THE DAILY BRIEFING

MR DEEDES IS AWAY

RIDING HIGH

Taxi firm Uber has revealed designs for a ‘sky port’ where flying cabs could park between journeys.

It is planning to launch Uberair by 2023 in several American cities, and has teamed up with the aerospace company Karem Aircraft to make the vehicles.

STRIKE OUT

Gold miner Randgold Resources has reported a 24pc drop in quarterly profit to £48.7m after labour strikes at a mine in Ivory Coast hit production and raised costs. But chief executive Mark Bristow said a recovery plan would restore the mine’s output.

STORE OPENING

Swedish flatpack furniture firm Ikea has opened its 21st store in the UK, creating 370 jobs. The Exeter shop features a creche, greenhouse, restaurant and a car park with more than 1,000 spaces.

IRISH SIGHS

Iphone maker Apple has scrapped plans for a £740m data centre in Galway, west Ireland, blaming planning delays. It was embroiled in a lengthy court battle over pollution and concerns about the impact on wildlife.

SWISS BLING

Luxury online retail group Yoox Net-A-Porter will be delisted from the London Stock Exchange after a takeover by rival Swiss retailer Richemont was completed. Richemont, which owns Cartier and Montblanc, now has a 95pc stake for which it is believed to have paid about £2.4bn.

REVENUE RISE

Gaming and gambling firm Stars Group saw revenues jump 24pc to £291m in the three months to the end of March. Profits hit £130m, up 16pc.

MEN UNITED

Card firm Visa has been slammed by female executives for failing to offer them the same career opportunities as men. Chief executive Alfred Kelly heard the criticism at a meeting in the US.

DIRECTOR ROLE

Cath Keers has been hired by internet lending firm Funding Circle as its first female non-executive director. The 53-yearold is also on the board of accountancy IT firm Sage Group and broadband business Talk Talk.

LAND FALL

The value of residential land in central London dropped 2pc in the first three months of 2018, according to a study by estate agent Savills. It is down 12pc in the past three years.

PREMIUM RISE

Business insurer Beazley wrote £464m of premiums in the first three months of 2018 – up 10pc on a year earlier. It comes after a surge in natural disasters last year, which pushed up premium prices.

SHIP SHAPE

Cruise port operator Global Ports Holding carried 335,000 passengers during the first quarter of the year, a 6.3pc increase on the same period last year. Bosses said it was due to a rise in calls at Spanish ports.

SAUDI TYPHOONS

Defence titan BAE Systems says negotiations are progressing with Saudi Arabia over a planned purchase of 48 Typhoon aircraft. The £5bn deal was announced in March.

STAKE SALE

Electronics firm Laird has sold its 51pc stake in South Korean firm Model Solution for around £31m.