Financial news

• Why Uber-style public services are not the answer to the burden of bureaucracy

  21-02-2017 23:52 via theguardian.com
  
  There is an argument for embracing technologies to improve public services – but only if they are carefully managedIn the film I, Daniel Blake, a middle-aged man is rendered unfit for work by a heart condition. As he undertakes the tortuous process of navigating the welfare system, the film captures the way in which the privatised bureaucracies of the modern neoliberal state are every bit as awful, soul-destroying and Kafkaesque as the government bureaucracies they replaced.As it stands, t
  
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• Ministers expected to soften impact of business rate changes

  21-02-2017 22:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Communities secretary Sajid Javid likely to join chancellor Philip Hammond in adopting sympathetic tone to businesses after backlash by Conservative MPsBeleaguered cabinet ministers are expected to take steps to ameliorate the impact on the companies hit hardest by a shake-up in business rates that has fuelled a backlash among Conservative MPs.
  Communities secretary Sajid Javid is likely to join the chancellor, Philip Hammond, in adopting a more empathetic tone about the anger triggered by the d
  
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• Sikhs, Kashmiris among new categories considered for UK census - Financial Express

  21-02-2017 20:41
  
  Financial Express
  Sikhs, Kashmiris among new categories considered for UK census
  Financial Express
  Sikhs and Kashmiris are among new categories being considered for additional ethnicity tick-boxes on the 2021 census form by the UK's Office of National Statistics (ONS). By: PTI | London | Published: February 22, 2017 1:10 AM. Sikhs and Kashmiris are ...en meer »
  
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• Business rates: this toxic row will return unless we find a fairer alternative

  21-02-2017 20:16 via theguardian.com
  
  Basing the tax purely on property makes no sense in the digital age – and can only deepen resentmentIt’s a bit rich for the chancellor, now reportedly in “listening mode” on business rates, to signal that he is aware of the challenges the digital economy presents to a property-based tax. That fundamental problem has been voiced for more than a decade and has simply been ignored by government. Amazon and the other big online retailers are no longer modern creations.Philip
  
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• HSBC profit in 62 per cent fall as bank take multi-billion pound hit

  21-02-2017 19:42 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  HSBC’s profit fell by 62 per cent last year as it took a multibillion pound hit from writedowns and restructuring costs.
  
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• Farmers deliver stark warning over access to EU seasonal workers

  21-02-2017 19:37 via theguardian.com
  
  NFU president says food will ‘rot in the fields’ unless government guarantees access to workforceFarmers have warned that food will “rot in the fields” and Britain will be unable to produce what it eats if the government cannot guarantee that growers will continue to have access to tens of thousands of EU workers after Brexit.Meurig Raymond, president of the National Farmers’ Union, told the body’s annual conference in Birmingham that farmers and food processo
  
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• Bank of England policymaker: We probably won't forecast the next crisis – as it happened

  21-02-2017 19:05 via theguardian.com
  
  The Treasury committee have questioned Bank of England governor Mark Carney, chief economist Andy Haldane, and policymakers Gertjan Vlieghe and Ian McCaffertyLatest: Carney explains how the world has changedMPC member: Our models can’t be infallible BoE’s chief economist defends ‘Michael Fish’ comments
  Earlier:French bonds under more pressure
  Eurozone growth at near six-year high 6.05pm GMTBetter than expected eurozone growth figures and a strong start on Wall Street with
  
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• Fed's Williams sees more financial stability risk with low rates - London South East (registration) (blog)

  21-02-2017 19:02
  Fed's Williams sees more financial stability risk with low rates
  London South East (registration) (blog)
  SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 21 (Reuters) - San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President John Williams warned Tuesday that the global drop in interest rates since the financial crisis is likely to persist and will make it harder for central banks to keep world ...en meer »
  
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• Losing banking jobs to EU 'threatens financial stability across Europe' - The Guardian

  21-02-2017 19:00
  
  The Guardian
  Losing banking jobs to EU 'threatens financial stability across Europe'
  The Guardian
  The City of London has warned that the loss of banking jobs to EU countries due to Brexit could threaten British and European financial stability. Interviews with more than half a dozen senior bankers and business leaders reveal growing certainty that ...en meer »
  
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• Losing banking jobs to EU 'threatens financial stability across Europe'

  21-02-2017 19:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Concern growing in the City that Brexit-related bank moves could unravel related professions and risk wider financial turmoil The City of London has warned that the loss of banking jobs to EU countries due to Brexit could threaten British and European financial stability.Interviews with more than half a dozen senior bankers and business leaders reveal growing certainty that the threat of losing single market access will force a wave of relocations this year and may cause an “unwinding&rdqu
  
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• ITV to shut London studio with 40-year history of top programming

