MEPs vote to put robots on the agenda to tackle safety and legal concerns January 17, 2017 MEPs have started on a European health and safety standard for robots – before the fracking toasters short circuit and become our overlords. Or before other countries like Japan and the US establish their standards first. A “kill” switch and creating a status for “electronic persons” that would bear legal responsibility are among recommendations that MEPs on [...]
Finnair’s UK ambitions take flight with Flybe codeshare extension January 17, 2017 Finland's flag carrier has bolstered a codesharing deal with Flybe to amp up its UK connectivity. Finnair is extending its UK network with new codeshare services on Flybe flights between several European cities and the UK. The airline's codes will be added to the following Flybe services when a Finnair flight is also included in [...]
Rolls-Royce’s shares spike over seven per cent as company says 2016 profit will trump expectations January 17, 2017 Shares in Rolls-Royce rose as much as 7.7 per cent to 716.7p this morning, after the firm settled bribery claims on three continents and said its profit for 2016 will beat expectations. The engineering giant announced yesterday it had reached, in principle, a £671m deal with regulators to settle allegations of bribery and corruption. The investigations [...]
Global giant Shell helping Edinburgh innovators to harness power of air turbulence January 17, 2017 | City Talk Capture Mobility’s award-winning roadside micro-turbine can generate electricity from the turbulence of passing traffic – enough to supply an average-sized home for 24 hours. Integrated solar panels at the top of the turbine add extra energy to the system during the day and air filters inside the fins of the turbines also help to clean the [...]
Want to skip congestion? Airbus is working on it with its flying car prototype January 17, 2017 Gridlocked roads and congestion might be a signature of busy cities, but Airbus hopes it'll have a way to circumvent that – sooner rather than later. The aerospace giant has said it's got plans to test a prototype of a self-piloted flying car by the end of the year. It got the wheels – or wings [...]
Are you travelling with Britain’s worst train operator? Here’s the definitive list January 17, 2017 Southern's customer satisfaction has plummeted on everything from punctuality to reliability and seat availability. According to Which?'s annual rail survey, the train operator recorded its lowest ever score of 21 per cent customer satisfaction, down from 44 per cent last year. It received one star ratings for seat availability, frequency, punctuality, reliability and value for [...]
Tube talks between RMT, TSSA and London Underground adjourn as threat of further strikes looms over capital January 16, 2017 Negotiations aimed at averting more Tube strikes were adjourned today, leaving the threat of industrial action looming over the capital. Talks will resume on Wednesday between officials from the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, Transport Salaried Staffs' Association and London Underground representatives, who met today at the conciliation service Acas. Read more: Here's when the [...]
British Airways assures customers it will operate all long-haul flights during the 72-hour walkout from Thursday January 16, 2017 British Airways has assured passengers it will operate all of its long-haul services to and from Heathrow during a three-day cabin crew strike that will start this Thursday. It will cancel one per cent of short haul flights, merging these services, but has said customers affected "will be able to fly slightly earlier or slightly [...]
Donald Trump’s 35 per cent border tax threat hits shares in German car companies January 16, 2017 President-elect Donald Trump's warning that he'll impose a 35 per cent border tax on vehicles imported to the US has buffeted German car firms' shares. Trump had told German newspaper Bild: "If you want to build cars in the world, then I wish you all the best. You can build cars for the United States, but [...]
Union reps and Tube bosses get talks underway to try and stop a repeat of last week’s Tube strike chaos January 16, 2017 Commuters, keep your fingers crossed for talks today aimed at avoiding the Tube chaos of last week, when a 24-hour walkout shut down numerous Zone 1 stations. The talks, at conciliation service Acas, are taking place to try and hash out a resolution to the dispute over staffing levels at stations. Officials from the Rail, [...]