Foreign Secretary: China talks not a “comfortable chit chat” as hawks circle April 30, 2023 Dealing with China is not a “comfortable chit chat over tea and biscuits”, the Foreign Secretary has said. James Cleverly insisted it was important to maintain dialogue with Xi Jinping’s regime, as hawkish Conservatives urge him to take a harsher line with China over reported human rights abuses in Xinjiang province and Hong Kong. In [...]
Coronation: How much will it be worth to the West End? April 30, 2023 Retail and hospitality businesses across London’s West-End are gearing up for a £50m boost during the Coronation weekend, as a flock of tourists will help temporarily relieve inflationary and cost of living woes. According to figures from New West End Company, which represents 600 retail, restaurant, hotel and property owners spanning from Bond Street to [...]
BP and Shell ready for share price bump as analysts predict super-sized profits April 30, 2023 Oil giant BP is expected to report its second-highest first-quarter profit in more than a decade next week, despite a dip from last year’s massive spike. Analysts expect the company to report that underlying replacement cost profit – the way the company prefers to measure its earnings – reached 4.27 billion dollars (£3.4 billion) in [...]
Mick Lynch warns at trade union rally against ‘ultra right’ causing division April 29, 2023 Trade unionist Mick Lynch has told a crowd of workers and activists that the “ultra right” is causing division during the cost-of-living crisis, and it should be resisted. He also praised unions across Northern Ireland that had taken industrial action in recent months, and called for the trade union movement to begin in every town [...]
First ever council trial of four-day week hailed a success April 29, 2023 The first ever council trial of a four-day-week has been hailed as a success, with average employee performance improving. South Cambridgeshire District Council trialled a four-day week for desk-based staff for three months, beginning in January of this year. Staff could take either Monday or Friday off, and their pay was not affected. According to [...]
CEO of Italy’s Eni sees no major energy price upsets in 2023 April 29, 2023 The CEO of Italian oil and gas company Eni, Claudio Descalzi, has said he does not expect any “big shocks” on the energy markets this year. “European gas storages are full and, although the global economy has restarted, demand is not at its highest because China has not yet resumed full operations,” Descalzi said in [...]
Fears raised over low NHS staff morale, health leader says April 29, 2023 A health boss has said NHS leaders have never been so worried over staff morale as nurses are set to go on strike again. Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, a membership body for organisations that commission and provide services across the NHS, added that workforce concerns go beyond industrial action with “serious [...]
US Fed points finger at Trump-era rollback for SVB demise April 29, 2023 The Federal Reserve on Friday blamed the deregulatory zeal that occurred during the Trump era for contributing to the second-largest bank failure in U.S. history, appearing to take a clear stand on an acrimonious policy divide in Washington. Amid the turmoil that Silicon Valley Bank’s implosion unleashed on the financial system last month, some Republicans [...]
US FDIC asks JPMorgan, PNC for final First Republic bids due Sunday – Bloomberg News April 29, 2023 The U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp has asked banks including JPMorgan and PNC Financial Services Group to submit final bids for First Republic Bank by Sunday after gauging their initial interest earlier in the week, Bloomberg News reported on Saturday. The banking regulator reached out to banks late Thursday seeking indications of interest, including a proposed price and estimated [...]
UK must change post-Brexit visa rules to help firms with labour shortages, report says April 29, 2023 The UK government needs to change post-Brexit visa rules in order to help firms overcome worsening labour shortages, UK lawmakers have said in a new report. The complexity of visa regulations in the wake of Britain exiting the EU has proved a “significant barrier to mobility”, a report by the House of Lords European Affairs [...]
