British banks in Hong Kong have traded away their principles September 30, 2021 Hong Kong has been a crucial economic gateway between East and West for decades. As one of the biggest markets in the world, the city has punched well above its weight on the international business stage. With recent political and social upheaval and repression, however, that reputation is changing. Despite a shift in the global [...]
Screenshot: Can cinemas bring Brits back to the big screen? April 9, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: Every dog has its day **Can cinemas bring Brits back to the big screen? **Is Clubhouse really worth $4bn? Media Moment of the Week: Every dog has its day Doing a live piece to camera comes with risks, as any broadcast journalist will tell you. But one thing [...]
The influencer economy: online ranking systems are a purveyor of inequality August 13, 2021 To the victor the spoils. This well-known phrase might be thought to relate to the recent Olympics. Except that it is not a really accurate description of the Games themselves. True, the gold medallist gains more kudos than the silver or bronze. But at future athletics meets, for example, all three can expect an increase [...]
Robot lawyers aren’t the distant future – they’re real and will revolutionise trade September 29, 2021 Would you trust artificial intelligence to make your financial decisions? How about conducting legal services? In some areas it may already do so. As AI becomes more advanced and the world becomes more integrated, these technologies are reshaping the way we think of the global trade in services. Last week, the new Secretary of State for [...]
Rishi Sunak’s proximity to Johnson shot him to stardom but it could be his undoing January 20, 2022 Theresa May had a light smile on her lips as she expressed gratitude for the aviation industry and pressed the Prime Minister on his plans to drop testing rules for international travel. The one time Prime Minister was not the only Tory MP grateful for the joy of flight: Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, and [...]
Smacron! French president slapped in the face during walkabout June 8, 2021 He’s not the first and won’t be the last, but Emmanuel Macron has become the latest politician to discover that interactions with the public don’t always go to plan. Whilst on a walkabout earlier today outside the small south-western city of Vallence, Macron was slapped in the face as he shook hands with a group [...]
Business of Space: Space junk, a new Martian aurora and a boost for British tech April 29, 2022 City A.M.’s Millie Turner offers up a roundup of the most important news across the space industry, every Friday. This week: Space junk – an escalating issue A new Martian aurora Investment in British space tech Space junk is getting out of control The soaring number of satellite constellations planned by Elon Musk’s Starlink, taxpayer backed OneWeb and raft of [...]
Internet outage: What is Fastly and how can a glitch bring down the world’s biggest websites? June 8, 2021 The internet was plunged into a temporary blackout this morning as thousands of websites were hit by a global outage. Some of the world’s biggest news sites, including the BBC, Guardian and Financial Times, were hit by the glitch, as well as streaming service Spotify, ecommerce giant Amazon social media platform Reddit and even the [...]
Three Christmas presents for a Cabinet that lacks political grip December 22, 2021 At this time of the year hapless members of the Cabinet, and even the Prime Minister himself, are entitled to some charity. We might usefully consider the gifts we would put under their trees on Christmas morning. Top of the list could well be both a Peloton and a deckchair. Sarah Healey, permanent secretary at [...]
‘Humanitarian catastrophe’ looming in Ukraine as Russia attacks men, women and children, UK envoy warns March 1, 2022 Ukraine is on the brink of a “humanitarian catastrophe”, Britain’s UN Ambassador Dame Barbara Woodward has warned an emergency meeting of the Security Council. As Russia continues its assault on the eastern European country, Dame Barbara was among those at the UN to accuse the Kremlin of launching “indiscriminate attacks against men, women and children” [...]