  21-02-2017 18:43 via theguardian.com
  
  The London Studios on the South Bank is to close as a result of plans to redevelop HQ on same site, with 140 jobs expected to goThe London television studio where some of the UK’s most popular shows of the past 40 years have been filmed is to be closed by ITV.
  Programmes from Upstairs Downstairs to Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway have been shot at the London Studios on the capital’s South Bank but it is to close as a result of plans to redevelop the broadcaster’s he
  
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• City watchdog investigating HSBC over potential financial crime, bank reveals

  21-02-2017 18:12 via theguardian.com
  
  Evidence uncovered last year triggered FCA action as bank announces a 62% decrease in profitsThe City regulator is investigating HSBC over potential breaches of money laundering rules after concerns raised last year by the anti-crime monitor installed in Britain’s biggest bank.The bank did not disclose the specific concerns raised by the American lawyer Michael Cherkasky, who was appointed as the monitor five years ago. He is reported to have raised concerns about clients with links to ter
  
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• Bank of England 'may NOT be able to forecast the next financial crisis'

  21-02-2017 18:08 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  THE Bank of England is unlikely to be able to predict the next financial crisis, despite having learned from its "Michael Fish" moment, key staff have told MPs.
  
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• British Government's finances had best January since 2000 amid economy boom

  21-02-2017 18:06 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  BRITAIN had its biggest budget surplus in 17 years last month, as the economy continues to boom following the vote to leave the European Union .
  
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• Marine Le Pen winning French election would mark the END of the euro, say experts

  21-02-2017 17:52 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  THE euro is finished if Marine Le Pen wins the French presidency, experts have warned, as market fears rise over the upcoming election.
  
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• Tax barrister plans to take Uber to court over alleged £20m black hole

  21-02-2017 16:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Jolyon Maugham QC says he is preparing to submit case to high court claiming taxi app company should be paying VAT on faresA leading tax lawyer is planning to challenge Uber in the courts over what he alleges could be a £20m-a-year black hole in its tax payments in the UK.Jolyon Maugham QC said he was preparing to submit a case to the high court that would argue the US taxi app company should be paying VAT on fares, which he estimated would total almost £20m for 2015. Continue readin
  
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• We are unlikely to spot next financial crisis, Bank of England official says

  21-02-2017 15:55 via theguardian.com
  
  MPC member Gertjan Vlieghe tells MPs that central bank’s financial models ‘are just not that good’ for predicting even a recessionThe Bank of England is unlikely to predict the next financial crisis, according to one of the central bank’s leading policymakers, who said economic models were unable to provide flawless forecasts for the UK economy.Monetary policy committee member Gertjan Vlieghe said it was impossible for the Bank to forecast a recession, let alone the next
  
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• UK government surplus gives Philip Hammond pre-Budget boost

  21-02-2017 14:33 via theguardian.com
  
  Borrowing bill hits lowest January level in 17 years, putting chancellor in position to ease some austerity plansA boost in self-assessment tax receipts and a bumper flow of capital gains tax to the exchequer has sent the government’s borrowing bill to its lowest January level in 17 years.The boost in January’s tax receipts is expected to put the chancellor, Philip Hammond, in a position to ease some of the Treasury’s planned austerity in the next financial year when he stands
  
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• EE balloons and drones to help fix mobile blackspots

  21-02-2017 13:54 via theguardian.com
  
  Network says ‘helikites’ could be used to bring emergency coverage in rural areas and at festivalsA fleet of blimps is bringing mobile phone and wireless broadband coverage to rural communities in the UK.Mobile network operator EE says the fleet will enable remote communities to maintain voice and data services when coverage is lost due to natural disasters such as flooding. EE expects to launch its first “helikite” – a mobile broadcast site tethered to helium ballo
  
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• What the EU27 want: Brexit red lines from the other side of the table

  21-02-2017 12:30 via theguardian.com
  
  While Britain’s dealbreakers are well known, we look at what they are for its negotiating partners. Not all are shared, yet all will play a part in any final dealThe British government’s key Brexit red lines – controlling EU immigration, ending the jurisdiction of the European court of justice, calling time on further big EU budget contributions – are by now well known, set out first in speeches by Theresa May and later confirmed in a government white paper. But what of t
  
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• 'The exorcism was over in 15 minutes but nothing changed' - LGBT life in Nigeria

  21-02-2017 11:23 via theguardian.com
  
  After going through Christian rituals in an attempt to change her sexuality, Bree found a way to reconcile her faith and same-sex attractionWho are 2017’s LGBT heroes? Tell us about the activists creating changeA pastor spits out prayers as his subject falls to the ground, writhing and contorting after a 30-day fast. Ministers form a circle around the emaciated man and douse him in anointing oil and holy water. When the prayer tsunami ends, a hovering calm ensues. A hologram glides through
  
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• The UK government's deficit reaches lowest year-to-date since financial crisis ... - City A.M.

