EU ministers agree to sanction Russian officials responsible for Navalny imprisonment February 22, 2021 The EU agreed this evening to sanction Russian officials directly responsible for jailing opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Russia, according to German foreign minister Heiko Mass. Today’s agreement came after France, Germany, Poland and the Baltic countries had urged the bloc to confront the Kremlin. Mass told reporters that “the EU will not be silent. [...]
Supreme Court allows release of Trump’s tax returns to prosecutor February 22, 2021 The US Supreme Court has paved the way for a New York City prosecutor to obtain Donald Trump’s tax returns, in a major setback for the former President. The documents will be subject to grand jury secrecy rules that restrict their public release. The documents form part of a criminal investigation into Trump, who has [...]
Tom Hayes Libor conviction being examined for miscarriage of justice February 22, 2021 Tom Hayes’ conviction for rigging Libor interest rates is being examined by the Criminal Cases Review Commission, a body set up to review allegations of miscarriages of justice. The former UBS trader was found guilty of manipulating Libor in 2015, making him the first trader convicted by jury of rigging Libor global interest rates. He [...]
What will Boris Johnson’s ‘roadmap’ for exiting lockdown look like? February 22, 2021 Boris Johnson has vowed to set out a “roadmap” for lifting lockdown measures this afternoon, as the UK continues to make rapid progress with its vaccine rollout. While the shape of the timeline has yet to be revealed, the Prime Minister has said he will provide dates for lifting specific measures “if we possibly can”. [...]
Biden approves major disaster declaration for Texas following crippling storm crisis February 20, 2021 President Joe Biden has approved a disaster declaration for Texas, clearing the way for more federal funds after a devastating storm raged across the southern United States. The action makes federal funding available to individuals across the state, including assistance for temporary housing and home repairs and low-cost loans. Millions of residents in the Lone Star [...]
Key Johnson aide and Dominic Cummings ally quits No 10 February 20, 2021 Oliver Lewis, the head of Boris Johnson’s ‘Union Unit’, has quit just two weeks into the job. Lewis resigned followed claims he had been accused by the Prime Minister and his fiancée of briefing against Michael Gove, the Times reported. The aide was only given his new role two weeks ago. The so-called ‘Union Unit’ [...]
Frost replaces Gove with “more assertive stance” on EU February 19, 2021 PM Boris Johnson replaced Michael Gove as EU relations minister with Lord David Frost, chief negotiator of last year’s Brexit deal, on Wednesday. Downing Street said Frost would have a seat in cabinet and take over all responsibility for dealings with Brussels. The newly-appointed EU relations ministers wants to take a more “hardline” stance on [...]
MPs urge FCA to set date for Woodford investigation end February 18, 2021 The Treasury Committee has urged the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to set out when it expects to conclude its lengthy investigation into the collapse of Neil Woodford’s fund. The City regulator has been investigating the situation regarding the gating and subsequent collapse of the Woodford Equity Income Fund since 2019, a process that has so [...]
Prince Philip in ‘good spirits’ after second night in hospital February 18, 2021 The Duke of Edinburgh has spent a second night in hospital in central London after he was admitted on Tuesday evening. Prince Philip, 99, was admitted to King Edward VII Hospital on Tuesday evening as a precautionary measure, due to feeling unwell. His stay is not related to coronavirus, and a palace source said the [...]
The biotech bosses welcoming Neil Woodford back, even if FCA and savers stay wary February 18, 2021 Neil Woodford is far from universally popular, and those fans he has are for the minute rare to put their head above the parapet. But Angharad Carrick found some, leading a number of Britain’s fastest-growing biotech firms. The return of Neil Woodford has, understandably, annoyed plenty. Chief amongst them are the savers he left out [...]