Three years after Covid began, Japan is welcoming tourists June 5, 2023 Just hours after arriving in Japan from London, a geisha girl is teaching me a drinking game. She sings a lilting, nursery rhyme-style tune as we take turns tapping the small wooden box between us, trying to catch each other out by whipping the box away so the other person must lay a closed fist on the [...]
The Notebook: Andy Coulson on Succession, female leaders and Monday madness June 5, 2023 After five days of ‘spoiler alert’ dodging, I settled down to watch the finale of Succession this weekend. Having caught the odd review headline, I was poised for something special. And yet … why did I find the ending just a bit disappointing? The answer, of course, is simple: It Should Have Been Shiv. Tom’s [...]
House prices to stutter after Bank of England interest rate hikes June 4, 2023 House price growth is poised to stutter, new figures out this week are expected to show, as prospective homeowners are gradually priced out of the market by the Bank of England’s successive interest rate rises.
Government preparing for legal fight with Covid inquiry (it set up) over Boris Johnson WhatsApp messages June 2, 2023 Ministers are preparing for a high-profile legal battle with the Covid-19 inquiry as the Government seeks to challenge the request for Boris Johnson’s unredacted WhatsApp messages and notebooks. Bereaved families and opposition parties hit out at the Government after the Cabinet Office took the highly unusual step of seeking a judicial review of inquiry chairwoman [...]
Oil prices stabilises after US debt ceiling vote as OPEC+ meeting looms June 1, 2023 Oil prices have stabilised today after the passing of a key vote on the US debt ceiling revived expectations of demand growth.
Zahawi, Patel and Rees-Mogg lead calls to abolish ‘morally wrong’ inheritance tax June 1, 2023 Senior Tory MPs including former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi are calling for inheritance tax to be abolished. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt face a call from more than 50 of his MPs to scrap the tax, according to The Telegraph. Writing in the newspaper, Mr Zahawi suggested scrapping the tax and said it [...]
Consumer Duty: High street banks prepare for major regulatory shakeup as clock ticks down May 31, 2023 Banks in the UK have just two months to prepare for the incoming Consumer Duty, with some prominent bankers suggesting the new regulatory standards will prompt widespread changes in the industry. The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) flagship Consumer Duty, which will come into effect on 31 July, requires firms to deliver good outcomes for retail [...]
Court date set for climate activists’ legal challenge over new coal mine May 31, 2023 Climate activists are set for a courtroom showdown with the government over a newly-approved coal mine in West Cumbria.
Bank of England to surpass Federal Reserve and hike interest rates to 15-year high May 31, 2023 The Bank of England will have to hike interest rates to their highest level in more than 15 years to tackle sticky inflation that will stay above its target for at least another three years, a top Wall Street investment bank has warned today. Researchers at Goldman Sachs suspect businesses will carry on passing on [...]
Goldman Sachs to make another round of job cuts as dealmaking slump continues – reports May 31, 2023 Goldman Sachs is considering another round of job cuts over the next few weeks as the drought in dealmaking continues to weigh on performance. According to Reuters, the layoffs – which would total not more than 250 – could include senior figures like partners and managing directors. The news was first reported by the Wall [...]