Mapped: All the stations that will be shut for the upcoming Tube strike February 2, 2017 Deep breath, one and all. As it stands, another Tube strike (well two actually) is going to give the capital's commuters more to grumble about next week. The planned walkouts by the RMT union over ticket office closures and job cuts will affect services from 6pm on Sunday 5 February to 11am Wednesday 8 February. Read more: There's [...]
Output in the UK’s construction industry grew unexpectedly slowly in January February 2, 2017 The pound fell off its highs this morning after figures revealed output in the UK's construction industry had grown unexpectedly slowly in January – suggesting the sector's tentative recovery is swiftly running out of steam. Markit's purchasing managers' index for the construction industry dropped to 52.2 in January, from 54.2 in December and against expectations of 53.8. Any figure [...]
British Airways ramps up its Greek island routes from London City Airport February 2, 2017 It's only just announced a flurry of new Manchester and Stansted routes. But British Airways hasn't stopped there: it's now ramping up attention on London City Airport, saying it'll be offering nearly two million seats from the Royal Docks-based airport. It has launched a new three times a week service to Greek island Skiathos, making it [...]
Uber is “pressing pause” on Taiwan business after government pressure February 2, 2017 Things are heating up in Taiwan. Uber has suspended its services there over an ongoing rift with the government, which deems the ride-hailing app illegal. In a blog post on the company's site, Uber said it was "pressing pause in Taiwan" after reaching an "impasse", saying the government sought to move "further and further away from embracing [...]
American Airlines has opened its first office in Cuba despite Trump uncertainty February 2, 2017 American Airlines has formally opened its first office in Havana, Cuba, despite uncertainty on US President Donald Trump's approach towards the country. It comes two months after the airline's first scheduled commercial flight from the US to Havana in over 50 years. The airline said the flight and the new office underlined the company's commitment to [...]
Nimbyism in decline as housing shortage bites February 2, 2017 The construction of new homes is now a top five priority for voters, with increasing numbers of people willing to support housing projects in their local area. A report by the Centre for Policy Studies, a think tank, suggests attitudes to new builds have changed dramatically over the last ten years. Citing a British Social [...]
Third runway set for take off: Government unveils Heathrow expansion national policy statement today February 2, 2017 Transport secretary Chris Grayling will today set out the government’s proposals for Heathrow expansion with a draft national policy statement. It comes after the High Court delayed a legal challenge to the third runway earlier this week. This marks the start of a 16-week national public consultation for the huge infrastructure project, giving people across the UK [...]
Volkswagen agrees to pay at least $1.2bn to US vehicle owners of big diesels February 1, 2017 Volkswagen has agreed to pay at least $1.2bn (£950m) in buybacks and compensation to owners of larger diesel engines affected by the firm's emissions scandal in the US. According to court documents filed late on Tuesday, VW has agreed to pay the total to fix or buy back nearly 80,000 polluting 3.0 litre diesel-engine vehicles, to [...]
Southern commuters launch legal claim as DfT faces fresh scrutiny over its handling of the crisis with National Audit Office investigation February 1, 2017 Southern rail commuters announced today they have launched a legal claim in an attempt to force the government to take action over the service. An application for a judicial review of the Department for Transport's (DfT) handling of the crisis has been filed by lawyers for the Association of British Commuters. A group spokesperson said: "It is right that [...]
Mayor’s concessions to the unions over Tube strikes will cost £17m a year, say GLA Conservatives February 1, 2017 Efforts to avoid a repeat of this month's hugely disruptive Tube strike will come at a hefty cost, GLA Conservatives have warned. London Underground (LU) bosses have been in fresh talks with the RMT union to try and avoid more walkouts starting at the end of this week. As part of its proposals made to both the RMT [...]