Crossrail boss refuses to give railway opening date but ‘very much wants’ 2020 launch March 6, 2019 Crossrail's new chief executive has refused to confirm any date for when the railway will open, saying only that the company "very, very much wants to get this done in 2020". Addressing Westminster's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) today, Mark Wild said Crossrail's next update, due in April, would provide a "window" of opening dates rather [...]
Police evacuate Glasgow and Essex universities after reports of suspicious packages March 6, 2019 Universities in Essex and Glasgow have been partly evacuated today as police investigate reports of suspicious packages. Read more: Police investigating explosives at Waterloo and City and Heathrow Airports The evacuations come after police found IEDs at two London airports and a train station yesterday. Essex Police said: “We have received a call today about [...]
Uber avoids criminal liability following fatal self-driving car collision March 6, 2019 Uber has been cleared of liability by a US court after one of its self-driving cars struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona in March. A letter from the Yavapai County attorney, made public today, said there was “no basis for criminal liability” for Uber, but that the back-up driver, Rafaela Vasquez, should be referred [...]
‘Revolution’: Energy regulator Ofgem plans to rip up its own rulebook March 6, 2019 Ofgem plans to undertake a “complete rethink” of Britain’s energy systems as the country seeks to support clean energy and “serious innovation”. The regulator’s head of consumer and markets, Mary Starks, said markets should be shaped by innovators, not regulators. Read more: SSE pays out £705,000 after misreporting renewable energy payments She said Ofgem would try [...]
Passengers quarantined after falling ill on Virgin Atlantic flight to Gatwick March 6, 2019 Passengers on board a Virgin Atlantic flight from Barbados to London Gatwick were quarantined following an outbreak of illness on the plane this morning. Emergency services met the plane, which was travelling from Bridgetown, when it landed in London at around 5.25am today after passengers suffered from a "chesty cough", the BBC reported. Passenger Trevor Wilson [...]
Heathrow issues €650m bond weeks before Brexit deadline March 6, 2019 Heathrow Airport has placed a €650m (£558.9m) bond with only weeks to go before the UK is due to leave the European Union. The 15-year bond was backed by current and new investors, which were mostly European, and reached an order book in excess of €2.8bn. Read more: Government extends 'no-fly zones' around airport runways after [...]
Bugatti unveils €11m supercar to mark 110th anniversary March 5, 2019 Luxury car brand Bugatti has unveiled a €11m (£9.5m) supercar, but will not name the wealthy mystery buyer. La Voiture Noire, which was created for the French firm’s 110th anniversary, was snapped up by an unnamed Bugatti fan and is thought to be the most expensive new car of all time. The one-off supercar, unveiled [...]
‘Department wrecking ball’: Chris Grayling refuses to resign over £33m Eurotunnel fiasco despite fresh pressure from MPs March 5, 2019 Embattled transport secretary Chris Grayling has been hit with fresh calls to resign in the wake of the no-deal ferry contract fiasco that resulted in a £33m payout to the Channel tunnel operator. Read more: Grayling accused of 'misleading' parliament over Brexit ferry contracts In an emergency debate in the Commons, shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald [...]
Counter terror police investigating explosive devices at Waterloo Station, Heathrow Airport and City Airport March 5, 2019 Counter terrorism police are investigating after explosive devices were found at Waterloo Station, Heathrow Airport and City Airport today. The Met Police counter terrorism command said it was treating the incidents as linked. Packages containing what police said were “small improvised explosive devices” arrived at the three locations this morning. The packages were A4-sized white [...]
BMW warns production of iconic Mini could move out of Oxford in event of no-deal Brexit March 5, 2019 German car maker BMW has warned that production of its iconic Mini could be moved out of Britain if it leaves the EU without a deal. Peter Schwarzenbauer, who sits on the company board and is responsible for Mini and Rolls-Royce cars, told Sky News that the car giant would "need to consider" a production move [...]