Three buys UK broadband in £300m deal February 6, 2017 Mobile operator Three has acquired UK Broadband in a £300m deal. The deal comes just months after the European Commission blocked Three's parent company CK Hutchison from a £10.3bn takeover of O2. UK Broadband, the company behind home broadband service Relish, has 15,000 customers across the UK. Three will pay £250m for snapping up UK Broadband while a [...]
A gig economy inquiry by MPs hears a tale of two Uber drivers February 6, 2017 Uber drivers have given evidence to MPs scrutinising the rise of the gig economy and its implications for workers, painting two very different pictures of their experience with the company. "There is no flexibility," said Uber driver David Dunn, giving evidence to the work and pensions committee chaired by Frank Field, who last year accused Uber of treating its drivers [...]
Commons speaker John Bercow says he is “strongly opposed” to Donald Trump addressing Parliament February 6, 2017 House of Commons speaker John Bercow has come out against US President Donald Trump addressing the Houses of Parliament on a state visit this year in an extraordinary intervention. More than a quarter of MPs have already signed a motion stating that Trump should not be offered the chance to make such a speech during his time [...]
MPs call on Lloyds to pay up compensation following HBOS fraud trial February 6, 2017 A group of MPs has today called on Lloyds Banking Group to repay victims of a scheme run by two former HBOS bankers. The two men, Lynden Scourfield, 54, and Mark Dobson, 56, were among six people jailed last week for their roles in a plot which drove troubled businesses into the ground for their own profit, all while [...]
Unicredit shares down more than five per cent as Italy’s biggest bank kicks off Italy’s largest ever rights issue February 6, 2017 Unicredit shares are currently trading down more than five per cent after Italy's biggest bank kicked off its bumper €13bn (£11.2bn) rights issue this morning. The rights issue, which is the country's largest ever, forms part of a wider turnaround plan announced by Unicredit's relatively new chief executive Jean Pierre Mustier late last year to bolster the lender's [...]
The world’s longest non-stop commercial flight landed today after covering 14,535km February 6, 2017 Get a bit antsy on long flights? Well spare a thought for those on board flight QR920 from Doha to New Zealand, which travelled 9,032 miles (or 14,535km) on a route which takes 17 hours and 30 minutes – though this flight landed after 16 hours and 23 minutes. Quicker than expected. Qatar Airways has just [...]
ECB governor Mario Draghi rejects policies of Donald Trump as he says quantitative easing could be extended further February 6, 2017 European Central Bank (ECB) governor Mario Draghi has hit out at the policies of US President Donald Trump, rejecting deregulation and protectionism as well as claims Germany is manipulating the euro. Draghi also reiterated the ECB’s commitment to its expansive monetary policy, telling MEPs at the European Parliament the central bank was ready to increase [...]
Ireland: Brexit’s forgotten frontier February 6, 2017 Theresa May crossed the Irish Sea last week for a quick meeting with her Irish counterpart, Enda Kenny, to discuss President Donald Trump. Well, according to the official agenda she was actually there to talk about Brexit. Yet you wouldn’t have guessed it from the subsequent press conference in which every single question from the [...]
Paris appeals to London for win-win Brexit solution, as it prepares for tens of thousands of workers to move February 6, 2017 An army of French lobbyists and politicians swept into London today in an attempt to lure finance executives to Paris. However, the delegation admitted they cannot steal London's financial crown, and instead want to forge a mutually successful relationship between the two cities post-Brexit. "We are not here to steal business from London," insisted Jean-Louis Missika, vice-mayor [...]
It’s lift off for Uber’s flying cars with a major hire from Nasa February 6, 2017 Think flying cars are just a pie in the sky idea? Think again. Uber is working on creating driverless cars and has already hinted at more sci-fi ambitions for airborne vehicles, but now its made a serious new hire to lead such technological development. And where else would you find someone to do such futuristic work? Nasa, [...]