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☆ Putin official compared Zelenskyy to Brad Pitt, said his image couldn't be trashed, says report
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementA Moscow official complained that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was like Hollywood actor Brad Pitt, a global star with an image that couldn't be sullied, the Washington Post reports. AdvertisementThe documents reveal the Kremlin's elaborate and persistent efforts to undermine Zelenskyy, per the Post's analysis. Internal Kremlin documents reveal a planned disinformation campaign to tarnish Zelenskyy's image and destabilize his leadership. Thousands of social media posts and fabricated articles flooded the online spaceThrough social media platforms and fake news articles, the Kremlin orchestrated a barrage of anti- Zelenskyy content. AdvertisementThe focus shifted to infiltrating Ukrainian social media landscapes, emphasizing platforms like Telegram, which had emerged as a critical news source.

Persons: Brad Pitt, —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Kevin Coombs, Zelenskyy, Valery Zaluzhny, Zaluzhny, Gen, Oleksandr Syrsky, Ursula von der Leyen, Viktor Kovalchuk, splintering, Zelensky Organizations: Putin, Washington, Service, Washington Post, Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, Zelenskyy, Kremlin, Reuters, Getty Locations: Kyiv, Ukrainian, Ukraine

☆ UK housing market shows new signs of strength - Nationwide
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A rainbow is seen over apartments in Wandsworth on the River Thames as UK house prices continue to fall, in London, Britain, August 26, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - British house prices rose unexpectedly in monthly terms for the third time running in November, adding to signs that the housing market downturn has abated, mortgage lender Nationwide said on Friday. House prices rose by 0.2% on the month in November, after a 0.9% increase in October. Compared with a year ago, house prices were 2% lower - the smallest such drop in nine months. "There has been a significant change in market expectations for the future path of Bank Rate in recent months which, if sustained, could provide much needed support for housing market activity," said Robert Gardner, chief economist at Nationwide.

Persons: Kevin Coombs, Robert Gardner, Andy Bruce, Sarah Young Organizations: REUTERS, Nationwide, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: Wandsworth, London, Britain

☆ Thousands expected to take part in pro-Palestinian rally in London
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

People protest on Vauxhall Bridge during a march in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in London, Britain, November 11, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters were expected to join a pro-Palestinian march in London on Saturday, with city police warning demonstrators that anyone deemed to be racist would be arrested at the rally. Hamas was expected to release 14 more hostages on Saturday, Egyptian security sources said, and Israel prepared to free 42 Palestinian prisoners on the second day of the truce. Police said on Friday more than 1,500 officers would be on duty this weekend to handle the protest. "This sets out that anyone who is racist or incites hatred against any group should expect to be arrested.

Persons: Kevin Coombs, Israel, Lindsey German, Ade Adelekan, Muvija, Helen Popper Our Organizations: Vauxhall, Hamas, REUTERS, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, PSC, Sky News . Police, Metropolitan, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, London, Britain, Palestine

☆ British investment managers get green light for tokenised funds
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Kevin Coombs/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 24 (Reuters) - British investment managers have got the go-ahead to develop tokenised funds, in which assets are split into smaller tokens backed by blockchain technology, the industry's trade body said on Friday. Tokenisation, or fractionalisation, of funds will enable a fund's assets to trade more cheaply and transparently and investors to buy into a wider range of assets, industry proponents say. Funds authorised by Britain's Financial Conduct Authority can take the first steps towards offering tokenised funds, provided the investments are in mainstream assets and valuation and settlement arrangements don't change, the Investment Association said in a statement. Scrimgeour is chair of a working group which is working with the FCA and Britain's finance ministry to open up opportunities for tokenised funds. Investment managers and exchanges in the United States, Europe and Asia have already taken tentative steps in offering tokenised funds.

Persons: Kevin Coombs, tokenisation, Michelle Scrimgeour, Scrimgeour, Carolyn Cohn, Elizabeth Howcroft, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Britain's Financial, Investment Association, Legal, General Investment Management, FCA, BlackRock, Investment, Thomson Locations: Canary Wharf, London, Britain, United States, Europe, Asia

☆ Morning Bid: UK inflation to test market's upbeat mood
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ten-year and two-year Treasury yields dropped 20 basis points and the dollar marked its steepest selloff in a year, highlighting how much markets' expectations - and cash - were riding on the data. A pivot from hikes to cuts is now priced for May in the interest rate futures markets, with a 30% chance it happens as soon as March. Expectations are for a big shift down for October, mainly due to falling energy prices, with annual headline inflation seen slipping below 5% for the first time since 2021. Chipmaker Infineon (IFXGn.DE) and troubled energy company Siemens Energy (ENR1n.DE) post earnings on Wednesday, although the latter's numbers are likely to be overshadowed by Tuesday's promise of an $8 billion government backstop from Germany. A drop is forecast, while a strong reading could dampen the exuberance over rate cut expectations.

