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☆ Notoriously scruffy Sam Bankman-Fried gets a makeover for his criminal trial with a new haircut and suit
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Sam Bankman-Fried reportedly got a haircut from a fellow inmate for the first day of his criminal trial. The disgraced crypto entrepreneur is famous for his messy hair and casual dress sense. AdvertisementAdvertisementSam Bankman-Fried is famous for his unkempt curls and casual dress sense – but for the first day of his criminal trial in court, he brushed up his image. Bankman-Fried reportedly entered the courtroom with a new close-cut haircut and a freshly-pressed suit, according to CNBC. Sam Bankman-Fried is famous for his casual dress sense.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, SBF, —, Caroline Ellison, Gary Wong, FTX's, Lam Yik, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Anthony Scaramucci Organizations: Service, CNBC, Alameda Research, Bloomberg, Getty, British Locations: Brooklyn, Alameda, Bahamas

☆ A judge gave permission for Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyers to give him suits, ties, and 'appropriate undergarments' to wear at his trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A judge approved a request for Sam Bankman-Fried to wear business attire in court. Judges often allow jailed inmates to wear suits to avoid possible juror bias if they wore prison uniform. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe judge overseeing the trial of Sam Bankman-Fried approved a request on Wednesday for the FTX founder to wear business attire in court. Now behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center, his lawyers submitted a proposed order on Tuesday which asked Kaplan to allow Bankman-Fried to wear "business attire clothing." Judges often let jailed inmates wear business attire in court, because wearing a prison uniform could prejudice the jury.

Persons: Sam Bankman, —, Fried, Lewis Kaplan, Bankman, Kaplan, Fatih Aktas, YUKI IWAMURA, Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, Blair, Anthony Scaramucci, Scaramucci Organizations: Service, Metropolitan Detention Center, US Marshals Service, MDC, Anadolu Agency, Getty, British, Forbes, SkyBridge Locations: Bahamas, Manhattan, AFP, Rome

☆ Harry Styles, Bjork and celebrating fashion’s rebels
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Zoe Whitfield | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Bjork wearing a Marjan Pejoski swan dress — complete with egg, laid on the red carpet — to the 2001 Academy Awards in Los Angeles. “Christopher Kane’s amazing neon dresses were made of lace, lingerie and elastic bought at a market in east London,” she explained. Style.com, as a resource, had a huge impact – immediately designers could understand how many people they were reaching,” said Lewin. Those technological shifts had an enormous impact.”The exhibition features clothing and fashion ephemera from the past 30 years. “Same as every other creative industry, changes in the education system and the cost of living have ripple effects on the way designers function within a city like London,” she said.

Persons: Newgen, Tony Blair, ’, Porter, Bjork, Wally Skalij, Rebecca Lewin —, Sarah Mower —, “ Lee McQueen, ”, Lewin, Alexander McQueen, Andy Stagg, Grace Wales Bonner, JW Anderson, Kim Jones, Mary Katrantzou, Duro Olowu, Richard Quinn, Simone Rocha, McQueen’s, Simon Ungless, Lee, Martine Rose, Charles Jeffrey’s, Nasir Mazhar, Harikrishnan Keezhathil Surendran Pillai, HARRI, Daley’s Liverpool, Steven Stokey, Daley, Pejoski, Sam Smith, Harry Styles, Singer Sam Smith, “ Christopher, you’ve, ‘ Organizations: London CNN, London, Los Angeles Times, Vogue, CNN, British Fashion Council, BFC, Ritz, Central Saint Martins, University of Westminster, London College of Fashion, BRIT, Design Museum Locations: British, Britain, Iraq, Los Angeles, London, Central Saint, India, Macedonia, “

☆ Rupert Murdoch has been watching too much 'Succession,' Brian Cox — the actor who played Logan Roy — joked as he weighed in on the media tycoon stepping down
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Brian Cox spoke with the BBC about his thoughts on Rupert Murdoch stepping back from chair of News Corp.Cox recounted how Murdoch's son-in-law once asked if the "Succession" writers could "be a bit nicer." Cox, who played a character inspired by Murdoch, criticized the tycoon's ability to "manipulate" politics. Murdoch announced last Thursday he was stepping down from running Fox and News Corp, and handing the reins to his eldest son, Lachlan Murdoch. "I think he's been watching too much 'Succession,' clearly," Cox joked of Murdoch's decision, in the BBC interview. "He's probably the most tenacious human on God's earth," Cox said of Murdoch.

