European Space Agency spacecraft in near miss with Space X satellite September 3, 2019 A European Space Agency (ESA) spacecraft was forced to perform an emergency manoeuvre to avoid a collision with a satellite operated by Elon Musk’s Space X. The ESA said its Aeolus Earth observation satellite fired its thrusters to move it off a collision course with a satellite in Space X’s Starlink constellation. Read more: Watch [...]
Zara distances itself from Hong Kong protest controversy September 3, 2019 Spanish fashion retailer Zara came out in support of China’s sovereignty over Hong Kong as it sought to distance itself from controversy over pro-democracy protests. In a statement published on China’s social media platform Weibo the high street brand, which is owned by the world’s biggest retailer Inditex said, it had not supported strikes. Zara [...]
King’s Cross ditches facial recognition technology after watchdog savaged plans September 3, 2019 King’s Cross has denied it will reintroduce facial recognition cameras at the site, as details emerged of its plans to use the technology to identify criminals. In a letter sent to the Mayor of London last month, the developers behind the 67-acre site said they were rolling out an upgraded facial recognition system that would [...]
HS2 ‘still vital’ despite ballooning £88bn price tag, say businesses September 3, 2019 HS2 is at risk of costing the public £88bn and could be delivered seven years behind schedule, but businesses still believe the project is worth the time and money. Allan Cook, the chairman of HS2, today revealed his cost and timetable projections for the troubled high speed line, including that the project is could now [...]
International business groups urge UK to avoid ‘gravely concerning’ no-deal Brexit September 3, 2019 Eight business federations from around the world including the US Chamber of Commerce have joined together to express their concern about the possibility of a no-deal Brexit, urging the UK and EU to reach an agreement over Britain’s exit from the bloc. The groups published a joint statement saying in the event of a no-deal [...]
Brexit: Boris Johnson planned to prorogue parliament before denying it September 3, 2019 Prime Minister Boris Johnson was planning to prorogue parliament at least two weeks before he denied he was looking at it, a series of emails and notes published in court documents have revealed. Johnson also rubbished the period in September when MPs were due to sit as a “rigmarole”. Read more: Brexit showdown: What to [...]
Downing Street denies plot to trick MPs over election date September 3, 2019 Downing Street has denied there is a plot afoot to trick MPs into voting for a pre-Brexit General Election, only to later postpone it until after Halloween. A government source today said it was “tin foil hat stuff” to suggest that Boris Johnson would shift the date of the election, which is likely to be [...]
New York Times drops sponsorship of London oil conference after climate protests September 3, 2019 The New York Times has dropped its sponsorship of an oil conference in London next month following pressure from climate activists. Climate campaigners including Extinction Rebellion held protests outside the newspaper’s Manhattan offices over its sponsorship of the Oil & Money conference. Read more: Climate change activists threaten chaos at Heathrow with drone protest The [...]
HS2 faces seven-year delay as costs set to balloon to £88bn September 3, 2019 The real cost of HS2 could spiral to £88bn as the project faces years of delays, according to an explosive report authored by the chair of the controversial UK infrastructure project. Allan Cook, who has carried out an internal review of the project, said he did not believe the scheme, which will link London to [...]
Brexit bargains: Foreign buyers snap up UK companies in M&A frenzy September 3, 2019 The value of foreign takeover deals in the UK have jumped over the last quarter, nearly doubling on the previous three-month period after several notable mergers were inked in the City. Read more: UK M&A deal values more than halve amid global tensions Inward mergers and acquisitions, whereby an overseas company acquires a UK firm, [...]