Stelios slams Easyjet ‘scoundrels’ over Airbus plane deal October 8, 2020 Easyjet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou has relaunched his crusade against the airline’s board on the back of today’s warning that the carrier might record its first ever annual loss. Back in May, shareholders voted down a set of proposals from the Greek-Cypriot businessman that would have ousted the airline’s management. The spat emerged over Easyjet’s [...]
London Southend boss: Airport testing NOW is the only way to make passengers feel safe and get UK flying again October 8, 2020 The chief executive of London Southend airport has said that the country’s airlines will only begin to recover when passengers are confident enough to fly again – and that means the government must impose a coronavirus testing regime now. Aviation leaders had hoped that ministers would announce plans to put in place an airport testing [...]
Minister flags potential extension of England curfew to 11pm October 8, 2020 A government minister has floated the idea of potentially extending England’s hospitality curfew to 11pm – the same as Northern Ireland. London minister Paul Scully told a virtual event today that a curfew extension would be a lifeline to the hospitality sector, but that the government needed to examine how effective Northern Ireland’s 11pm lock [...]
Facebook issues temporary ban on political ads after US election October 8, 2020 Facebook will stop running political ads in the US after polls close on 3 November in a bid to prevent “confusion or abuse” in the aftermath of the presidential election. The social media giant said the temporary ban marked its efforts to “protect the integrity of the election by fighting foreign interference, misinformation and voter [...]
Landlord New River converts retail property into residential amid high street turmoil October 8, 2020 Landlord New River REIT is pushing ahead with its plans to convert some of its retail and pub destinations into housing, it announced today, amid a challenging period for the sector. The real estate investment trust announced today that it has progressed its residential conversion opportunities during the coronavirus pandemic. In a trading update this [...]
Competition watchdog requests probe into Virgin-O2 merger October 8, 2020 The UK competition watchdog has asked the EU to refer the planned tie-up between O2 and Virgin for a full investigation in Britain. O2’s owner Telefonica in May confirmed plans for a £31bn mega-merger with Virgin Media, owned by Liberty Global. The proposed deal falls under the remit of the European Commission to review, but [...]
Get e-scooter trials rolling in London, ministers urged October 8, 2020 A group of e-scooter firms have joined forces to call for the government to roll out a capital-wide trial of the new transport option. In an open letter to ministers co-ordinated by think tank the Centre for London, firms such as Lime, Spin, and Voi said e-e scooters could “help create a low carbon, inclusive, [...]
Huawei: ‘Clear evidence’ of collusion with Beijing, MPs warn October 8, 2020 There is “clear evidence of collusion” between Chinese tech giant Huawei and authorities in Beijing, top MPs have warned. In a report published today parliament’s defence committee claimed Huawei was “closely linked” to the Chinese state and the Communist Party. It also cited concerns about Huawei’s receipt of state subsidies and Chinese intelligence laws that [...]
Real estate investment trust Home REIT raises £240m through IPO to fund accommodation for homeless October 8, 2020 Home Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), which is planning to fund accommodation for homeless people across the UK, has raised £240.6m through a stock market listing. Home REIT announced the result of its initial public offering this morning, and will begin trading on the London Stock Exchange on Monday. The investment trust is seeking to [...]
