DEBATE: Are the IMF’s proposals for a one-off wealth tax a good idea? April 15, 2021 Danielle Boxall, media campaign manager at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, says No After the deepest recession in 300 years, the last thing ministers should be considering is new taxes. Covid has already placed a huge burden on families and businesses alike, the IMF’s suggestion of new taxes on individuals and companies could choke off the recovery [...]
Aerospace industry warns over part shortage if Gupta steel empire fails April 15, 2021 The UK’s aerospace trade body has called for the government’s “urgent intervention” to protect steel production at Sanjeev Gupta’s wavering Liberty Steel empire. The interim chief executive of ADS, Kevin Craven, last week wrote to business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng warning that the sector faced a shortage of steel for plane parts if the plants were [...]
Greensill: ‘No boundaries’ between civil servants and private sector, says cronyism watchdog April 15, 2021 The government’s watchdog on business appointments has claimed there are no boundaries between ex-civil servants and the private sector and that the system needs urgent reform in light of the Greensill Capital lobbying scandal. Lord Eric Pickles, chairman of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), has told MPs today that a former senior civil [...]
German constitutional court cuts Berlin rent cap April 15, 2021 Berlin’s rent cap has been struck down by Germany’s Constitutional Court today, as it ruled the pandemic-imposed law as invalid. The ruling comes as a huge blow for supporters of rent limits across Europe, as it pushed landlords to cut rents in the capital for over 300,000 tenants during the pandemic. The controversial cap, imposed [...]
Travis Perkins sales rise as Wickes demerger nears completion April 15, 2021 Travis Perkins is on track to demerge its Wickes home improvement business by 28 April, the company said on Thursday. The group had put the process on hold at the start of the pandemic last year, but trading in Wickes shares will now commence at the end of the month. Nick Roberts, CEO of Travis [...]
UniCredit shareholders approve Andrea Orcel’s bumper pay packet April 15, 2021 UniCredit shareholders have approved the appointment of Andrea Orcel and a proposed bumper pay packet making him Italy’s highest-paid banker. Orcel is set to take over from French banker Jean Pierre Mustier who left in February after falling out with the board over its strategy. Today shareholders, accounting for around 60 per cent of the [...]
Are men afraid to sponsor women to succeed in the tech world? April 15, 2021 Dr Maxine Room asks if men are afraid to sponsor women to succeed in the tech world.
BHP completes first refuelling of a ship with biofuel April 15, 2021 BHP has completed its first refuelling of a ship with biofuel in a trial run aimed at reducing carbon emissions, the company announced today. It was the first time that a ship has been refuelled with biofuel in Singapore, the world’s largest bunkering hub. A biofuel blend derived from sustainable feedstock sources such as cooking [...]
Sweden faces sperm shortage as Covid-19 deters donors April 15, 2021 As Covid-19 has deterred donors from hospitals, Sweden has reported a shortage of sperm for assisted pregnancies, driving up waiting times by years. “We’re running out of sperm. We’ve never had so few donors as during the last year,” head of the reproduction unit at Gothenburg’s University Hospital, Ann Thurin Kjellberg, said. Waiting times have [...]
Russian rouble tumbles as threat of US sanctions resurfaces April 15, 2021 The Russian rouble fell two per cent against the dollar on Thursday, giving up gains made earlier this week as the threat of US sanctions on Moscow reared its head again. The US may announce sanctions on Russia as soon as today for alleged interference in its elections and malicious cyber activity targeting several individuals [...]
