Uber launches appeal against London ban, first home deposit out of reach for UK singles, and more top news

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Uber will today launch a legal bid to operate in London, 9 months after Transport for London (TfL) banned the ride-hailing app. TfL refused to renew Uber’s licence last September on grounds of public safety and security. Uber will argue it has made significant changes to placate TfL, including improving procedure for reporting criminal actions. Uber has been allowed to continue operating until the appeal process is concluded. London is Uber’s biggest European market – it’s 45,000 drivers servicing 3.6 million customers.

Single first-time buyers looking to get into the London market will have to save for 17 years to raise enough for a 15% deposit, a Hamptons International report reveals. This figure is up from 15 years, recorded in 2008 and 2013, and comes despite a steep drop in house prices since the Brexit vote two years ago. The average deposit savings time across England and Wales is 10 years. House ownership remains an issue across the UK, with a separate report blaming private landlords for putting it out of reach for 2 million families.

British export growth is falling behind its European counterparts. Data from accountancy firm BDO showed export growth fell to its slowest pace since the Brexit vote in the three months to June. In an index where a move below 95 indicates falling exports, Britain slipped 12.1 points to 96. Meanwhile, counterparts Spain and Germany showed robust expansion, with the EU logging 99.8 in the same period. BDO’s Peter Hemington said: “The initial post-referendum boost UK exporters experienced...is starting to wear off”.

Morrisons is bringing back traditional brown paper bags, in its latest attack on plastic. The supermarket will today roll out 100% recyclable paper bags for loose fruit and vegetables and aims to have all 493 stores stocked by the end of summer. Morrisons says the move will save 150 million small plastic bags each year. The fourth largest UK supermarket chain is also offering 100 loyalty points for customers who bring their own containers to the meat and fish counters.

The UK singles chart will include online views of music videos for the first time from 6th July. The Official Charts Company is overhauling its rules in a bid to reflect the changing ways fans are consuming music. Video data from YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify will be used by the Official Charts Company and merged into the Top 100, alongside digital downloads and traditional CD and vinyl sales. The new system will be weighted in favour of paid-for music streams rather than “free” ones. YouTube accounts for 40% of all streamed music in the UK.

Idea of the Day: Amid rapid advances in artificial intelligence, it’s easy to think we may soon live in a world where we can let machines make the bulk of decisions for us. But Henry Schein CEO Stanley Bergman warns us not to confuse intelligence for wisdom.

“If intelligence is knowing, then wisdom is knowing what to do. As we develop more systems based on artificial intelligence, we can only hope we will have the wisdom to know what good we should do with this awesome new power.”

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— Natalie MacDonald and Cap Yeomans