Inline Insights

The 2014 European Parliament (EP) elections have seen a marked rise in eurosceptic representatives from right across Europe. In Britain, France, Denmark and Greece populist, anti-establishment political parties have all received a significant share of the vote, to the detriment of established political parties in government.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) invariably has something interesting to say on energy policy, on what is happening now and on future trends. Their latest report, Energy Technology Perspectives 2014, which lays out pathways to a sustainable energy system by 2050, is no different in this regard.

Following a revised subpoena from the New York state Attorney General requesting the personal details of hosts who use Airbnb for short-term rentals, both sides have reached an agreement. Under the agreement Airbnb will provide the Attorney General with anonymised aggregate data on their hosts in New York. This data will initially not include names, addresses or other personally-identifiable information.

A bill regulating ridesharing services is expected to be imminently signed by Colorado State Governor John Hickenlooper.  This would make him the first US State Governor to sign into law such a bill. Whilst California was technically the first State to regulate the industry (its rules were created by the State’s Public Utilities Commission), Colorado’s rules are set to be the first crafted and enacted by elected State representatives. The bill will allow provide certainty for ridesharing companies who faced formal complaints from the State’s Public Utilities Commission, which maintained that they were operating illegally.

A number of news stories over the last few days once again illustrate the momentum that virtual currencies are gathering towards increased legitimacy amongst regulators and consumers. 

In a hugely significant development yesterday telecom regulators in the United States voted to proceed with net neutrality rules. Amid protests the vote was passed with three commissioners of the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) voting in favour and two voting against. Tom Wheeler, chairman of the FCC, said that "the consideration we are looking at today is not about whether the internet should be open but how and when we have rules in place to ensure an open internet."

New York State regulators have re-issued a subpoena against Airbnb only a day after the courts dismissed a request against the short-term rental company.

Our Environment Consultant Richard Folland takes a look in this blog post at why UK policymakers should manage their message on renewables

In a hugely significant development, the European Union Court of Justice (ECJ) has today ruled that Google must amend some search results at the request of ordinary people in a test of the so-called "right to be forgotten".

The analysis, written by Energy Transition Advisors (ETA), assists investors to continue their engagement with companies over carbon asset risk. It introduces the concept of a carbon supply cost curve to global oil projects – highlighting that many make neither financial or carbon sense when stress-tested against demand, price and emissions scenarios.

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has unanimously approved the use of Bitcoin for political donations after months of debate on the issue. Commissioners imposed several conditions. Among them: No anonymous bitcoin contributions will be allowed, and campaign treasurers must scrutinize the donations for "evidence of illegality."

London black-cab drivers are planning to cause gridlock in the city to protest against car service Uber.

The Licensed Taxi Drivers Association complains that Uber's drivers are using a smartphone app to calculate fares despite it being illegal for private vehicles to be fitted with taximeters.

Transport for London has declined to intervene, because it disagrees that there has been a breach of the law.

Private landlords would face rent controls and longer tenancy agreements if the Labour party wins an election next year, party leader Ed Miliband will pledge on Thursday.

Investors should consider risks associated with virtual currencies, including bitcoin, before trading in them, two U.S. regulators warned on Tuesday.

A £500 million initiative to boost the use of electric and hybrid vehicles, which still represent just one per cent of car sales in Britain, will be launched today by Nick Clegg.

The Deputy Prime Minister said he wanted to encourage drivers to ditch petrol or diesel vehicles by making it cheaper and more convenient to drive cars which run on green alternatives.

At least £200 million is being set aside to fund grants of 25 per cent, up to a maximum of £5,000, towards the cost of an ultra-low emission car.

There was no room for agreement, and no agreement about rooms, in court on Tuesday in Albany.

The stewards of the sharing economy think regulators should invent new rules to accommodate their innovative business practices. Regulators think these companies and their customers should accommodate themselves to the old laws.

The short-term rental company Airbnb made waves when it announced that it will start collecting San Francisco’s 14 percent hotel tax from its guests in the city. And while this may be a first step in assuaging critics, it probably won’t be the last. It’s no secret that San Francisco Board of Supervisors President David Chiu is working on regulations for short-term rental companies like Airbnb, but on Wednesday a representative from Chiu’s office offered more specifics about what those regulations will likely include.

New rules for unregulated rideshare companies such as Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar passed the Illinois House on Thursday over complaints the push was aimed at stifling competition to the state’s powerful taxi industry.

The chamber voted 80-26 to support legislation sponsored by Rep. Michael Zalewski, D-Riverside, who described his measure as a “comprehensive, thoughtful” consumer-protection step.

“We want to ensure licensure. We want to ensure insurance coverage, and we want to ensure safety of our constituents,” Zalewski told his House colleagues.

The French government is preparing to take legal action against urban rideshare service UberPop, claiming it is providing an illegal taxi service by making a profit from its service, under the guise of carpooling.  The UberPop service was launched in France by Uber two months ago, offering a service where individuals can offer lifts to others in their personal cars for a fee.

For a guy who is supposed to be selling electric cars, Mike Kelly isn't a big fan.