Financial news

• The Guardian view on Murdoch’s Sky plan: a blow to media plurality | Editorial

  26-06-2017 20:59
  
  We need to recover faith in the scrutinising pressure of a truly independent, diverse media. Concentrating more power in the hands of a rightwing billionaire won’t helpElected politicians traditionally shied away from picking fights with wealthy media moguls, wary of those who could spill barrelfuls of ink in defence of their arguments. There was a tendency for governments to raise little more than an eyebrow when media takeovers were proposed. This was a bad thing for democracy, leading t
  
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• Asda is named worst supermarket in treatment of suppliers

  26-06-2017 19:49
  
  Watchdog places Walmart-owned chain below Morrisons, as it names Iceland as worst retailer at complying with its codeAsda has been named as the worst of the UK’s major supermarkets in its treatment of suppliers. It dropped below Morrisons, which was bottom of the list last year, as the Bradford-based chain took action to improve its performance according to a survey of more than 1,200 grocery suppliers by the industry watchdog.About 12% of Asda’s suppliers said the Walmart-owned chai
  
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• HBOS fraud victims go unpaid as Lloyds battles Noel Edmonds

  26-06-2017 19:07
  
  Bank denies star’s claim £100m scheme is a ‘sham’ as only one victim of loans scam has received compensationFive months after a high court judge handed out lengthy jail terms to a group of financiers who left business owners “cheated, defeated and penniless”, only one of the victims of the HBOS fraud has received compensation.Lloyds Banking Group – which rescued HBOS in 2008 after the fraud took place – has set aside £100m for redress but now
  
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• Italy's €17bn bank job: self-preservation at a long-term EU price? | Nils Pratley

  26-06-2017 17:18
  
  The state rescue of Veneto Banca and Banca Popolare di Vicenza raises major long-term worries for the eurozone The European Union authorities seem to be making up the rules on banking bailouts as they go along. The latest Italian example – the winding-up of Veneto Banca and Banca Popolare di Vicenza – drives a coach and horses through the idea that taxpayers must be spared financial punishment, as far as possible, when lenders can’t fund themselves.The two banks are being wound
  
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• Smart meter rollout could force household bills to rise, says supplier

  26-06-2017 16:20
  
  Energy company warns rising cost of installations due to ‘customer apathy’ could prompt suppliers to increase tariffsEnergy suppliers face rising costs for putting smart meters in millions of homes, adding pressure on firms to raise household bills further next year.Fitting the meters, which automate readings and government has set a target of installing in every home and small business by the end of 2020, costs suppliers about £100 per household today. Continue reading...
  
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• 'It’s up to us': why business needs to take a stand on #palmoil

  26-06-2017 12:35
  
  Consumers have long been encouraged to shop with sustainability in mind. But when it comes to palm oil, the power to effect industry-wide change is in the hands of businessFor many ethical consumers, palm oil is a dirty word. Its association with deforestation, the destruction of local communities and forced labour – particularly in Indonesia and Malaysia – makes buying a jar of peanut butter no easy task. Some choose to look for assurances on the label that the palm oil inside has b
  
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• What's the best way to look after our kids over the summer holiday?

  26-06-2017 10:31 via theguardian.com
  
  Time with parents, holiday clubs … we’re wondering what others do to cover the six weeksEvery week a Guardian Money reader submits a question, and it’s up to you to help him or her out – a selection of the best answers will appear in next Saturday’s paper.
  This week’s question: Continue reading...
  
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• 'Why should we leave innovation to the biggest companies in the world?'

  26-06-2017 08:00
  
  Sarah Giblin had a simple idea to revolutionise the humble backpack. She has since created the RiutBag and turned it into a £1m businessIt was on a budget flight that Sarah Giblin had the idea for what is now her business, Riut. Despite having no background or training in design or manufacturing, the former professional classical singer decided to revolutionise the humble backpack. On the packed flight she watched as a man struggled with the pockets and zips on his bag. Simultaneously feel
  
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• Let down by Thomas Cook when kids’ club failed to operate

  26-06-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  We booked the hotel specifically because it had a kids’ club for our daughter, but it was closed on four occasionsMy husband and I and our young daughter went on holiday to Turkey with Thomas Cook in September. We were very clear when booking the trip that one of the criteria was a kids’ club. Our daughter is an only child and misses the company of other children on holiday. Our local branch was very helpful in finding us our hotel.However, while we were abroad the club did not opera
  
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• I'm a successful web developer but it's the wrong career for me

  26-06-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  I’m interested in academia, law, journalism, the civil service – how do I figure out which is the right choice?
  Twice a week we publish problems that will feature in a forthcoming Dear Jeremy advice column in the Saturday Guardian so that readers can offer their own advice and suggestions. We then print the best of your comments alongside Jeremy’s own insights.I’ve just turned 30, and I can’t decide what to do with my career. I studied English at Cambridge hoping to
  
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• Skilled labour shortage fuelled by uncertainty for EU workers

  26-06-2017 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Survey by Lloyds finds more than half of British companies are struggling to recruit the staff they need – up from almost a third in January British businesses face their biggest challenge in recruiting skilled labour in a decade, as high employment combines with a fall in the value of the pound and uncertainty about the future for EU nationals in the UK.A net balance of 52% of 1,500 UK companies questioned in May said they had experienced difficulty in recruiting skilled labour during the
  
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