Persons: Brian Cox, Rupert Murdoch, Cox, Murdoch's, Murdoch, Lachlan Murdoch, didn't, Jerry Hall, ‘, Logan Roy, Elisabeth Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch's, Tony Blair, David Cameron, Rishi Sunak, He's Organizations: BBC, News Corp, Service, Fox, 9AM, Daily Telegraph, Corp Locations: Wall, Silicon, Scottish

LONDON (AP) — Before he hit America, Rupert Murdoch ripped through Britain’s media like a tornado. But politicians from both right and left courted and feared Murdoch, who added The Times and Sunday Times to his stable in 1981. Like other politicians, Blair denied giving Murdoch anything in return for his support — though plenty of skeptics doubted that. For now, Rupert Murdoch remains a magnet for the powerful, and those who seek power, in Britain. The guest list for his summer party in June included Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, many members of his Cabinet and opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer.

Persons: Rupert Murdoch, Lachlan, Murdoch, Boris Johnson, “, Nathan Sparkes, Murdoch “, Jeremy Corbyn, Jeremy Hunt, Britain’s, couldn’t, ”, Jacques Delors, Margaret Thatcher, Thatcher’s, John Major, Sun wot, Tony Blair’s, Blair, ” Blair, Andy Coulson, Prince Harry, Lachlan Murdoch, Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer, James, Kathryn Murdoch Organizations: Fox, News Corp, Times, ”, Labour Party, Treasury, LBC, BBC, European, Argentine, Liverpool, Sunday Times, Thatcher’s Conservative, Sun, Blair’s Labour Party, Murdoch’s News Corp, The Sun, Sky Television, Premier League soccer, Sports, BSkyB, Comcast, AP Locations: London, Australian, Britain, British, Hillsborough, ___

☆ Finland's Ex-PM Marin to Join Blair Think Tank, Leave Parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland's former Prime Minister Sanna Marin, who narrowly lost an election in April and stepped down from the leadership of her party last week, plans to leave parliament and join the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, she said on Thursday. Based on her new position, Marin is formally asking permission to resign from parliament, her centre-left Social Democrats party said. The London-based policy think tank is led by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. "I feel that this assignment is such that it will benefit the whole of Finland as well," Marin told reporters. Marin was the world's youngest prime minister when she took office in 2019 aged 34, attracting attention around the globe and helping lift Finland's profile at a turbulent time.

Persons: Sanna Marin, Tony Blair, Marin, Anne Kauranen, Terje Solsvik, Frances Kerry Organizations: Tony, Tony Blair Institute for Global, Social, British, NATO Locations: HELSINKI, London, Finland, COVID, Ukraine

☆ Finland's ex-PM Marin to join Blair think tank, leave parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO-Finland's Social Democrats Party Chair, former Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin waves from the stage before her resignation speech at the Party Congress of the Socialdemocrats of Finland in Jyvaskyla, Finland, September 1, 2023. Based on her new position, Marin is formally asking permission to resign from parliament, her centre-left Social Democrats party said. The London-based policy think tank is led by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. "I feel that this assignment is such that it will benefit the whole of Finland as well," Marin told reporters. Marin was the world's youngest prime minister when she took office in 2019 aged 34, attracting attention around the globe and helping lift Finland's profile at a turbulent time.

Persons: Marin, Ulander, Sanna Marin, Tony Blair, Anne Kauranen, Terje Solsvik, Frances Kerry Organizations: Finland's Social, Chair, Party Congress, REUTERS, Rights, Tony, Tony Blair Institute for Global, Social, British, NATO, Thomson Locations: Finland, Jyvaskyla, London, COVID, Ukraine

☆ Mohamed al-Fayed, ex-Harrods owner whose son died with Princess Diana, dead at 94
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, al-Fayed began his career selling fizzy drinks and then worked as a sewing-machine salesman. Al-Fayed died on Wednesday, his family said, a day before the 26th anniversary of Dodi and Diana's death. After a quarter of century of ownership, al-Fayed sold Harrods to Qatar's sovereign wealth fund in 2010. DIANA AND DODIThat summer, al-Fayed's son Dodi began a relationship with Princess Diana, who had divorced Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne. Dodi and Diana were pictured by British tabloids on holiday on a yacht in the south of France.

