EU referendum: Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis says UK will only vote to stay in the EU out of fear of the unknown February 15, 2016 While he hopes it is not, former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis fears that "we may be experiencing the European Union's disintegration". Writing in Quora, Varoufakis said that on a political level the disintegration of Europe is seen everywhere, citing the British referendum as one example. "At the political level, on multiple issues, the EU's disintegration is [...]
New surge in Russia-Ukraine tensions as both countries block transit February 15, 2016 Ukrainian trucks have been banned from Russia, in retaliation to the blocking of Russian vehicles in Ukraine, said Russia's transport ministry. “The measures will be in place until a settlement of issues of illegal blocking of Russian auto vehicles on the Ukrainian territory by the Ukrainian side,” the ministry said in a prepared statement cited by [...]
EU referendum: HSBC’s Paris pledge reveals that Brexit poses a number of risks for the City, including the regulatory environment and access to the open market February 15, 2016 The truth is, we don't know what it would mean for the City if the United Kingdom votes for Brexit. There are too many uncertainties. That's one reason why HSBC has said today that it could shift as many as 1,000 jobs from London to Paris if the UK leaves the EU. But the impact could be [...]
Bosnia and Herzegovina applies for EU membership February 15, 2016 Bosnia and Herzegovina applied for EU membership today. If accepted, it will become the 29th member state in the union, which the country hopes will boost its economic and political standing. The country, which has a tumultuous history of conflict during its time as part of the former Yugoslavia, undertook an ambitious package of reforms last [...]
EU referendum: HSBC could move 1,000 jobs to Paris in the event of a Brexit February 15, 2016 HSBC might not be relocating its headquarters to Hong Kong – but the bank could shift as many as 1,000 investment bank jobs to its Paris office if Britain leaves the EU. Only last night the bank revealed it was staying put after months of uncertainty over its future in London. It noted that the UK was [...]
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will have to quit by 2020, warns GMB leader Sir Paul Kenny February 15, 2016 Jeremy Corbyn will have to resign as leader of the Labour party by the 2020 General Election as he is failing to provide a "credible alternative" to the Conservative party, a top union leader has warned. General secretary of the GMB Union Sir Paul Kenny said that Corbyn never actually "wanted to win" the leadership [...]
EU referendum: Former Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond and Ukip leader Nigel Farage agree to debate February 15, 2016 As the referendum on the UK's membership of the EU nears, leader of the UK Independence Party Nigel Farage and former Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond have agreed to go head to head in a debate. The former First Minister of Scotland said he would be "delighted" to take on Farage ahead of the [...]
Budget 2016: Anti-smoking restrictions lobby group Forest calls on chancellor George Osborne to avoid hiking tobacco duty in next month’s Budget February 15, 2016 Campaigners have warned George Osborne not to hike tobacco taxes in next month’s Budget, as they step up their fight to end automatic yearly increases to the levy on cigarettes. Forest, a lobby group which campaigns against measures to restrict smoking in the UK, has urged the chancellor to abandon the “escalator” system, which increases [...]
Audit watchdog’s new powers signal shift February 15, 2016 The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is still dealing with the fallout from the financial crisis. The accountancy regulator has attracted criticism recently for its decision not to investigate KPMG over its role in the collapse of banking giant HBOS in 2008. Chief executive Stephen Haddrill is in the middle of drafting a response to the chairman [...]
Treasury is saddling British businesses with £29bn in extra costs from National Living Wage (NLW), apprenticeship levy and business rates – Confederation of British Industry (CBI) February 15, 2016 British businesses will be hit with a bill for almost £30bn in additional costs as a result of government policies including the National Living Wage (NLW) and the apprenticeship levy. The flagship schemes, along with the existing business rates regime, will cost British businesses around £9bn every year by 2020-21, according to new analysis out [...]
