Investing in a greener future: How do we make the sums add up? October 7, 2020 By 2030, the UK will produce enough wind from offshore sources to power every home in the land. That was the pledge the prime minister made to the Conservative Party Conference this week, promising to turn us into the “Saudi Arabia of wind” (a subtle joke? One can never tell with Boris). Household appliances, he [...]
Forget the conventional wisdom, all investors want from the US election is a return to stability October 7, 2020 Even in the post-superpower era, US elections are the most-followed global political event for market participants. In this extraordinary year, fears of delays and legal challenges have driven volatility, while the ghosts of 2016’s polling failure undermine confidence in forecasting methods. Conspiracy theories abound: Trump’s diagnosis is a hoax, designed to boost sympathy. Or conversely, [...]
See A Film Out To Help Out: Five ways to save the film industry October 7, 2020 In this uncertain and unnerving year, there seems to be little light at the end of the tunnel, particularly for people working in the UK’s film industry. This week, Cineworld confirmed its plans to place all of its own cinemas and those of its Picturehouse brand in an unprecedented winter hibernation — meaning the loss [...]
Following the science? This government lacks a basic grasp of the scientific method October 7, 2020 Verification and validation. It is hard to imagine a more nerdy phrase. But it is, in essence, how science makes progress. It is what we have to do to check whether a scientific claim or theory is correct. And it has been seriously neglected during the Covid-19 crisis. Just over a century ago, for example, [...]
Bounce Back Loan scheme could cost the taxpayer up to £26bn October 7, 2020 The cost to the taxpayer of the government’s emergency loan scheme for struggling small businesses could be as much as £26bn, a new report has found. According to the National Audit Office (NAO), the cost of the government’s Bounce Back Loan scheme “has the potential to be very high” through a combination of firms being [...]
Rishi Sunak unveils plan to create England Freeports October 7, 2020 The Treasury will soon start taking bids from cities and towns in England to become Freeports next year, which will see businesses benefit from tax breaks and relaxed customs procedures. The government announced today that its selection process will begin before the end of the year and will see the first England Freeports set up [...]
US stocks fall after President Trump calls off stimulus talks October 6, 2020 President Donald Trump has called off talks with congressional Democrats on a new stimulus package until after November’s election, sending US stocks sharply lower. Less than 24 hours after being discharged from hospital, Trump said he had instructed his representatives to stop negotiating with the Democrats until after the election. In a tweet the US [...]
Major evacuation from St Paul’s after suspected gas leak October 6, 2020 More than 200 people have been evacuated from St Paul’s Cathedral and surrounding businesses after a suspected gas leak. The London Fire Brigade said it had been called to a restaurant and office block in St Paul’s Churchyard at 1.20pm on Tuesday. The fire service said it believed it had been a gas leak from [...]
Uncle Ben’s purchase consideration increases after rebrand October 6, 2020 Following the global protests over the killing of George Floyd in June, Mars Food was one of several FMCG giants that promised to review its brands that could be seen as racially insensitive, with Uncle Ben’s coming under close attention. When the brand first entered the market over 70 years ago “uncle” was used as [...]
Bill Gates issues warning over spread of ‘titillating untruths’ on social media October 6, 2020 Bill Gates today took aim at social media platforms for allowing the spread of misinformation relating to the coronavirus pandemic. The business mogul said the Covid-19 crisis had highlighted the “urgent” need to crack down misleading and false information online, which he said spread “so much faster than the truth”. “There’s certainly a human weakness [...]
