US pulls troops back in Syria, opening door for Turkish offensive October 7, 2019 The US has begun pulling troops back from the northeastern border of Syria, clearing the way for a Turkish strike on Kurdish-led forces long allied to Washington. It has been slammed as a “stab in the back” by the Kurdish-led forces who are longstanding allies of the US in fighting the so-called Islamic State (IS) [...]
Trying to impeach Boris would be an unmitigated catastrophe October 2, 2019 Rumours are swirling in Westminster of a plot to impeach Boris Johnson. The news broke over the weekend that, inspired perhaps by the US Democrats’ move against Donald Trump, opposition parties are considering moving to strip the Prime Minister of his position. This is foolish and dangerous. For a start, it is entirely unclear if [...]
Markets mixed on US-China trade war worries September 30, 2019 Markets globally were mixed today, with fears of a growing trade was between the US and China hitting confidence. The Ftse 100 rose two points to 7,428 points this morning, but the FTSE 250 and FTSE 250 both fell. Read more: Oil prices fall on possible limit to China investments Asian markets were affected by [...]
DEBATE: Did Jacques Chirac leave France in a better state than he found it when he became President? September 27, 2019 Did Jacques Chirac leave France in a better state than he found it when he became President? Alastair Benn, news editor of Reaction, says YES. Jacques Chirac’s legacy is hard to define – he was certainly not a great President, and the old fox, as he was often known, never really shook off a (justified) [...]
US markets sink as transcript shows Trump asked Ukraine to dig dirt on Joe Biden September 25, 2019 President Donald Trump urged his Ukraine counterpart to contact the US attorney general about investigating unsubstantiated corruption claims concerning political rival Joe Biden, according to a transcript the White House released today. Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he should contact attorney general William Barr and Trump’s own lawyer Rudolph Giuliani. Read more: Donald [...]
Boeing’s £3.8bn deal with Embraer ‘to be investigated by EU competition watchdog’ September 23, 2019 Boeing is facing an investigation by EU antitrust regulators into its bid for a controlling stake in the commercial aircraft arm of Brazilian firm Embraer. The deal, which marks the biggest shift in commercial aerospace in decades, would reinforce Western plane makers’ market positions against newcomers from China, Russia or Japan. I would give Boeing [...]
London Car Free Day 2019: Everything you need to know about this weekend’s event September 20, 2019 Drivers have been warned to avoid large parts of central London as over 200 roads close in the capital for Car Free Day 2019. Between 7am and 7pm on Sunday, pedestrians will be given free rein across London Bridge and Tower Bridge, as the city highlights the problems caused by air pollution. Read more: Mayor [...]
By vowing to cancel Article 50, the Lib Dems are turning their backs on liberal democracy September 20, 2019 Liberalism has a proud history in European democracy. As a concept, liberal democracy has defined the West for over a century, but belief in the greater good can only come if the people decide what is good for them. For all the talk of bringing the country together, the Liberal Democrats are following the march [...]
Oil prices plunge as Saudi production could come back online sooner than expected September 17, 2019 Oil prices fell dramatically this afternoon as it was revealed that Saudi Arabia expects that it will have repaired all of its output in just weeks. Prices bounced yesterday as markets reacted to the news that a drone attack had taken out half of Saudi Arabia’s oil production. Read more: Saudi oil attack: How high [...]
South Africa could spring a surprise in World Cup opener against New Zealand September 17, 2019 The Rugby World Cup may get under way on Friday when hosts Japan face Russia but the tournament will not fully ignite until a day later when the giants of New Zealand and South Africa collide in Yokohama. It is an encounter between two of rugby’s great nations, who have collectively won five of the [...]