morning, with ‘significant’ disruption on all lines until midday, Friday, April 24, TfL warned.

While services are set to begin recovering on Friday afternoon and evening, if you can work from home, this is definitely the time to do so.

The Elizabeth line, Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and the Overground will run as normal, but they will be extremely busy.

Rental e-bikes on ‘standby’ for Tube strikes

Strikelists dominated the streets of London during the week-long strike last autumn, with emotions running high over riding etiquette and even snatched pedals.

And next week could see another rush for Santander, Lime and Forest bikes.

Lime has stepped up its operations to meet increased demand next week, including increased foot patrols and drivers on standby to boost batteries and balance out overcrowded bays, Metro understands.

Alex Berwin, head of policy at Forest, which runs a fleet of e-bikes in 18 London boroughs, told Metro that all hands are on deck to prepare for an expected spike in demand, especially at known hotspots like stations and commuter hubs.

Last year’s strike saw demand more than double during rush hour, and a similar trend is expected next week, he said.

London bus strike dates confirmed

Some of the Tube strikes will coincide with industrial action taken by Stagecoach Unite members working for TfL.

It will affect seven routes – 8, 25, 205, 425, N8, N25 and N205 – and severe delays and cancellations are expected if the strike goes ahead.

Why are there strikes on London Underground?

RMT members working as Tube drivers are in dispute with the London Underground management over a condensed four-day week.

Under the plan, which RMT says is being imposed, drivers would have to work full week’s hours in four days.

RMT’s general secretary Eddie Dempsey said the plan raises concerns around fatigue, safety and work-life balance.

TfL said previously it will continue to work constructively with the trade unions to avoid disruption and address concerns.

Metro approached TfL and RMT for an update, but neither can comment at this stage of the ongoing negotiations.

Are you concerned about the Tube strike and how you get around? Please email noora.mykkanen@metro.co.uk

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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