Energy crisis: Govt and energy firms agree runaway gas and electricity bills should be avoided in 2022 but they fail to say how December 28, 2021 The government and UK’s largest energy companies agreed late last night that “UK customers have to be protected” from soaring gas and electricity prices in 2022, although it was not clear how they plan to do that. The meeting with Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng came after Labour and a boss of a major energy provider [...]
Best of 2021: Why UK airlines are at odds with Heathrow December 27, 2021 The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) managed to upset both airlines and Heathrow on 16 December when it confirmed the interim price cap which will be implemented at the London hub from 1 January. From the current £19.60 the charges will go up to £29.50 in 2020 prices, amounting to £30.19 per passenger because of the [...]
Omicron hospitalisations skyrocket by 67 per cent in London as new Covid restrictions seem inevitable December 27, 2021 The number of hospitalisations related to the Omicron variant is climbing rapidly across the UK, with a jump of 67 per cent in London alone. Across the UK, there were 36 per cent more hospital admissions in the week ended 24 December. According to the Health Service Journal, hospitalisations for Omicron skyrocket in the capital, [...]
Covid, closures and strikes impact thousands of Christmas travellers December 27, 2021 Planned closures as well as strikes and Covid have interfered with UK travellers’ Christmas plans, with disruption set to continue this week. Rail operators – including Greater Anglia and ScotRail – were forced to make adjustments to their timetable after staff fell ill with Covid. “The rapid spread of the Omicron variant has seen a recent spike of Covid-related absences [...]
South Africa demands compensation from UK for economic damage caused by Covid travel red list in response to Omicron variant December 27, 2021 South Africa is calling for compensation from the UK for the economic damage the country suffered after it was placed on Britain’s Covid travel red list in November. South Africa’s Department of International Relations is demanding compensation after the movement of people was severely restricted, saying Africa’s largest economy took a serious beating because of [...]
Automotive production plunges as industry builds 10 million less cars December 27, 2021 Around 10 million less vehicles were produced in 2021 as a result of supply chain issues, market intelligence group LMC Automotive has revealed. According to research, the European automotive industry – which saw a 3 million shortfall in production – was among those hit the worst, while semiconductors shortages led to delays and disruption, the [...]
Christmas flight cancellations surge amid Omicron concerns December 27, 2021 This weekend around 7,500 flights were cancelled worldwide amid concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant. According to data tracking website FlightAware, just yesterday 3,273 flights were slashed, with half of cancellations affecting US routes. Today, around 1,925 cancellations were recorded – with Chinese and US routes among the worst hit. China Eastern was [...]
Learning how to change gears a thing of the past as electric vehicles take over, says AA president December 27, 2021 The need for drivers to learn how to change gears will soon be eliminated as electric vehicles take over, the president of the AA has said. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Edmund King said the Government’s decision to ban the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030 has [...]
November crowned best month for aircraft orders despite Covid uncertainties December 27, 2021 November has registered the highest number of aircraft orders since 2014, despite ongoing industry concerns over the Omicron variant. Driven mainly by the Dubai Airshow, industry stakeholders have ordered 16 wide-body and 411 single-aisle, for a total of 427 planes. Deliveries also reported an increase, going up 30 per cent compared with October to 92 [...]
Nasa readies to launch $10bn James Webb Space Telescope on Christmas morning December 24, 2021 Nasa is readying to launch its $10bn James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) on Christmas morning, which is set to revolutionise how we view space. The telescope, known as Webb, will be the first major space observatory since the Hubble Space Telescope, which launched more than three decades ago. It is also Nasa’s attempt to unravel [...]