FBI raids £91m luxury yacht of Putin oligarch ally in Mallorca: ‘We are coming for your ill-begotten gains’ April 4, 2022 Spanish Civil Guard officers, together with agents from US intelligence agency FBI, are searching a yacht owned by an oligarch with close ties to the Russian president Vladimir Putin, Spanish media report. They descended on the vessel at the Marina Real in the port of Palma de Mallorca, the capital of Spain’s Balearic Islands, this [...]
Partygate scandal: Government’s former ethics chief Helen MacNamara reportedly fined £50 over lockdown bash April 4, 2022 Helen MacNamara, who used to be the deputy cabinet secretary and former ethics chief for the government, is said to be among the first group of people to receive a fixed-penalty notice (FPN) from Scotland Yard as part of its investigation into alleged lockdown-breaching parties in Downing Street and Whitehall. The Daily Telegraph reported that [...]
Hospitality venues receive less than half of £635m Omicron support package April 4, 2022 Hospitality businesses in England received less than half of a £635m support package promised at the end of last year to make up for Omicron cancellations. Just £305m was paid out less than three weeks before the final cut off, analysis by the Altus Group revealed. The Treasury had announced one-off grants worth up to [...]
Cost of living squeeze deals financial crisis level blow to Brits’ optimism April 4, 2022 Brits’ optimism is eroding at the fastest pace since the financial crisis amid the tightest cost of living squeeze in a generation, reveals a closely watched survey released today. A combination of inflation scaling to its highest rate in three decades, tax hikes, swelling energy bills and weak wage growth have bound together to deal [...]
Russian Army pulls back as weekend fightback picks up: Ukrainian forces retake Kyiv suburbs despite fear of booby-traps April 2, 2022 Ukrainian forces are taking back suburbs and other areas surrounding capital Kyiv this weekend, and they have reportedly moved to retake territory north of the country’s capital amid fears that Russian forces might have set booby-traps before leaving. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned in his nightly video address hours earlier that departing Russian troops were [...]
Anger and indignation as Northern Ireland is branded the ‘begging bowl’ of the UK April 1, 2022 Northern Ireland is the “begging bowl corner” of the UK and should become fiscally responsible, politician Doug Beattie said this afternoon. In an address to business leaders, the UUP leader said Stormont parties have collectively failed to demonstrate their ability to manage the region’s finances. Beattie was addressing a pre-election event, hosted by the Northern [...]
Johnson says Ukrainian refugees can help ease UK labour shortages March 30, 2022 Tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees set to come to the UK will help ease the country’s labour shortages, Boris Johnson has said. The Prime Minister said “one of the problems our economy has” is “the need for more pairs of hands to do crucial jobs and one of the things the Ukrainians will be [...]
Randox delays release of audited results amid concerns over Covid procurement process March 30, 2022 Covid test maker Randox has delayed release of its audited results amid mounting scrutiny over the government’s decision to award it contracts worth almost £777m. The delay to publication comes after the UK’s public spending watchdog said the government failed to document the procurement process that led to Randox being awarded 22 government contracts for [...]
Canary Wharf to host Europe’s largest commercial lab under new deal March 30, 2022 Canary Wharf is anticipated to host the largest commercial wet lab in Europe, as part of a investment partnership unveiled today. The Canary Wharf Group and Kadans Science Partner have announced a joint venture today to develop the 750,000 square foot life-science focussed hub. While no figure has yet been put on the investment, City [...]
Chief execs in Boris Johnson’s position would fall on their sword for rule-breaking March 30, 2022 In the corporate world, there was a slightly different take on “party-gate” than the conventional wisdom of Westminster, which has waited for fines to be doled out to look again at allegations of wrongdoing during lockdowns. The invasion of Ukraine has, understandably, taken over as priority, but it should not be able to fly under [...]