Chancellor Hammond must focus on the quality of infrastructure spending, not its quantity November 22, 2016 Keynes is back, or so it seems. Both left and right wing movements across the West are calling for greater government borrowing to finance infrastructure projects. In the US, Donald Trump is proposing to invest $500bn. In the UK, Labour’s John McDonnell wants an even more lavish £500bn programme, equivalent to around a quarter of [...]
Donald Trump isn’t actually going to pursue Hillary Clinton charges November 22, 2016 US President-elect Donald Trump has come over all magnanimous. A spokeswoman for Trump said he won't pursue a further investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails so she can "heal". In fact, the incoming President has backed down from his pledge to appoint a special prosecutor to look into the former Secretary of State. Kellyanne Conway, who managed [...]
No Brexit debate in parliament is creating sideshows, warns House of Lords November 22, 2016 A lack of healthy debate about Brexit in parliament risks creating more noise, such as the recent Article 50 case, elsewhere, the House of Lords has cautioned today. In a debate to discuss what degree parliament should be consulted on Brexit, the peers called on government to involve both houses more on its thinking on [...]
As Trump prepares to dump the TPP Pacific free trade deal, is globalisation going into reverse? November 22, 2016 Dr Madsen Pirie, founder and president of the Adam Smith Institute, says Yes. It looks very much as if globalisation has reached its high water mark and may be slipping back. Donald Trump's pledge to pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal comes hot on the heels of the declaration by many involved that the [...]
The European Commission unveils US-style protection for insolvent companies November 22, 2016 A radical cross-border shake-up of insolvency laws was today proposed by the European Commission. An EU draft directive was issued proposing to give companies more breathing space to sort out debts instead of being forced to cease trading. Similar to US-style Chapter 11 proceedings, companies would be shielded from creditors taking action against a company during a four month window. Such a shield [...]
China’s European spending spree undeterred by UK’s Brexit vote November 22, 2016 Chinese deal activity in the UK has not been slowed by the Brexit vote and the appetite for European takeovers in general is likely to increase, according to a new report. So far this year, China and Hong Kong-based dealmakers have completed 170 acquisitions in Europe, according to a Deloitte analysis. Meanwhile, in the opposite direction, there have [...]
Love Drinks is now the UK distributor for award-winning Australian craft gin distillers Four Pillars November 22, 2016 Love Drinks has been appointed the exclusive UK distributor of Four Pillars Gin. The premium import, distribution and marketing company specialises in representing craft distilled of family-owned brands. Four Pillars, a Yarra Valley-based Australian craft gin distillery, had previously been distributed by Liberty Wines since 2015. Read more: Eight of the best gins to drink in winter [...]
US bookshop chain Barnes & Noble blames election for sluggish sales November 22, 2016 US bookshop chain Barnes & Noble is hoping it can sell more books now the distraction of the US election is over. The company has had another losing quarter, this time it says because of the race for the White House sucking up too much of everyone’s time. “We did experience sluggish sales, which we [...]
Google’s DeepMind wants to make doctor’s paperwork obsolete in new NHS deal November 22, 2016 DeepMind, the UK company leading the way in artificial intelligence research, is doubling down on applying its technology to healthcare which could save the NHS millions of pounds as well as time spent on paperwork. It has signed a five-year deal with a London NHS Trust to put into practice a prototype app designed to [...]