Persons: Kevin Coombs, Tom Westbrook, Sterling, Al, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Tuesday's, Biden, Tom Wesbtrook, Edmund Klamann Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, CPI, Infineon, Siemens Energy, Alstom, Target, San Francisco Bay Area, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, East, Israel, Gaza, Al Jazeera, United States, China, Singapore, Germany, San Francisco Bay

☆ UK tells Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat to tighten rider account controls
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A man pushes a trolly of Coke cans as an Uber Eats rider passes by in Brick Lane in London, Britain, April 1, 2023. Food delivery companies make initial checks on those who want to work for them, ensuring their age and their legal right to work in Britain. Riders work for the meal delivery companies on a self employed basis that gives them a legal right to subcontract deliveries to a substitute. "This includes ensuring couriers are over the age of 18, carrying out basic criminal checks (DBS), and making sure they have the right to work in the UK." Deliveroo said it had "a zero tolerance approach" towards any rider who failed to meet their legal obligations.

Persons: Uber, Kevin Coombs, Robert Jenrick, Deliveroo, Sarah Young, Paul Sandle, William James, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, Office, Thomson Locations: Brick Lane, London, Britain

☆ UK regular pay growth slows for first time since January
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Private-sector regular pay - the component looked at most closely by the BoE - saw annual growth slow to 8.0% in the three months to August, from 8.1%. Regular pay, adjusted for CPI inflation, grew by an annual 0.7% in the three months to August. Reuters GraphicsSLUGGISH ECONOMYBank of England Chief Economist Huw Pill said on Monday that fast rates of nominal pay growth stood at odds with most other labour market measures, which have pointed to a slowing economy. The number of job vacancies in the three months to September fell to a two-year low of 988,000, Tuesday's data showed. Unemployment figures and other related labour market data will not be published until Oct. 24, after the ONS said on Friday it needed more time to take account of low response rates.

Persons: Kevin Coombs, BoE, James Smith, Jeremy Hunt, Rishi Sunak, Huw Pill, payrolls, Ashley Webb, Webb, Sachin Ravikumar, William Schomberg, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, LONDON, Bank of England, Britain's, National Statistics, Reuters, U.S, Bank, England's, ING, Private, of England, International Monetary, Capital Economics, Thomson Locations: Canary Wharf, London, Britain

☆ Citi warns UK staff of cuts as hundreds of roles could be affected - memo
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Anousha | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FILE PHOTO: Staff enter the Citigroup building in London's financial district of Canary Wharf November 18, 2008. “We anticipate that the reviews may lead to a reduction in roles in some parts of the business, and changes to some other roles. In some cases, colleagues may be placed at risk of redundancy,” James Bardick, UK Citi Country Officer, told employees in the memo seen by Reuters. Technology staff working on overlapping functions were also at risk of being laid off, Reuters reported. Kristine Braden, CEO of Citibank Europe, is leaving the company after 25 years as part the organisational change, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters.

Persons: Kevin Coombs, James Bardick, we’re, Jane Fraser, Bardick, Fraser, Kristine Braden Organizations: Citigroup, Reuters, Staff, REUTERS, Citi Country, Citi, Bankers, U.S, London Consultation, United States Citi, Technology, Citibank Locations: Canary, BRITAIN, Britain, North Ireland, North America, London, Belfast, Citibank Europe

The Viking Star cruise ship is moored at Greenwich with the City of London financial district in the distance, in London, Britain, August 29, 2023. It is absolutely the time for action over words," Alasdair Haynes, CEO of Aquis Exchange, a share trading platform, and chair of financial industry body TheCityUK's Business Council, told Reuters. The main problem for trade bodies is the vast scope of Britain's financial services industry, with each sub-sector and TheCityUK presenting their own reform priorities and ideas, often overlapping. In the meantime, top financial sector executives running global teams of bankers and traders are increasingly bewildered by Britain's inability to make faster progress on a matter of such economic significance. ELECTION LOOMINGSome senior financial industry sources say politics may hamper the City's reform agenda even further, with a general election expected next year.

Persons: Kevin Coombs, Alasdair Haynes, Jeremy Hunt, Nicholas Lyons, TheCityUK, ” Samuel Gregg, Richard Gardner, Huw Jones, Sinead Cruise, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Viking, City, REUTERS, London’s, Mayor, European Union, Aquis, Business, Reuters, Finance, stoke, of, Arm Holdings, Labour, Conservative, American Institute for Economic Research, Investment Funds Association, EU, Thomson Locations: Greenwich, London, Britain, Europe, Asia, United States, Edinburgh, of London, New York, Amsterdam, City, France

☆ Asking prices for UK homes pick up slightly despite summer slowdown: Rightmove
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A rainbow is seen over apartments in Wandsworth on the River Thames as UK house prices continue to fall, in London, Britain, August 26, 2023. Rightmove said average asking prices for homes increased by 0.4% from the sharp 1.9% drop in the month before, but below the ten-year average of a 0.6% rise in September. A closely-watched Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors report last week showed a sharp contraction in the market was underway. Rightmove said the number of home sales was down 7% compared with 2019, before the pandemic distorted the market. It said the rate of reduction in asking prices and the number of homes reduced in price hit the highest since January 2011.

