MEPs vote to put robots on the agenda to tackle safety and legal concerns January 17, 2017 MEPs have started on a European health and safety standard for robots – before the fracking toasters short circuit and become our overlords. Or before other countries like Japan and the US establish their standards first. A “kill” switch and creating a status for “electronic persons” that would bear legal responsibility are among recommendations that MEPs on [...]
Germans leave Brexit behind as economic sentiment recovers from July lows January 17, 2017 Confidence in the German economy has risen to its highest point since before the UK’s Brexit vote, according to a long-running survey of business in Europe’s largest economy. The ZEW Indicator of Economic Sentiment for Germany increased slightly in January 2017. The indicator rose by 2.8 points to reach 16.6 points, although this was less [...]
Insurers quietly optimistic over May’s Brexit plans but sector confidence plummets to six-year low January 17, 2017 The insurance sector welcomed the Prime Minister’s Brexit plan as “a step in the right direction” but warned confidence among firms was at its lowest level since 2011. Prime Minister Theresa May’s proposals of a “phased implementation” were welcomed by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), which believed it would lead to a greater degree of certainty [...]
Rio Tinto hit iron ore targets while prices were up in 2016 January 17, 2017 Rio Tinto stepped up production while prices were up in 2016, according to its fourth quarter production results. The figures The global mining firm's iron ore shipments of 327.6m tonnes were in line with revised guidance, up three per cent from 2015. In 2017, the company expects to ship 330m to 340m tonnes of iron ore. Aluminium production [...]
Finnair’s UK ambitions take flight with Flybe codeshare extension January 17, 2017 Finland's flag carrier has bolstered a codesharing deal with Flybe to amp up its UK connectivity. Finnair is extending its UK network with new codeshare services on Flybe flights between several European cities and the UK. The airline's codes will be added to the following Flybe services when a Finnair flight is also included in [...]
Mortgage lending to first time buyers increases as stamp duty bites landlords January 17, 2017 Buy to let landlords continued to shun the property market towards the end of last year, allowing more first time buyers to take out home loans. The number of loans taken out by landlords fell 10 per cent year-on-year in November, according to figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), suggesting that tax changes [...]
Theresa May is guaranteeing businesses a “phased” move into Brexit January 17, 2017 Prime Minister Theresa May has promised to avoid a "cliff-edge" transition to Brexit, while stressing she hopes to have reached a deal within the two year Article 50 process. May has said she will begin Brexit talks by the end of March, and speaking at Lancaster house today, she reiterated that the government does not [...]
Theresa May guarantees parliament a vote on the final Brexit deal January 17, 2017 Prime Minister Theresa May has promised that both the House of Commons and the House of Lords will be granted a vote on a final Brexit deal. Speaking at Lancaster House today, May said Parliament would be asked to approve the final terms of her negotiations with the European Union. Branding the move an effort to provide "certainty", [...]
2016 not so bad for Morgan Stanley: Bank’s fourth quarter results sail past expectations January 17, 2017 Morgan Stanley has given Wall Street something to smile about, reporting better than expected results, with profits and revenues booming in its fourth quarter thanks to a boost in bond trading. The figures The US banking giant announced net revenue of $9bn (£7.4bn) for the fourth quarter of 2016, up 17 per cent from $7.7bn [...]
Rolls-Royce’s shares spike over seven per cent as company says 2016 profit will trump expectations January 17, 2017 Shares in Rolls-Royce rose as much as 7.7 per cent to 716.7p this morning, after the firm settled bribery claims on three continents and said its profit for 2016 will beat expectations. The engineering giant announced yesterday it had reached, in principle, a £671m deal with regulators to settle allegations of bribery and corruption. The investigations [...]