Trump impeachment: Trial extended after Senate votes to call witnesses February 13, 2021 The impeachment trial of former US President Donald Trump has been extended after the Senate voted to allow witnesses. The decision came after it emerged that Trump told a top Republican during the assault on the Capitol that the rioters were “more upset” about his election defeat than politicians. The vote, which passed 55-45 in [...]
Super Mario’s back: Former ECB boss Draghi sworn in as Italian prime minister February 13, 2021 Mario Draghi, former head of the European Central Bank (ECB), has been sworn in as the new prime minister of Italy. Draghi has taken the reins as the head of a unity government formed after the coalition government led by Giuseppe Conte collapsed last month. Following weeks of talks, all but one of Italy’s main [...]
Priti Patel criticizes ‘dreadful’ Black Lives Matter protests February 12, 2021 UK home secretary Priti Patel said she did not support the Black Lives Matter demonstrations, calling the protests “dreadful” in an interview with LBC this morning. When asked whether she would “take the knee”, Patel said: “No, I would not, I would not have at the time either. There are other ways in which people [...]
Tory MPs urge Prime Minister not to ‘backslide’ as he hesitates over lockdown exit date February 11, 2021 Senior Tory MPs have urged Boris Johnson not to “backslide” on commitments to provide an exit strategy from lockdown measures on 22 February, after the Prime Minister hesitated on a firm date for reopening schools. The PM has repeatedly stated he will provide a “roadmap” on 22 February outlining the government’s plans for exiting England’s [...]
Hotel quarantine: What do the new rules mean for arrivals travelling to London? February 11, 2021 Hotel quarantine: What do the new rules mean for arrivals travelling to the UK border?
St Patrick’s Day celebrations in London move online February 11, 2021 London mayor Sadiq Khan said today a virtual St Patrick’s Day celebration will be held on 17 March, which will showcase London-based Irish talent. The celebration will be hosted by London Irish Centre ambassador Angela Scanlon. “The sight of Londoners and visitors of all backgrounds uniting in our capital for St Patrick’s day is a [...]
Ex-Labour MP Chuka Umunna hired by JPMorgan in new ESG role February 10, 2021 Chuka Umunna has been hired by JPMorgan to head up its environmental, social and governance (ESG) work in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The newly created role will pull together all the existing client-facing ESG efforts across the banking business in the region. The appointment was announced within the bank in a memo seen by [...]
Senate votes to go ahead with Trump impeachment trial February 10, 2021 A majority of the U.S. Senate voted to hold a full impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump when they backed Democrats’ argument that the proceeding is allowed under the U.S. Constitution. Trump’s lawyers argued that as a former president, the Senate has no legal standing for holding a trial on the House of Representatives’ impeachment charge [...]
Before the Bell: Bitcoin goes through the roof as positive investor sentiment persists February 9, 2021 Bitcoin was driven to fresh record highs overnight – it traded above $47,000 – on the news that Tesla bought $1.5bn worth of the cryptocurrency. In the same announcement, the electric vehicle manufacturer revealed that it intends to accept the digital currency as a method of payment too. “One of the criticisms of Bitcoin is [...]
No hotel quarantine contracts have been signed with just one week to go until launch February 8, 2021 The government has not signed a single contract with any hotel firms despite its mandatory hotel quarantine policy set to come into effect in just one week’s time. All arrivals to the UK from around 30 “red list” countries will be required by law to quarantine for 10 nights at a government-selected hotel from 15 [...]