Down to the wire: David Cameron battles to secure his deal during late night EU talks February 19, 2016 Prime Minister David Cameron’s hopes of securing a reform deal today on Britain’s relationship with the European Union were called into question late last night, as Downing Street warned that EU leaders had made “no real progress” towards coming to an agreement. A Number 10 source said the first session of the highly-anticipated European Council meeting [...]
Amazon Studios acquires North American rights to Woody Allen’s upcoming film starring Blake Lively and Kristen Stewart and his new TV show with Miley Cyrus February 18, 2016 Amazon Studios has today acquired the North American rights to Woody Allen's latest feature film. Amazon Studios has obtained all the rights for the region, including theatrical and streaming. The film, which does not yet have a title, is a romantic comedy set in the 1930s starring Blake Lively and Kristen Stewart and is due to be released in cinemas [...]
Financial services productivity held back by over-regulation February 18, 2016 Productivity in Britain’s financial services sector has fallen significantly since 2009, official figures have revealed. The level of productivity in financial services, measured by output per hour worked, was higher in the UK than in Germany, Italy, France and the US between 2005 and 2009. However, since 2009 the sector has been going in reverse, with [...]
Get out your glad-rags: City heavyweights have been shortlisted for the British LGBT Awards 2016 February 18, 2016 It's been called the "Gay Oscars" by loyal fans; the shortlist for this year's British LGBT Awards is now public, and London's financial firms are forerunners for a few gongs. Shattering perceptions of stuffy conservatism, business leaders and global corporations including Barclays, Citi and Goldman Sachs have been shortlisted for accolades ahead of the big night at London's Grand [...]
EU referendum: Prime Minister David Cameron says EU leaders have a make-or-break opportunity to “settle” the issue of Britain’s EU membership “for a generation” February 18, 2016 Prime Minister David Cameron has said he is “battling for Britain” today as he urges European leaders to come to an agreement on reforming the UK's relationship with the European Union. Cameron said tonight that EU leaders have a make-or-break opportunity to “settle” the issue of Britain’s EU membership “for a generation”. "The question of Britain's place [...]
EU referendum: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn calls Prime Minister David Cameron’s reform agenda a “theatrical sideshow” February 18, 2016 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will use a trip to Brussels today to slam Prime Minister David Cameron's efforts to renegotiate Britain's relationship with the European Union, calling the negotiations a "theatrical sideshow". Speaking at a meeting of the Party of European Socialists in Brussels – a stone's throw from where Cameron is making a final [...]
The Expo as the modern Silk Road February 18, 2016 As I joined the sea of people descending the ramps of the Universal Exposition in Milan, I couldn’t help but wonder, in the age of the internet, is the Expo still relevant? Do tens of millions really need to visit trade fairs to learn about the planet? Beginning in the 1850s, the Expo was an [...]
The Lord Mayor is taking too many overseas trips, according to a new City of London Corporation report by Sir Simon Fraser February 18, 2016 The Lord Mayor of London should cut down on the number of overseas trade promotion visits he takes, a new report commissioned by the City of London Corporation has recommended. The report, written by Sir Simon Fraser, a partner at consultancy Flint Global who previously worked at the Foreign Office and Department for Business, is aimed at [...]
Satisfaction with chancellor George Osborne dips but we still rate him higher than shadow chancellor John McDonnell February 18, 2016 This probably isn't the news George Osborne wanted to receive just a month before he's due to deliver his Budget speech: more people in Great Britain are now unhappy than happy with the chancellor's performance. According to results of a poll released today by Ipsos MORI, 46 per cent of people say they are dissatisfied with Osborne's track record, [...]
Oil production freeze: Saudi will not cut output as US stockpiles soar February 18, 2016 The oil price has has fallen off a cliff on a double whammy of bad news: De facto Opec leader Saudi Arabia has said it will not cut production according to reports, while the US Energy Information Administration has announced inventories of crude swelled in the week to 12 February. The price per barrel of US [...]