Financial news

• Former Tory minister plans EU customs union rebellion

  19-05-2018 22:30 via theguardian.com
  Nick Boles says if Theresa May fails to secure an extension to keep UK in trade bloc until 2022 he’ll force a voteA new Commons rebellion to keep Britain in the EU’s customs union for years after Brexit is being prepared by a former Tory minister.Nick Boles, a former business minister, said he wanted Britain to remain in the customs union until early 2022, allowing more time to come up with a viable long-term plan. Continue reading...
  
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• Art prices at ‘obscene’ levels as Chinese join high-spending elite

  19-05-2018 17:00 via theguardian.com
  Fine art is almost always a good bet for the super-rich, but it’s worth remembering that the $157m paid for a Modigliani last week could have supported 10,000 budding artists for a yearWhen even the experts are warning that prices for works of art have become obscene, it is probably time to run a dispassionate eye over the multimillion-dollar frenzy for certain works.Last week, Nu couché (sur le côté gauche) by Amedeo Modigliani sold to an unnamed buyer for $157m, and a
  
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• Should Africa let Silicon Valley in?

  19-05-2018 16:59 via theguardian.com
  Some believe that big tech offers developing economies a global platform. But others say ceding control of data and markets to the west could cripple societiesAfrican countries should be nervous about the big technology companies sweeping through their economies, knocking out established businesses and crushing startups before they have had a chance to blossom.That’s the message from the anti-poverty charity Global Justice Now in a report that warns of an “e-pocalypse” across t
  
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• Want your mortgage to extend up to age 99? Now it can

  19-05-2018 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Aldermore bank is the latest lender to give older borrowers the chance to take out a home loan or remortgage in later lifeA mortgage you can have until you are 99 years old was launched this week. It’s the latest in a string of home loans aimed at satisfying the growing demand for “later life” borrowing, with deals that last well into retirement. Continue reading...
  
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• Off the rails: Train timetable shake-up sparks anger among passengers

  19-05-2018 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Sunday sees the biggest ever change to UK train times – many users claim there will be fewer stops and much longer journeysCommuters could be in for a chaotic start on Monday morning as they struggle to come to terms with the biggest change to timetables in living memory. The biggest upheaval will be across the Southern, Gatwick Express, Thameslink and Great Northern networks run by GTR, which account for a quarter of all UK rail journeys, but services in and out of Manchester and Hull are
  
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• Monzo is ‘one of the best’ ethical current accounts

  19-05-2018 08:00 via theguardian.com
  App-based challenger bank comes out on top of rankings by Ethical Consumer, along with Triodos and the EcologyApp-based bank Monzo has been named a “best buy” for current accounts by a leading ethical body.It joined Triodos Bank, Ecology Building Society, Charity Bank, Co-op Insurance, Ecclesiastical Insurance, Royal London and Aviva in getting the thumbs up from Ethical Consumer. Continue reading...
  
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• I’ve tried to dump Google andFacebook. But it’s been painful

  19-05-2018 08:00 via theguardian.com
  After the Cambridge Analytica revelations I was determined it was to be DuckDuckGoOver the past month I’ve tried my best not to use Google. I deleted my Facebook account. I’ve gone through all my phone and iPad apps, closing down the “permissions” that give them access to my calendar, camera, contacts and location. And I’ve switched to DuckDuckGo as my (home) web browser. Like millions of others I was astounded not just by the Cambridge Analytica revelations, but th
  
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• I’ve tried to dump Google and Facebook. But it’s been painful

  19-05-2018 08:00 via theguardian.com
  After the Cambridge Analytica revelations I was determined it was to be DuckDuckGoOver the past month I’ve tried my best not to use Google. I deleted my Facebook account. I’ve gone through all my phone and iPad apps, closing down the “permissions” that give them access to my calendar, camera, contacts and location. And I’ve switched to DuckDuckGo as my (home) web browser. Like millions of others I was astounded not just by the Cambridge Analytica revelations, but th
  
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• ‘Foxtons charged us £4,000 to find totally unsuitable tenants’

  19-05-2018 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Landlord Anne Day accuses the lettings agency of failing to carry out basic checks on the people who rented her £400,00 flatIt was only a few weeks after the tenants found and verified by Foxtons moved into Anne and John Day’s luxury two-bed flat in Lewisham, south-east London, that the complaints began.Rubbish strewn outside the flat – a property valued at more than £400,000 – angered the neighbours. Lots of visitors arrived at all times of the day and night. Noise
  
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• 'I work online and fit freelancing around my family'

  19-05-2018 07:30 via theguardian.com
  Editor and copywriter Annie Ridout on how she earns a living while looking after her kids Whenever my husband and I review how much we need to earn in order to live, I’m struck by how much lower our expectations are than those of our friends. Most seem to expect a holiday abroad a couple of times a year, new clothes and meals out – whereas we go for a few drinks in the pub at the weekend and eat out less than once a month.There have only been a couple of times in my life when I&rsquo
  
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• NHS warns patients they could lose text alerts as GDPR deluge continues

  19-05-2018 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Health service joins UK firms in rushing to comply with new data protection rulesThe National Health Service is texting patients to warn they could lose alerts about hospital and doctor appointments, joining the deluge of more than 1bn “GDPR” messages currently hitting personal inboxes to meet an EU deadline this week.GDPR, which stands for General Data Protection Regulation, has been described as the biggest overhaul of online privacy since the birth of the internet, and comes into
  
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