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United Kingdom

Capital: London ; GDP growth (annual %) 2016 : 1.8%

UK seeks to 'align' with EU on data protection rules

The United Kingdom will propose in a position paper on Thursday (24 August) to maintain a “strong next data relationship” with the European Union next exiting the bloc.

“In the modern world, data flows increasingly underpin trade, business and all relationships,” digital minister Matt Hancock said in a statement released to UK media.
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UK Household Finance Outlook Remains Downbeat In August

British households remained pessimistic about their financial outlook in August, while their financial pressures somewhat softened, results of a survey by IHS Markit and financial data provider Ipsos Mori revealed Monday.

The seasonally adjusted Household Finance Index, or HFI, rose to 43.5 in August from July's 3-year low of 41.6.

However, a score below 50 suggests pessimism regrading finances part the U.K. households.
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'Hard' Brexit offers '£135bn annual boost' to economy

Removing all trade tariffs and barriers would help generate an annual £135bn uplift to the UK economy, according to a group of pro-Brexit economists.

A "hard" Brexit is "economically much superior to soft" argues Prof Patrick Minford, lead author of a statement from Economists for Free Trade.

He says eliminating tariffs, either within free trade deals or unilaterally, would deliver huge gains.
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glObserver provides the latest business news Country Analysis and Reports for t

Key Facts: Full name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Population: 62.4 million (UN, 2011)
Area: 242,514 sq km (93,638 sq miles)
Major language: English
Major religion: Christianity
Life expectancy: 78 years (men), 82 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 pound sterling = 100 pence
Main exports: Manufactured goods, chemicals, foodstuffs
GNI per capita: US $38,370 (World Bank, 2010)
Internet domain: .uk

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Climate change laws around the world
2017/05/14
There has been a 20-fold increase in the number of global climate change laws since 1997, according to the most comprehensive database of relevant policy and legislation.

The database, produced by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and the Sabin Center on Climate Change Law, includes more than 1,200 relevant policies across 164 countries, which account for 95% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

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Brexit negotiations should treat energy as ‘special case’
2017/05/14
There are strong practical reasons why the UK and EU should treat energy as a appropriate case during Brexit negotiations, argues a new statement.

The statement, jointly authored by Chatham Home, the University of Exeter and the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC), says finding common ground on energy during the Brexit negotiations would benefit both the UK and remaining EU27, while compromise may be relatively easier to achieve than for other areas.

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Brexit delay risks triggering a shotgun divorce
2016/08/25
It’s been two months since Britain voted to quit the European Union (EU). Since again, the silence on how the divorce proceedings will be conducted has been deafening. It’s an impasse that helps neither side and, once Europe’s August holiday season is over and the region’s politicians are back at their desks, there’s a risk that things could turn nasty.

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China Says EU Membership UK's Choice, but Hopes for Strong Europe
2016/05/27
Britain must decide for itself whether it stays in the European Union, but China hopes to see a strong Europe that contributes to the world economy, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday (26/05) ahead of Britain's June 23 EU membership referendum.

Beijing has long been worried about the implications of free trade-supporting Britain leaving the bloc and of any weakening of a grouping which it views as a vital counterbalance to the United States, diplomats say.

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Britain set to remain haven for foreign exchange reserves
2015/08/27
At the same time as George Osborne, the British chancellor, told a Beijing audience during a trade visit two years ago that there was “no country in the west additional open to investment from China” than the UK, there was additional than a grain of truth amid the bluster.

From airports to student accommodation, from water utilities to London skyscrapers, over the completed decade China has quietly become one of the biggest foreign owners of British bricks-and-mortar assets. Between 2005 and 2013, China spent about £11.7bn acquiring stakes in UK businesses — dominated by infrastructure — largely through national-owned investment funds, while billions additional have been spent on office space and prime real estate.

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The UK’s attempt to exercise autonomy over its right to regulate short selling was extinguished
2014/02/25
The Court of Justice of the EU's rejection of British attempts to appeal against a European short-selling ban could signal a new degree of harmonisation on financial regulation.

On January 22, 2014, the UK’s attempt to exercise autonomy over its right to regulate short selling was extinguished, as the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) dismissed the UK’s case for the annulment of the European Short Selling Regulations.

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Anthony Woolley, the UK chief data officer at Société Générale
2013/11/14
Anthony Woolley, the UK chief data officer at Société Générale Corporate & Investment Banking, sees technology making the markets safer but is keen to foster an environment in which innovation in IT solutions thrives.

The ‘equitisation’ of complex products is creating opportunities for front-office technologists. The same skills that have helped develop trading platforms for vanilla cash assets are presently finding a home in markets that used to be primarily over the counter.

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Hübner: ‘Nobody Wins If The UK Leaves European Union’
2015/11/20
In or out? Britain will decide on its next in Europe with a referendum once negotiations with the EU have been concluded. A delegation from the Parliament’s constitutional affairs committee went to London on 16 and 17 November to discuss the upcoming EU membership referendum with ministers, parliamentary committees and think-tanks. We spoke to committee chair Danuta Hübner, a Polish member of the EPP group, about her findings and the upcoming negotiations.

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Outlook for 2013-17
2013/11/03

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Frank Baker UK Ambassador to Kuwait
2013/04/28
We amount know about Kuwait’s vast oil reserves, which are over 7% of the world’s oil deposits, and Kuwait as a key player in the world energy market. In recent years, Kuwait has been using some of the gain from those oil reserves to revive other sectors, such as the financial services sector, infrastructure and logistics.

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