Italian President appoints caretaker technocrat after coalition of populists collapses May 28, 2018 Italian President Sergio Mattarella today asked former International Monetary Fund (IMF) official Carlo Cottarelli to form a government, paving the way for a return to technocratic rule and new elections after August. The Prime Minister designate is unlikely to be able to form a parliamentary majority, given the dominance of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement [...]
Ireland’s prime minister promises new abortion laws will be in place by the end of the year following a historic referendum May 27, 2018 Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has said a new abortion law will be in force by the end of the year, after voters resoundingly decided to repeal the country’s ban on abortion in a referendum yesterday. The Eighth Amendment, which grants an equal right to life to the mother and the unborn, will be replaced [...]
Surprise meeting between South and North Korean leaders could see Trump summit reinstated May 26, 2018 An unexpected meeting between the leaders of South and North Korea today has reignited hopes that a cancelled peace summit with US President Donald Trump could be revived. South Korean President Moon Jae-in met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un today just north of the heavily fortified demilitarized zone that marks the border between the [...]
Northern Line and Victoria Line will both be affected by Northern Line extension works starting today May 26, 2018 Months of congestion expected on two of London’s two busiest Tube lines from today. Bank branch Northern Line trains will not stop at Kennington while work is done to make it easier to switch between branches. TfL said that from today until mid-September both the Northern Line and Victoria Line could be busier and advised [...]
Tech giants Facebook and Google already sued under new GDPR law May 26, 2018 Tech titans Facebook and Google had already been sued under the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which came into force yesterday. Privacy campaign group Noyb issued lawsuits yesterday against Google, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram over “forced consent”. Read more: GDPR can rebuild trust in businesses plagued by high-profile scandals Noyb filed a claim against [...]
Space man? Virgin boss Richard Branson says he will go to space in ‘months not years’ May 26, 2018 Entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson says he is in training to be an astronaut and his first trip to space could be in “months not years”. Talking on BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours programme multi-millionaire Branson said that he was close to achieving his long-held ambition of space travel. Read more: Richard Branson says space [...]
FTSE 100 round up: Smurfit Kappa, Kingfisher, Whitbread, BT Group and Mediclinic among biggest risers May 25, 2018 The FTSE 100 closed up 20 points today on 7,737 after a late rally. That marked a slight fall on last week when the market closed on 7,778 points. The biggest risers were paper giant Smurfit Kappa, Telecoms company BT, B&Q owner Kingfisher, hospitality company Whitbread and hospital group Mediclinic, which all added at least [...]
Fintech leaders join business group backing second Brexit referendum May 25, 2018 Over 80 UK tech leaders have signed up as supporters of a new business group called Tech For UK that’s calling on the government to back a second referendum on the terms of Brexit, including an option to remain in the EU. The group includes some big brands like Deloitte Digital, Samsung and TechCrunch, business [...]
Is it cheaper to live in the Home Counties than London? May 25, 2018 Buyers are often surprised when they discover how much more affordable the council taxes in London are in comparison to what they are paying to live within commuting distance of the Capital. Last month saw these costs increase across the country. On top of this, rail fare rises continue to outstrip wage growth, so the [...]
Suits you: Lloyd’s of London lets staff dress down May 25, 2018 Venerable insurance market Lloyd’s of London confirmed today that it has relaxed the once-strict dress code for its underwriting room. Previously not wearing a tie or a jacket would have been enough to have someone ejected. However, this policy has been relaxed as Lloyd’s looks to move with the times. Read more: Dress-down Friday? Dress-down [...]