EU confirms no fines for Spain and Portugal over budget deficits August 9, 2016 Spain and Portugal will not be fined for breaking the EU's budget rules, it was confirmed today. European leaders have accepted the recommendation to let the countries off with a slap on the wrist, rather than impose a financial penalty which could have been equivalent to 0.2 per cent of GDP. Under the EU's stability and growth pact, members of [...]
India risks squandering its hard-won gains if it abandons monetary policy discipline August 8, 2016 Speculation is building over who will replace Raghuram Rajan, the much-admired governor of India’s central bank, amid growing expectations that an announcement will be made soon. Rajan, one of India’s key reform figures, is stepping down in September. His three-year term wasn’t extended despite his important role in helping restore investors’ faith in the way [...]
Hope for Brazil: Away from the Olympics, it’s politically troubled with a crumbling economy, but can Brazil turn a corner? August 8, 2016 The Rio Olympics have got off to a great start, but this year’s host country has largely been in the news for all the wrong reasons. The spreading of the Zika virus is a worrying development for Brazilian authorities, who are firefighting on several fronts, including corruption probes and a troubled economy It wasn’t like this when [...]
Donald Trump announces plans for tax change and axe to regulation during economic renewal speech August 8, 2016 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has announced an official change in his top rate tax proposal, lifting it in line with the House Republicans proposals. The billionaire said he would change the top rate tax proposal to 33 per cent from 25 per cent during a speech in Detroit about “economic renewal”. Promising a tax overhaul, [...]
Row between unions and EDF over Hinkley delay ramps up August 8, 2016 French unions have said that the EDF's approval of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant isn’t valid, dealing another blow to the firm in their battle over the project's affordability. They said all of the French utility giant’s board members should have been made aware of the UK government’s intention to delay its decision on Hinkley, after [...]
China dominates top spots in Global Cities 30 index while London’s place slides on Brexit vote August 8, 2016 China has claimed three of the top five spots in an inaugural Global Cities 30 index, while London has slipped from its intended fourth spot to 10th following the vote to leave the EU. Shanghai was crowned the top global city in the list, compiled by real estate fund Schroders out of an analysis of 161 cities, [...]
The number of people visiting France has fallen August 7, 2016 The number of people visiting France from abroad has fallen in the wake of terrorist attacks in the country. Tourism minister Matthias Fekl said the number of foreign visitors has declined by 10 per cent in the first six months of the year, compared to the same time last year, and that trend continued into July. The capital [...]
Russian athletes to be barred from Rio 2016 Paralympics August 6, 2016 Russian athletes are to be banned from taking part in the Paralympic Games in Rio later this month. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has suspended Russian athletes provisionally in response to the report from Professor Richard McLaren that uncovered the extent of doping in Russia, according to the Observer. Read more: The most marketable athletes at the 2016 Olympic and [...]
Donald Trump finally backs US house speaker Paul Ryan August 6, 2016 Donald Trump has ended his political stand-off with Paul Ryan, endorsing the US House speaker in a speech on Friday. The Republican presidential nominee had previously said he would not back Ryan's bid to become re-elected as House Speaker, but reversed his position at a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, saying: "We may disagree on a [...]
Bumper US jobs report sends S&P 500 to record high and brings rate rise into view August 5, 2016 The US economy added 255,000 jobs in July in the second blockbuster month for employment, raising the prospect of an interest rate rise and sending the S&P 500 to a new record high. Official non-farm payroll data published this afternoon also showed average wages grew by 2.6 per cent on an annualised basis, the same rate in June, but [...]