Political News
Pound falls as Brussels warns talks likely to fail
The pound fell against the euro and the dollar after Ursula von der Leyen warned trade talks with the UK were likely to fail.
France fines Google $120m and Amazon $43m data protection breach
France’s data protection agency, the CNIL, issued fines against Google and Amazon for dropping so-called tracking cookies without consent.
EU unveils plan to avoid disruption in case of no-deal Brexit
The European Commission has drawn up contingency plans to ensure both transport links and fishing access can continue in the case of a no-deal Brexit.
Pound rises as UK-EU strike deal over Withdrawal Agreement
The pound strengthened on Tuesday after the UK agreed with the European Union to drop controversial clauses from the Internal Market Bill.
Barnier sets Wednesday as Brexit talks deadline - reports
The EU has set 9 December as its deadline for agreeing a Brexit trade agreement with both sides downbeat about the prospects for a deal, according to reports.
US preparing fresh sanctions on Chinese officials - report
Washington is looking to impose further sanctions on a number of Chinese officials over the political crackdown in Hong Kong, it was reported on Monday.
Johnson ready to scrap Brexit talks 'within hours' - report
The pound dropped against the euro and the dollar after Boris Johnson was reported to be close to pulling out of Brexit trade talks.
Treasury committee quizzes DMO on gilt sales
The UK's Debt Management Office is facing political scrutiny over whether it achieved the best price when selling more than £300bn of government bonds during the past decade.
UK govt slashes £1bn from rail infrastructure budget
The UK government on Friday said it had cut Britain’s rail infrastructure budget by £1bn after its spending review.
Investors pay 2.95% to lend UK £1bn in Gilts auction
Investors competed to pay the UK almost 3% to lend the country £1bn in the latest auction of gilt-edged bonds.
Iranian parliament approves bill to potentially end nuclear inspections
Iran gave preliminary approval to a draft legislation that could potentially end inspections of nuclear sites by the start of 2021.
Over-budget, delayed Crossrail gets another £825m lifeline
London’s delayed and over-budget Crossrail project has been given another £825m in government funding, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Tuesday.