EU referendum: Coalition of left-wing politicians including Yanis Varoufakis and John McDonnell make the case against Brexit May 28, 2016 A coalition of left-leaning politicians and commentators will unveil a new plan to stay in the European Union today in London with a day of "workshops and interactive sessions" they hope will inspire young people to vote. The group, organised under the banner, "Another Europe is Possible", includes Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell, the Green [...]
As the EU says 20 per cent of Netflix content should be made in the European Union, is this a good reason to back Brexit? May 26, 2016 Len Shackleton, professor of economics at the University of Buckingham and fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs, says Yes. A quota for tedious German family sagas or subsidised reworkings of Napoleon’s triumphs, compulsorily advertised on the Netflix homepage, may not itself drive voters to Brexit. But attempting to regulate video-on-demand is symptomatic of the Commission’s ever-expanding [...]
Greek bailout deal: Details, reaction and next steps May 25, 2016 At 2am this morning, the final 'i's were being dotted and 't's being crossed on the latest stage of the multi-billion euro bailout of Greece. It may have felt like a slog for the finance ministers gathered in Brussels, but they have long memories, and the events of last summer – endless nights, referendums, broken promises [...]
RMT’s vote for a strike over Night Tube will be Sadiq Khan’s first test as mayor of London May 25, 2016 Well, that parade has been been well and truly rained upon. At the start of this week, TfL announced – to widespread cheers – that the long-promised Night Tube would (finally) launch in August. That promise remains on track, but yesterday the sense of triumph was darkened by the prospect of more strikes. The RMT, [...]
Is the Stock Spirits activist investor rebellion an omen of things to come? May 24, 2016 The shareholder showdown that has broken out between Stock Spirits and family office Western Gate Private Investments in the last two months may seem unusual from the outside. Western Gate Private Investments, led by Portuguese tycoon Luis Amaral, is an almost 10 per cent shareholder in the European drinks company. It successfully overrode the board to appoint [...]
Here’s what got us talking this week May 20, 2016 We had a glimpse of the future (at least as far as house prices are concerned) and found some of us would be in a fight to the end with robots. And we learned stress wasn't always a bad thing – which is just as well because it's not just prosecco that's getting more expensive just in [...]
Grexit threat fades as Greece records multi-billion euro surplus May 19, 2016 Greece recorded a budget surplus of €2.4bn (£1.8bn) in the first four months of 2016, in the latest sign that the country's bailout programme is on track. The surplus in Greece's central government primary budget smashed its own target of around €500m off the back of lower spending by the Syriza-led administration. Spending was more than €2bn below [...]
Airline and holiday operators’ share prices fall in wake of missing EgyptAir MS804 flight May 19, 2016 Shares in airlines and holiday operators were suffering this morning in the wake of what appears to be another potential disaster involving a passenger jet. EgyptAir flight MS804 went missing overnight as it was travelling between Paris and Cairo, with 56 passengers and a further 10 crew and security members on board. Three of the people [...]
Don’t give in to the Twitter mob: Social media is too often just an echo chamber May 18, 2016 Greater Manchester Police staged a simulated terror attack in the Trafford Centre last week. As with many real life atrocities, the carnage began with the mock-bomber crying “Allahu Akbar!” Following a storm of protest on Twitter, the police felt forced to apologise. Almost at the same time, a frenzied chorus rose up demanding the resignation [...]
Boss of security firm at heart of Old Trafford fake bomb gaffe hits back as United stand firm on need for abandonment May 16, 2016 The boss of the security firm at the centre of the fake bomb saga which forced the abandonment of Manchester United’s clash with Bournemouth has hit back by saying there was no need to evacuate the stadium. Old Trafford was emptied 20 minutes prior to kick-off on Sunday after a suspect package, which transpired to be a mobile [...]