Sadiq Khan to boost share of London council tax by nearly 10 per cent January 8, 2021 Sadiq Khan today announced that his share of council tax will increase by nearly 10 per cent from April in order to keep funding public transport services. Under the proposals, the average bill for Band D will increase by £2.63 a month – £31.59 over the whole year. Of the increase, £15 will go towards [...]
‘Major incident’ declared as London hospitals on verge of being overwhelmed January 8, 2021 The mayor of London has declared a “major incident” as London hospitals are on the brink of being overwhelmed with coronavirus patients. “The situation in London is now critical with the spread of the virus out of control,” Sadiq Khan said in a statement. “The number of cases in London has increased rapidly with more [...]
Blackstone secures Bill Gates support in bidding war for Signature Aviation January 8, 2021 The Blackstone Group has the support of a big-name backer – Bill Gates- the largest shareholder in Signature Aviation, strengthening the firms bid to buy the private-jet servicing company. The support comes in opposition to rival bidder Carlyle and strengthens Blackstone’s $4.29bn (£3.16bn) offer alongside Gates’ Cascade Investment. Blackstone and Cascade, which own a near [...]
Before the Bell: Equities and copper are on a roll January 8, 2021 Equity markets in Europe and the US enjoyed rallies yesterday as traders bought stocks on the back of the view that the future Biden administration will be keen to use stimulus packages to support the economy. In late December, lawmakers signed off on a $900bn relief package but in October, Nancy Pelosi, of the Democrats, [...]
Elon Musk overtakes Jeff Bezos to become world’s richest person January 7, 2021 Tesla's share price has driven Elon Musk's net worth even higher to topple Amazon boss Jeff Bezos from the top spot of world's richest person
Shopify joins Facebook and Instagram Trump ban January 7, 2021 Donald Trump has been banned from Facebook and Instagram until the presidential transition is completed, Mark Zuckerberg has confirmed – and the ban could go on for longer. Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Facebook, which owns Instagram, confirmed the current US President would be banned from posting on the platforms for the remaining days [...]
Coronavirus: Patients to receive breakthrough drugs that cut risk of death by a quarter January 7, 2021 Covid-19 patients admitted to intensive care are set to receive breakthrough drugs that cut the risk of death by almost a quarter, the government has announced. Data from clinical trials published today showed that tocilizumab and sarilumab, which are typically used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, reduced the relative risk of death by 24 per cent [...]
Defending the rulebook: Overcoming America’s Darkest Day January 7, 2021 This is a time for elemental thoughts. Following one of the darkest days in the history of the American Republic, when an armed mob set in motion by Donald Trump marched on the capitol, ransacking it, and pressured lawmakers to overturn the 2020 election results (words I never, ever thought I’d write), it is time [...]
Four people dead at US Capitol as world watches on in horror January 7, 2021 Police have confirmed that four people were killed last night as supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol in a bid to overturn the election result. Egged on by the President, rioters broke into the House of Representatives, smashing windows and fighting with police, who said that 52 people had been arrested. [...]
Before the Bell: Bulls in control, calm restored to Capitol Hill January 7, 2021 The disturbance at Capitol Hill derailed the process of certifying the Biden electoral victory for a number of hours last night but was then resumed so the final confirmation of Biden’s win should be relatively straightforward. Moreover, the FTSE 100 had a stellar run yesterday as it closed up more than 3 per cent and [...]