Persons: Diana's, Mohamed al, Fayed, Princess Diana, –, Diana, Dodi, Prince Philip, Mohamed Al Fayed, Mohamed, sequined, Michael Jackson, Eye, Roland, Tiny, Rowland, al, sleaze, Tony Blair, DIANA, Prince Charles, Mercedes, Blair, Sarah, I'm, Andrew MacAskill, Nilutpal, Giles Elgood, Rosalba O'Brien, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Fulham FC, Ritz, Harrods, Fulham, HARRODS, Department of Trade, Conservatives, Labour, Paris, Thomson Locations: Paris LONDON, Harrods, Egyptian, Alexandria, al, Europe, Fulham, Paris, Britain, France, British, Egypt, Al, Pont, London, Bengaluru

☆ Former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed, whose son was killed in crash with Princess Diana, dies at 94
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Mohamed Al Fayed during Dodi Al Fayed and Diana Memorial Unveiled at Harrods at Harrods in London, Great Britain. (Photo by David Lodge/FilmMagic)Mohamed Al Fayed, former owner of the famed Harrods department store in London whose son was killed in a car crash with Princess Diana, has died, his family said Friday. Al Fayed, a self-made Egyptian businessman who also once owned the Fulham Football Club, was devastated by the death of son Dodi Fayed in the car crash in Paris with Princess Diana 26 years ago. Al Fayed was also a key player in the "cash for questions" scandal that roiled British politics in the 1990s. Al Fayed applied for British citizenship, but his application was rejected in both 1995 and 1998.

Persons: Mohamed Al Fayed, Dodi Al Fayed, Diana Memorial, David Lodge, Princess Diana, Al Fayed, Dodi Fayed, Mohamed, ″, ″ Al Fayed, Dodi, Diana, Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II, Philip, Prince Charles, Tony Blair, Diana's, Sarah McCorquodale, Tiny, Rowland, Fraser, Neil Hamilton, Hamilton, Desmond Browne, Fayed, Al Fayed's, Sunday Times Rich Organizations: Harrods, Fulham Football Club, Fulham, London, CIA, Department of Trade, Industry, Ritz, Sunday Times Locations: Harrods, London , Great Britain, London, Paris, British, Alexandria, Egypt, Britain, Al

CNN —Veteran British broadcaster Michael Parkinson has died at the age of 88, his former employer the BBC reported Thursday, citing a statement from his family. “After a brief illness Sir Michael Parkinson passed away peacefully at home last night in the company of his family,” the statement said, according to the BBC. Parkinson interviewed many of the world’s most famous people on his long-running show, which launched in 1971. Michael Parkinson interviewing actress Bette Davis in October 1975. Mirren and Parkinson appeared on another show together in 2008, the TV host told the BBC, and “laughed like two intelligent human beings.”

Persons: Michael Parkinson, Sir Michael Parkinson, Parkinson, Muhammad Ali, John Lennon, Elton John, Nelson Mandela, Judi Dench, Tim Davie, ”, ” “, Michael, ” Davie, Bette Davis, Don Smith, ” Parkinson, Ali, Tony Blair, Victoria Beckham, David, “, Nick Robinson, Stephen Fry, Helen Mirren, Mirren Organizations: CNN — Veteran, BBC, Radio Times, British, Daily Telegraph Locations: CNN — Veteran British, Iraq, Parkinson’s, prat

☆ The Return of Tony Blair
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Stephen Castle | More About Stephen Castle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A decade and a half after Tony Blair left Downing Street, one issue still defines the former British prime minister in the eyes of many Britons: his disastrous decision to join the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. When Mr. Blair was given a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II last year, more than a million people signed a petition demanding the honor be rescinded. Today, with the Labour opposition sensing rising power under the stewardship of its leader, Keir Starmer, Mr. Blair is suddenly, and rather remarkably, back in favor. For Mr. Starmer, embracing Mr. Blair sends a political message, underscoring Labour’s shift to the center. But the former prime minister also has charisma and communication skills that Mr. Starmer lacks, assets that could be useful as a general election approaches.