Persons: Kevin Coombs, Rightmove, Tim Bannister, Bannister, Suban Abdulla Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of England, Royal Institution, Chartered Surveyors, Bank of England's, Nationwide, Thomson Locations: Wandsworth, London, Britain, Halifax

☆ After big GDP revision, UK statisticians seek faster data access
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A rainbow is seen over apartments in Wandsworth on the River Thames as UK house prices continue to fall, in London, Britain, August 26, 2023. A senior official at the Office for National Statistics asked Britain's statistics regulator to review the outcome of its upcoming work on how it revised its estimates of the swings in the economy around the coronavirus pandemic period. The ONS collects a lot of data itself through surveys of businesses and households, but relies on government departments and other agencies for certain numbers. On Friday, revised data from the ONS showed that Britain's economy performed more strongly than previously thought in its recovery from the pandemic and was ahead of other big European countries at the end of 2021 rather than lagging behind them. Reporting by William Schomberg; editing by David MillikenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kevin Coombs, Michael Keoghan, William Schomberg, David Milliken Organizations: REUTERS, Office, National Statistics, Statistics, Thomson Locations: Wandsworth, London, Britain

☆ UK pay deals cool for first time in 2023, easing pressure on BoE: XpertHR
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Median basic pay deals in the three months to the end of July fell to 5.7% following six consecutive quarters at a record 6%, human resources publication and data provider XpertHR said. Pay awards remained below the rate of inflation. Sheila Attwood, senior content manager at XpertHR, said pay awards had likely hit their peak and expects the gap between pay deals and inflation to narrow. However, official figures from the Office for National Statistics showed annual wage growth excluding bonuses rose to 7.8% in the three months to June, the highest in records going back to 2001. XpertHR said median pay awards for the public sector stood at 5% in the year to July, up from 3.2% in the year before.

Persons: Kevin Coombs, XpertHR, BoE, Sheila Attwood, Attwood, Suban Abdulla, Andy Bruce Organizations: REUTERS, Companies Bank of England, Bank of England, Office, National Statistics, Thomson Locations: Canary Wharf, London, Britain, XpertHR

☆ British pay awards still lag inflation, but hold at record 6%: XpertHR
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Britain's households have been grappling with the highest rate of consumer price inflation among the major rich economies. The latest inflation data is due to be published later on Wednesday. XpertHR said median pay deals for the public sector stood at 4.5% in the year to June. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last week offered wage increases of between 5% and 7% to several groups of public sector workers, to help settle months of public sector strikes. However, the pay rises were below Britain's inflation rate, and industrial action is still scheduled to take place over the coming weeks, with airport and public transport workers among others planning to walk out.

Persons: Kevin Coombs, Sheila Attwood, XpertHR, Rishi Sunak, Suban Abdulla, Andy Bruce Organizations: REUTERS, Kevin Coombs LONDON, Reuters, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: Canary Wharf, London, Britain, XpertHR

☆ 'Unloved, undervalued' UK stocks back in focus on Rishi Sunak stability hopes
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Britain's new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak walks past Larry the cat outside Downing Street, in London, Britain, October 25, 2022. "The fact that we have Rishi Sunak as prime minister is definitely calming on markets. We believe that it is under owned, it's unloved, undervalued, and there is some upside from here." Sunak in his inaugural speech outside Downing Street on Tuesday stressed the importance of "economic stability and confidence" while warning of "difficult decisions to come." Central to the potential stability narrative, as far as U.K. markets are concerned, is the assumption that the central bank will now be less aggressive in raising interest rates.

☆ Thousands of UK bus drivers plan strikes over pay - union
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An Arriva bus makes its way down a narrow street near Wouldham, Britain, December 20, 2021. REUTERS/Kevin CoombsLONDON, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Thousands of bus drivers in London and the neighbouring county of Kent plan to strike in a dispute over pay, the Unite union said, threatening further disruption to a transport system already facing walkouts by railway workers early next month. More than 2,000 drivers at bus operator Arriva will strike from Oct. 4 in London, Unite said on Wednesday, while 600 Kent-based staff employed by the same company will walk out on Sept. 30. read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterUnite said the strike by London bus drivers would run continuously until the dispute was resolved. "Arriva has totally failed to address the strength of feeling among our members as they see their rates of pay eroded.

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