COP26: Meaningful action or a load of hot air? November 1, 2021 City of London Corporation policy chair Catherine McGuinness urged on Friday that we must “ensure that COP26 is about action, not just ‘blah blah blah’,” if we are to finance the transition to net zero and meet the challenge Greta Thunberg has thrown down to us. Her call for meaningful action follows the UN’s weather [...]
Tesco and Morrisons lead the charge as UK supermarkets ramp up EV support November 1, 2021 The UK’s supermarkets have ramped up their efforts to support the electric vehicle (EV) push by installing nearly 1,000 new EV charge points at their stores in the past 21 months. Rapid chargers at supermarkets have more than doubled in less than two years, according to data analysed by EV charge point finder Zap-Map and [...]
Londoners receiving benefits surge 200 per cent over the pandemic November 1, 2021 The capital was hit by the highest jump in financial vulnerability in the UK during the pandemic, new research has shown. Londoners receiving benefits surged 200 per cent in the months between the final quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2021, according to Lowell’s Financial Vulnerability Index – meaning that more than 20 [...]
Entente Discordiale: UK fires back in NI and French fishing Brexit rows November 1, 2021 The UK’s relations with its nearest neighbours have fallen to a new low over the weekend, with ongoing rows over fishing rights and Northern Ireland threatening to throw post-Brexit planning into chaos. First, Boris Johnson said it was “up to France” to solve a battle over fishing rights, with the UK Government still incensed after [...]
Two trains crash between Salisbury and Andover October 31, 2021 Two trains have crashed between Salisbury and Andover, Wiltshire Police have confirmed, while emergency services are attending the scene. “We are currently at the scene of a train crash involving two trains between Andover and Salisbury. “We are responding with the fire and ambulance service at the site close to London Road, Salisbury.” A number [...]
More the merrier: Eurostar boss shrugs off Spanish rail operator eyeing Channel Tunnel October 31, 2021 Eurostar boss Jacques Damas has shrugged off Spain running services through the Channel Tunnel, saying that red tape will hold back rival rail operators from emerging. The owner of the tracks, HS1, however, has begun holding talks with a number of foreign train operators in a bid to attract them to the UK for rival [...]
UK sends £50m in humanitarian support for Afghans living under the Taliban October 31, 2021 The UK has sent £50m in humanitarian support for Afghans living under the Taliban today, as part of the £286m aid package it announced in September. The funds will be pumped into UN agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross, after NATO withdrew the final forces from Afghanistan two months ago this week. [...]
Saudi Aramco’s lofty $30bn profits boosted by high oil prices October 31, 2021 Saudi Aramco has reaped the rewards of higher oil prices, having pulled in more than $30bn in net income in its third quarter. The earnings have surged an eyewatering 158 per cent – its highest income since listing on the Saudi stock exchange in 2019 – in comparison with the same period last year, when [...]
COP26: Trains to Glasgow cancelled over a fallen tree, leaving travellers stranded October 31, 2021 Trains to Glasgow the day the UN’s flagship climate conference COP26 kicks off have been cancelled due to a fallen tree – leaving travellers and journalists stranded. Financial Times chief political correspondent Jim Pickard said it “feels like a metaphor for the climate talks”, following last night’s stormy weather. Travellers have been advised to wait [...]
French president tells Johnson to ‘respect the rules’ amid post-Brexit fishing licence row October 31, 2021 French president Emmanuel Macron has told Boris Johnson to “respect the rules” amid a row over fishing licences, according to a French official. Though the French presidential official told reporters at the G20 summit today that “the goal for both the president and the prime minister was to work towards de-escalation” – Macron has said [...]