Future of Vauxhall factory up in the air over ‘£40m funding gap’ April 25, 2021 A funding gap of just £40m risks scuppering attempts to ensure Stellantis’ Vauxhall factory at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire remains open. The car giant has been mulling whether to reinvest in the plant, where it makes the Astra vehicle, due to the government’s decision to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from [...]
Mega-rich charge up private jet cards as they plan a summer of international travel April 25, 2021 The rich are preparing for a summer of international travel by charging up their private jet travel cards, according to one of the industry’s biggest players. Air Partner said new UK customers have added £750,000 worth of deposits to their so-called JetCards with the company in February and March alone. It also saw a 15 [...]
End of lockdown: Half of Brits plan a UK getaway with Wales and Lake District topping the list April 24, 2021 More than half of all Brits are planning to book a UK getaway this year, with Wales and the Lake District being the most popular destinations, followed by Cornwall and the Scottish Highlands. On average, people that have already booked spent £353 per person on staycation bookings, according a new survey by American Express. Post-lockdown [...]
Why don’t I have an EV yet? April 24, 2021 Given all the hype around electric cars, it is sometimes easy to forget just how far off mass adoption of the climate friendly vehicles still is. A recent survey by consumer trends data firm Dynata suggests that as yet just 16 per cent of Brits have bought an electric or hybrid car – way behind [...]
Submarine disaster: Oxygen supply on Indonesian vessel has run out with no sign of life April 24, 2021 The oxygen supply for the 53 crew members of an Indonesian submarine missing in waters off Bali is believed to have run out with no sign of the vessel. The search for the KRI Nanggala 402 resumed earlier this morning, bolstered by the arrival of a sonar-equipped Australian warship. It went missing after its last [...]
Extinction Rebellion cleared of criminal damage to Shell building April 23, 2021 Six members of Extinction Rebellion have been found not guilty of criminal damage, after the protest group spray painted the Shell building at Waterloo in April 2019. The six activists were acquitted today at Southwark Crown Court, with the jury delivering a ‘not guilty’ verdict for each of the defendants, despite the court’s judge ruling [...]
Convicted postmasters have names cleared of theft April 23, 2021 A total 39 former postmasters who were accused of stealing money have finally had their names cleared, after a years-long battle for justice. The former Post Office workers with accused of theft and false accounting, with some imprisoned, because of a faulty computer system that was installed in 1999. Between 2000 and 2014, the Post [...]
Wizz Air aiming for 60-80 per cent capacity over summer April 23, 2021 Wizz Air chief executive Jozsef Varadi said that the carrier was planning to fly at 60-80 per cent capacity over the summer months. Speaking at an aviation conference this morning, the Hungarian airline’s boss said that the situation over the summer would be far better than the current circumstances. “I’m expecting something between 60 per [...]
FirstGroup strikes £3.3bn deal to sell iconic yellow school buses in US April 23, 2021 Train and bus operator FirstGroup has announced this morning the sale of two of its US divisions for £3.3bn to EQT Infrastructure, a year after putting the businesses up for sale. Bosses at the firm said the cash raised from offloading First Student, the operator of famous yellow US school buses, and First Transit will [...]
Jaguar Land Rover to pause production at two plants due to chip shortage April 22, 2021 The disruption caused by the global shortfall of semiconductor chips continued this morning as Jaguar Land Rover said it would pause production at two of its plants next week. The shortage, which has hit many of the world’s biggest carmakers, will see the Tata-owned firm idle production lines at Castle Bromwich and Halewood for a [...]