Grant Shapps indicates support for TfL gaining control of commuter belt August 20, 2019 Sadiq Khan and transport secretary Grant Shapps held their first meeting yesterday, in which the devolution of commuter lines to Transport for London (TfL) was at the top of the agenda. Shapps, who replaced Chris Grayling as transport secretary in Boris Johnson’s Cabinet overhaul, is understood to be more open to the idea of giving [...]
Saudi Aramco hires bankers for megalisting August 20, 2019 Saudi Aramco has hired investment banks Lazard and Moelis to advise on its plans for its megalisting, expected to be the largest in history. The two banks have started preparing the initial public offering (IPO), Bloomberg reported, citing sources. Read more: Lower oil prices hit Saudi Aramco earnings It comes as a boost to Lazard, [...]
Power up: Grid may need upgrade to avoid more blackouts August 20, 2019 Experts have questioned if National Grid’s processes and backup systems are up to scratch after the worst power cut in a decade ground trains to a halt. A report, released today by National Grid, showed the system followed correct procedure when lightning struck on 9 August. Read more: Bolt from the blue: Grid blames lightning [...]
Horse Racing Betting Tips: Carnwennan set to prove Charlie is a very good Fellowes August 20, 2019 IN ANY normal year plenty of the runners in this afternoon’s 2m½f Sky Bet Handicap (4.15pm) would be lining up in Saturday’s Ebor, but with £1 million up for grabs in the big one the complexion of that race has completely changed. It is now more like a British version of the Melbourne Cup and [...]
Fire ‘biggest cause of losses’ on construction projects in recent years August 20, 2019 The biggest cause of financial losses on large-scale construction projects across the globe in the last five years is fire, according to research, while political risk and international sanctions are a growing concern for contractors. Fire accounts for more than one-quarter of losses on insurance claims made by contractors, according to Allianz, worth around €2.1bn [...]
UK officials ‘unshackled’ from EU meetings ahead of Brexit August 20, 2019 The government has told UK officials and ministers to stop attending “most” European Union meetings from the start of next month. The move, which will come into effect from 1 September, is billed as enabling officials to “focus on our future relationship with the EU and other partners around the world”. From that point on, [...]
Energy group Wood to sell nuclear arm for £250m August 20, 2019 British energy services firm Wood is to sell its nuclear business for about £250m ($301m) to a subsidiary of US company Jacobs in a drive to reduce its debt. Read more: EDF seeks guarantee for nuclear project The firm made the announcement as it released its half-year results, which showed a rise in pre-tax profit [...]
Customers click but don’t collect £228m of goods per year August 20, 2019 Click and collect services have been touted as a potential way of reviving ailing high streets, but customers are failing to collect £228m of ordered goods per year, new research has found. One in seven shoppers surveyed admitted to not collecting items they had ordered online, according to research by Barclaycard, which also found that [...]
Abellio boss ‘confident’ review head will not scrap franchise model August 19, 2019 The boss of Abellio has said he is “confident” the rail franchise model will not be scrapped just a day after his firm took over one of the leading contracts in the UK. Dominic Booth, the managing director of Abellio, which officially took over the East Midlands franchise from Stagecoach today, said he thought the [...]