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Wednesday, 13 January 2021

BBC News

• Covid: Johnson's bike ride 'didn't break rules'Downing Street defends the PM, while the Met Police chief says he did not act
• Tesla moves a step closer to launching in IndiaThe electric car maker has registered a company in the country although its future plans remain unclear.

Financial Times

• BA faces largest-ever group privacy claim in UK over data breachThousands join case after exposure of personal and financial details of 400,000 customers in 2018
• US to require negative Covid-19 test for international air travellersHealth officials try to clamp down as new variants raise alarms about the virus’s spread
• Chinese freight platform to raise more cash on huge investor demandBids of $3bn were lodged in the $400m debut fundraising for Didi Chuxing’s logistics unit

The Guardian

• Ryanair and Virgin Atlantic rated the worst airlines at dealing with refunds in 2020Delaying and even refusing refunds for cancelled flights due to lockdown results in ‘abysmally low’ customer service scores in Which? surveyRyanair and Virgin Atlantic have been rated the worst airlines for customer service by people who tried to get a refund after their flight was cancelled.Both airlines scored “abysmally lowâ€� in a survey conducted by Which? Travel, with eight out of 10 customers saying they were dissatisfied with the refund service they received after their flight was cancelled in 2020. Continue reading...
• Boris Johnson's bike ride: a 'storm in a teacup' or 'eroding public confidence'?The PM’s Sunday cycle across London has provoked mixed reactions among the public, police and politiciansCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBoris Johnson’s cycle ride to the Olympic Park on Sunday has provoked the full gamut of responses, from those praising his desire to keep fit on two wheels, to others simply wondering how he found the time when they haven’t washed their hair since schools closed.The incident also resulted in some interesting thought experiments, as politicians, senior police officers – and everyone else – struggled to answer two key questions: is s...

The Telegraph

• Ministers urged to set maximum distance to travel for exercise after Boris Johnson's bike ride 

Times Online

• Passengers launch £800m lawsuit over BA data hack [subscription]British Airways is facing a potential £800 million lawsuit over a 2018 data breach that exposed details of more than 400,000 of its customers.
• Public figures should lead way in obeying Covid rules, says police chief after Boris Johnson bike ride [subscription]Senior police have criticised Boris Johnson for his seven-mile bike ride, saying it would encourage the public to push the boundaries of lockdown rules.
• Coronavirus: Home workers drive rush hour to brink of extinction [subscription]The traditional rush hour is being “flattened” as growing numbers of commuters work from home. Traffic levels at the traditional peak periods in the morning and afternoon have fallen quicker than at other times of the day over the past 12 months, according to a study published today.

City AM

• Over 16,000 customers seeking compensation for British Airways data breachMore than 16,000 people are seeking compensation from British Airways (BA) over a data breach in 2018, lawyers for the victims said today.
• European car giants count cost of dire year for auto industryEuropean car giants this morning began to lay out of the full cost of the coronavirus pandemic on their performances in 2020.
• UK ‘to trial’ Covid-19 vaccine passports with new appThe UK is said to be starting trials of a vaccine passport that could play a key role in efforts to inoculate the population against coronavirus

Belfast Telegraph

• Customs are 'not to blame for delays at Irish ports'Irish customs authorities deny they are holding up goods supplies entering the Republic from Great Britain, blaming companies for failing to fill in the paperwork.

Birmingham Post

• Welsh Government Covid fund secures 63 jobs at Wrexham car seating firmIsringhausen GB Limited obtained money from the Economic Resilience Fund

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• HS2 link via Bradford critical to connecting four UK nationsA HIGH speed rail investment linking Bradford to Leeds and Manchester is critical to improving connections between UK nations, says the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Bristol Live

• First Bus update on travel to Bristol vaccine hubThere are routes for people in areas including Frenchay Campus, Portishead and Long Ashton

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Airbus BelugaXL lockdown landing show for plane spottersBroughton decided to film the landing at Hawarden Airport today for those missing aviation action
• Arriva Wrexham bus depot closed and services suspended after Covid outbreakA small number of services will still be offered using the Chester depot

London Evening Standard

• Boris Johnson's cycle ride in east London is 'scotch egg' moment, Kit Malthouse saysThe Standard revealed the PM was spotted biking around the Olympic Park - seven miles from Downing Street
• Boris and his bike: he must lead by example | Protect vulnerable first
• British Airways could face potential £800 million lawsuit over 2018 data breachBritish Airways (BA) could face a potential £800 million lawsuit over a 2018 data breach.

