London Sports Festival moves from 3×3 basketball success to pickleball at the City of London Corporation’s Guildhall Yard
Downing Street confident of striking UK-EU trade deal next month August 17, 2020 The UK is still on course to deliver an EU trade deal next month, according to Downing Street. Negotiations are set to enter their seventh round on Tuesday when UK negotiators travel to Brussels. The Prime Minister’s spokesman has said they would “continue to plug the gaps”. A number of issues remain unresolved, including those [...]
Trump to allow oil drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for first time in 30 years August 17, 2020 The Trump administration today finalised plans to auction off the rights to drill for oil and gas in one of the country’s most iconic wild places. The 1.6m acre coastal plain at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will be leased to the highest bidder in a move that sees US President Donald Trump continue to [...]
UK needs 10m tests a week, says Premier League’s coronavirus adviser August 17, 2020 The company behind the Premier League’s coronavirus testing efforts has backed calls for the government to introduce a UK-wide testing scheme by the end of the year. Avi Lasarow, chief executive of testing firm Prenetics, has called on the government to swap its half-price restaurant scheme for a universal testing service across the UK. He [...]
Tory backbencher says Gavin Williamson could be in line for autumn axeing August 17, 2020 Tory backbencher and former minister George Freeman has said the government’s A-levels U-turn has been a “total shambles” and that Gavin Williamson may be sacked in an autumn reshuffle. Williamson was forced today to scrap his emergency A-level grading system, after an uproar from parents, students and teachers about it being unfair. The algorithm used [...]
Wall Street nears record highs on retail optimism as mining stocks lift FTSE 100 August 17, 2020 Wall Street edged towards record highs this afternoon on optimism about better-than-expected retail earnings as the FTSE 100 pushed higher during a subdued start to the week’s trading. The Nasdaq rose 0.68 per cent while the S&P 500 resumed its ascent towards record highs with gains of 0.29 per cent. However, the Dow Jones slipped [...]
London advocacy groups call for Waterloo and City Tube line to reopen August 17, 2020 London lobby groups have called for the reopening of the Waterloo and City Tube line to help increase the number of people going back to their offices. The shuttle service – which travels between Bank and Waterloo stations – is the only Tube line still not operating, after Transport for London (TfL) restricted public transport [...]
UK savings rates halve since coronavirus lockdown August 17, 2020 Average savings rates in the UK have fallen for the fifth consecutive month, as the impact of coronavirus and subsequent base rate cuts hit returns. Since lockdown restrictions were imposed in March, average savings rates for easy access, notice accounts and their ISA equivalents have halved. Moneyfacts’ savings report shows all average saving rates are [...]
A-levels: pupils in England to receive predicted grades after major U-turn August 17, 2020 Pupils in England will receive teacher predicted grades for their A-level results after a major government U-turn. Teacher predicted grades will also be used for the upcoming GCSE results. Education secretary Gavin Williamson said: “This has been an extraordinarily difficult year for young people who were unable to take their exams. “We worked with Ofqual [...]
Finablr founder BR Shetty resigns amid HMRC probe August 17, 2020 The founder of Finablr has resigned as co-chair of the scandal-hit payments firm as UK tax authorities move to shut down parts of the business. Indian mogul BR Shetty has stepped down from the board with immediate effect, the company announced today. The London-listed firm has been on the rocks since the discovery of more [...]
James Bond penthouse in former MI6 headquarters on sale for £5.5m August 17, 2020 A penthouse apartment in the former MI6 headquarters that was once home to the real-life inspiration for James Bond’s boss M has gone on the market for £5.5m. The bombproof flat, located in Whitehall Court in the heart of Westminster, is part of the original London base of the Secret Intelligence Service. It also served [...]