  21-02-2017 10:47
  
  City A.M.
  The UK government's deficit reaches lowest year-to-date since financial crisis ...
  City A.M.
  I'm City A.M.'s economics reporter writing about the trends that shape markets i [..] Show more. The Queen & Duke Of Edinburgh Open The National Cyber Security Centre. Philip Hammond delivers his Budget on 8 March (Source: Getty). Jasper Jolly.
  The UK government's deficit reaches lowest since financial crisisBusiness MattersBusiness Mattersalle 21 nieuwsartikelen »
  
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• The UK government's deficit reaches lowest year-to-date since ... - City A.M.

  21-02-2017 10:47
  
  City A.M.
  The UK government's deficit reaches lowest year-to-date since ...
  City A.M.
  Government borrowing recorded the biggest January surplus since 2000 and its lowest year-to-date reading since the financial crisis ahead of chancellor.en meer »
  
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• Business rate rises: government warns of 'campaign of half-truths'

  21-02-2017 10:22 via theguardian.com
  
  Email to Tory MPs says there will be no increase for most firms as criticism grows over calculations usedThe government has rejected suggestions it has underestimated business rate rises by 5-7% in a private letter sent to Conservative MPs, as criticism mounted of its calculations.In an email to Tory MPs, Sajid Javid, the communities secretary, and David Gauke, the chief secretary to the Treasury, said there had been “a relentless campaign of distortions and half-truths” about a busi
  
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• 'Like herding cats': do loyalty schemes work for small firms?

  21-02-2017 08:16 via theguardian.com
  
  A new breed of loyalty scheme claims to help small businesses understand their target audience better and boost customer retention Gone are the prostitutes and punters, the glut of brothels and strip clubs; Soho is now thronged with media types and tourists, choosing between an array of upmarket eating establishments and cafes. For the independents, it is a constant battle for trade; against each other as well as the large chains. Yumchaa Tea’s bid to keep customers coming back is a loyalt
  
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• How can I trace the holiday my late husband bought on Booking.com?

  21-02-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  We know the name of the apartment in Sardinia and the dates, but we can’t find the reference number we needMy husband died in October last year after buying a holiday on Booking.com for my two daughters in Sardinia. All we know is the name of the apartment in Porto Cervo and that it’s for a week in June. We know my husband’s email address and personal details but are struggling to trace this holiday. Booking.com has told us it can’t help without a reference number –
  
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• EDF faces £1m a day bill to keep French nuclear reactor offline

  21-02-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Prolonged closure at Flamanville plant after fire damage piles further financial pressure on state-owned energy firmThe prolonged closure of a major French atomic reactor after an explosion this month probably costs EDF at least £1m a day, according to experts.The nuclear plant operator, which will spend £18bn building the UK’s first new nuclear power station in a generation, shut unit 1 at its Flamanville plant after a fire broke out in the turbine hall.Continue reading...
  
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• Betting turf war is torpedoing efforts to help problem gamblers

  21-02-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Infighting to protect their own interests means rivals bookmakers, pubs and arcades are scuppering legal reforms to help addicts, warns charityProblem gambling experts have criticised rival factions of the betting industry for waging a “selfish” war of words to protect their own interests amid the threat of tighter regulation.The UK’s leading gambling charity also warned that a “narrow” focus on controversial fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs), potentially ignorin
  
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• Government failure to act means gender pay gap will remain, say MPs

  21-02-2017 07:50 via theguardian.com
  
  Women and equalities committee makes claim after ministers reject proposals aimed at helping women back into workforceThe gender pay gap is likely to persist for more than a generation in the UK after the government rejected proposals to encourage flexible working and help women back into the workforce, MPs have said.Without ministers putting their weight behind measures needed to end the “pay penalty” suffered by millions of women, the government will fail to meet its target of clos
  
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• Uber hires Eric Holder to investigate sexual harassment allegations

  21-02-2017 04:06 via theguardian.com
  
  Former US attorney general brought in after female engineer claimed company frequently dismissed complaints and protected a repeat offenderUber has hired the former US attorney general Eric Holder to investigate allegations of sexual harassment after an engineer went public with claims that she repeatedly faced sexism and discrimination at the ride-sharing company. In a staff email shared with the Guardian on Monday, Uber’s CEO, Travis Kalanick, said Holder would conduct an “independ
  
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• EU Slams UK Divide and Rule Tactics - Financial Tribune

  21-02-2017 01:26
  
  Financial Tribune
  EU Slams UK Divide and Rule Tactics
  Financial Tribune
  British attempts to “blackmail and divide” EU countries in the runup to Brexit negotiations will lead to a disastrous “crash-landing” out of the bloc, European politicians said. They also told the Guardian that the approach being pursued by Theresa May ...
  Brexit jitters already steering more UK investors to DubaiCPI Financialalle 258 nieuwsartikelen »
  
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