Only five car battery tech patents filed from the UK in 2019, says BDO February 24, 2020 A record number of patents were filed in 2018/2019 as countries race to develop electric car batteries – but data suggests the UK is falling behind when it comes to the automotive technology. Advisory firm BDO has found 3,400 battery patents were filed in this period, a 57 per cent increase on the year before [...]
Justice Committee chair calls for Attorney-General to make decision on Airbus bribery probe February 24, 2020 The chair of the Justice Committee Sir Bob Neill today called for the new Attorney-General Suella Braverman to take a decision on a bribery investigation into an Airbus subsidiary that has been in limbo for more than 18 months. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) launched an investigation into Airbus GPT Special Project Management in 2012 [...]
Carnival shares slip lower as coronavirus fears grow February 24, 2020 Shares in Carnival fell nearly seven per cent as fears over a global pandemic grew and hit travel and leisure stocks. The company plunged 6.57 per cent, as at 4pm, in what has been a particularly turbulent day on the FTSE 100. London’s blue-chip index fell 3.5 per cent to 7.143 points. The last FTSE [...]
UK airline stocks plunge as Italy reports fourth coronavirus death February 24, 2020 UK airline stocks plummeted in early trading today as the FTSE 100 plunged two per cent after Italy reported a dramatic rise in its number of coronavirus cases. Easyjet’s share price sank 11.6 per cent while British Airways owner IAG suffered an eight per cent drop in its market cap. Tour operator Tui also shed [...]
Government appoints advisers to oversee outsourcers amid fear of Carillion-style collapse February 23, 2020 The government has reportedly appointed advisers to monitor the health of important outsourcers such as engineering company Kier. The Sunday Telegraph reported that the Cabinet Office has hired accountancy firm Deloitte to assist in assessing the finances of key contractors. The move follows the collapse of outsourcer Carillion in 2018. The Cabinet Office, which employs [...]
Deutsche Bahn delays plans for Arriva flotation February 21, 2020 Deutsche Bahn is set to delay its plans to float its international transport business Arriva on the stock market. The German state-owned rail operator had planned to hold an initial public offering for Arriva in the first half of this year. However, that will no longer happen, sources told Reuters following a supervisory board meeting [...]
Chinese passenger car sales fall 92 per cent in February February 21, 2020 Chinese sales of passenger cars collapsed 92 per cent on an annual basis in the first 16 days of February as the coronavirus outbreak halted business output across the country. According to China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), only 4,909 vehicles were sold in the period, down from 59,930 in the same period a year earlier. [...]
We’ve got the power: Decarbonising our transport on the road to a greener nation February 21, 2020 The government will soon publish its strategy on cutting emissions from cars, trains, boats and planes — and already the transport secretary has suggested that sales of combustion and hybrid vehicles could be banned from 2035. Change comes with questions. For example: how clean is our electricity? And can Britain’s energy infrastructure meet the demand [...]
London drivers pay £70m in Ulez charges February 20, 2020 London’s drivers have been hit by £70.4m in charges and fines in the eight months since the Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (Ulez) charge was introduced in the capital. The data, which was obtained through a FOI request from car insurance provider By Miles, has revealed that drivers have paid out £48.9m in charges and £21.5m in [...]
London St Pancras tops list of Europe’s best train stations February 20, 2020 Europe’s best train station for passengers has been revealed, with London St Pancras taking the top spot. A new survey from the Consumer Choice Centre has ranked Europe’s fifty largest train stations by a series of metrics including accessibility, cleanliness, number of platforms, hospitality and number of strike days, to give a composite score out [...]
