French airport group takes over Gatwick a week after travel chaos December 27, 2018 French group Vinci is set to buy Gatwick in a deal which values the business at around £5.8bn, just a week after drones caused travel chaos at the UK’s second biggest airport. Vinci, which operates 46 airports in 12 countries, takes a controlling 50.01 per cent stake in Gatwick for around £2.9bn. Gatwick’s chairman Sir [...]
White House assures Fed chairman job is safe despite Trump’s Christmas Eve criticism December 26, 2018 A White House official has assured that the head of the US Federal Reserve is not at any risk of losing his job, amid jitters on Wall Street throughout December caused in part by Trump’s criticism of the Fed. Asked on Boxing Day if Fed chairman Jerome Powell’s job was safe, economic advisor Kevin Hassett [...]
Saudi Aramco creates new fuel retail subsidiary to complement existing joint venture network December 26, 2018 Saudi Aramco is to create a domestic fuel retail subsidiary in a bid to expand beyond producing crude oil, into downstream business. The company will establish a network of filling stations in Saudi Arabia to sell fuel, Aramco said on Wednesday. But it did not give details of the size, cost or time-frame for the [...]
Snap lunchtime statistics suggest Boxing Day footfall down 4.2 per cent December 26, 2018 Footfall on the morning of the Boxing Day sales dropped 4.2 per cent on last year, according to initial figures, in yet another portentous signal for high street retailers. In snap statistics from the morning’s trading, footfall dropped for the third consecutive year on 26 December, a traditional shopping day as shops reopen offering post-Christmas [...]
Earthquake hits Sicily after volcanic eruption from Mount Etna, injuring 30 on Boxing Day December 26, 2018 A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit Sicily early this morning, damaging buildings and injuring about 30 people around the city of Catania, on the slopes of active volcano Mount Etna, officials said. The quake follows an eruption from the volcano two days ago, which sent a huge plume of ash into the sky, forcing the temporary [...]
Chinese human rights lawyer trial ends with no verdict announced, sparking anger among activist groups December 26, 2018 The trial of a prominent Chinese human rights lawyer for subversion ended on Wednesday with no verdict announced, sparking outrage among human rights groups. Wang Quanzhang, who handled allegations of police torture and defended followers of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement, went missing in mid 2015 amid a crackdown on human rights activists. Most [...]
Local councils to bid for share of £675m funding boost to Britain’s high streets December 26, 2018 Local councils are being urged to bid for a share of a £675m fund in a bid to give Britain’s hard-pressed high streets a shot in the arm. The so-called Future High Streets fund, announced in Philip Hammond’s October budget, opened on Boxing Day, and is aimed at helping councils improve transport and access to [...]
Londoners flock to the country, snapping up £30bn of property outside the capital in 2018 December 26, 2018 Londoners left the capital in their droves this year, buying £30bn worth of property outside the city as they sought to sidestep expensive house prices. The value of property bought outside the capital by Londoners was at its highest level since 2007 when the figure was £37bn, the highest on record. This year, 74,350 Londoners bought [...]
High street hopes for Boxing Day boost as spending expected to hit £4.75bn December 26, 2018 High street retailers will have their fingers crossed for a festive boost as shoppers take to the streets for the Boxing Day sales, while online sales are expected to rise 20 per cent year-on-year. British consumers are set to spend £4.75bn today, with £3.71bn of that expected to come from physical sales, according to research [...]
Japan confirms it will quit international agreement to resume commercial whaling December 26, 2018 Japan has sparked international criticism by announcing it will resume commercial whaling in July, after decades of trying to persuade governing body the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to allow it to do so. The government – which usually stresses multilateralism in diplomacy – said on Tuesday it would pull out of the commission so it could restart [...]