Bucks Free Press

• HS2's Community and Environment Fund help Amersham FC rebuild clubhouse Football club, Amersham Town FC has rebuilt part of their clubhouse using funds from the HS2 Community and Environment Fund as well as the Football Stadia Improvement Fund.The HS2 Community and Environment Fund is a programme that allows communities that have been disrupted by construction to apply for funding for projects.The voluntary and community sectors are the main targets that are eligible for the funding and applications can be made through the HS2 fund's website.

Cambridge News

• New airport rules mean travellers MUST test negative for Covid - or face fineAll travellers arriving into England, including arrivals at Stansted, will have to take a test up to 72 hours before leaving the country of departure.

Reading Evening Post

• £3.7m refurbishment to start at Berkshire railway station The project will see parts of the station closed
• Infamous bus lane earns council nearly £500k in finesThe lane in Minster Street has led to more than 14,000 drivers being caught

Other Regional Press

• Unpopular cycle lane to goA much-criticised 'pop up' cycle lane which appeared in a town centre earlier in the pandemic is to be removed.
• Kirklees Council to splash millions fixing borough's crumbling roads£12m fund to start work resurfacing back roads and neighbourhood streets but the backlog is a stunning £152m worth
• Cunard's Queen Mary 2 returns to Weymouth Bay during lockdown A FLAGSHIP cruise ship has returned to Weymouth Bay - completing the iconic fleet affectionately known as the Three Queens to be anchored in the region's waters.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Rolls-Royce and UK Space Agency launch first ever study into nuclear-powered space explorationThe UK Space Agency and Rolls-Royce are joining forces for a unique study into how nuclear power and technologies could be used as part of space exploration. This new research contract will see planetary scientists work together to explore the game-changing potential of nuclear power as a more plentiful source of energy, capable of making possible deeper space exploration in the decades to come.
• Heathrow passenger numbers drop by millionsPassenger numbers at Heathrow dropped by almost three-quarters in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the airport said. Just 22.1 million people travelled through the airport last year, down 58.8 million on the previous 12 months. In December, numbers fell by 82.9% to 1.1 million, amid a new Covid strain. It was announced last week that all travellers to the UK will have to test negative for coronavirus before they can enter the country. Passengers arriving by boat, train or plane, including UK nationals, will have to take a test up to 72 hours before leaving the country of depar...
• TfL investment to create up to 2,000 much-needed new cycle parking spaces across LondonTransport for London (TfL) has awarded funding of more than £1million to create up to 2,000 much-needed new cycle parking spaces across the capital, providing a further boost to the Mayor’s bold Streetspace programme of measures to boost walking and cycling. Enabling more Londoners to cycle safely is more important than ever. While the current coronavirus rules state that people must stay at home unless there is a reasonable excuse, it is vital that as many of these journeys as possible are made by walking, cycling and public transport rather than by car. This will help to cut con...
• Ringtons tea saves 100K road miles with Port of Tyne’s green logistics servicePort of Tyne has been re-appointed as a port centric warehousing and logistics service provider by tea and coffee specialist, Ringtons.  Best known for delivering high quality tea and biscuits to doorsteps across the North East, family owned Ringtons has been using the coastal feeder service from Felixstowe to Port of Tyne to transport hundreds of containers of tea.  Ringtons then use the Port of Tyne’s warehousing services for processing tea before delivery of the goods to its Longbenton factory in Newcastle. In switching from road haulage to shipping, each of the 200 containe...

Rail Business Daily

• “Compelling case” to level up northern economy through rail innovationGreater investment in rail research could be used to help level up the economy in the north of England, argues a report by economics and policy analysts Perspective Economics.
• Firth of Forth tunnel at heart of £22bn green rail revolutionA new cross Forth rail tunnel is at the heart of a £22 billion rail revolution proposed by the Scottish Green Party to build a modern, zero-carbon network that is affordable and accessible to all.
• Encouraging innovation in sustainable public transportTransport Scotland says one million pounds is now available to encourage innovation in public transport technology solutions.
• Platform changes at Birmingham New Street during 18-month signalling upgradePassengers at Birmingham New Street are being urged to check their platforms throughout 2021 while major work takes place to improve future journeys.

Railnews

• Eastern leg of HS2 is ˜critical™, government told The West Yorkshire Combined Authority is telling the government that improving transport connections for its region is ˜critical™ to improving ties between the nations of the United Kingdom, and that these connections include HS2 to Leeds.

Green Miscellany

• If driverless cars seem too good to be true, perhaps they areDriverless car evangelists rarely acknowledge that the transport Elysium they foresee is possible now – and with today’s technology. After all, what the world needs is fewer cars, not fewer drivers. We’re losing count of all the benefits being promised of driverless cars. Motorists are being teased with visions of driverless cars as luxurious and relaxing private retreats clever enough… The post If driverless cars seem too good to be true, perhaps they are appeared first on ETA.