Fires and explosions cause largest value losses for businesses and insurers globally December 13, 2018 Fires and explosion are the cause of the largest claims for insurers and the businesses they cover. Analysis of over 470,000 global insurance claims from 2013 to 2018 with a value of €58bn (£52bn) by insurer Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty shows the largest financial losses come from fires and explosions. Over the past five [...]
Italy revises controversial budget plan and expects EU standoff to come to an end December 13, 2018 Italian bond yields continued to fall for a second day after government revised its controversial budget plan and expected the EU to be satisfied with the changes. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Rome had cut its deficit target for 2019 to 2.04 per cent of GDP from its original 2.4 per cent. Conte said he [...]
The UK is braced for heavy snow this weekend as London feels the chill December 13, 2018 The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for some parts of the UK this weekend, indicating heavy snowfall and freezing rain as the country gets ready for Christmas. For some a white Christmas could be coming early, as a low pressure weather system from the Atlantic is set to blast cold wind and snow [...]
Christmas strikes: Union votes for New Year’s Eve strike on London rail December 13, 2018 Commuters face renewed strike misery over Christmas, with new industrial action planned on New Year’s Eve on South Western Railway. The RMT union will also strike for the whole of Thursday 27 December on South Western Railway, accusing the train line of refusing to engage in “a serious talks process” to solve a long-running dispute [...]
Giving to a charity at Christmas is great, but we should think of helping others all year round December 13, 2018 It is nearly Christmas, and it is well known that the theme of the season is the giving of gifts and thinking of others. As a result, it is also a popular time of year for people to give to charity. In fact, data from the Charities Aid Foundation shows that November and December are [...]
Carrot or stick? For Aldi and Lidl, equal pay goes hand in hand with commercial success December 13, 2018 Kevin the Carrot, who once again features in Aldi’s Christmas advert, is proving a bigger hit with shoppers than even Elton John, star of the John Lewis ad. Soft-toy versions of the animated vegetable sold out at 4am on the day of release in some areas and have reportedly provoked fights among customers desperate to [...]
The next generation of City high-flyers are turning their backs on university December 13, 2018 When the alarm clock goes off and 19-year-old Luke Johnson has to get out of bed, shower, and put on a suit, ready to catch his train into the City, he may think wistfully for a moment of his friends from school who are still snoring away at university. “I did have a great offer [...]
City of London Corporation chiefs seek rule change after ‘gagging’ row December 13, 2018 City councillors have voted in favour of reforming the City of London Corporation’s policy on perceived conflicts following the fallout from a gagging row that has gripped the public body. The Corporation has faced accusations of attempting to muzzle representatives of City residents after Cripplegate councillor Susan Pearson was threatened with potential criminal prosecution for [...]
City of London Corporation accused of ‘dragging feet’ over Aung San Suu Kyi award December 13, 2018 The City of London Corporation has been accused of “dragging its feet” over a proposal to remove Aung San Suu Kyi’s honorary freedom award in the wake of the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar. Last year the Corporation’s legislative body, the court of common council, passed a motion to investigate whether the honorary freedom awarded to [...]
Two Canadians held in China over national security concerns amid Huawei row December 13, 2018 China’s foreign ministry today confirmed it has detained two Canadian nationals on suspicion of endangering national security. Businessman Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig were arrested on Monday, spokesman Lu Kang said today, according to Reuters. Kang said the two Canadians were being investigated on suspicion of harming China’s national security, and said the [...]