Greta Thunberg pulls out of Edinburgh book festival over investment sponsor’s ‘greenwashing’ August 4, 2023 Climate activist Greta Thunberg has pulled out of an appearance at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, accusing one of the event’s sponsors of “greenwashing”. Ms Thunberg, 20, was due to speak at an event on August 13, but has pulled out in protest over sponsors Baillie Gifford, an investment management firm she claims invests “heavily” [...]
British Airways staff secure 13.1 per cent pay increase – and £1,000 one-off sum August 4, 2023 British Airways (BA) workers have secured a 13.1 per cent pay increase, trade union Unite has said. Staff at the airline will receive the pay increase over an 18-month period, as well as a £1,000 one off payment. The pay offer was “overwhelmingly” accepted by Unite members after a ballot was held, the trade union [...]
Ukraine sea drones attack Russia port damaging ship as Kyiv fightback continues August 4, 2023 Ukrainian sea drones have attacked a major Russian port on the Black Sea, damaging a naval ship, according to a Ukrainian official. It is the latest in a series of strikes inside Russia as Kyiv vowed to bring the fight home to them. Moscow claimed it repelled the attack. The strike on Novorossiysk marks the [...]
City regulator responds to Hunt’s de-banking letter and will report back by September August 4, 2023 The City regulator will outline the scale of the so-called ‘de-banking’ scandal next month, in response to a letter from the Chancellor last night. Writing to Jeremy Hunt, the Financial Conduct Authority acknowledged his “request of areas to cover” in an investigation into the row, and that it was “in line with our plans”. The [...]
UK construction sector rebounds as uptick in commercial projects offsets housebuilding decline August 4, 2023 The UK’s construction sector rebounded in July as an uptick in commercial building and civil engineering work offset sharp falls in residential housebuilding. The latest S&P Global/CIPS construction purchasing managers’ index scored 51.7 in July, up from 48.9 in June and the highest level for five months. Any score above 50 indicates the sector is [...]
Reeves: Latest interest rate hike is a ‘hammer blow’ which did not need to happen August 4, 2023 Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has labelled the latest rise in interest rates as a “hammer blow for working people” which did not need to happen. The Bank of England raised the base rate for the 14th time in a row on Thursday, taking it to 5.25% in a bid to bring inflation under control. The [...]
Sadiq Khan expands London ULEZ scrappage scheme in wake of Uxbridge by-election loss August 4, 2023 The Mayor of London has announced a major expansion of financial support designed to ease the impact of the capital’s ultra low emission zone (Ulez) on people’s pockets. Sadiq Khan said every Londoner with a polluting car facing charges under Ulez will now be able to receive a grant of up to £2,000 to support [...]
De-banking a threat to free speech, Hunt says as he asks FCA to investigate August 3, 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has asked the City watchdog to look into the extent of de-banking, as he said the practice poses a “threat” to free speech. It comes as banks face widespread reforms over account closures, after the Nigel Farage row that last week led to the resignation of the top bosses at Natwest and [...]
Societe Generale tops forecast, but retail woes put focus on CEO plan August 3, 2023 Societe Generale beat quarterly earnings forecasts on Thursday as the French bank kept costs and provisions down, but a slump at its retail business will turn up pressure on its new CEO as he prepares to unveil his plan. An investor day on Sept. 18 will be a key test for Slawomir Krupa, tasked with [...]
GAM urges shareholders to accept Liontrust takeover as outflows rise August 3, 2023 Swiss asset manager GAM has again called on its shareholders to vote in favour of a takeover bid from UK rival Liontrust as it reported a poor performance for the first half of the year. GAM today reported net outflows of CHF2.2bn (£2bn) and a pretax loss of CHF22.5m – far steeper than the CHF15.4m [...]
