Intelligence breakdown: Corbyn refuses to blame Moscow for chemical weapons attack as May slings out 23 Russian ‘spies’ out of the country March 15, 2018 Jeremy Corbyn has sparked a furious row in the Labour party after he pointedly refused to condemn Russia for the attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal. Theresa May had informed MPs there had been no credible explanation for the attack in Salisbury and reiterated the government’s position that Russia was responsible. She described Moscow’s response [...]
Work on the London Overground Barking Riverside extension is months behind schedule March 14, 2018 Construction has yet to start on the £263m Barking Riverside Overground extension, but work is already months behind schedule due to design issues impeding the procurement process. There have been troubles with the issue of the main works tender due to "design complexities", and that is now 148 days – nearly five months – behind [...]
Brexit job losses would have “severe” consequences for the British Budget says Institute for Fiscal Studies March 14, 2018 Job moves from the UK to the EU after Brexit would be a disaster for the public finances, according to the respected Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). Paul Johnson, director of the IFS, said: "If high-paid jobs and EU citizens, who are well represented among high earners in the UK, relocate elsewhere the consequences for [...]
PM reveals Russia World Cup boycott, diplomats to be thrown out of the UK, assets to be frozen, and a new law after Sergei Skripal “attempted murder” March 14, 2018 The UK will expel 23 Russian diplomats as part of a series of measures following the "attempted murder" of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, with Theresa May laying the blame for the attack at Russian President Putin's feet. According to the Prime Minister, the diplomats have been identified as "undeclared intelligence agents." The expulsion [...]
Societe Generale deputy chief executive exits over Libor disagreement March 14, 2018 Societe Generale deputy chief executive Didier Valet has resigned following a “divergence of approaches”, the bank said in a statement today. The disagreement was related to “the management of a specific legal matter”, which is understood to be the investigation into the rigging of the London interbank offered rate (Libor). The statement said that Valet [...]
How artificial intelligence is re-coding the way we manage our money March 14, 2018 It was 1950 when Alan Turing developed a test which looked at a machine’s ability to generate responses that were so human-like that you wouldn’t be able to tell it was a computer. Fast forward almost seven decades, and we are now at a tipping point in tech, as artificial intelligence (AI) nudges us [...]
Despite what Trump says, trade deficits don’t actually have to be a problem March 14, 2018 Do trade deficits matter? President Donald Trump certainly thinks they do. Since his campaign, he has tweeted frequently about his unhappiness with America’s trade deficit, and last week he announced tariffs on imported steel and aluminium. Trump once observed that the problem was that there were a lot of Mercedes-Benz in New York and not [...]
Record-breaking Chinese tourists in the UK inspires schemes to continue the momentum March 13, 2018 The UK is trying to build on its momentum of record-breaking Chinese visitors — and money — into the country. Nearly 532,000 visitor visas for the UK were issued to Chinese residents last year, and Global Blue, a tourism tax refund company, found that Chinese visitors accounted for 25 per cent of all the tax-free [...]
London beats New York as top real estate investment destination for Norway’s massive sovereign wealth fund March 13, 2018 London has overtaken New York as the top real estate investment spot for Norway's massive $1 trillion (£715bn) sovereign wealth fund. The fund, which is one of the biggest investors in the UK and co-owns Regent Street, bought almost £200m worth of London property last year in partnership with the Queen's Crown Estate. These included [...]
Oxford Street pedestrianisation on track to tie-in with Elizabeth Line launch after public backs proposals March 13, 2018 The radical plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street tying in with the Elizabeth Line launch in December were given a boost today, as the results of a massive consultation revealed public backing for the project. More than 22,000 responses were received on the plans to switch up the capital's famous shopping street, with nearly two-thirds of [...]