Financial news

• Couple who faked holiday sickness ‘rumbled’ on Facebook

  05-03-2018 20:40
  Leon Roberts and Jade Muzoka get suspended jail sentences after bogus food poisoning claimA man and a woman who fraudulently claimed they fell ill while on holiday in Turkey, but were “rumbled” by images they posted on social media, have been given suspended jail sentences.The move was welcomed by the Association of British Travel Agents (Abta), which is campaigning to stamp out spurious sickness claims.Continue reading...
  
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• Airbus may leave UK unless there is urgent clarity on Brexit trade

  05-03-2018 18:22 via theguardian.com
  Plane maker fears future customs and paperwork delays will make UK plants uncompetitiveAirbus has warned it would have to consider its position in the UK without imminent clarity over customs rules after Brexit.The European aerospace manufacturer said it would soon have to decide whether to start stockpiling parts to avoid border delays, adding costs that could make its British operations uncompetitive. Continue reading...
  
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• Bitcoin is based on the blockchain pipe dream | Nouriel Roubini and Preston Byrne

  05-03-2018 14:31 via theguardian.com
  Overpriced cryptocurrencies owe their diminishing credibility to an over-hyped technology
  Predictions that bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies will fail typically elicit a broader defence of the underlying blockchain technology. Yes, the argument goes, more than half of “initial coin offerings” to date have already failed, and most of the 1,500-plus cryptocurrencies also will fail, but blockchain will nonetheless revolutionise finance and human interactions generally.In reality, block
  
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• In a laver: seaweed shuts nuclear reactor again in bad weather

  05-03-2018 12:46 via theguardian.com
  EDF’s Torness plant east of Edinburgh has previously been taken offline due to jellyfish Roving jellyfish and seaweed have long been unwanted guests at Scotland’s last two nuclear power stations. Now the marine algae have hit again, forcing one of the plants to partially power down despite freezing temperatures pushing up demand for electricity.During last week’s cold weather, excessive amounts of seaweed entered the cooling system of the Torness plant in East Lothian, causing
  
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• Why does Halifax discriminate when I use my maiden name?

  05-03-2018 08:00 via theguardian.com
  After getting married I use my maiden name for work – but I can’t cash chequesFollowing your item in August 2017, I have experienced the same discrimination from Halifax over the use of my maiden and married surnames. I use my maiden name as my professional name and my passport also carries it. It is therefore still very much my identity. I also have a stocks and shares holding (not with Halifax) in my maiden name. When I wish to withdraw funds they send me a cheque in my maiden name
  
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• Mortgages: as a rate rise looms, it’s time to fix repayments

  05-03-2018 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Security over monthly outgoings is vital for many homeowners. Here’s a guide to the best dealsIt was a sharp reminder to a generation of homeowners that low rates would not last forever when Bank of England governor Mark Carney announced in November that interest rates were to rise for the first time in a decade.That reminder – and the announcement there will be two more rises by 2020 – led to a flurry of activity among mortgage holders, who moved to fix their rates and lock in
  
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• How can I boost my confidence at work?

  05-03-2018 07:59
  Sharmadean Reid on how to avoid Imposter Syndrome during a big meeting or presentationEveryone gets nervous at times. Even when I’m feeling super-chilled about a big meeting or a speaking gig, I always get butterflies just before I go on. But after doing so many of these nerve-racking events, I’ve picked up a few confidence-boosting techniques.First, I think of what has almost become my life mantra: know your shit. When we think about why women have such big barriers to entry in the
  
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• Energy watchdog to ban back-billing by utility firms

  05-03-2018 07:01
  Bills for energy used more than 12 months ago will not be issued if customers acted in good faith Ofgem is to formally ban gas and electricity suppliers from issuing customers with back-bills for energy used more than 12 months ago.Most of the big suppliers are bound by a voluntary agreement that prevents them chasing a domestic customer for energy supplied more than a year ago.Continue reading...
  
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• Abolish income tax bands to give earners £1,100 – IPPR

  05-03-2018 07:01 via theguardian.com
  Merging NI, scrapping thresholds and introducing individual rates will make taxation fairer, says thinktank
  Income tax bands could be scrapped to give average earners as much as £1,100 each without costing the government a penny, according to a report calling for radical changes to make theUK tax system fairer.According to the Institute for Public Policy Research thinktank, just as much money could be raised by the government if it merged income tax with national insurance, scrapped existi
  
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• Jubilee Debt Campaign seeks £40bn write-off of consumer borrowing

  05-03-2018 01:01 via theguardian.com
  Charity behind Drop the Debt initiative in Latin America and Africa turns attention to BritainThe charity behind the Drop the Debt campaign to help developing countries stuck with problem borrowing is turning its attention to Britain, calling for government action to write off as much as £40bn in spiralling consumer debt. The Jubilee Debt Campaign, famed for its association with Bono, Bob Geldof and Muhammad Ali in aiding African nations at the turn of the millennium, is launching a campai
  
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