Mr Hollinrake wrote: “You will be aware of concerns being expressed by parliamentary colleagues about the £5 surcharge being applied, where a number of them have claimed that they have bought stamps from legitimate sources, but which have then been identified as counterfeit by your system. “I recognise that where …
Read More »NHS to use Google drones to carry blood samples between London hospitals
The NHS is to use Google’s autonomous drones to fly blood samples between London hospitals in an effort to speed up medical tests. Wing, the drone operator owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, has been chosen to deliver high-priority samples between Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals in south London. The …
Read More »Sunak to water down kids smartphone rules after industry backlash
The consultation is expected to include questions about a potential ban on the sale of phones to under-16s and the need for parental approval when teenagers download social media apps such as Facebook and Instagram. However, other more stringent proposals that were expected to feature in the consultation are now …
Read More »Billionaire Czech bidder for Royal Mail advised by ex-Labour’s Chuka Umunna
The swoop is also facing opposition from the CWU, which is instead calling for a “new ownership and governance model” for Royal Mail. Mr Kretinsky’s EP Group, which is expected to make a fresh offer ahead of a deadline of May 15 set under City takeover rules, has held meetings …
Read More »Royal Mail seeks to fast-track delivery shake-up after shock takeover bid
Royal Mail is pressuring regulators to approve plans for less frequent letter deliveries, as the company scrambles to fend off a £3.1bn takeover bid from a Czech billionaire. International Distributions Services (IDS), Royal Mail’s parent company, said foot-dragging by Ofcom had “held back” plans to modernise the company. Keith Williams, …
Read More »Queen jokes about Royal Lancers’ capacity for drinking beer
The Queen joked about members of her late father’s regiment’s capacity to drink beer during her first visit to their barracks since she was appointed as colonel-in-chief. The Royal Lancers carry a significant connection for Queen Camilla, 76, as her father Major Bruce Shand served with the 12th Lancers during …
Read More »Apple ‘scraps vegan iPhone cases’ after backlash
Apple has reportedly suspended production of vegan phone cases it started selling less than a year ago. The tech giant is said to have stopped making its FineWoven cases and watch straps following complaints that the £59 cases would become easily scratched and worn out. Apple introduced the material, a …
Read More »Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky ‘very serious’ about bid for Royal Mail
Bosses are understood to be keen to emphasise that the postal service is at an inflection point as it pushes through a turnaround plan for its struggling letters business. Insiders pointed to the company’s strongest Christmas performance in four years, as well as an ongoing review by Ofcom into its …
Read More »Royal Mail ‘uses Google to check stamps’, claim whistleblowers
One whistleblower said they dealt with surcharges “on a case by case basis” and said colleagues would often not charge customers and let them have the post without paying the “silly” £5 fine. They added they had sympathy for revenue protection staff who they claim are “misidentifying” stamps because Royal …
Read More »How Russian gas is fuelling a bid for Royal Mail
The 48-year-old has cited his time growing up during the Velvet Revolution, as the overhaul of Czechoslovakia’s communist government is known, as a driving force behind his love of free markets. Kretinsky trained as a lawyer before joining Slovakian investment group J&T in 1999, where he made his name as …
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