Holidaymakers paying millions for PCR tests that ‘aren’t checked for new variants’, say Lib Dems August 17, 2021 UK holidaymakers are paying out millions of pounds for PCR tests that aren’t checked for new Covid variants, research by the Liberal Democrats has revealed. Holidaymakers paid an estimated £26.7m for PCR tests in July while only 293 positive tests were checked for variants, equivalent to around £90,000 for each sequenced result. Fewer than one [...]
US to investigate Tesla’s Autopilot following emergency vehicle crashes August 16, 2021 The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said today it plans to launch a probe into Tesla’s driver assistance system Autopilot after repeated crashes with emergency vehicles. The investigation will cover Tesla Models Y, X, S, and 3 vehicles released between 2014 and 2021, estimating 765,000 Tesla vehicles in the US to be involved [...]
Sajid Javid cuts cost of NHS Covid test for travel to £68 August 14, 2021 In a bid to help holidaymakers and drive down the market rate for Covid tests for travel, the health secretary has cut the cost of the travel tests that the NHS provides from £88 to £68 each. Travellers returning from green and amber list countries to England will now pay £20 less per PCR test, [...]
Gatwick calls for simpler travel rules after fresh £250m loss August 13, 2021 Gatwick Airport this morning called on the government to simplify its existing travel rules as it nursed a £244.6m loss for the first half of 2021. Just 569,000 people used the Crawley airport in the first six months of the year, despite the gradual easing of travel restrictions. With 75 per cent of British adults [...]
Sir Richard Branson sells $300m of Virgin Galactic stock August 13, 2021 Sir Richard Branson has sold $300m worth of shares in Virgin Galactic, a regulatory filing showed, with the proceeds earmarked to help support the billionaire’s other ventures. The 71-year-old, who last month flew to the edge of space in his firm’s first ever manned flight, sold 10.5m shares, or about 4.0 per cent of the [...]
UK’s OneWeb secures $300m from South Korean business giant Hanwha August 13, 2021 UK satellite firm OneWeb has bagged a $300m investment from one of South Korea’s largest business groups. Hanwha, a conglomerate which deals in businesses ranging from retail to explosives, has also secured an 8.8 per cent stake in the satellite company. The investment suggests that OneWeb could be teetering on a $3.4bn valuation, according to [...]
Brits still spooked over public transport as spending lies well below pre-Covid levels August 11, 2021 Covid-19 still has Brits spooked about public transport, despite the UK lifting restrictions, as cash dished out on trains and buses remains well behind pre-pandemic spending. Consumer spending across public transport sits 30 per cent below figures seen in 2019, according to new data from moneysaving app Snoop. Meanwhile, petrol has enjoyed a 90 per [...]
Heathrow passenger numbers begin to rise as restrictions ease August 11, 2021 The most passengers travelled through Heathrow in a single month since the beginning of the pandemic in July, the UK’s largest airport said today. In total, 1.5m passengers used the airport in July, up 74 per cent on last year. It said that the easing of travel restrictions was beginning to improve consumer confidence after [...]
Work on last stage of Tower Bridge to Greenwich cycle route to kick off August 11, 2021 Work on the final stage of a new cycle route which will connect the City of London to Greenwich will start on Monday, Transport for London (TfL) today said. The third section of Cycleway 4, on Evelyn Street in Deptford, is expected to be completed in the spring. Once it is finished, the cycle lane [...]
Virgin Atlantic launches raft of new Caribbean routes for winter sunseekers August 11, 2021 Virgin Atlantic has today announced a raft of new routes serving the Caribbean as it bets on increased customer demand for sun-soaked getaways after the pandemic. The carrier is launching its first direct flight to Barbados from Edinburgh, as well as adding extra flights to the island from Manchester and Heathrow. In total, it will [...]