Persons: Tony Blair, Blair, Queen Elizabeth II, Keir Starmer, Starmer Organizations: British, Labour Party, Labour, Tony, Tony Blair Institute for Global Locations: U.S, Iraq

☆ AI is going to eliminate way more jobs than anyone realizes
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Emil Skandul | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

We didn't see the internet coming, but AI is within viewThe adoption of groundbreaking technology is often hard to predict. The World Economic Forum estimated 83 million jobs worldwide would be lost over the next five years because of AI, with 69 million jobs created — that leaves 14 million jobs that will cease to exist during that timeframe. In the US, the knowledge-worker class is estimated to be nearly 100 million workers, one out of three Americans. The small and large compounding effects of productivity growth across many industries are central to the growth trajectory and the long-run effects of AI. This is an alarmingly trivial amount for an economy of $25 trillion GDP and over 150 million workers.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Joseph Schumpeter, Bill Gates, David Letterman, Paul Krugman, Erik Brynjolfsson, —, Brynjolfsson, Robert Solow, Robert Gordon, provocatively, It's, Gordon, David Autor, Maria Flynn, Flynn, –, Georgia –, Emil Skandul, Tony Blair Organizations: McKinsey, Newsweek, Stanford University, Microsoft, Amazon, Cisco, Economic, International Labor Organization, Organization for Economic Co, Development, MIT, Congressional, Office, Department of Labor, Tony Blair Institute Locations: Washington, Singapore, New York, Georgia

☆ UK Labour leader defends plan to stick with two-child welfare cap
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 18 (Reuters) - Britain's opposition Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer on Tuesday defended his pledge to keep a controversial limit on welfare support payments for children if his party wins a general election expected next year. Starmer, whose party enjoys a double-digit lead over the Conservatives in opinion polls, is trying to convince voters that Labour would not be reckless with government money. The Conservatives have accused Labour of being reckless with public money and Starmer's comments are seen as an attempt to avoid that criticism. Starmer, at the event in London organised by former prime minister Tony Blair, said the economic turmoil during last year's brief premiership of Liz Truss underlined the need for careful spending. Truss was forced to resigned after six weeks as prime minister after announcing a series of unfunded tax cuts that shattered Britain's reputation for financial stability.

Persons: Keir Starmer, Starmer, Tony Blair, Liz Truss, Truss, Andrew MacAskill, William James Our Organizations: Labour Party, Labour, Conservative Party, Poverty, Thomson Locations: London

☆ Uxbridge by-election: In Boris Johnson's back yard, Britons are desperate for a change
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

A mid-term by-election to replace Johnson is taking place on Thursday, alongside two other by-elections to replace MPs elsewhere in the country. Boris Johnson is seen on a walkabout in Uxbridge in 2020, during his time as prime minister. Inside, the owner told CNN: "They're all the same ... Johnson’s company ran the first major opinion poll ahead of the Uxbridge by-election, which found a solid but assailable eight-point lead for Labour. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (far right) and Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves (right) on a campaign visit with Danny Beales, the local Labour candidate (back center).

Persons: Mike Okoli, ”, Okoli, Boris Johnson –, Johnson, “, ” Okoli, Rob Picheta, CNN Johnson, Manoj Supeda, I’ve, hasn’t, ‘, ’ He’s, Supeda, Johnson’s, ” Supeda, “ It’s, ” Manoj Supeda, Tony Blair, Labour's, Brexit, CNN Okoli, he’s, “ I’ve, Sonia Caetano, Boris Johnson, Stefan Rousseau, there’s, ” Caetano, Danny Beales, We've, Caetano, Keir Starmer, Steve Reed, Piers Corbyn, Jeremy Corbyn, Steve Tuckwell, ” Tuckwell, Reed, ” Reed, They’re, Mick, Starmer, “ We’re, we’re, ” James Johnson, Theresa May’s, Sir Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves, ” Tracy Peabody Organizations: United Kingdom CNN, European Union, CNN, Labour Party –, Tories, Labour, Conservatives, Britain, Uxbridge, Beales, London’s Labour, Conservative, Hillingdon Hospital, CNN ‘ Labour, “, Press Association Locations: Uxbridge, United Kingdom, Nigeria, Caribbean, London, South Ruislip, Britain, “, Okoli, Portuguese, Yiewsley, Portugal, Covid, Ukraine, Hillingdon, Ruislip Manor

☆ Berlusconi leaves control of family business to two eldest children
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Elvira Pollina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Eleonora Berlusconi, , Pier Silvio Berlusconi, Barbara Berlusconi, Luigi Berlusconi, Marina Berlusconi walk to attend the funeral of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi at the Duomo Cathedral, in Milan, Italy June 14, 2023. Marina and Pier Silvio Berlusconi, who both already have executive roles in parts of the business, will hold equal stakes jointly worth around 53% in the Fininvest family holding company, the source said, confirming an earlier report from ANSA news agency. Marina chairs Fininvest while Pier Silvio has been in charge of the MFE-MediaForEurope (MFEB.MI) TV business which has long been the jewel in the family's crown. Barbara, Eleonora and Luigi Berlusconi, his three children from his second marriage, have been less involved in the family business. Berlusconi, who founded a business empire based on real estate and then television, died in Milan.

