Bellamy’s blow as China suspends exports … Branson aims for 2018 space trip … US Uber customers to be penalised for long waits

Australian baby formula manufacturer Bellamy’s has entered a trading halt today as Chinese authorities have suspended the export licence of its newly acquired Camperdown canning facility, reports The ABC.

“The trading halt is requested to allow the Company to determine the reasons and impact of the Camperdown’s suspension of its CNCA license by the China authorities overnight,” the company said in a statement to the ASX.

The acquisition and associated export license of the new Camperdown facility was a big part of Bellamy’s turnaround plan, as the company has been plagued with issues over the past months.

Branson shoots for the moon

Virgin Airlines founder Richard Branson has been in Australia this week to promote his airline’s new direct flights to Hong Kong, but the entrepreneur has also let on about a planned launch date for his commercial space program.

Bloomberg reports Virgin Galactic is planning to conduct its first commercial flights to the moon by the end of 2018, with powered test flights to begin this year.

“We will never be able to build enough spaceships. The demand is enormous,” Branson told Bloomberg.

American Uber customers to face wait fees

A series of changes have been rolled out for Uber drivers in 100 cities across the US reports The Verge, with the biggest change being that customers are now able to tip their drivers.

However, sloth-like Uber customers in those cities will now be slapped with a fee for making drivers wait more than two minutes after they arrive, with the previous time limit being up to five minutes.

These changes are part of a larger 180-day plan from the company to improve conditions for their drivers, saying to them in a statement, “Some changes will be big, some will be small — all will be the changes you’ve asked for”.

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