Diane Abbott tells Labour MP Keith Vaz to quit over cocaine scandal October 31, 2019 Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott has called on embattled Labour MP Keith Vaz to step down over a cocaine and escorts scandal. The Commons Standards Committee on Monday recommended that the Leicester East MP should face a six-month suspension after offering to buy cocaine for sex workers in 2016 in a Sunday Mirror sting operation. [...]
Hong Kong falls into recession amid ongoing unrest October 31, 2019 Hong Kong has officially entered a recession for the first time in a decade after the its economy contracted for a second successive quarter, as the territory prepares for Halloween protests. The financial hub’s economy shrank by 3.2 per cent in the three months to the end of September, much more than the 0.6 per [...]
Carpetright mulls cut-price £15m takeover bid from largest shareholder October 31, 2019 Embattled retailer Carpetright is in last ditch rescue talks with its biggest investor. The flooring specialist is mulling a £15.2m offer from its largest shareholder, Meditor, amid fears that it will not be able to pay off its debt pile. Read more: Retail stockpiling soars on Brexit uncertainty The takeover offer of 5p a share [...]
Digital ad group the Ozone Project signs up Stylist as it fights back against tech giants October 31, 2019 Digital advertising marketplace the Ozone Project has announced a new partnership with the Stylist Group as it expands its roster of publishers. The female-focused lifestyle publisher, which will also represent the digital newspaper titles of parent company DC Thomson, will be the fifth organisation to join Ozone’s platform. Read more: Magazine publisher TI Media narrows [...]
EU mulls new anti-money laundering body following scandals October 31, 2019 The EU is set to explore the creation of a new central authority to tackle money laundering after a series of high-profile scandals highlighted the bloc’s weakness in preventing dirty cash flowing through its banks. Finance ministers from EU countries are expected to mandate the European Commission to recommend a new “independent” enforcement body with [...]
Pilot strikes hits British Airways owner IAG’s profits October 31, 2019 Pilot strikes and fuel costs have dented third quarter profit for British Airways’ owner in line with its September profit warning. International Airlines Group (IAG) posted a third quarter operating profit of €1.42bn (£1.22bn), representing a 7.7 per cent decline from the corresponding period last year. Read more: IAG issues profit warning after British Airways [...]
Lloyds Banking Group profit slumps 97 per cent after £1.8bn PPI hit October 31, 2019 Lloyds Banking Group narrowly avoided tipping into the red this morning after taking a major third-quarter dent from the mis-selling of payment protection insurance (PPI). The lender’s pre-tax profits were reduced to £50m, falling 97 per cent from the same period last year after setting aside £1.8bn for PPI provisions. Read more: UK banking sector [...]
Is your house killing you? Why some people think paint, carpets and furniture could be poisonous October 31, 2019 Think back to the last time you redecorated a room. Did you paint a wall? Lay a new carpet? Buy a shelving unit with a Swedish-sounding name? According to some housebuilders, architects and designers, all of these things could be making you ill. They say that many common types of paint, carpets, flooring, kitchen and [...]
DEBATE: Is Labour set to outperform its 2017 result in this election? October 31, 2019 Is Labour set to outperform its 2017 result in this election? YES, says James Meadway, an economist and former adviser to John McDonnell A solid guide to forecasting British politics is to look at whatever the Westminster consensus thinks, and assume the opposite. The pundits got Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership victory wrong, they got the referendum [...]
This may be the ideal time for a debate on a written constitution October 31, 2019 Recent events in parliament have led many people to ask whether this country needs a proper – or at least written – constitution. This suggests that we do not possess either of these things already. This is to some degree misguided, as significant parts of our constitution are already written and enshrined in legislation, all [...]