Thursday, February 13

Day: October 3, 2019

Parents win battle: Court allow to take girl to Italy
Featured, London

Parents win battle: Court allow to take girl to Italy

    The parents of a severely disabled girl have won a High Court life-support fight to take her to Italy for treatment. Tafida Raqeeb was a healthy four-year-old girl until a blood vessel in her brain burst on February 9 this year, leading doctors to give her only 24 hours to live. Despite defying their prognosis and making some signs of improvement on a ventilator over the last seven months, doctors at Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel said the damage was permanent. Tafida's parents' Shelina Begum and father Mohammed Raqeeb argued that she should be flown out to Gaslini hospital in Italy. Specialists at Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel had said the damage is permanent and that there is no chance of recovery. Tafida's parents, from Newham in East London, had ...
It’s a trap: Barnier fumes behind the scenes
Europe, Featured

It’s a trap: Barnier fumes behind the scenes

    Boris Johnson appears to be fighting a losing battle to avoid Britain staying in the European Union beyond 31 October after Michel Barnier privately gave a scathing analysis of the prime minister’s new plan for the Irish border, describing it as a trap. The European commission also refused to go into the secretive and intensive “tunnel” talks with the UK’s negotiators before a crunch summit on 17 October from which the UK had hoped to deliver a breakthrough deal. Despite concerted attempts to avoid publicly trashing the UK proposals, there was dismay behind the scenes in Brussels after Johnson tabled his first concrete proposal for replacing the Irish backstop. The prime minister had set out the outline of the government’s offer in a speech to Tory party faithful i...
London’s economy resilient despite political turmoil
Featured, London

London’s economy resilient despite political turmoil

    London’s economy performed better than expected during the third quarter but a squeezed labour market troubled businesses trying to recruit staff, new figures show. Sales and orders reached their highest levels for at least a year during the period, according to a survey by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). Businesses in the capital increased investment in both training and plant and equipment (by 17 per cent and 15 per cent respectively), while 24 per cent of firms reported increased cash flow. The figures represent the biggest rise in these indicators since the start of 2016. “For the second consecutive quarter the London economy has returned results that are better than some would expect, given the ongoing political turmoil and uncertainty of B...