Finance chiefs desert Saudi business summit as backlash to missing journalist intensifies October 16, 2018 The global boycott of a high-profile Saudi investor conference gathered pace yesterday as the bosses of JP Morgan, Ford, Blackstone and BlackRock led an executive exodus following the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The US resident and critic of the Saudi government has not been seen since entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October. [...]
No deal ‘more likely than ever’ says EU as Theresa May is given another chance to sell her Brexit plan October 15, 2018 Theresa May will be given one final chance to sell her Brexit plan to the EU on Wednesday – with a warning from Brussels that no deal is “more likely than ever before”. European Council president Donald Tusk has invited the Prime Minister to address her EU counterparts in a bid to persuade them to [...]
Theresa May refuses to set end date for when the UK will leave the EU customs union October 15, 2018 Theresa May today repeatedly refused to guarantee when the UK would stop being part of the EU’s customs union if a trade deal wasn’t completed by December 2020. Speaking to MPs 24 hours after Brexit talks seemed to breakdown in Brussels, the Prime Minister was asked to set a date for when her so-called ‘backstop’ [...]
It’s Google versus Facebook in the fight for video dominance October 15, 2018 There’s a battle brewing online. In search of more views, users, and lucrative ad money, Facebook wants to take on Google and steal YouTube’s crown as the dominant video platform. The social media giant is fighting on two fronts. It launched its first assault last year with Facebook Watch, a platform effectively identical to [...]
Stand up to EU ‘bullies’, Boris Johnson tells Prime Minister after Brexit negotiations stall October 15, 2018 Boris Johnson today called on the Prime Minister to push back against the EU “bullies” following the collapse of Brexit talks between the UK and the bloc. The former foreign secretary claimed that negotiations are in the “moment of crisis” and warned that Theresa May must “stand up to bullies” as he applies pressure to [...]
British support for the House of Saud cannot be unconditional October 15, 2018 When Theresa May welcomed Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Downing Street earlier this year, an official statement declared that the two countries would work together to promote “universal human rights.” At the time, this form of words jarred with the reality of life in the oil rich kingdom. Today, in the aftermath [...]
Downing Street: Theresa May will rule out a customs union if no Brexit deal is reached October 12, 2018 Downing Street said today that Theresa May would never agree to a permanent customs union with the EU, as the Prime Minister attempts to set cabinet ministers at ease over the Brexit negotiations. “The Prime Minister would never agree to a deal which would trap the UK in a backstop permanently,” a spokeswoman told the [...]
Turkish court ends US pastor’s house arrest, allowing him to leave country October 12, 2018 A Turkish court has allowed US pastor Andrew Brunson to be freed from house arrest and leave the country, putting an end to two-year long case which saw the US impose heavy sanctions on Turkey. Brunson was freed from house arrest in Izmir, Turkey this afternoon, and is now able to leave the country immediately. A Turkish prosecutor had called [...]
London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey faces fresh wave of criticism over teenage pregnancy remarks October 12, 2018 Conservative London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey has faced fresh criticism after comments he made about contraception and teenage pregnancy came to light this week. Bailey said that the act of giving young people access to condoms and abortion services "normalise[s] sex" and pushes them towards a life of crime. "You have had local authorities up and [...]
RBS shares jump as it prepares to pay shareholders its first dividend since the financial crisis October 12, 2018 Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is set to pay its first dividend since the financial crisis, it said today. The dividend of 2p per share will be its first since 2008, when it nearly went bankrupt, forcing the government to buy up its stock. Read more: RBS introduces 1.5 per cent savings rate days after [...]