Qatar Airways buys $600m stake in British Airways owner IAG February 19, 2020 Qatar Airways has upped its holding in British Airways owner IAG to 25.1 per cent after buying an additional $604m (£465m) stake in the airline group. The Middle Eastern carrier previously owned a 21.4 per cent stake in IAG, which has seen its share price rise 52 per cent in the last six months. The [...]
DEBATE: Should we be concerned about rumours of potential Chinese involvement with HS2? February 19, 2020 Should we be concerned about rumours of potential Chinese involvement with building HS2? Sophia Gaston, director of the British Foreign Policy Group, says YES. The government’s decision to permit Huawei to be involved in building our 5G network has exposed the acute lack of an overarching strategy around Britain’s engagement with China. No doubt, this [...]
Jaguar Land Rover hit by coronavirus parts shortage February 18, 2020 Jaguar Land Rover warned today it had enough parts for just two weeks of production amid worries about the impact of coronavirus on its supply chain in China. The carmaker said it had been flying in parts from China in suitcases to keep production in the UK going. “We are safe for this week and [...]
Corruption campaigners say Airbus’ €3.6bn fine may not ‘reflect the full wrongdoing’ in bribery case February 18, 2020 Corruption campaigners have questioned the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) on whether Airbus’ record €3.6bn (£3bn) fine for large scale bribery properly accounted for the wrongdoing it committed. Last month Airbus agreed to pay the mammoth fine after a joint investigation by UK, US and French authorities found the aerospace giant had paid bribes to help [...]
South Western Railway to compensate passengers hit by December’s strikes February 18, 2020 South Western Railway (SWR) has announced it will compensate passengers affected by December’s RMT union strikes for the cost of five days’ travel. The embattled rail franchise said that although it had carried roughly 80 per cent of its normal passenger burden for that time of the year, it had decided to offer additional compensation [...]
Extinction Rebellion occupies HS2 drilling rig in West London February 18, 2020 Extinction Rebellion have this morning occupied a drilling rig at an HS2 site in West London, claiming that the drilling could contaminate an aquifer which provides almost of quarter of London’s drinking water. Two members of the activist group, including Paralympian James Brown, have climbed onto the roof of the vehicle and have unfurled a [...]
London’s Tube is the world’s most dog-friendly subway system February 18, 2020 The London Underground has been rated as the world’s most welcoming subway system for four-legged locals. A report, by apartment rental company Essential Living, revealed that the Tube was the most dog-friendly subway in the world, coming ahead of the Tokyo Metro and the Madrid Metro. They are followed by subways in Paris, Seoul, New [...]
Tube fare dodging rates spike by almost 30 per cent February 17, 2020 Instances of fare dodging have increased by almost 30 per cent since 2016, leading to £116m of lost revenue for Transport for London (TfL) in a single year. TfL statistics, released by City Hall, show the number of warnings, penalty notices and prosecutions for fare dodging rose from 87, 948 in 2016-17 to 112,266 in [...]
DfT unveils plan to head off Brexit-induced mega traffic jams in Kent February 17, 2020 The government is to deploy a San Francisco-style moveable barrier in the hope of avoiding Brexit-induced mega traffic jams throughout Kent. The £60m moveable barrier, creating a temporary contraflow system, can be set up “within hours” and will be available from December, transport secretary Grant Shapps revealed this morning. Although the UK has officially left the [...]
Bakerloo Tube strike this weekend means FIVE London Underground lines will be out of action February 17, 2020 London commuters are bracing for travel chaos over the weekend as nearly half of all Underground lines are set to be closed amidst a Tube strike. Bakerloo line drivers from the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) are expected to walk off the job on Friday for a three-day strike over a [...]