Trump ramps up the pressure on Venezuela with fresh sanctions November 1, 2018 US President Donald Trump today turned up the heat on Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, signing an executive order to place new sanctions that will affect the country’s gold exports. The order bans anyone in the US from engaging with people or businesses involved in “corrupt or deceptive” Venezuelan gold sales, which Trump believes had been used [...]
Barclays appoints former Rothschild veteran Nigel Higgins as next chairman November 1, 2018 Barclays has confirmed that Rothschild deputy chairman Nigel Higgins has been lined up as the replacement to current group chairman John McFarlane, following a six month search process. The switch-over, which was revealed by Sky News earlier this evening, is scheduled to take place after the bank's annual general meeting in May 2019. However Higgins [...]
Extend post-Brexit transition period, powerful EU business group tells Theresa May November 1, 2018 Bosses of some of Europe’s biggest companies have urged Theresa May to extend the post-Brexit transition period after a meeting in Downing Street. Members of the European Round Table of Industrialists were given an update on the talks with Brussels by the PM on Thursday – claiming she was confident a deal could soon be [...]
Theresa May continues to woo business groups with new forum to hear industry concerns November 1, 2018 Theresa May’s attempts to woo the business world has gone up another notch with the creation of a special forum for boardroom leaders and government ministers. The new initiative will see bosses from companies including Rolls-Royce Holdings, BT Group and ITV meet with the Prime Minister and senior cabinet figures twice a year to discuss key [...]
Government performs u-turn on post-Brexit immigration plans November 1, 2018 Home Secretary Sajid Javid has slapped down his immigration minister for suggesting companies would have to check when an EU migrant came to the UK before giving them a job after Brexit. Caroline Nokes made the claim during an appearance before MPs on Wednesday, saying employers would need to carry out “rigorous checks” to discover [...]
Corbyn’s tipping tirade lays bare his anti-business agenda November 1, 2018 Jeremy Corbyn has had another brainwave. The Labour leader wants to make it illegal for businesses to “pocket” tips and optional service charges. Some restaurants and hospitality firms currently collectivise what we add to our bills or give to waiters and waitresses. They might directly pool tips to redistribute them through a common fund system [...]
Sorry Angela Merkel, it’s not that easy to choreograph your own legacy November 1, 2018 There definitely comes a time where a fresh pair of eyes and fresh leadership would be good.” Those are the wise words of David Cameron, when asked whether he’d be running for a third term as Prime Minister just before the 2015 election. Now into her fourth term as German Chancellor, it has taken Angela [...]
We must turn the page on the public perceptions of finance November 1, 2018 A company needs to stand for something more than making money. Sustainability matters more than profit. The mission should be a lasting contribution to society that finds a balance between all stakeholders. Those aren’t the words of a pious left-wing hand-wringer but of John McFarlane, chairman of Barclays, in an anthology of writing published this week [...]
Boris Johnson accepts £14000 Saudi Arabia trip weeks before journalist’s murder October 31, 2018 Former foreign minister Boris Johnson accepted a free trip worth £14,000 from the government of Saudi Arabia two weeks before the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The cost of the three day trip to Jeddah, including travel, food and accommodation, was covered by the Saudi government according to a register of MP’s income. The [...]
Panasonic earnings down as surging Tesla battery costs hurt profit October 31, 2018 Panasonic suffered a 15 per cent profit dip in the second quarter thanks to its investment in Tesla's battery business, the Japanese firm revealed today. The technology giant's disappointing profit yield saw it take ¥95.2bn ($840.9m) between July and September, down on the 112.7bn yen it took for the same period a year ago. The company blamed [...]