Brexit: EU Withdrawal Bill passes after MPs traded barbs in late-night debate September 12, 2017 Theresa May’s government won the first vote on the EU Withdrawal Bill in the early hours of this morning, 318 votes to 296. Prominent Remain campaigner Anna Soubry told the House earlier in the evening: “We must begin the process [of leaving the European Union] and see it through…”. However, the government looks set to [...]
What Jean-Claude Juncker won’t tell you about the real state of the EU September 11, 2017 On Wednesday, the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, will give his annual State of the Union address in Strasbourg. He will have you believe that all is well in the EU Land of Milk and Honey. But let us take a closer look at the real state of the EU. Read more: Barnier: [...]
China’s President Xi Jinping says emerging markets are ‘main engine’ of growth as services sector surprises September 5, 2017 Chinese President Xi Jinping today described emerging economies as the “main engine of global growth”, as economic indicators portrayed an economy making strong progress ahead of a crucial Communist party congress next month. Xi told fellow world leaders that emerging markets must “jointly seize the historical opportunity arising from the adjustment of world economic structure”, [...]
City of London’s top EU envoy slams “bewildering” Brussels approach to negotiations: The colourful European dispatches of Jeremy Browne revealed August 10, 2017 The City of London’s top Brexit envoy has slammed Brussels’ approach to negotiating with the UK as “bewildering” and “reckless”. Documents seen by City A.M. show former Lib Dem Home Office minister Jeremy Browne, the City of London Corporation’s special representative to the EU, is also fearful that the bloc is “affronted by the idea [...]
There’s more to Chinese culture than willow-patterned plates or Ming vases; we explore Beijing’s fast-growing contemporary art scene July 28, 2017 Picture the likes of London’s White Cube, the Saatchi Gallery, and the Serpentine, all transported to, say…Hounslow. Would you be as inclined to head there of a weekend to take in the latest exhibition by Damien Hirst, or Tracey Emin? Serious collectors from around the world as well as art-loving Chinese investors are doing something [...]
Ukraine is set for a new lease of life: A country at war tries to return both to normality and the bond markets July 24, 2017 Ukraine’s prospects are looking up. Two years ago, the country’s then finance minister Natalie Jaresko was seeking fiscal aid. The economy was shattered by war with Russia, which saw GDP plummet by 9.7 per cent in 2015. Things look rather different for her successor. Oleksandr Danylyuk, a former executive with consultant McKinsey in London, took [...]
Trump had secret meetings with Putin at G20 summit July 19, 2017 Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin held a secret meeting during the G20 summit, attended only by Putin’s translator, US media is reporting. The undisclosed meeting between the two presidents took place during a dinner for the various heads of state and their spouses in Hamburg, according to the Eurasia consultancy boss Ian Bremmer, who was [...]
Russia emails rock Trump and dollar drops on son’s shock revelations of help with anti-Hillary Clinton campaign July 12, 2017 Markets were jolted last night after Donald Trump Jr released a chain of emails showing he was offered damaging information about Hillary Clinton by a Russian prosecutor. US President Donald Trump’s son was offered a meeting with a Russian lawyer relating to “sensitive” information on Clinton, Trump’s rival during last year’s presidential election, according to [...]
Editor’s Notes: If politicians want to win back trust they should start by ditching the lies, plus: Downing Street’s new BBC hire, measuring GDP and innovative Estonia July 7, 2017 This afternoon I’m hosting a discussion on the theme of experts and how to earn trust in a post-truth world. On the panel will be Andy Haldane of the Bank of England, Hetan Shah of the Royal Statistical Society and Julia Grant of Pro Bono Economics. Our host is the consultancy giant FTI, which has [...]
Global cyber attack hits UK firms as WPP reports hack June 27, 2017 A massive cyber attack which has hit a number of institutions in Ukraine appears to be spreading across Europe. Several firms, banks and government offices in Ukraine began to report attacks earlier today caused by ransomware named “Petya”. London-based advertising giant WPP has reported problems with its IT systems caused by a “suspected cyber attack”, [...]