Britain should only allow extended Brexit transition to prevent Irish backstop, says Brexit secretary Dominic Raab October 21, 2018 Brexit minister Dominic Raab has said the UK should reject an extended transition period unless the EU abandons its demand for an Irish backstop. Theresa May's suggestion that the UK could remain attached to the European Union after December 2020 could only be an "alternative" to the backstop suggestion, Raab wrote in the Telegraph. Read [...]
Theresa May’s bungled Brexit backstop plan means that once again nothing has changed October 18, 2018 The gathering of EU leaders in Brussels this week was supposed to bring clarity, not confusion, to the Brexit negotiations. After the PR disaster of Salzburg, both sides needed to at least act like the talks were going in the right direction and a deal was doable. But as with so much of the Brexit [...]
Natural disasters like Hurricane Florence and Genoa’s bridge collapse cost Swiss Re $1.1bn October 18, 2018 A string of recent natural disasters will set global reinsurer Swiss Re back roughly $1.1bn (£840m) in its third quarter, it revealed today. The largest costs were inflicted in September by Typhoon Jebi, the most powerful typhoon to hit Japan for 25 years. Claims from that disaster alone are expected to reach $500m. Hurricane Florence, [...]
Nearly half of major insurance claims disputed by insurers October 18, 2018 Almost half of large commercial insurance claims are disputed by insurers and on average take three years to resolve, according to new research. Insurance governance company Mactavish said that the increasing complexity of insurance meant that many companies do not understand the risks they face and may not have appropriate cover in the event they [...]
Black cabs to launch in Paris (but will they go south of the Seine?) October 18, 2018 London’s black cabs will launch in Paris next year as the Chinese owner of the iconic design continues its global expansion. In 2017 the Geely-owned London Electric Vehicle Company said it would launch its taxis in Amsterdam, Oslo, Berlin and Hamburg. Read more: Driverless flying taxis could be heading for London The company said today [...]
There’s nothing to fear from the latest easing back of Dodd-Frank’s reach October 17, 2018 Shortly after his inauguration as President, Donald Trump pledged to do “a big number” on Dodd-Frank regulations, labelling the post-crisis measures “a disaster” and promising to “kill” parts of the legislation. While the rhetoric was typically Trumpian, the reality has proven to be somewhat more modest. Nonetheless, a change in the White House's direction of [...]
Prudential Finance removed from US ‘too big to fail’ list October 17, 2018 US insurance giant Prudential Finance was removed from the list of organisations judged “too big to fail” today by US regulators. Prudential was the last of the insurance firms on the list of major financial institutions which was drawn up post-financial crisis. Read more: RIP Dodd Frank: Trump's adviser signals the end of the banking [...]
Call a doctor: Private hospital operator Mediclinic shares nosedive after earnings fall October 17, 2018 Shares in private hospital operator Mediclinic have nosedived after the company warned its earnings were under pressure. The company lost close to a fifth of its value after its Swiss subsidiary Hirslanden was hit by “weaker than expected growth” in admissions and a higher proportion of insured patients. Underlying earnings for the six months to [...]
Uber launches new UK safety features as employment appeal looms October 17, 2018 Ride-hailing firm Uber has today launched a slate of new safety features in the UK and 23 other European countries, as it heads towards a court of appeal hearing regarding workers' rights at the end of the month. The Uber app will now house a safety centre from which passengers and drivers can share their trip details [...]
DEBATE: Should the government set guidelines on meat consumption to combat climate change? October 16, 2018 Should the government set guidelines on meat consumption to combat climate change? Ben Glover, a researcher at Demos, says YES. Last week, the UN’s IPCC warned that to avoid disastrous levels of climate change we must make “unprecedented changes in all aspects of society” – including cutting meat consumption. That’s because livestock counts for about [...]