Hate crimes on Britain’s railway climbed by 57 per cent in the weeks after the UK’s Brexit vote, according to new figures August 22, 2016 Suspected race hate crimes on Britain’s railways surged in the aftermath of Britain's EU referendum, new figures have revealed. British Transport Police recorded 119 incidents, including allegations of racist abuse and attacks at stations, according to statistics obtained by the Press Association. The figure – equivalent to eight incidents every day between June 24 and July [...]
Vauxhall owner Opel says it has been forced to cut staff hours in German factories following Brexit August 20, 2016 Vauxhall owner Opel has confirmed it will cut hours at two German plants after seeing lower demand for vehicles in the aftermath of the Brexit vote. Opel, which is a division of General Motors, said it was recording a slip in demand for the Corsa and Insignia models. The UK is the largest market for both [...]
Australia has confirmed that it will block the sale of its largest energy grid to Chinese investors August 20, 2016 Australia has moved to formally block the sale of its biggest energy grid to Chinese investors over security concerns. The sale was put on hold last week, and now the deal has been officially nixed by Australian treasurer Scott Morrison. Two Chinese firms had been in talks to buy a 50.4 per cent stake in Ausgrid. However, [...]
The government’s high-profile Help to Buy scheme has come under fire because extra financial support cannot be used towards deposits August 20, 2016 A government scheme to support first-time buyers has been blasted by political rivals because a so-called "top-up" on savings cannot be used towards the deposit on a new home. Revealed in the pre-election 2015 Budget, the Help to Buy ISA provided a government boost to savings at a rate of 25 per cent. So a saver [...]
50,000 journeys: The numbers of London’s first experience of the Night Tube August 20, 2016 It might have escaped your notice, but London's underground service ran throughout the night for the first time into Saturday morning. Trains ran on the Central and Victoria lines, while TfL and London mayor Sadiq Khan plan to expand the service to take in the Northern, Piccadilly and Jubilee lines later this year. So what did London's first [...]
Housing benefit going to private landlords has doubled to £9.3bn over a decade August 20, 2016 The amount of housing benefits being paid to private landlords has doubled over the last 10 years, with the cost to taxpayers greatest in London and the South East, and housing associations blaming a shortfall in social housing. According to figures from the National Housing Federation, almost one in three housing benefit recipients now live in a privately rented [...]
The chairman and former chief executive of US property and casualty insurer Travelers has died aged 63 August 20, 2016 The chairman and former chief executive of US property and casualty insurer Travelers has died aged 63. Jay Fishman helmed the firm from 2004, stepping down as chief executive last year. In 2014, Fishman revealed that he had been diagnosed with a neuromuscular condition and that he might have been battling a variant of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). As [...]
Theresa May could trigger Brexit talks as soon as April, despite warnings to wait until after French and German elections August 20, 2016 Prime Minister Theresa May could be set to trigger the formal processes to leave the EU before next year's French and German elections, despite calls to delay until the autumn. May has only previously said the government would not open the two-year window for Brexit talks until next year. However, Bloomberg yesterday reported that she could activate Article 50 as [...]
Yes, Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic heroes are going to be honoured with a parade in Manchester and a separate celebration in London August 20, 2016 A record medal haul for British athletes at the Rio Olympics is to be recognised with a parade through the streets of Manchester, with a separate party planned in London. It comes after some had questioned whether the successes of Team GB would be celebrated – former Olympic rower Sir Matthew Pinsent had suggested plans [...]
The Ministry of Justice has inked a £120m deal for translators – leaving the contractor hunting for more than 3,000 staff by November August 19, 2016 The Ministry of Justice has inked the largest deal for interpreters in Europe, paying £120m for a four year deal with languages company Thebigword, beginning at the end of October. The MoJ deal comes in addition to a £60m government contract signed in May to provide services to the Home Office, the Ministry of Defence, the NHS, [...]
