Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin: HS2 fight “has been won” – work to start in next two years June 2, 2015 The £50bn battle over HS2 has been won and work on the project will begin in two years, according to transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin. During a speech in Leeds, McLoughlin said the controversial high speed trainline will be built in full, as the government had received a “massive vote of confidence” when it won the [...]
European stocks feel the pressure after Greek minister says default is on the horizon and Spain’s ruling party is punished at the polls May 25, 2015 European stocks are feeling the latest shockwaves from Greece. Yesterday Greece’s interior minister said that the country wouldn’t be able to pay the €1.6bn (£1.1bn) it owes the IMF next month. To add to the jitters, the ruling Popular Party (PP) in Spain was hammered at the polls, with smaller, ant-establishment parties doing well. The [...]
After banning Uber in Guangzhou, the Chinese government is starting its own online taxi service in the city May 25, 2015 The Chinese city of Guangzhou may have banned Uber, but that hasn’t stopped its municipal government setting up its own, strikingly similar, online taxi company. The new company will be named Ruyue, which means “by appointment”. Uber was shut down in the city a matter of weeks ago, after authorities raided its offices, murmuring about [...]
Patrick Drahi’s Altice and John Malone’s Charter Communications are fighting to take over Time Warner Cable May 25, 2015 Time Warner Cable (TWC), one of the biggest US cable companies, could become the subject of a takeover clash. John Malone, a US cable tycoon who owns Charter Communications, and France’s Altice are vying to buy TWC for $48bn (£31bn), sources told the Financial Times. Discussions are said to be ongoing through the weekend, with [...]
EU referendum: Over one million migrants will be barred from voting May 25, 2015 Over 1m European migrants living in Britain will not be able to vote in the EU referendum, unless they qualify to vote in General Elections David Cameron has decided. The prime minister’s move will placate some Eurosceptics on the right of the Conservative party, who were afraid voting restrictions would follow the looser rules of [...]
Greece has no money to pay the IMF this June, says interior minister Nikos Voutsis May 24, 2015 Greece’s interior minister has said that the country cannot afford its 5 June payment to the International Monetary Fund. Greece owes the IMF €1.6bn (£1.1bn) in June, but Nikos Voutsis said on Greek TV that Athens simply doesn’t have the money to pay: The four instalments for the IMF in June are €1.6bn, this money [...]
The SNP wants 16 year olds to vote in EU referendum, says party’s Westminster leader Angus Robertson May 24, 2015 Young people aged 16 and 17 years old should be given the chance to vote in a EU referendum, according to the SNP. Angus Robertson, the party’s leader in Westminster, wrote in the Guardian that the SNP would fight for an amendment to the EU referendum bill allowing youngsters the same chance to vote as [...]
Who would have won the Eurovision Song Contest if the result was based only on the telephone vote? May 24, 2015 Who would have won the Eurovision Song Contest if we only counted the popular vote? The voting process, in most cases, is split in two. A jury of four panel members from each country votes to rank the songs, and the viewers at home do the same. The votes are then aggregated to give an [...]
Ireland votes Yes to gay marriage May 24, 2015 Ireland has become the first country to vote for the legalisation of same-sex marriage. The Yes vote in the Republic won handily, garnering 62 per cent of the support. This is a socially significant step for Ireland; the Catholic church has held great sway there, and its line of the referendum was, predictably, that its [...]
Labour has performed a U-turn on the EU membership referendum, as Cameron prepares legislation May 24, 2015 Labour has performed a balletic U-turn this morning, abandoning its opposition to EU membership referendum. Harriet Harman, the acting leader of the party, has given David Cameron a boost by saying her party will vote in favour of the Conservative’s bill, which would see a vote on the UK’s EU membership before the end of [...]
