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United Airlines CEO faces rightwing backlash after calling for US wealth tax

20 October 2026 at 21:06

Scott Kirby says wealth inequality is a ‘danger to society’ and calls for inheritance tax in recent interview

Scott Kirby, the CEO of United Airlines, is under scrutiny from conservative politicians and commentators for saying wealth inequality is a “danger to society” and calling for a national wealth and inheritance tax in a recent interview.

Talking to the New York Times, Kirby was asked about the growing public distrust of CEOs and whether he felt any responsibility to quell that distrust.

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© Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/AP

© Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/AP

© Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/AP

Nato increases Black Sea deployment amid escalating deadly Russian attacks

Mounting anxiety as Russia’s war on Ukraine reaches Nato’s borders with targeting of vessels transporting agricultural cargo

Nato is deploying additional military assets to the Black Sea amid the recent deadly escalation of Russian attacks on merchant shipping, as five more vessels were attacked on Tuesday.

Russia’s military said it ⁠struck ​three cargo vessels in Ukraine’s ⁠port of Reni and two ⁠other cargo vessels en ​route ‌to ‌Odesa.

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© Photograph: MAPN/Romanian Defence Ministry/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: MAPN/Romanian Defence Ministry/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: MAPN/Romanian Defence Ministry/AFP/Getty Images

Nato increases Black Sea deployment amid escalating deadly Russian attacks

Mounting anxiety as Russia’s war on Ukraine reaches Nato’s borders with targeting of vessels transporting agricultural cargo

Nato is deploying additional military assets to the Black Sea amid the recent deadly escalation of Russian attacks on merchant shipping, as five more vessels were attacked on Tuesday.

Russia’s military said it ⁠struck ​three cargo vessels in Ukraine’s ⁠port of Reni and two ⁠other cargo vessels en ​route ‌to ‌Odesa.

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© Photograph: MAPN/Romanian Defence Ministry/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: MAPN/Romanian Defence Ministry/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: MAPN/Romanian Defence Ministry/AFP/Getty Images

European air fares could rise by as much as 20% in 2027, Ryanair boss predicts

20 October 2026 at 15:28

Conflict in Middle East is pushing jet fuel costs higher and many carriers are not hedged against such increases, Michael O’Leary says

Ryanair’s chief executive has predicted a record increase in European air fares next year, as airlines grapple with fuel bills pushed higher by the Middle East conflict.

Many carriers are not hedged against rising jet fuel costs, Michael O’Leary said, which he predicted would lead to airline bankruptcies and takeovers. He forecast these pressures would result in the price of plane tickets rising by as much as 20%.

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© Photograph: Alexandros Avramidis/Reuters

© Photograph: Alexandros Avramidis/Reuters

© Photograph: Alexandros Avramidis/Reuters

European air fares could rise by as much as 20% in 2027, Ryanair boss predicts

20 October 2026 at 15:28

Conflict in Middle East is pushing jet fuel costs higher and many carriers are not hedged against such increases, Michael O’Leary says

Ryanair’s chief executive has predicted a record increase in European air fares next year, as airlines grapple with fuel bills pushed higher by the Middle East conflict.

Many carriers are not hedged against rising jet fuel costs, Michael O’Leary said, which he predicted would lead to airline bankruptcies and takeovers. He forecast these pressures would result in the price of plane tickets rising by as much as 20%.

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© Photograph: Alexandros Avramidis/Reuters

© Photograph: Alexandros Avramidis/Reuters

© Photograph: Alexandros Avramidis/Reuters

Saudi Arabia announces first batch of hospitality investment projects worth $1.78bn

20 October 2026 at 11:23
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has approved 19 projects across five tourism destinations under its Hospitality Investment Enablers Program, which is expected to attract SR6.7 billion ($1.78 billion) in investment and create more than 17,000 jobs. The initiatives will be rolled out across five destinations, including Al-Baha, Al-Ahsa, Jeddah, Asir and the Eastern Province, with 19 companies, including BSF Capital, Sedal, Rikaz and Jenan among the participating firms. The undertaking, led by the Ministry of

Excessive wealth, extreme emissions – and ecocide: what I learned at Europe’s big superyacht show

20 October 2026 at 10:00

These yachts are highly popular with the ‘super-bourgeoisie’ – and getting bigger. Can anything be done to stop them destroying our seas?

Who knew? Apparently everyone did, apart from me: you don’t wear shoes on a superyacht. Now, about to step on to my first teak deck at the Monaco Yacht Show, I’ve got to take my trainers off, and I’m having a sock panic. Have they got holes? Do they even match? Do they smell?

To be honest, I’ve come dressed all wrong for Europe’s big annual superyacht trade exhibition. The code for men seems to be crisp and tucked in, blazers and chinos, navy and white, sculpted hair and designer sunnies. (I went colourful, loose, casual). For women, it’s something like Riviera elegance. Everyone – whether they’re Italian, French, English, German, American, exhibitors, buyers, brokers, charterers – seems to know each other. The international superyacht community seems to be a close-knit one, and I’m not part of it. Yet.

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© Photograph: Sam Wollaston/The Guardian

© Photograph: Sam Wollaston/The Guardian

© Photograph: Sam Wollaston/The Guardian

Tuesday briefing: Can Andy Burnham beat Britain’s headphone dodgers?

20 October 2026 at 06:44

In today’s newsletter: The prime minister’s campaign against noisy passengers has struck a chord with commuters. Whether anyone hears him remains to be seen.

Good morning.

Me again, back from the October school holiday (a week in glorious Wales, thanks for asking) and ready to hear your commuter woes. For our prime minister, it’s “one of the most annoying things on public transport”: maybe you’re trying to work, or read, or you’ve finally got your kid to sleep, when someone starts blasting sound from their phone at full volume.

France | The prime minister has said he has asked regional authorities to impose partial curfews in some cities after the government admitted police had “lost control” in several places during violent weekend protests around the country.

UK politics | Andy Burnham has told officials to rip up their plans for how to fix Thames Water and present him with more radical options for what to do with the stricken company.

Yemen | At least 53 people have been killed in a Houthi ballistic missile attack on a training camp for Yemeni government forces in the largest single loss of life since the country’s civil war reignited in September.

Israel | Israeli police have detained 10 people in a rare raid against settlers, after a weekend of extreme violence in the occupied West Bank including an attack on US photojournalist Heidi Levine.

Reform | Nigel Farage undermined his own claims that a £5m gift was for security when he referred to the money as a reward for Brexit, according to one of his closest aides.

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© Photograph: Daniel Leal/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Daniel Leal/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Daniel Leal/AFP/Getty Images

New Bradford railway station will ‘transform travel across the north’

Transport hub will offer through trains between Leeds and Manchester with ‘turn-up-and-go’ service

A new railway station will be built in Bradford to “transform how people travel across the north”, the government has announced.

The station will be at the heart of the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) scheme, built on the current Bradford Interchange site but allowing through trains between Leeds and Manchester.

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© Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

© Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

© Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

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