Vladimir Putin tops Forbes’ list of the most powerful people in the world again, beating the Pope, Barack Obama, Xi Jinping, David Cameron and Bill Gates November 4, 2015 Russia's president Vladimr Putin has done it again, and topped Forbes' Most Powerful People List for 2015. It's his third year at the top of the table. He's ahead of Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor who's second (and one of only nine women on the list), having jumped three places, while Obama has fallen from number two to [...]
Janet Yellen: Fed rate hike next month is a “live possibility” November 4, 2015 US Fed chief Janet Yellen just dropped an r-bomb, calling a rate hike next month a "live possibility". In a speech to Congress' House Financial Services Committee, Yellen said if growth continues as expected over the next few weeks, a rate hike is possible – although "no decision at all has been made on that". [...]
Draft Investigatory Powers Bill is “a significant departure” from Snooper’s Charter, says home secretary Theresa May, but includes internet records storage November 4, 2015 The government's Draft Investigatory Powers Bill includes a provision where everyone in Britain will have their internet activity stored for a year by service providers. The Bill, home secretary Theresa May told the House of Commons, will not mean security services will have access to people's full web browsing history. The powers will mean security [...]
Factory collapses in Lahore, Pakistan, killing 10 people November 4, 2015 The roof of a three-story building on an industrial estate in Lahore has collapsed, killing at least 10 people, reports have suggested. The Express Tribune, a local newspaper, said as many as 40 labourers could still be trapped in the rubble of the shopping bag factory on the Sundhar Industrial Estate – although Reuters reported as many [...]
EU referendum: Morgan Stanley and Citi UK bosses issue stark warnings over Brexit November 4, 2015 The City could face severe backlash in the event of a so-called Brexit, senior investment bankers at Morgan Stanley and Citi have warned. “If Britain were to leave Europe you would see a significant backlash against London as a financial centre,” Morgan Stanley International chief executive Colm Kelleher said yesterday. Citi’s UK country officer James [...]
Investigatory Powers Bill: Reading someone else’s post is illegal, why should it be any different online? November 4, 2015 Today’s Investigatory Powers Bill would provide security services with the licence to “snoop” on private communications and browsing history for the first time. It gives provision for access to personal web and phone data using bulk collection powers. The home secretary has been at pains to highlight how the contentious elements of the “snoopers charter” [...]
Public Accounts Committee: Taxpayers still being let down by HMRC, with low levels of prosecutions for tax evasion November 4, 2015 HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is still failing UK taxpayers, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has argued in a report released this morning. Although PAC’s Sixth Report of 2015-16, which examines how HMRC performed during 2014-15, praises the UK’s tax authority for increasing taxes collected while cutting running costs over the last five years, it [...]
Bitcoin price has smashed the $500 mark November 4, 2015 Bitcoin has gone through the roof, with the cryptocurrency passing $500 – a new 2015 high. The digital currency has surged 50 per cent in the past five days alone, as its gains have begun accelerating dramatically on the back of the EU’s recent decision to accept it as a currency. Charles Hayter of CryptoCompare [...]
Morgan Stanley analysts: There’s a one in three chance of Brexit – which could lead to recession, a divided Conservative party and second Scottish independence referendum November 4, 2015 There is a one in three chance of the United Kingdom voting to leave the European Union, according to analysts at Morgan Stanley, who believe an "out" vote could lead to recession, rising inflation and uncertainty for the UK. The investment bank has placed a 35 per cent chance on the UK voting to leave the EU in [...]
Why is the Federal Reserve reluctant to raise interest rates? After six years of growth, the US economy still has problems to solve November 4, 2015 It has been six years since the U.S. economy left recession and in that time the world’s economy has continued to see its position improve. However, with interest rates still at record lows and no sign of a move in sight, is the world’s largest economy really out of the emergency room? The U.S. economy [...]