Financial news

• UK water firms admit using divining rods to find leaks and pipes

  21-11-2017 18:01 via theguardian.com
  Calls for regulator to stop companies passing cost of using discredited medieval practice on to customers
  Ten of the 12 water companies in the UK have admitted they are still using the practice of water dowsing despite the lack of scientific evidence for its effectiveness.The disclosure has prompted calls for the regulator to stop companies passing the cost of a discredited medieval practice on to their customers. Ofwat said any firm failing to meet its commitments to customers faced a financial
  
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• The 'masculine mystique' – why men can't ditch the baggage of being a bloke

  21-11-2017 17:07
  Far from embracing the school run, most men are still trapped by rigid cultural notions of being strong, dominant and successful. Is it leading to an epidemic of unhappiness similar to the one felt by Betty Friedan’s 50s housewives?Back in the 90s, it was all going to be so different. Not for our generation the lopsided approach of our parents, with their quaint postwar notions of father-breadwinners and mother-homemakers. We would be equal; interchangeable. Our young women would run compa
  
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• Airbus boss says Brexit risks losing UK aviation's 'crown jewels' to China

  21-11-2017 16:20 via theguardian.com
  UK operations chief tells MPs trade barriers and restricted movement for staff will put thousands of jobs in Wales at riskAirbus has told MPs that Britain risks losing the “crown jewels” of its aviation industry to China as a result of Brexit, putting up to 7,000 wing-manufacturing jobs in Wales at risk.The company’s senior corporate representative in the UK warned the business select committee that the threat of new customs bureaucracy and reduced employee mobility could deter
  
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• UK shoppers face 'year of anxiety' over food prices as La Niña returns

  21-11-2017 08:00
  Weather event could drive up costs of commodities such as coffee and cocoa as Britons face Brexit and inflation squeezeUK consumers could be hit by a new bout of food price inflation next year after the return of the La Niña global weather phenomenon, which may hit production of key commodities including coffee and cocoa.The UK is expected to be particularly exposed to the effect of the event, which tends to prompt dry weather in the US midwest and heavy rainfall in south-east Asia and Au
  
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• Buying cut-price designer shoes from hmomastery has proved a costly mistake

  21-11-2017 08:00
  I sent off for two pairs of shoes and only discovered when they didn’t arrive that the company was in BeijingI ordered two pairs of Opening Ceremony Cici Classic shoes from hmomastery.co.uk, which sells “designer” shoes and clothing at drastically reduced prices. They usually cost around £200 a pair. I paid £122.38 on 29 September by Lloyds debit card. On 3 October the money was taken from my account by retailer DESIGNER ONLINESHOP in Beijing. Eventually, a pair of
  
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• Philip Hammond to target young voters with rail fare and student loan measures

  21-11-2017 01:01
  Budget will introduce discount railcard for under-30s and unveil action to prevent overpayment of student loans Philip Hammond will pitch to win over younger voters with a new offer of cheaper rail fares for the under-30s and plans to prevent graduates from overpaying student loans.The chancellor will use Wednesday’s budget to launch a new discount railcard from spring 2018 for 4.5 million people aged between 26-30, though it has not been confirmed how much the discount would be. Continue
  
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