Persons: Eleonora Berlusconi, Pier Silvio Berlusconi, Barbara Berlusconi, Luigi Berlusconi, Marina Berlusconi, Silvio Berlusconi, Claudia Greco, Marta Fascina, Dell'Utri, Silvio Berlusconi's, Marina, Pier Silvio, Silvio, Barbara, Eleonora, Berlusconi, Paolo, Marcello Dell'Utri, Fascina, Milan's, Villa San, Villa, Costa, Vladimir Putin, Tony Blair, Giulio Piovaccari, Federico Maccioni, Keith Weir, Alvise Armellini, Mark Potter Organizations: Italian, Cathedral, REUTERS, MILAN, Fininvest SpA, Reuters, Forza Italia, Italian Serie A, Monza, Villa, British, Thomson Locations: Milan, Italy, Marina, Fininvest, Raffaele, Italian, Villa San Martino, Arcore, Russian

☆ Glenda Jackson, British actor turned politician, dies aged 87
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Elizabeth Piper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Raw-boned, pallid and angular, with striking, sharp eyes, she had starred on stage, television and film before quitting to take up politics, declaring: "An actor's life is not interesting". Jackson also won two Emmy awards for her portrayal of England's Queen Elizabeth I in the BBC's 1971 television series "Elizabeth R". After more than three decades on stage and film, Jackson quit acting and took her no-nonsense, straight-talking style into politics. In 1992, at the age of 55, Jackson won a seat in parliament representing the left-of-centre Labour Party in a constituency in north London. In parliament, Jackson was vociferous in her condemnation of the Conservative Party which she accused of instilling a "dreadful, dreadful moral malaise" in Britain.

☆ Glenda Jackson: Two-time Oscar-winning actress and former politician dies at age 87 - PA
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Two-time Oscar-winning actress and former UK politician Glenda Jackson “died peacefully” after a brief illness at the age of 87, her agent confirmed, according to PA Media. Born in the western town of Birkenhead in England in 1936, Jackson joined an amateur theater group as a teenager before winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. After graduating she starred on London’s West End and made her Broadway debut in 1965 in a production of “Marat/Sade.”The screen followed. She was an MP for 23 years, during which her party came to power in a landslide under former Prime Minister Tony Blair. This is a breaking news story.

Persons: Oscar, Glenda Jackson “, Jackson, “ Marat, Sade, Oliver Reed, ”, Tony Blair Organizations: CNN, PA Media, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Broadway, Labour Locations: Birkenhead, England, London, Love

☆ Biden set to host Rishi Sunak for British PM’s first White House visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Stability in 10 Downing Street has allowed for better coordination on Ukraine, according to officials, and helped resolve a festering dispute over Northern Ireland trade rules. Ahead of the visit, Sunak cast his economic objectives as directly linked to the security agenda. When Biden met Sunak in San Diego earlier this year, he made reference to the condo the Stanford MBA graduate maintains in California. Yet that meeting was only a brief chat over tea; Biden spent most of his visit to Ireland exploring his ancestral roots. Sunak has been lobbying for the British defense secretary Ben Wallace, but other candidates are also thought to be under consideration.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Joe Biden, Sunak’s, Sunak, ”, He’s, “, Donald Trump, Biden, ” Biden, Few, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, George W, Bush, Tony Blair, Barack Obama, David Cameron, bro ”, Biden’s, Thatcher, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Ben Wallace Organizations: CNN, United, Prime, Sky News, US, Russia, Britain, British, EU, Stanford, European Union, Group, White House, Biden, Northern Ireland, Downing Locations: Ukraine, Northern Ireland, Russia, Nova, Thursday’s, Washington, Ukraine’s Kherson, Europe, Silicon Valley, lockstep, London, San Diego, California, Britain, Japan, Belfast, Northern, Ireland

CNN —At first glance, the idea of a former NFL legend and a former US Women’s National Team star wanting to bring “global eyeballs” to an English soccer club might seem an unusual ambition. Its inhabitants have also been hit particularly hard by the UK’s cost of living crisis, which hasn’t been lost on JJ Watt and his wife, Kealia. “Burnley is a special club. “All I want to do is help tell their story. “The success of the football club this year has given such a boost to Burnley and the surrounding area.

