6:43 am, November 1, 2023
Online travel agents win £2m High Court damages fight with Ryanair
Online travel agents have won a High Court fight with Ryanair after suing over refunds they paid following flights being cancelled or changed.
Judge Nigel Cooper awarded On the Beach, Sunshine.co.uk and Classic Package Holidays £2,056,74 in damages.
He said it represented the cost of flights refunded to travellers for package holidays in ‘circumstances where Ryanair have cancelled or made what are described as major changes to flights which were part of the packages’.
U-turn over closure plan for railway station ticket offices
The government has announced a U-turn over plans to close the vast majority of railway station ticket offices in England.
Transport secretary Mark Harper said train operators have been asked to withdraw the proposals as they ‘do not meet the high thresholds set by ministers’.
It follows watchdogs Transport Focus and London TravelWatch opposing every single planned closure because of issues such as the impact on accessibility. But a train operator source told the PA news agency: ‘There is quiet fury in the rail industry. The plan was signed off by civil servants and ministers. They’ve U-turned.’
British Library hit by cyber incident
The British Library has said a ‘major technology outage’ has hit online services, public wi-fi at the site and its website.
The research library in London, which has a large deposit of the UK and world’s book collections, is investigating the issue with the National Cyber Security Centre and cybersecurity specialists.
The building, near St Pancras railway station, continues to be open and visitors can access the reading rooms for personal study.
Odey Asset Management to shut down after allegations against founder
Scandal-hit hedge fund Odey Asset Management is to close just months after a series of sexual assault and harassment allegations against founder Crispin Odey.
In a short statement on its website, the investment company said it has transferred all funds to new asset managers and is being wound down.
Earlier this year, Odey sold most of its shares in car dealer group Pendragon when the allegations – which Odey denies – were made.
Isle of Man’s parliament votes Assisted Dying Bill through to next stage
Legalising assisted dying in part of the British Isles has moved a step closer after the Isle of Man’s parliament voted a bill through to its next stage.
The Assisted Dying Bill, as it stands, applies only to terminally ill adults who have been ‘ordinarily resident’ on the island for at least a year.
A further vote is expected next week as to whether it should go before a committee to be considered and reported on by the end of February, before moving to the clauses stage. The bill would then undergo line-by-line scrutiny, where multiple amendments could be made.
World must end fossil fuel age, says Guterres after visiting melting glaciers
UN chief Antonio Guterres has said the world should end the fossil fuel age to curb what he says is a devastating level of melting of glaciers in the Himalayas due to global warming.
The UN secretary-general addressed Nepal’s parliament after flying past Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, on Monday and touring the base camp of Mount Annapurna, the world’s 10th highest, yesterday.
‘I am here today to cry out from the rooftop of the world: Stop the madness,’ he said. ‘The glaciers are retreating, but we cannot. We must end the fossil fuel age.’
Cigarette-style warning labels could reduce meat consumption, study finds
Graphic health warnings such as the ones on cigarette packets could help reduce meat consumption and benefit the environment, a new study has found.
Putting stark reminders about the effect that meat farming has on global warming would help consumers make healthier choices and reduce our carbon footprint, Durham University researchers suggested.
They tested a variety of warnings, including ones about climate change, health risks and even future pandemics, and all worked in discouraging people from selecting a meat-based meal.
Volkswagen releases first pictures of ID.7 Tourer
Volkswagen has revealed disguised images of its ID.7 Tourer, which will arrive in 2024 as the firm’s first electric estate car.
Looking to keep a more traditional estate car profile rather than the sleeker ‘shooting brake’ style seen in more recent years, the ID.7 Tourer is a long car with plenty of bodywork.
Volkswagen says the model offers ‘sophisticated aerodynamics’ that give it a low drag coefficient.
Yesterday’s headlines on Car Dealer you might have missed
- Mazda boss: Car buyers should decide if they want to go electric not governments
- Stellantis enjoys 7% boost in global revenue to £39.5bn for third quarter
- Tesla Model Y named Europe’s best-selling new car
- Vertu submits ambitious Ducati plans for BMW and Mini site in Sunderland
Market movements
The FTSE 100 closed 5.67 points down yesterday to end the day on 7,321.72. The Cac 40 was up 60.58 points at 6,885.65, the Dax was up 93.80 points at 14,810.34 and the Dow Jones was up 123.91 points at 33,052.87.
Weather outlook
Today, Scotland will be cloudy with outbreaks of rain plus hill sleet and snow, says BBC Weather. The rest of the UK will be cloudy with blustery showers. It’ll be windy, mainly in the south and west.
Storm Ciarán will move into England and Wales tonight, bringing rain and strong winds, with gale-force winds in the far south. Northern Ireland and Scotland will turn mostly dry with clearing skies.
Thursday will be very windy across southern areas with damaging wind gusts in coastal regions. There’ll be outbreaks of rain across England, Wales and east Scotland. Amber warnings and yellow rain warnings are in place for the entire south coast of England and parts of Pembrokeshire, says the PA news agency.
