UN climate change conference closes amid criticism December 15, 2019 The UN climate change summit in Madrid drew to a belated and acrimonious end today as a small number of large states resisted pressure to increase efforts to combat global warming. Activists and delegates from smaller nations were critical of countries such as the US, China, Australia, Brazil and Saudi Arabia, who were said to [...]
Bank of England set to hold interest rate ahead of next governor announcement December 15, 2019 The Bank of England is this week expected to hold interest rates at 0.75 per cent, despite pressure from some quarters for a further quarter-point cut. On Thursday the Bank’s nine-member monetary policy committee, which is responsible for setting the interest rate, will announce its decision. Read more: Mark Carney appointed UN climate envoy ahead [...]
US reaches deal ‘in principle’ with China December 12, 2019 The US today reached a preliminary deal with China to end the year and a half long trade war that has slowed global growth and dampened investment around the world. A source briefed on the talks told Reuters: “The written agreement is still being formulated, but they have reached an agreement in principle.” Read more: [...]
Sterling soars as exit poll predicts huge Tory majority December 12, 2019 Sterling skyrocketed nearly two per cent as the exit poll predicted a huge Tory majority of 86 seats, the largest for the Conservatives since the days of Margaret Thatcher. The pound briefly hit as high as $1.35, reaching a level last seen in May 2018, which put the currency on course for its biggest one [...]
Soros hedge fund bets £16m against Daily Mail owner shares December 12, 2019 The hedge fund of billionaire investor George Soros has taken out a £16m short position against media group Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT), which owns the Daily Mail. The London arm of Soros Fund Management, SFM UK Management, made a bet worth 0.9 per cent of DMGT’s shares, showed filings published by the Financial [...]
Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall restaurant to close ‘with immediate effect’ December 12, 2019 Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall restaurant is to close with immediate effect, putting up to 100 jobs at risk. The restaurant is run by charity the Cornwall Food Foundation, which said both the restaurant and charity will cease trading today after “an independent financial review.” Read more: Jamie Oliver bags £5.2m payday despite restaurant chain collapse [...]
General Election: Labour activists are using Tinder to mobilise young voters in marginal seats December 12, 2019 Labour activists have taken to Tinder today in a last-gasp attempt to mobilise voters as the country goes to the polls in the General Election. Campaign group “Fck Boris” has been targeting 18-35 year olds in marginal Tory constituencies to join its “Tinder Army” and canvass on the dating app. Read more: General Election: How [...]
Prince Andrew’s Pitch@Palace scheme loses third director December 12, 2019 Prince Andrew’s embattled Pitch@Palace initiative suffered another blow as a third director resigned from the company. German-born David Stern, a private investor, is listed as having quit both Pitch@Palace and its international sister, Pitch@Palace Global, on 9 December. Read more: Prince Andrew steps down from Pitch@Palace role On 19 November fellow directors Hanadi Jabado and [...]
Federal Reserve ends cycle of cutting interest rates December 11, 2019 The US Federal Reserve left interest rates on hold today, bringing to an end the cutting cycle instigated in July. The decision came after a booming US jobs report on Friday showed that employment rose by its most in ten months in November. The Fed’s target interest rate will stay at between 1.5 and 1.75 [...]
EU Commission unveils ‘European Green Deal’ in Brussels December 11, 2019 The president of the EU Commission today in Brussels set out the details of her long-expected “European Green Deal”, as the UN climate summit continues in Madrid. Ursula von der Leyen described the plan, which would make the EU the world’s first climate neutral continent by 2050, as Europe’s “man on the moon moment.” Read [...]
