Thursday newspaper round-up: Uber, Heathrow, house prices, Sports Direct

Uber users can now book taxis via Facebook Messenger after the two digital giants teamed up. The social network revealed on Wednesday that it has launched a Transportation option on its messaging service. This will allow people to hail a cab from Uber without them having to download and use the taxi-hailing app's own site. – Telegraph

The bosses of some of Britain’s biggest companies have called on the Government to decide on Heathrow expansion by the end of May, amid growing fears a third runway will be mired in political wrangling and never built. More than 50 business leaders and lobbyists, including British Land chief Chris Grigg, Legal & General chairman John Stewart and WPP boss Sir Martin Sorrell, have put their names to an open letter to David Cameron that urges the Prime Minister to commit to delivering a “clear and final” decision to expand Heathrow “no later” than May. – Telegraph

Hilton is aiming to spin off its hotels into a real estate investment trust, the latest in a wave of companies seeking to capitalise on high property valuations as the industry shifts attention to managing, rather than owning, hotels. Shares in Hilton, whose hotel portfolio could be worth about $12bn, according to analysts, jumped 5.3 per cent to $22.47 late on Wednesday. Its shares have slipped 14 per cent this year. – Financial Times

For Kensington and Chelsea, read Walthamstow and Forest Gate. London’s booming housing market has created a new breed of east London property millionaire, according to a new study which reveals that more than 200 Britons a day are waking up to find their home is now worth a seven-figure sum. Across Britain, more than 620,000 people now own a house or flat worth £1m or more, which is an increase of 75,000 on January’s total, said researchers at Zoopla, the property website. Outside London, it is east England, Yorkshire and the Humber that have seen the largest increases in million-pound properties – up 28% and 24% respectively since the start of this year. – Guardian

A group of Labour MPs are to write to the prime minister to demand a cross-departmental investigation into the retailer Sports Direct, following revelations made by the Guardian last week. The latest effort to increase the pressure on the retailer came as the Institute of Directors weighed into the debate over working practices there. Iain Wright MP, chair of the business, innovation and skills select ommittee, said he would be writing to the group’s billionaire founder, Mike Ashley, to discuss last week’s reports. - Guardian

Gatwick will open a new front in its campaign to build a second runway by promising to stagger the work over two decades, The Times has learnt. Britain’s second-biggest airport will seek to seize the initiative from Heathrow in the new year by pledging to create extra capacity over four phases between 2021 and 2040, as opposed to one large-scale construction project. – The Times