Standard Chartered to face shareholder action over climate change policies May 10, 2021 Shareholders are set to eye Standard Chartered bank’s climate policies, according to environmental organisation Market Forces, revealing it has pumped $31.4bn into fossil fuels since the Paris Agreement. The scrutiny comes as the bank confirmed its participation in a $400m five year loan for global coal giant Adaro Indonesia, as part of a syndicate of [...]
Queen’s cousin Prince Michael accused of using royal status to ‘sell access’ to Vladimir Putin May 9, 2021 An undercover investigation has claimed Prince Michael of Kent was willing to use his royal status for personal profit, and to seek favours from Russian president Vladimir Putin. The Queen’s cousin told undercover reporters posing as investors from South Korea in a virtual meeting that he could be hired for £10,000 a day to make [...]
UK spooks warn councils over ‘smart city’ cyber attack threat May 7, 2021 Smart cities that use technology to make services more efficient are an “attractive” target for cyber attackers looking to disrupt British infrastructure or steal data, UK spooks have warned. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which is part of GCHQ, today issued a new set of security principles for local authorities to ensure their networks [...]
Iran accused of attempting to disrupt Scottish Parliament election May 3, 2021 Iran has been accused of pushing disinformation online in an attempt to interfere in the Scottish Parliament election. A report by the right-leaning foreign affairs think-tank the Henry Jackson Society found that “Iran’s activities in cyber space are designed to attack the constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom”. “There appear to be elements within Iran [...]
Chinese investment in UK assets estimated to be £135bn May 2, 2021 Chinese investment in UK assets like businesses, infrastructure and property has reached an estimated £135bn – almost double what was previously thought. About £44bn of this investment has come from state-owned firms, with many of the purchases happening over the past two years. An investigation from the Sunday Times found that Chinese and Hong Kong [...]
India’s daily COVID-19 cases pass 400,000 as second wave worsens May 1, 2021 By Sankalp Phartiyal and Alasdair Pal NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India recorded more than 400,000 new COVID-19 cases for the first time on Saturday as it battles a devastating second wave, and the country’s massive new vaccination drive was hampered in some areas by shortages of the shots. Authorities reported 401,993 new cases in the previous [...]
Spotify hits subscriber targets as pandemic party continues April 28, 2021 Spotify today reported subscriber growth at the top end of its targets for the first quarter as strong momentum from a pandemic-induced boom in trading continued into 2021. The music streaming giant posted 21 per cent year on year growth in premium subscribers to 158m after it added 4m in the first three months of [...]
UK imposes sanctions on individuals accused of serious corruption in Russia April 26, 2021 The UK has sanctioned a number of individuals across Russia, South Africa and Latin America in the first use of a new anti-corruption law. Some 22 individuals were hit with asset freezes and travel bans today in the first use of Britain’s new Magnitsky act. Like a similar law in the US, it is named [...]
MI6 boss: UK warned Putin he would pay ‘huge price’ if he invaded Ukraine April 26, 2021 The UK and the US sent a warning to Vladimir Putin that he would pay a “huge price” if Russia invaded Ukraine, according to MI6 boss Richard Moore. Russia this week pulled back more than 100,000 soldiers that were positioned on the Ukraine border after concerns Putin was about to launch an invasion. In the [...]
Rolls-Royce in ‘constructive talks’ over ITP Aero sale April 23, 2021 Rolls-Royce this afternoon hit back at claims that the sale of one of its Spanish subsidiaries could be blocked, saying it was in “constructive talks” with authorities over the issues. The FTSE 100 engine maker is in the process of selling off £2bn worth of assets in a bid to fix its finances after the [...]