Defence giant Thales faces UK bribery and corruption probe November 21, 2024 The Serious Fraud Office has launched an investigation into French defence giant Thales for suspected bribery and corruption. Authorities in the UK and France said they are carrying out a joint probe into the firm, which employs more than 7,000 staff in the UK. Thales is one of the government’s key defence contractors, and built hundreds of lightweight [...]
Nestle ramps up cost-cutting by another £2.2bn in overhaul November 19, 2024 KitKat maker Nestle has revealed plans to slash costs by at least another 2.5bn Swiss francs (£2.2bn) and spin off its premium water and drink business as part of a turnaround being led by its new boss. Recently-appointed chief executive Laurent Freixe said the Swiss group will make the mammoth savings by the end of [...]
Peers want to force Chagos Islands referendum to stop handover deal November 16, 2024 A group of Lords wants to force a referendum over the handover of the Chagos Islands, in a move that could delay the treaty from taking effect until after Donald Trump takes office. Lord Bellingham is leading a group of peers who plan to introduce an amendment to the treaty when it reaches the House [...]
Japanese minister visits Ukraine over North Korean troops November 16, 2024 Japan’s foreign minister has arrived in Kyiv to discuss North Korea’s deepening military alliance with Russia, including the deployment of thousands of troops to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Takeshi Iwaya will meet his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, to reaffirm Japan’s “strong support” for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion and to discuss further sanctions against Moscow, [...]
UK turning away from EU ‘socialism’ would spur Trump on trade deal – adviser November 16, 2024 Donald Trump would be more willing to clinch a free trade agreement with the UK if it turns away from the EU’s “socialism” and towards a US model, a senior economic advisor to the president-elect has said. Stephen Moore, who is advising Trump as he prepares for office, said the UK “has to choose” between [...]
Former MP describes ‘enormous guilt’ over Westminster honeypot scandal November 16, 2024 Former MP William Wragg has described the feeling of “enormous guilt” that washed over him as he realised he had fallen victim to a sophisticated scam designed to target politicians in Westminster. A police probe began in April earlier this year after it was suggested at least 12 men with links to Westminster had received [...]
Reeves ‘not satisfied’ as economic growth slows in third quarter November 16, 2024 Rachel Reeves has said she is “not satisfied” after official figures showed economic growth slowed in the months after Labour won the election, and even contracted in September. The UK economy grew by 0.1 per cent between July and September, versus 0.5 per cent growth in the previous quarter, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) [...]
EU fines Meta £660m for competition rule breaches over Facebook Marketplace November 14, 2024 The European Commission has fined Meta €797m (£663m) for what it says are breaches of EU competition law related to the social media giant’s classified ads service, Facebook Marketplace. The Commission said by tying Marketplace to its Facebook social media platform, consumers on Facebook were regularly exposed to Marketplace whether or not they wanted to be, and [...]
Thousands cheer on 696th Lord Mayor of London at annual show November 9, 2024 Thousands of people have gathered in central London for the annual Lord Mayor’s show. The show dates to the 13th century and is the first official engagement of a new lord mayor of London. The Lord Mayor serves as the elected head of the City of London Corporation and their terms last one year. This [...]
NHS must be weaned off ‘more, more, more’ culture, warns Alan Milburn November 9, 2024 Alan Milburn, who ran the department under Tony Blair, warned that the NHS was “drinking in the last-chance saloon” .
