US Treasury lifts sanctions on aluminium and power firms linked to Putin ally Deripaska January 28, 2019 The US treasury has lifted sanctions on three companies linked to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska – an ally of President Vladimir Putin – despite efforts by Democrats to maintain trade restrictions on the companies. Aluminium giant Rusal, En+ Group and power firm JSC EuroSibEnergo are beneficiaries of the department’s decision to lift restrictions, after Republicans [...]
The Daily Telegraph apologises for false statements about US First Lady Melania Trump January 26, 2019 The Daily Telegraph has apologised for a number of false statements made in its Saturday Magazine cover story: “The Mystery Melania”. The newspaper printed an apology on Saturday and also agreed to cover Melania Trump’s legal costs. The original article had claimed that the US First Lady was struggling in her modelling career before meeting [...]
Shutdown back down: Trump faces backlash from conservatives as government reopens without border wall funding January 26, 2019 US President Donald Trump faced criticism from disappointed supporters last night as he announced a deal which would allow government employees back to work. A 35-day impasse over funding for Trump’s much-touted wall to run across the southern border with Mexico. Read more: Trump orders thousands of employees back to work during government shutdown The $5.7bn [...]
Inquiry into Deutsche Bank links with Trump launched by US House Committees January 25, 2019 Deutsche Bank confirmed that it had received an inquiry from two US House Committees last night, in a development that comes at the height of Democrat interest in investigating links between Trump and the bank. "The bank has received an inquiry from the House Financial Services and Intelligence Committees," Deutsche Bank said today. "Deutsche Bank is [...]
Venezuela is a humanitarian crisis – and the British left just laughs January 25, 2019 “Nice company you’ve got there, @Dyson! Shame if we nationalised it.” So tweeted Owen Jones, Guardian columnist and fierce supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, in response to news that Dyson is relocating from Britain to Singapore. The tweet sparked the predictable outrage from people who believe that a private company should be able to take its [...]
The view from the slopes: This year’s Davos was stuck in aspic January 25, 2019 Leading up to Davos, all the talk was about the notable absentees. As high-profile delegates fell like dominoes, this year’s World Economic Forum looked in danger of becoming a damp squib. But something has been here, and people have been trying hard to pretend it isn’t. It’s the elephant, or even elephants, in the room. [...]
Big tech firms like Google, Amazon and Facebook spent a record amount on political lobbying last year January 24, 2019 Google, Amazon and Facebook's bill for lobbying the US government hit record highs last year, as life under the Trump administration put big tech firms in the spotlight. Google parent firm Alphabet said it spent $21.2m (£16.3m) on political lobbying costs in the US last year, topping its previous all-time high of $18.2m achieved in 2012. It [...]
DEBATE: Following reports of the Dyson relocation, is Singapore the new go-to place for tech? January 24, 2019 Following reports of the Dyson relocation, is Singapore the new go-to place for tech? Elsa Hu, director of Asia at GP Bullhound, says YES. Singapore has long been the headquarters of choice for Southeast Asian tech startups, due to its mature business ecosystem, proximity to two of the world’s booming economies, huge talent pool, and attitude [...]
The US government shutdown drags on, but London never closes for business January 24, 2019 As the longest government shutdown in US history rumbles on – sparked by Donald Trump’s insistence to build a border wall that Democrats in Congress have refused to grant funding for – Wall Street and Silicon Valley have been left in serious IPO limbo. Staff at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have not worked [...]
Donald Trump to hold second summit with Kim Jong Un in February to continue denuclearisation discussion January 19, 2019 Donald Trump will hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in late February having held a meeting with the country’s top nuclear negotiator on Friday. The US president met with Kim Yong Chol, a hardline former spy chief, to continue the denuclearisation effort that had stalled since the first meeting between [...]