Fifa crisis: Director of communications Walter De Gregorio stands down June 11, 2015 Walter De Gregorio, Fifa's director of communications, will step down from his role "with immediate effect" according to the football governing body. This comes a fortnight after he described the FBI-led arrests of senior figures as "a good day" for Fifa. He was appointed to the role four years ago and acted as a [...]
MPs with constituencies near airports could be excluded from runway decision June 11, 2015 MPs whose constituencies are close to Heathrow or Gatwick may be excluded from having any input on the decision over where Britain's next runway is built. The government is under pressure to ban the MPs from a parliamentary group led by Crispin Blunt, Conservative MP for Reigate. The move comes as a final report is [...]
UK’s £56bn aerospace, defence, security and space sectors come out strongly against Brexit June 11, 2015 A whopping 86 per cent of the UK's £56bn-a-year aerospace, defence, security and space sectors want Britain to remain part of the European Union, a new study has found. Just two per cent of companies in the combined sectors' trade body ADS said Brexit would have a positive impact on their business. The [...]
First Minister’s Questions: Scottish government brands Osborne’s budget cuts “unacceptable” June 11, 2015 John Swinney, deputy first minister of Scotland, has said that austerity measures proposed by George Osborne are "utterly unacceptable". Mr Swinney said that he believes the chancellor's budget reductions are unacceptable, urging Osborne to reconsider and find alternatives. Earlier, George Osborne announced that £3bn of savings would have to be made for this financial year. [...]
Amazon’s facing another EU investigation – this time its ebooks business is under the microscope June 11, 2015 Amazon is the latest US tech firm to face the scrutiny of regulators in Europe. The European Commission has opened a new investigation into the retail giant, this time putting its ebook business under the microscope. Brussels will be taking a closer look at Amazon's contracts with publishers and whether the deals are anticompetitive and [...]
Labour’s Liz Kendall has “no problem” with a budget surplus June 11, 2015 Labour leadership candidate Liz Kendall has said she has "no problem" with aiming for a budget surplus, a policy the government wants to enshrine in law, which commentators say is a political move designed to pressure the Labour party. Read more: UK budget since 1986: There has been deficits for 22 of 30 years "Labour should [...]
Kazakhstan to join World Trade Organisation after 20 years of talks June 11, 2015 Kazakhstan has completed negotiations to join the World Trade Organisation, after 20 years of negotiations. After spending the entire lifetime of the 20-year-old WTO trying to join the Geneva-based trade body, Kazakhstan is now on course to become its 162nd member. The country's candidacy gathered momentum after Russia, its neighbour, joined in 2012. It is [...]
Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis: “We will not accept a one per cent primary budget surplus” June 11, 2015 Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis has told MPs that the country will not accept a primary budget surplus target of more than one per cent. Read more: S&P lowers Greece's credit rating further The country had originally proposed a target of 0.6 per cent for 2015 – significantly below the 1.5 per cent mooted by [...]
Stephen Fry and Prince Harry: These are the celebrities Britons want to go for a pint with June 11, 2015 Britain is a nation of beer drinkers, and there's no one we'd like to grab a pint with quite as much as Stephen Fry. The comedian is the number one male beer-drinking companion of 18 per cent of the nation, according to research by campaign group There's a Beer For That. After Stephen [...]
London house prices: As rents keep rising, here’s how the Monopoly board looks in 2015 June 11, 2015 Click to see table in a new window There has been a shake-up in the London property price hierarchy, and the most profitable places to be a landlord have moved dramatically. That well-established measure of London property values – the humble Monopoly board – has been shaken and stirred by fluctuations in the market, and [...]