Economy

• Wednesday, January 9th 2019 - 08:41 UTC

  Brexit plan's five-day debate takes off; Westminster shuts off “no-deal option”

  

  MPs will begin debating Theresa May's Brexit plan again on Wednesday, nearly a month after she postponed the crunch Commons vote on her agreement. There will be five days of discussion on the terms of the UK's withdrawal and future relations with the EU ahead of an expected vote next Tuesday.

• Wednesday, January 9th 2019 - 08:40 UTC

  World Bank says global economy is “soft landing”, so far “orderly”

  

  The World Bank is warning of increasing risks, or what it calls “darkening skies”, for the world economy. In its annual assessment of global prospects the Bank predicts continued, though somewhat slower, growth this year and next.

• Wednesday, January 9th 2019 - 07:00 UTC

  Volatile cruise market: regular lines with rebates of up to 19%, but premiums can be 60% higher

  

  Good news: prices for many cruises in January 2019 are significantly lower than they were a year ago. However, there are major differences by cruise line. While the analysis found that the average cruise price per day actually increased by around 3% – from US$ 397 to US$ 407 per person per night – it also showed substantial price discounts for certain cruise lines.

• Tuesday, January 8th 2019 - 10:11 UTC

  Financial sector leading firms plan to launch an equities exchange: “Members Exchange”

  

  A group of nine leading retail broker-dealers, banks, financial services firms, and global market makers, have agreed to launch an equities exchange, MEMX, or Members Exchange. The new exchange will be owned entirely by its founding members and will seek to deliver benefits to retail and institutional investors by introducing greater competition to the marketplace. MEMX will file an application with the Securities and Exchange Commission in early 2019 for approval to operate as a national securities exchange.

• Tuesday, January 8th 2019 - 09:25 UTC

  US taxpayers will receive refunds, pledges Trump despite government shutdown

  

  Millions of US taxpayers will still receive refunds despite an ongoing partial government shutdown, the White House has said. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has previously delayed tax refunds during a government shutdown.

• Tuesday, January 8th 2019 - 08:42 UTC

  First Minister Sturgeon: Brexit has strengthened the case for Scottish independence

  

  Brexit has “materially strengthened” the case for Scottish independence, Nicola Sturgeon has said. The First Minister said Scotland’s interests are being “completely ignored and sidelined” and that what has happened in the last two years has reinforced the case for it to leave the UK.

• Tuesday, January 8th 2019 - 08:37 UTC

  World Bank President steps down; possible differences with Trump's policies

  

  World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim has made the surprise announcement that he is stepping down after six years in the post. His resignation will take effect from 1 February. Mr Kim, 59, was not due to leave until 2022, after he was re-elected for a second five-year term in 2017.

• Tuesday, January 8th 2019 - 07:32 UTC

  Ryanair, UK's least liked short-haul airline for sixth year running

  

  Ryanair has won the dubious honor of the UK's least-liked short-haul airline for the sixth year running. The results from a Which survey of airline passengers ranked Ryanair at the bottom of 19 carriers flying from the UK. A Ryanair spokesperson said the airline's success was not reflected in the survey.

• Tuesday, January 8th 2019 - 06:54 UTC

  Bolsonaro advances on the Amazon: head of environmental protection agency resigns

  

  The head of Brazil's environmental protection agency has resigned following criticism from the country's newly inaugurated far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.

• Monday, January 7th 2019 - 09:18 UTC

  Rule out a “no-deal Brexit”, 200 plus all parties MPs call on Theresa May

  

  More than 200 MPs from different political parties have signed a letter to Prime Minister Theresa May, urging her to rule out a no-deal Brexit. The MPs - including both Leave and Remain supporters - have been invited to meet the prime minister on Tuesday.