☆ Rishi Sunak’s party just took a pounding in UK local elections. The road to recovery is steep
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

And they made grim viewing for a man hoping to lead his Conservative Party back to power in just over a year’s time at the next UK general election. With nearly three-quarters of results declared by late afternoon on Friday, the Conservatives had shed 35 local authorities and more than 600 councilors. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party suffered a drubbing at local elections. They are downplaying the local elections and pointing out that Labour would still need a swing bigger than Tony Blair achieved in 1997 to win a majority of just one seat. The Conservative Party has developed a taste for regicide since 2016.

☆ Opinion | They Wrecked Britain, and They’re Not Going Anywhere
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Samuel Earle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON — As Britain prepares for the coronation of its new king, an end-of-days feeling is sweeping the nation. The Conservative Party is polling 15 points behind the opposition, and the popularity of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the Conservatives’ fifth leader in seven years, remains obstinately low. No matter what happens in the next election, the historic vessel of Britain’s ruling class is not going anywhere. By many accounts, the Conservative Party is not just the oldest but also the most successful political party in the world. Next year, Tony Blair will be the only Labour leader to have won an election in half a century.

☆ UK growth hinges on more than a new pension giant
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Francesco Guerrera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Politicians and financiers think a consolidation of the country’s pension funds would breathe new life into its stocks, startups and infrastructure. Meanwhile, there is no doubt that UK defined-benefit pension funds, company-sponsored plans that promise a specific payment upon retirement, have moved away from UK equities. The proposals also entail creating a 100 billion pound pension fund, modelled on the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, a retirement giant with $536 billion assets under management. Overall, some 19% of these funds’ assets are in UK stocks, according to the Pensions Policy Institute. If UK assets can yield the risk-adjusted returns offered by other assets, pension funds will join in too.

☆ 'Unfinished business': Biden visits Northern Ireland as political tensions persist
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

He will give a speech in Northern Ireland on Wednesday, before traveling south of the border to the Republic of Ireland, where he will remain until Friday. Northern Ireland is part of the U.K. while the Republic of Ireland is a separate nation state that remains part of the EU. "Whilst it's positive in many ways — particularly on movement of food and medicines between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, it really removes a lot of the frictions — it doesn't deal with all the problems of the Northern Ireland protocol, so I'm afraid it's unfinished business," Villiers told CNBC's Tania Bryer. Clinton became the first sitting U.S. President to visit Northern Ireland and the first to appoint a U.S. special regional envoy. Though Biden is expected to use the trip to promote a return to functioning government in Stormont, his previous support for the Northern Ireland Protocol has drawn criticism from DUP politicians.

[1/3] Prime Minister Tony Blair (R) embraces Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern after all parties reached a historic peace agreement April 10, 1998. The peace has utterly transformed the region, largely ending three decades of bitter violence that killed 3,600. "Nothing's ever irresolvable" said Blair, summing up the stubborn optimism many developed working in Northern Ireland at the turn of the millennium. Nationalists, who are mostly Catholic, say Northern Ireland was wrenched from the EU in a UK-wide vote even though its smallest region voted 56% to 44% to remain. "There is an exhaustion and frustration," at the DUP's repeated objections, said Ahern, Irish prime minister from 1997-2008.

☆ The long road to Northern Ireland's Good Friday Agreement
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff/File PhotoApril 3 (Reuters) - On April 10, Northern Ireland marks the 25th anniversary since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, which largely ended three decades of conflict in the British-ruled province. The new Northern Ireland parliament, at Stormont outside Belfast, is dominated by pro-British Protestant "unionists", who will control it for the next 50 years. Nov. 30, 1995 - U.S. President Bill Clinton visits Northern Ireland. May 30, 1996 - Elections held for a Northern Ireland forum ahead of all-party talks. April 10, 1998 - After negotiations continue through the night, the Good Friday Agreement, also known as the Belfast Agreement, is signed.

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