Philip Hammond wants the “best and brightest” of the private sector to work with Britain’s cyber spooks February 14, 2017 Chancellor Philip Hammond is to call on the private sector to help Britain's spooks battle cyber attacks. Speaking at the launch of the UK's new National Cyber Security Centre, Hammond will unveil a new scheme inviting industry to dispatch their “best and brightest” personnel to be embedded in the anti-hacking operation to collaborate in tackling [...]
Steve Mnuchin confirmed as US treasury secretary February 14, 2017 Donald Trump’s pick for US treasury secretary has been approved by the Senate in a vote that divided largely along party lines. Steve Mnuchin’s nomination was confirmed in a 53-47 vote. Mnuchin’s nomination was beset by attacks from Democrats and centred on the foreclosure record of OneWest, a bank where Mnuchin acted as CEO. The [...]
EasyJet and Founders Factory announce Flio and LuckyTrip as the first travel startups for their accelerator programme February 14, 2017 EasyJet has announced the first startups chosen to be part of its Travel Tech accelerator programme with London-based startup accelerator and incubator Founders Factory. The successful startups are Flio, the global airport app and LuckyTrip app. As part of the programme the firms will receive hands on support from both Founders Factory and EasyJet for six months [...]
Glencore in $960m deal with Fleurette for copper and cobalt in Democratic Republic of Congo February 13, 2017 Commodities company Glencore has bought up the remaining stake in Fleurette's Mutanda mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has increased its stake in Katanga Mining Limited for a total $960m (£766m). The assets are key sites for the production of copper and cobalt, two commodities which are performing particularly strongly due to the global demand for electricals. [...]
Many City bosses disapprove of Trump’s presidency, but would be happy to see Dodd-Frank reformed February 13, 2017 President Donald Trump has finally appointed a Treasury Secretary, with former Goldman Sachs banker Steven Mnuchin confirmed by the Senate last night. Mnuchin joins former Goldman Sachs number two Gary Cohn who has been filling the vacuum since becoming Trump’s head of the National Economic Council, and is believed to have already exerted broad influence [...]
BAE Systems to appoint new boss February 13, 2017 BAE Systems is reportedly set to announce a new boss for the first time in nearly 10 years. It is thought the defence manufacturer will appoint its chief operating officer, Charles Woodburn, as the new chief executive next week. Woodburn joined the company a year ago. Sky News reported that BAE Systems may make the [...]
Canadian PM Trudeau promises not to “lecture” the US over Trump’s travel ban February 13, 2017 President Donald Trump has shared an occasionally tense first encounter with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, with both men largely avoiding their differences on immigration. Trudeau has made it clear he opposes Trump's attempted bans on Syrian refugees and migration for passport holders from seven predominantly Muslim countries in Africa and the Middle East. However, the [...]
Retail group calls on government to reduce the burden of business rates February 13, 2017 Business rates have become unsustainable and must be lowered to allow companies to invest, a leading business group has told the government. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned chancellor Philip Hammond that property taxes need reform because they now represent a "disproportionate burden" to businesses. Read more: Culture shock: How London's theatres will be squeezed [...]
Finnish foreign minister vows to fight for “a good deal” between the UK and Europe after Davis talks February 13, 2017 Finland's foreign minister has vowed to push for “a good deal” between the UK and the EU after talks with Brexit secretary David Davis. Davis met Timo Soini in Helsinki at the start of a two-day trip to the Nordic region, and Soini called for "constructive" talks with the UK. “We are hoping, of course all of us, [...]
Struggling Co-op Bank is up for sale, but analysts warn nobody may want to, or be able to, buy February 13, 2017 The Co-operative Bank announced this morning it was putting itself up for sale, but analysts have warned it might be tricky to find somebody to snap up the struggling bank. The bank, which is currently 20 per cent owned by the wider Co-operative Group, had been undertaking an ambitious turnaround plan, after a £1.5bn black hole [...]