Official document confirms government plans to soften end date for transition period after Brexit February 21, 2018 The UK government has softened its position around how long a Brexit transition period should last, with official government documents calling on the EU to rethink its stance that transition should end on New Year’s Eve 2020. The document, published by the Foreign Office today, states: “The UK believes the period’s duration should be determined [...]
Ministers are assessing Melrose’s £7bn bid for GKN over national security concerns February 21, 2018 A senior civil servant in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) has confirmed ministers are examining whether Melrose’s bid for GKN should be blocked on national security grounds. Alex Chisholm, the department’s permanent secretary, said the assessment was ongoing, but he could not confirm whether a decision would come before or after [...]
NatWest has recruited a “digital human” called Cora to help customers February 21, 2018 NatWest has developed a new “digital human” prototype called Cora to have conversations with customers and help them out with some 200 banking queries. Since the start of last year, NatWest has been using a text-based chat bot which customers can use on its online help pages. Now though, the bank has drawn upon “advances [...]
Officials in London and Rotterdam tussle over future of Unilever HQ February 21, 2018 UK officials are in talks with Unilever to convince the consumer goods giant to keep its headquarters in London. Unilever has been bringing forward changes to the business after Kraft Heinz’s unsuccessful bid for the company this time last year. Unilever’s boss Paul Polman announced a review of the business to deliver shareholder value and [...]
Gavin Hastings interview: Scotland would love nothing more than to rub Eddie Jones’s face in the dirt February 21, 2018 Scotland would love nothing more than “to rub Eddie Jones’s face in the dirt” by recording their first victory over England in a decade, according to former skipper Gavin Hastings. Not since 2008, when four Chris Paterson penalties propelled the hosts to a 15-9 triumph over Brian Ashton’s England at Murrayfield, have Scotland revelled in [...]
Bank of England bosses say wage data is “key” for next interest rate rise but markets are now in line February 21, 2018 Markets have woken up to data showing rising inflationary pressures from wage growth and expectations of interest rate rises are now in line with what the Bank of England forecasts, according to governor Mark Carney. The Bank today reiterated its message from a fortnight ago that interest rates will have to rise sooner and faster [...]
Six Nations: Drones, Pep Guardiola and “a bit of mongrel” – How Eddie Jones has helped England keep their edge after two years in charge February 21, 2018 England’s trip to Murrayfield this weekend marks an unofficial anniversary of Eddie Jones’ tenure as head coach. Away to Scotland marked his first game in charge and kickstarted a remarkable run of 24 wins from his first 25 games in charge. Here are some of the innovations the Australian has used to keep the Red [...]
Fidessa trades above Temenos offer price in £1.4bn acquisition after Elliott Capital discloses stake February 21, 2018 Banking technology firm Temenos today agreed a £1.4bn acquisition with London-headquarterd software firm Fidessa, with shares trading above the offered price after Elliott Capital Advisors disclosed an increased stake. The firms today announced the deal had been agreed after the two firms announced the takeover was at an advanced stage yesterday following big share price [...]
Cybercrime costs the global economy $600bn February 21, 2018 The cost of cybercrime to the global economy has hit as much as $600bn (£431bn), new research reveals. That’s a rise of $150bn since 2014, McAfee and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies calculates. Read more: Most global firms have no clue what a cyber attack will cost them Banks remain the biggest target [...]
Citymapper’s launched a mincab-bus hybrid carpooling service after Transport for London approves PHV licence February 21, 2018 Citymapper is launching an on-demand carpooling service in the capital that’s part minicab, part bus, after Transport for London finally approved its application for a private hire licence. The tech startup, which has been experimenting in recent months with different types of on-demand transport, will serve central London with several eight-seater cars stretching between Clerkenwell [...]